DAY 09 OF MISSION: ARMENIA 2017

We’re pretty much at the halfway point of our mission trip and today was our longest day, full of exciting and memorable blessings. We left the hotel around 7 a.m. and drove two hours to Vanadzor, the third largest city in Armenia, 128km north of Yerevan. Unlike most of the areas we have seen so far, Vanadzor is lush and green, high in the mountains (we saw snow on a far-off peak!).

In Vanadzor, we met with the congregation from Horom and were also joined by Susanna, a dear sister we have gotten to know over the last couple of years. Our Armenian-reading friends may be familiar with her Facebook group dedicated to sharing chapters from Pastor Joseph’s  book, God’s Workshop. She has distributed many, many books for us and today took home a couple of heavy packages of more books to give out. We are thankful for faithful friends who help us reach people we’d never come into contact with ourselves.

DAY 08 OF MISSION: ARMENIA 2017

Our day was dedicated mainly to equipping the friends who do a lot of the hands-on work of distributing Bibles, New Testaments, gospel tracts and devotional books on our behalf. In the morning we went to pick up hundreds of books (purchased or printed by Joseph Hovsepian Ministries, with the help of our donors) from one of our brothers and took them to the home of another family that helps us.

We had some sobering conversations about the severe challenges many families here face—not only the financial hardships that are easy to spot but situations of grave abuse that are not apparent to the casual observer. We have spoken to many young people who are despairing about their futures, feeling hopeless about employment, marriage, health and any kind of real happiness.

DAY 06 OF MISSION: ARMENIA 2017

We had a bit of a surprise today: a poignant moment for our family. We have cousins in Yerevan and had agreed to accompany them to a cemetery to  visit the gravesite of our great-aunt, who passed away a few months after last year’s mission trip. We felt that ministering to those who are grieving fit well with our purpose for being here. What we did not expect was to also see the tombstone of our grandmother (and great-grandmother) Dikranouhie, who died in 1974. This was the first time any of our Canadian family had been to her burial site and it was a moving experience for us.

It was also interesting to see how different the cemetery was from what we’re used to in Montreal and to learn about the different traditions here. Later in the evening, we learned more about life here in Yerevan and the challenges of doing ministry when we bumped into one of the missionaries we work with. He operates a taxi service for tourists and has many opportunities to interact with the different ethnic groups that visit the city. We appreciated the stories and insights he shared about presenting the gospel to people.

Tomorrow we will be meeting with at least one family and hope to be an encouragement and support to them. Please pray that we would have wisdom and discernment as we plan the rest of our days here. On Thursday we will rejoin the group from Horom, but in another village, for a day of worship, teaching and fellowship. Pastor Joseph will also be baptizing a couple of people that day. Other than that, we are moving forward day by day in faith, responding as best we can to the Lord’s leading. Thank you again for your prayers!

DAY 05 OF MISSION: ARMENIA 2017

Even a bumpy two-hour drive through the hot and dry countryside can be enjoyable when you’re travelling with kindred spirits. Seven of us piled into a van and took advantage of our journey to Horom to get to know each other better and strengthen our ministry connections.

We received a very warm welcome in Horom and had some fellowship with the local pastor and his wife before heading over to the church for worship. This is the church we first visited in 2013 and then decided to help rebuild, as the meeting place was in shambles. Since then, the building has been renovated inside and out, they are able to heat the meeting room in winter and now have an outhouse.

DAY 04 OF MISSION: ARMENIA 2017

Day 03 of Mission: Armenia 2017

In the morning we met with a friend here who often serves as a bridge through which we can reach people in need in Armenia. She will try to connect us with a few families we may be able to encourage during our stay. We had a lunch of lahmajoun (a sort of pizza that is a favourite among Armenians) and had a peek at how it’s made. Then Pastor Joseph sorted through some of the donations we received (reading glasses, medication, etc.) so that we can start to distribute them to the appropriate groups. 

Whenever Pastor Joseph starts praying about returning to Armenia, he wonders whether he and our mission team will be useful and effective in our outreach. And then, while we’re on the field, something happens that brings it all together and reassures us that God did indeed lead us here. Tonight we had such an experience.

We visited a local pastor’s home and there we were blessed to meet a dear lady who had heard about Jesus many times before but had hesitated to make a commitment to follow Him. Pastor Joseph shared with her again, as simply as he could, about God’s love, about eternity, about Jesus dying on the cross to save us from our sins, about the forgiveness and peace we receive when we repent and choose to live for Christ. Before we left, this woman humbly asked that Pastor Joseph pray for her to be saved. With quiet tears, she invited Jesus into her heart and was saved. What a holy moment! We ask you to pray for this precious new believer.

Earlier in the evening, much like our experience last night, our host received a phone call from a woman who has read Pastor Joseph’s book, God’s Workshop, and had a question. The two pastors took some time to help her and give her some biblical direction.

We also enjoyed a sweet moment after dinner this evening when one of the pastor’s three granddaughters shared with us a poem she’s learned.

DAY 02 OF MISSION: ARMENIA 2017

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

Today we were blessed by two opportunities to have fellowship with Christian families we partner with here in Yerevan, faithful believers who help us reach out to people in the city and surrounding towns throughout the year, sharing the Bibles, devotional books and gospel tracts that YOU help us provide with your generous donations, but also ministering to various other needs. We look forward to connecting with some of those souls while we are in Armenia.

At one point this evening, our host got a Skype call from new believers in France and he and Pastor Joseph were able to answer a couple of biblical questions. What interesting times we live in!

Thank you for following our blog and Facebook page and for continuing to pray for us and the precious people here. We love and appreciate you!

Day 22 of Mission: Armenia 2016

We spent our last day saying our final goodbyes and picking up some of our favourite chocolates from Grand Candy. It was a mostly relaxed day as my grandfather wasn’t feeling 100% and the following day we knew we would be up at 4:45am to start our 15 hour journey back home.

I’ve been truly blessed to be a part of the 2016 Armenia Mission Trip and everyday I look forward to the next time I can return.

I kid you not, I tried to find a way to be left behind in Armenia. 😉

-Alexis Livingston