Thursday, August 14, 2025
Wednesday was a day off from visitations so that we could recharge mentally and physically and do some sightseeing. We still had a full day, however, and the Lord gave us opportunities to do ministry as well. After a bit of a leisurely morning walking around the hotel’s neighbourhood, we enjoyed the long and scenic drive to Geghard, a medieval monastery carved right into the side of the mountain. We paused at a large reservoir, where we were able to get a pretty clear view of Mount Ararat. Then we went on to Garni, the site of a Hellenistic-style pagan temple built in the first century. Along the way, we stopped at a couple of fruit stands and spent time talking with the vendors. One was a believer who was happy to talk with us and share her testimony as well as several spiritual poems that she had written. Even the non-Armenian speakers among us were touched by the beauty of her writing.
We make a point of giving tracts and talking with anyone who seems interested. . . restaurant waitresses, food court cleaning staff, food delivery drivers on motorcycle stopped by the side of the road, and even other visitors staying in our hotel. For example, while we were doing devotions in a quiet corner of the hotel lobby, a young man came and sat down near us. He caught Pastor Joseph’s eye and a conversation started. He was curious about our group and where we had come from, and he gratefully accepted the tract Pastor Joseph offered him. We always try to keep in mind that we can never know the long-term impact of an act as simple as giving someone a pamphlet. We have heard many stories, both here in Armenia and back home in Canada, of how lives were changed through a tract courageously offered to a stranger, coworker, neighbour, or friend.
On Thursday we were happy to finally make our way to Davitashen, where our sister Gayane Aloyan lives. She is one of our faithful ministry partners and we are always moved by her selfless commitment to sharing the gospel with as many people as she can. Gayane has a special cabinet just outside her front door in her apartment complex, which gives us peace of mind that our material is well taken care of. Despite limited mobility, she regularly visits neighbours to share with them our tracts and devotional books, and welcomes other believers into her home for Bible studies, worship, and fellowship. We briefly shared our testimonies with the group and then heard wonderful testimonies from them. Sister Gayane then led us to a family in her building, one that Pastor Joseph had visited during a previous trip to pray for the teenage daughter’s health. He took time to speak with the girl’s mother about her relationship with God. As is common among Armenians who are familiar with the state religion that emphasizes works, she had some misunderstandings about fully surrendering her life to Christ. Pastor Joseph explained the gospel to her clearly and invited her to consider the sinner’s prayer at the end of our tracts. She still had reservations so he simply prayed for her and encouraged her to read her Bible and sincerely seek the truth.
After praying with both groups, we left to visit a woman with serious health issues who lives in Arayik and Nelli’s building. Pastor Joseph was not with us at first because he was counseling someone in another apartment so our team had the opportunity to encourage her with our own short messages. Interestingly enough, because this sister is originally from Azerbaijan, we needed three-way translation this time: English to Western Armenian to Eastern Armenian when we were speaking, and Russian to Western Armenian to English when she was speaking. We exhorted her to continue to trust in the Lord to watch over her and then our brothers prayed for her.
All those we visited today expressed deep gratitude for our encouragement and support and we came away feeling blessed in turn by everything we had heard and seen.
View the album for Days 5 and 6 here.
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