And just like that it’s done….
Month 8 in Armenia…
Let me shed a little bit of light onto the many things of Armenia:
It’s a little light in the darkness!
A little country in the Middle East that is bordered by Turkey on the west, Iran on the South, Azerbaijan on the East, and Georgia on the North.
Appearances matters: to both the people & places! Both are well manicure and put together!
One of the biggest events that happened here is the Armenian Genocide, 1014-1923! It still affects people today. This is one of the big reasons why more people of Armenian descent live outside of the country of Armenia!
Conversion rate 477 drams to $1.00 USD
Read about the Noah story in Genesis 5 to learn why Mt. Ararat is so cool! This is a picture of Jada reading the story to us!
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Such great food here! To name a few…
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Baklava- sweet treat! (It’s to good!)
Lamb kebab
Lachmuchan (My favorite!) In the picture it’s the pizza looking thing! Also, the hummus here is bomb!
Sharmwmas- chicken or pork (pictured above)
Snickers! Yep they have those too! Except they have this two pack super snickers! And the price isn’t too bad 280 drams… that’s $.60 (for a two pack!!!) Check out the writing on the side…i know what you’re thinking, it’s in Armenian, well no it’s actually in Russian! (Russian is still spoken here some, by the older generation, because of the Soviet Union!)
(another picture of the stone!)
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What did I do while I was here?
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Well every morning I would wake up and ask the Lord what he wanted me to do!
Some days He told me to sit and be still! These days consisted of sitting with the Father through prayer, listening to music, reading the Bible, and just sitting still listening for his voice.
Other days he told me to go and walk and pray!!He highlighted a loop around the inner city and I would walk a portion and pray. I did this many different ways; sometimes I would just say short prayers for everyone that I walked by, other times I would specifically pray for the city, and others I would just pray for the people in the buildings & the businesses that I came across.
Sometimes the Father would point out a park to me! I would go and sit! Praying for the people and be open to who the Lord would put into my path.
One day, I even got to go help with a children’s ministry in a village a few hours outside of town. It was very sweet to get to teach and invest in these children.
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While I was praying for me, others on the team prayed for themselves too… which lead them to other ministry opportunities; from gym Ministry, teaching dance classes, park worship, etc… It was really cool to have our own ministry opportunities where the Lord was leading us toward our passions for His Kingdom! We would come back together to share what great things the Lord has done that day!
Even though a lot of these words the Lord spoke to me seemed like he was talking to a dog! It was still important to listen and be obedient! And in the process, boy did he open my eyes!
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We would also specifically asked the Lord for what our team could do together?
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One day it was to do a Bible study in a public place, and be ok with being interrupted! Hoping that our publically seeking the Lord would show others our obedience, ask questions about who God is, and spur others onward to a greater faith!
Also, during this Bible study we studied the Fruits of the Spirit, which allowed us to dig into His Word as a team and created a stronger bond between us as a team!
Sometimes we would go worship in the park together. This was sweet to see who walked up and listened. Not only where we worshipping the Lord together but we were doing it openly which gave others the opportunity to join in!
Another time we worshipped the Lord by doing art in the park. We invited some of the friends we met and anyone else who walked up.
One big event we did squad wide, was a Beauty for Ashes event at the park. Our team lead the event, we made invitations and passed them out, we made and decorated books for the ladies to write in! The rest of the squad came along side us and came, brought cookies, invited their friends, and joined in! Even in this event we were very open to being interrupted!
Such a great month! The Lord always works in unexpected ways, it’s for us to be open and obedient when he calls us!
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Also, this was the last month as the team Zolaish! How sweet the last 4 months have been with these lovely ladies! I’ve learned so much from each of them! Wow, how the Lord used these ladies to impact my life and the lives of all they come in contact with!
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[one dram, two drams, 477 drams a dollar, all for Armenia stand up and holler!]
