Armenia Update 11/6/2023

Hey guys I just wanted to give you a bit of an update and a few prayer requests. It’s been a really good time here in Armenia. I love it here and love the people. I have been able to go to both my friend’s Persian Church and another friend’s Armenian church. It has been a huge blessing to go to both of these churches because every time I go I feel so welcomed and cared about even though we both don’t understand everything each other has said. I have been helping teach English to many people, and it is so sweet to be able to get to know them individually. I have also been able to help load and unload a Semi truck with supplies for the refugees from Artsakh. I will hopefully be able to do this many times in the future.

Now I just want to tell a couple of stories from different things that I either learned from a preaching at one of these churches, or from people I was able to talk to at these churches. First, this last Sunday the pastor spoke about being awake. I want to encourage you guys to be spiritually awake. When you are spiritually awake you will be able to look out and see The Will of God. You will be able to hear Him more clearly and know what He has in store for you and others around you. This doesn’t mean life will necessarily be easy, but it means that you will have His Strength and His Peace.

I also want to talk about a conversation I had at our Persian Church. I spoke with a sweet man who is a doctor. He has been living here in Armenia for about 7 years. He is originally from Iraq, and soon will probably have to go back to Iraq. The Lord was so sweet in allowing me to meet this amazing man. He spoke English really well, so communicating was pretty easy. We talked about all that’s going on in the world right now, as it’s hard to miss (especially when you’re on this side of the world), and then we were able to speak a bit about how growing up in Iraq was for him. How hard it could have been from the war, and all. One thing that I want to emphasize though, is he loved us. Americans he loved us. Even though at times our government has done questionable things or has hurt them in ways we didn’t expect. He said he had many American friends. And I told him that we love the people of Iraq too. We spoke a lot about how our people are definitely not our government. About how we don’t agree with everything our governments do. This was special because we see one side of people on the news and I fear we don’t see the People who are actually living in these countries. We see the hurt that a certain extremist group causes from certain parts of the world, but sometimes we forget to stop and think about the individuals, who are trying to just live life. We both spoke about how we are praying for people on either side, in both our countries, and in the world. I just want you guys to remember that when we get hurt by people from different parts of the world it doesn’t mean that they are all wishing ill on us. It’s largely a small percentage that gets blown out of proportion. God is doing wonderful things world wide that many of us don’t even know, much less see.

I pray that He continues to show you and I stories of His Power that the world is experiencing, and that that experience will embolden us to share our faith all the more.

Lastly, I ask you guys to pray. There have been many people who have fled Artsakh because of everything going on there recently, and now they are here in Armenia some without homes, cars, or clothes. Things we as Americans can take for granted because we simply can go buy them if we don’t have them. I am currently speaking with my Donor Fund to see about setting up a project on my link for here in Armenia to help people buy some of the essentials that they need now, and even more so as winter is coming quickly. I will share a post more in depth at a later time when I get it set up and more specifics for you guys on how much everything costs. A brief overview of some of the things they will be needing are space heaters, Warm clothes, Blankets, Pillows, and a few things to be able to make money, such as stoves, and large bags of flour. Again, I’ll share this information in greater detail at a later date once we are able to set it all up.

I pray that God’s Peace, which surpasses ALL understanding, will rest on you and your family. I pray that He may be near to you as you draw near to Him. I love you guys, and I am praying for you constantly!