MISSION: Armenia 2023 – DAYS 9 TO 10
FRIDAY, August 18: Our first stop was the home of a family mourning the loss of one of their sons during the war. He left behind a wife and two children. The parents have built two shrines: one inside the home and one for passersby to see, rest, and drink cold water. We left the family with financial aid and prayers and encouraged them to give their pain over to the Lord and to continue attending church and having fellowship with other believers.
Our second visit was to the home of a family of five. The mother, in her early 30s, will be baptized next week. We ended the visitation by leaving them with financial aid and prayer.
Our third visit was with an older woman who attends a local church, and her brother who is visiting from Russia. Her daughter has been told she will lose her eyesight. We were able to share the gospel with the brother and daughter. Please pray their hearts will be softened and they will commit their lives to Jesus Christ.
Our fourth visit was with Mary, who was very ill with heart issues last year and had to undergo surgery. Today she is doing well and praising God for the changes in her heart. She has the most beautiful and ready smile for everyone. She attends a local church. Mary is a single mother of two boys, 13 and 6. Her husband has left them, and she is raising them on her own in very difficult circumstances. We ended the visitation with prayer and financial aid.
Our final visit was with our sister in Christ, Sveta. We met Sveta for the first time in 2011 in Spitak, where we held our first baptismal service in a very cold and hard-to-access river. Sveta is a powerhouse for the Lord. She now lives in Russia but has close ties with the people of Spitak and continues to minister anywhere she is. We met with her to go through the list of people who, through her mission work, have asked for baptism. There are yet others who would like baptism next week, so Sveta is traveling from Yerevan to Spitak on Saturday to meet with these people to ensure they understand and are ready for baptism.
Spitak is 96 km north of the capital, Yerevan, and 22 km west of the provincial center, Vanadzor. Spitak was entirely destroyed during the 1988 earthquake and was rebuilt in a slightly different location. Between 25,000 and 50,000 were killed and up to 130,000 were injured. Please pray for sister Sveta and her ongoing mission of helping the people of Spitak, and for those who will be baptized next week.
SATURDAY, August 19: Our first visit today was to a family that lives in a 5th-floor walk-up apartment. The mother is 84 years old, and the daughter (Narine) and son live with her. The son has been crippled for over 30 years, the problems having started after he served as a soldier in Siberia. He rarely leaves the apartment because there is no elevator. Last year he was baptized and that was one of the few times he left his home. He needs to go up and down sideways, a very awkward process. Narine is a nurse and the only one who can work. They depend on her salary and the pittance the government gives for her brother and mother.
No matter how poor and financially strapped families in Armenia are, they always are prepared to serve fruit, coffee, water, juice, chocolates, and other treats. We prayed with them and left them with financial aid.
Our second visit was to the home of an old friend, also named Sveta. She has been distributing books, Bibles, and tracts from her home’s front window for many years. She is ready to tell people about God’s plan for salvation. We had a time of fellowship and prayer and encouraged her to continue with her mission.
We then visited Gayane to pray with and for her mother-in-law who recently had a stroke. She has difficulty walking and her hands are weak. With all her difficulties she has a sweet demeanor and her faith is strong. We spent a bit of time talking about spiritual matters and ended with a prayer and leaving them with financial aid.
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