As Christmas approaches we are all bombarded with e-mail messages from merchants trying to entice us to buy some special gift or another. You probably feel too busy to even read some of your mail but we hope you read this one.
Christmas is celebrated on the 6th of January in Armenia and on the 7th in Russia, Ukraine and other Eastern Orthodox nations. Preparations are everywhere here in this nation that has claim to being the first Christian nation in the world – since the year 300.
It has been an interesting week ministering in various churches and groups, teaching young believers hungry to know God and His word.
This is the last week of our Bible School in Yerevan. The students have been top notch, very attentive and responsive. Varied
Armenia Bible School Students
in age but all very alert and quick to respond. They have captured the teaching and have been putting it into practice. It is exciting to see God at work in their lives.
Artak sits at the front row, not wanting to miss anything. He comes up and asks additional questions between sessions. He is a spiritual son to Levon. Levon and his wife came to the Lord about 3 years ago. They shared the Gospel with their family who came to the Lord as well as some neighbors. His father was an atheist and thought Levon had lost his mind, but soon he committed his life as did his wife.
They became the most faithful of members in the church. Levon and his wife were called to the ministry and came to our school. Shortly after they moved to Noramarg, a village outside of Yerevan, to be missionaries there. There was a handful of believers that Pastor Karin had reached. We purchased a house, with help from our partners, that was converted to a church and they in lived in part of it.
They began to befriend the neighbors who were initially very closed to the gospel. The church began to grow as more new converts and to Christ. One of them, Artak, who everybody knew. Artak began to actively preach the Gospel to others and began to bring others to Christ. Pastor Karin is overseeing some of these works and graduates are assisting. Karin sent Artak to the Bible School so he too may be trained.
He started working in Ranchpar (sounds like Ranch Park), another village without a church. A house was purchased and
Hillside in Yerevan
meetings began in spring. While still working in Noramarg, Levon and his family moved back to his previous home and began to expand the work in this very poor part of Yerevan, built on a hillside where houses have been hastily built on top of each other, one overlapping another. The people were once hostile to the Gospel but now are very respectful and a number of the neighbors have received Christ.
Earlier this year, graduates from our previous schools conducted a very special outreach to Iranians. Pastor Arto, who is director of the Bible School, prepared them and had special classes on working with Moslems and Pastor Shahent, who was born in Iran, taught them phrases in Farsi. Over 50,000 Iranians came here on holidays for their New Year, many of them wanting to celebrate in freedom.
About 10,000 Iranians were evangelized during the 10 days. 5000 Booklets titled “Messiah” were given out. 3000 DVD copies of the “Jesus” Film, 200 Bibles, 400 New Testaments, 8500 Information Cards and 500 Children’s books were distributed.
The people were very receptive and gladly received the literature and dvd’s. They freely engaged in conversation. Some showed secret crosses, hidden under their shirts. One fellow said “I love Isa (Jesus), he was a very good man” when he found out the literature was about Jesus. He turned to see that he as not being watched as he spoke negatively of Mohamed.
A girl who received a New Testament said “This is the best gift I received and the most important thing that happened on her visit to this city”. 2 couples with children asked for New Testaments or Bibles. One girl read the brochure and wrote asking to meet and discuss things further. Some said they were tired of their religion and would like to change but were afraid of losing their lives.
The seeds were sown. Let us pray for a harvest!