Saturday, August 29, 2015

Day 9 - Baptism in Horom

Hello, everyone! Thanks for your patience as we paused in updating our Armenia mission trip blog for a few days as Pastor Joseph rested. I spoke with him and Jessie earlier today and, though they were understandably tired, they were also excited to share a little about their special day back in Horom.

Pastor Tigran Muradyan praying before the baptismal service.
As you'll see from the latest photos (you can start viewing the new series HERE), ten women and men (four of them teenagers) were baptized. A few of them were new believers but there were others we had met on previous trips to Armenia. A day before, Pastor Joseph wasn't sure whether he'd be able to physically perform the baptisms (i.e. immersing the people in the water) but was ready to officiate while either Pastor Tigran Muradyan or our missionary-friend Arayik Sardaryan did the baptisms. However, after much prayer (by our supporters as well as by him and Jessie), he felt well in the morning. He says that as soon as he stepped into the pool, his strength was restored and, of course, everyone rejoiced that he was able to proceed with the baptisms--especially those who had waited for him to baptize them!

The journey to Horom and back was long (they had to pick up and drop off people along the way, too) so Pastor Joseph and Jessie planned to make it a restful evening as they will be heading to another town on Sunday for Pastor Joseph to speak to a different congregation.

They thank you all for your faithful and loving prayers!

Ann-Margret

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Day 5 - Doctor's Orders

This morning (Tuesday), we heard from Pastor Joseph and Jessie and they told us that they were at the hotel and taking it easy. I was a bit surprised as it was still early in the evening but they explained that Pastor had not been feeling very well since the day before so our friend Arayik drove him to the hospital for some tests. Thankfully, his heart was doing well and the blood tests were clear but his blood pressure was quite high. He could have stayed overnight at the hospital for observation but was also given the option to return to the hotel if he promised to rest for a few days and take some medication.

A few hours later, he called us back to say that he'd been following the doctor's orders and, having checked his blood pressure, was pleased to report that it was starting to come down to a healthier level. While his condition is not serious, we appreciate your prayers for his recovery. As you can imagine, he's eager to get back to doing ministry but he also recognizes that this is a good time for him and Jessie to have some quiet time and much-needed (and deserved) rest.

Here's a quick recap of what they've done so far during this trip:

- Arrived Thursday night
- Attended a wedding on Friday afternoon
- A couple of visitations on Saturday
- Preached and visited in Horom on Sunday
- A couple of visitations on Monday

We've uploaded the first set of photos (the wedding and the trip to Horom), which you can view HERE. More to come!

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement.

Ann-Margret

Photo below: Pastor Joseph and Jessie (left) with Pastor Tigran and his wife Valya in Horom.






Monday, August 24, 2015

Day 4 - Checking In

The eight-hour difference between Yerevan and Montreal, combined with busy schedules, has presented some challenges in connecting with Pastor Joseph and Jessie to get full reports on their activities but we will try to share some details in an upcoming blog post.

On Sunday, they joined four others for the long drive to Horom, where we helped rebuild the local church last spring. Pastor Joseph preached at the morning service and then their group enjoyed lunch at Pastor Tigran's home. Photos are on their way... (we've had some technological issues there, too).

In an email sent early this morning, they mentioned that they were waiting for a young lady to drop by the hotel to pick up gospel tracts, which she distributes herself and also helps us supply to local groups. At that point their day wasn't planned but a lot of the mission work we've done in Armenia is spontaneous or planned at the last minute. It often depends on what the latest urgent need is. Sometimes a visit to one family will be followed by a prompt to visit another. It'll be neat to see where the Lord led them today!

Thank you for following our news, though we realize it's a bit spotty at this point. Your prayers are a great encouragement!

Ann-Margret

Friday, August 21, 2015

Day 1 - Mini update

We thank God that Pastor Joseph and Jessie arrived safely in Yerevan on Thursday evening. Naturally, they were exhausted after their long trip so they turned in fairly early after settling into their hotel.

Their first full day in Armenia was busy, though they haven't officially started their outreach yet. After picking up a few essentials (e.g. a card for their cell phone), they were taken to Dilijan, a beautiful little town about two hours from the capital, to attend a wedding. Of course, Armenian weddings are great affairs so, with another two-hour drive back, it was quite late when they gave us a quick call to check in and say good-night.


Note: Don't let the map fool you when it says the drive is 1.5 hours. The roads in Armenia are not like the roads most of us are used to! :)

Not surprisingly, although they weren't on duty, so to speak, they took advantage of the opportunity to speak to a couple of people they met and give them gospel tracts.




Saturday will give Pastor and Jessie a chance to finally rest a little as they only have one visitation planned. They'll be going to Horom on Sunday and will no doubt have many interesting stories to tell us after that trip.

If you're not familiar with our mission work in Armenia, you can find last year's full report here. Once again, thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

Good night!

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Mission: Armenia 2015 - One more sleep!

As I type this, Pastor Joseph and Jessie are settling in for their last evening at home before their mission trip to Armenia. If all goes as scheduled, they will be flying out of Montreal in about 25 hours and heading to Paris for their connecting flight to Yerevan.

There's been a lot of excitement around here as suitcases have been filled and rearranged, good-byes and prayers of support have been offered by church members and friends, and all the other details that come with a major international trip have been checked twice. (Special thanks to my sister Ruth who took care of all the bookings and much more.) We've been overwhelmed by the generosity of our supporters who have donated money, reading glasses, Tylenol and Advil, and even eight hand-knit sweaters to give to babies growing up in needy families. Even more encouraging have been the promises of continued prayer and the loving words of support and affirmation. Thank you all so much! We couldn't continue this work without all of you participating as you have.

I'll be doing my best to translate verbal reports from our parents into written updates here for those of you would like to follow along on their journey in the next three weeks. We will post photos as often as we can. You can also keep up with us on Facebook HERE, if you find that easier (we will post links back to this blog).

Again, we appreciate all your prayers for Mom and Dad while they are in Armenia but we also ask that you would pray for the people they will meet in Yerevan and the surrounding villages -- the pastors, church members, families and even strangers -- that their hearts would be prepared to hear and receive a special word from the Lord.

On behalf of the Joseph Hovsepian Ministries team,

Ann-Margret