We enjoyed a beautiful Sunday today. As has become our routine, we held a devotional after breakfast and listened to one of our teammates tell their 4 H’s: heritage, heartache, highlight and hope. Two local churches invited us to their services. The first began at 1:00 pm and lasted one hour. The second started at 3:00 and also lasted about an hour. It is interesting that their church service dictates their schedule for the day rather than the other way around. After the church services we spent about 2 hours at a local bazaar looking for some souvenirs. The bazaar had lots of booths (tables with tarps over them to protect one from the sun) where people sold a variety of items including paintings, woodworking pieces, jewelry and handmade embroidery.
The first church service was in Masis. This congregation of 50 or 60 meets in an old theater that is badly in need of repair, yet their dedication and reverent worship was inspiring. They are poor in finances but rich in spirit.
The second church service we went to was in the capital city of Yerevan. This was a much larger congregation led by the director of this denomination for the entire country. They meet in an old gym. The paint on the basketball floor is worn and the wood is scarred from years of activity. The deep, booming voice of the worship leader combined with the beautiful sounds of a violin set the stage for wonderful singing. The Armenian people really enjoy music. The men at this church especially seemed to enjoy singing the worship songs.
At both churches we were asked to say a few words about our time in Armenia. We told them of our mission and the results of the 3-day conference and the visits to the sports clubs as well as the response of the people to Christ’s message. Lisa M. and Rick S. gave their testimonies as well.
Their was an artist from Russia present as a guest at the second church. She is a famous painter in Russia, and is a Jewish believer in Christ. She spoke in Russian, the Pastor translated it into Armenian, and our translators, sat next to us, and speaking softly, translated it into English. She gave her testimony of how she found God through the help of the leader of this church in Yerevan and a priest in Russia. She spoke of the persecution that took place in Russia during the Soviet times and how many people courageously stood against it for their faith. This is a testament to the suffering that has taken place in this part of the world for centuries, and the joy that comes to those who keep their faith through these times!
Paul N.