Witnessing New Life, Remembering Tragedy, and Celebrating the One who Defeated Death!

ARMENIA MINISTRY, PART 1

Armenia has been a whirlwind of a country, but it has been so good. It’s personally been one of my favorite places of the Race so far, and God has been moving a lot in terms of providing connections while here. Please continue to pray for us as we pursue these connections and also reflect on His goodness as we serve for the remainder of our time here! Some beautiful updates are about to come your way- much of it because of God’s timing (the very thing that I wrestled with while in Georgia). 

We are working at an orphanage in Armenia, where we care for special needs children. The children are amazing, and we have gotten to spend precious time with them. However, many of the staff are friends with a couple that had a wedding this past weekend and were married. We were invited to the wedding, which took place at an Armenian Apastolic Church a couple towns south of the orphanage. Attending the wedding served as an eye opening experience into Armenian culture. The couple wore crowns on their heads and touched them together as the pastor read the vows to them. All of us were huddled inside the church- some standing while others were sitting. Once the wedding ended, we all lined up to throw flower petals as the couple walked by. They released a pair of doves into the air, signifying their marriage.

To celebrate this new union and new life together in marriage, we went to the wedding reception. The guests were treated to lots of tasty food and also some wine. Armenians know how to party and have a good time. The music blasted Armenian songs as we danced all the way to midnight. We got to know many people that night- many of whom we plan to follow up with in the coming weeks. The bride and groom embraced next to the wedding cake as a ring of sparks showered from a pyrotechnics display around the area. Some of the same staff that we are volunteering at the orphanage also taught us how to do Armenian dances and led us through some of them. After the wedding ended, Anthony and I picked up Kaitlynn and April from the airport late in the night. We crashed at 4:30 am the next day.

We woke up to a new reality. April 24 marked the day that the Ottoman Empire initiated a brutal genocide against the Armenian people, massacring almost 1.5 million of them in 1915. The genocide is commemorated every year on April 24, with most countries of the world refusing to recognize it as a genocide. I first learned about the genocide while in high school in 2013- and we found ourselves in Yerevan (the capitol of Armenia) during their commemoration day. Around half of Armenia goes to the genocide memorial to lay flowers and pay their respects to those whose lives were lost in the genocide.

After we crossed the bridge close to our apartment, we made a left hand turn. Thousands of people joined us with Armenian flags and signs, turning into an endless crowd making its way up to the memorial. The crowd grew thicker as we got closer to the monument. A giant gray spire jutted into the sky with views of Mt Ararat off in the distance. We pressed in together and at the center sat the eternal flame. Our team placed the four flowers that we held upside down onto the tall ring of flowers that other people laid. All I could do at that moment was to pray over the Armenian people and the struggles that they have had to endure. They are one of the few Christianized people groups in this area, and there is a continuing spiritual battle between God using them for His mission and forces of evil trying to wipe them off the map.

It’s been a lot of emotions to process- celebrating life and mourning death in the span of two days. Yet amid this backdrop, Christ’s death and resurrection is proclaimed. Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead, thus defeating death! April 24 also marked Orthodox Easter, when much of Eastern Europe celebrates the Resurrection. They celebrated it a week later than us because the Orthodox Church uses the older Julian calendar (and not the Gregorian calendar). A week before this, we gathered at Yerevan International Church to celebrate Easter Sunday. This church represented one of the most beautiful representations of the body of Christ that I have ever seen. This multi-ethnic group from all over the world proclaimed “He is Risen!” in over 10 languages! Some of these people come from countries where it is illegal to be a Christian. Instant friendships were made, and we are continuing to learn and step into their stories- and how they ultimately wound up in Yerevan.

We are continuing to serve at the orphanage for the month, volunteering and caring for children with special needs. At first, I was uncertain how God was going to use this. I took it as a chance for the team to practice “pure and undefiled religion” (James 1:27) and to exercise obedience. Yet it has led to so many connections being made all over Armenia and beyond. Praise God! Please continue to pray for us as we faithfully care for these children. They have been so joyful as we took them outside on walks, fed them, and hung out with the horses (they have horse therapy, a pottery studio, and a woodworking shop on-site. It’s pretty cool). Please also pray as we walk with and get to know the full time staff. We will be doing a number of adventures and follow ups with both them and different guests from the wedding in the coming weeks! Exciting stuff!

Please feel free to take a look at my Instagram / Facebook for pics as I post them!

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”. James 1: 26-27, NIV