Mission: Armenia 2019 – Sunday, September 1, 2019

September 3, 2019

Our team’s third Sunday in Armenia was one of our busiest days during this mission trip. We were on the road for about 11 hours and traveled from Yerevan to Gyumri to Horom to Kosh and then back to Yerevan.

In Gyumri, we visited the Armenian Evangelical Baptist Church, where Pastor Joseph preached, and we enjoyed a moving time of worship and praise. (Videos to come in a later post.) From there we went to Horom for another baptismal service. Although all eight women who were baptized were from Spitak, the church members from Horom joined us to provide encouragement and we appreciated their warm fellowship. It was inspiring to see a few elderly women bravely enter the shallow pool to be baptized! 

Later we had the privilege of visiting our friends Sanadroug and Mariam Hajian for supper and fellowship.

Monday was busier than expected as the team ended up fitting in several visits (or meetings at the hotel). At this point, although the Hovsepians have one full day left in Armenia, the mission trip is officially over. Several friends in Armenia will continue the work as much as they can, following up on families we visited and making sure Bibles, tracts and devotional books are made available to those who need them. Please continue to pray for this vital work in Armenia. Thank you!

Mission: Armenia 2019 – Friday, August 30, 2019

August 30, 2019

It’s hard to believe our team is approaching the last days of this year’s mission trip. This week had a slightly lighter pace than last week but we have continued our visitations and our outreach to those we meet along the way. There have been a few occasions when Jessie Hovsepian did not join our team for visitations (we’ve had some transportation challenges this year, but also a couple of other helpers coming along with us). But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t still on duty – she has used her time to talk to several hotel employees about faith and has given tracts whenever the opportunity has presented itself. What a blessing and inspiration to have such a faithful follower of Christ on our team!

On Tuesday we took some time off during the day to do some necessary shopping and then went to a local pastor’s family for supper. The warm fellowship was an encouragement to us and kept our spirits high as we talked about how we may be able to continue to serve the Lord in Armenia.

On Wednesday we drove to the town of Sayat Nova to visit a family we try to see every year. While we greatly enjoyed the fellowship there, there was an unexpected outreach opportunity that we also rejoice about. On the way to Sayat Nova, we noticed fields of okra crops and then a group of workers harvesting enormous eggplants. We stopped the car and two from our group got out to talk to the reapers, most of them older men and women, who were working with hand tools. We gave them tracts and then continued on our way. Please pray that they will read and respond to the gospel message they received!

And on Thursday we made the long trip to Vanadzor (about 2.5 hours north of Yerevan) where we visited our dear sister Susanna. She is one of our helpers in Armenia and has been effective in distributing Bibles, tracts and devotional books in her region. She also has a Facebook group where she daily posts a chapter from the Armenian translation of Pastor Joseph’s book, God’s Workshop. While we visited Susanna, a few people stopped by and we gave literature to two of them. We left a box of Bibles with Susanna to give out as the Lord leads her.

Mission: Armenia 2019 – Thursday, August 29, 2019

August 29, 2019

Did you know there’s a neighborhood called Bangladesh in Armenia? That’s where our team went on Tuesday for one of their visits. At one point, as we got closer to where the family lives, our car couldn’t handle the bumpy dirt road so we got out and walked the rest of the way (about 15 minutes). A 29-year-old woman and her two beautiful children met us halfway and then led us to their home. You can see some of that path in the photos.

What we saw when we arrived was nothing we could have expected. Although the property seems quite large, it is barren and filled with scraps of wood and metal, with a few crumbling sheds and a ramshackle little two-room house situated immediately next to one of three electrical towers – which we could hear buzzing overhead. When we asked the young woman about her husband, she explained that he tends 500 sheep for the people who own the land they live on. He spends six months away from home working as a shepherd while she takes care of the property and a few other sheep. The worst of it is that he has no salary. He works only to earn the food they eat and for their boarding.

We were able to offer some help to this family, to share God’s love and to pray for them. The children were so joyful despite their difficult circumstances that we felt humbled, recognizing how much we take for granted.

The second family we visited lives in Yerevan and we have been to their home during past mission trips. The 13-year-old daughter was just a couple of months old when a treatment in the hospital went wrong and she was left partially disabled. We were delighted to see an improvement in her mobility this year and a smile on her face as she interacted with us. Praise God! It was encouraging to see how this family is trusting in the Lord.

Please pray for these families! Pray that they will experience God’s grace in their lives and find strength and hope in Him. Thank you.

Mission: Armenia 2019 – Tuesday, August 27, 2019

August 27, 2019

Monday was a quieter day for our team, but we still visited two families (related to each other) in the Ashtarak region and enjoyed warm fellowship. At the first home, where three generations were gathered together, Pastor Joseph was able to answer some interesting questions about faith and witness to a couple of the family members. He gave a 20-year-old man one of his devotional books and another family member indicated her desire to be baptized this weekend, if possible. (We may have about a dozen people get baptized; arrangements are currently being made by our contacts here.)

We have about a week left here in Armenia and will be trying to fit in as many visits and ministry opportunities as we can. We appreciate your continued interest and prayers!

Mission: Armenia 2019 – Monday, August 26, 2019

August 26, 2019

For three consecutive years, our team has visited the Armenian Evangelical Baptist Church (also called Golgotha) in Yerevan during our mission trips and Pastor Joseph once again spoke at both the 11 am and 2 pm services. It was inspiring to see the church filled at both services (especially in the morning) and many young people participating.

The response after both services was positive and several people expressed that the messages spoke to them. We thank God for the opportunity to encourage this growing outreach. (They are planning to have a baptismal service for about 25 people the week after our team returns to Montreal.)

Thank you for following our progress and your continued prayers!

Mission: Armenia 2019 – Sunday, August 25, 2019

August 25, 2019

Our team in Armenia had a busy weekend! Here are some photos from Saturday’s activities. After briefly visiting relatives, the Hovsepians (along with Hakob, Emmy and Arayik) went to the home of Gor, a young blind boy many of you will remember from the last two mission trips. We enjoyed catching up with his family and he clung to Pastor Joseph like velcro! We were especially touched when he showed a tiny spot off the kitchen where he has created an altar to pray at.

In the afternoon, we drove to Charentsaven to worship at Pastor Suren Shahumyan’s church, where Pastor Joseph preached. We always enjoy a beautiful fellowship with this family of believers!

Thank you for your continued prayers. It’s hard to believe that our team is already entering the second half of the mission trip.

Mission: Armenia 2019 – Friday, August 23, 2019

August 23, 2019

On Friday, August 23, our friend Aharon came to pick up our team and drive us to Hrazdan, a town 45km northeast of Yerevan, to visit a family Emmy has been helping. The rest of the team was left in shock when we saw the dilapidated condition of the homes in the neighborhood we visited.

These wood-frame homes look much older than many of the Soviet-era concrete apartment complexes we have been to over the years. The planks are rotting, there are gaps in the walls, the tin roofs are fragile at best and there are holes in the windows. The scene was like a ghost town in an old Western movie, except that many families actually live in these structures. The family we visited said their youngest child has not been able to sleep for a few days because of the rats that run around the house at night when it’s dark. Our hearts broke to hear about the terror he feels.

We were able to offer encouragement, literature and some help before we left. Please remember this family. The young single mother is taking care of four children under the age of eight.

In the afternoon we drove to an area called Abovyan and visited a family that has become dear to our ministry. The father is a talented painter and the son is a world champion boxer, yet they are admirably humble and soft-spoken men. The son asked a question about how believers should respond when forced to choose between their faith and their career and this led to an uplifting conversation about what it means to be a follower of Christ. What a blessing to have such discussions with a group of young people!

Thank you for your encouragement and prayers!

Mission: Armenia 2019 – Thursday, August 22, 2019

August 22, 2019

On Wednesday and Thursday, our team was able to visit a total of six homes, but they’ve also had opportunities to reach out to others along the way, such as a server in the hotel restaurant (Pastor Joseph gave him a gospel tract one morning after chatting for a while and, later, his devotional book) and produce vendors along the highway. (You’ll find some more details in the photo captions.)

During one visit, a family of three all prayed to receive Christ as their Lord and Saviour. In other homes, we were able to encourage believers to remain strong in their faith. The highlight of Thursday’s visits was when 98-year-old Kevork, whom we’ve visited twice before, prayed for us and affirmed the work we’re doing for God. He is a treasure!

We’re thankful for local friends like Emmy, Arayik, and Samvel who are accompanying our Canadian team (Pastor Joseph, Jessie, Ann-Margret, and Hakob) during some of these visits and connecting us with families we can encourage. What a blessing to have a group of seven working together on Thursday! Between visits we have been putting our heads together to find effective ways of following up on those who need continued encouragement, to organize the storage of our literature, and to plan for future visits.

Thank you for your prayers!

Mission: Armenia 2019 – Tuesday, August 20, 2019

August 20, 2019

Here’s the latest update from our team in Armenia:

On Monday and Tuesday, we focussed on visiting with several families who are closely connected with our ministry. During these meetings, our team was able to get up to speed on the situation in Armenia and discern what the needs are. There were also opportunities to counsel and, most exciting of all, to explain the Good News about salvation through Jesus to a couple. Husband and wife both made decisions to surrender their lives to Jesus and to follow Him. Praise God!

Here are a few snapshots of the last two days. Thank you for your continued prayers.

DAY 20 OF MISSION: ARMENIA 2017

September 4, 2017

Yesterday we said that our report was the last one for this year’s mission trip… but we forgot that our plans and God’s plans don’t always match up! During breakfast at the hotel this morning, we caught the attention of two women when Pastor Joseph spoke to one of the kitchen staff in Greek. The younger woman approached us and asked if we were from Greece. We explained our background and it turned out that she is from Montreal, too! The other lady, her aunt, is from Cyprus. We left them with four of our tracts (in different languages) and a business card, inviting the younger woman to come and see us in Montreal some day.

We then had someone visit us to say good-bye, after which we dropped in on our cousins for a final meeting. We ran some errands before heading to the home of one of our ministry partners for another good-bye. Outside their door, we met one of their neighbours, a woman they have been witnessing to and who was happy to hear more from God’s Word. Pastor Joseph counseled her for quite a while and prayed with her, and we gave her a tract, too. What great opportunities to continue to plant seeds!

The last thing we did before packing our bags is say good-bye to another family that came by the hotel to see us, and now we are winding down. We need to be up at 5:00 a.m. to head to the airport and then it’ll be at least 16 hours before we are home, sweet home. So, thank you again for all your prayers!

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