Last Day!

In 24 hours, God willing, we will be sitting on a plane bound for Paris, on the first leg of our long trip home. We've had an incredible mission trip these past three weeks and our hearts and minds are packed tight with memories, prayer requests, praise reports, concerns and joys. Even though we know that God has used us--and the support that so many of you equipped us with--we also recognize that we leave behind countless needs that we would not be able to meet even we stayed for a year. We're humbled to have been able to play a small role in encouraging some families and churches during our stay, and we were encouraged and blessed by these encounters, too.
Yesterday (Tuesday) was our slowing-down day. In the morning, we met one last time with one of the faithful workers here and urged her to continue her outreach ministry despite the challenges or setbacks she may face. It's always inspiring when individuals remain committed to serving the Lord even under difficult circumstances.
We then took a couple of hours to behave like tourists; after some shawarma (something we rarely eat at home, even though there are plenty of Middle Eastern restaurants in Montreal), we walked around the Kentron District (basically the commercial centre of Yerevan, where our hotel is located) and took photos of architecture, passers-by and each other. It was nice to look around with a different perspective and have the chance to observe small details.
In the evening we made one last visit to a family we've connected with over the past couple of years and enjoyed supper and fellowship together. It's always interesting to discuss various issues about life, faith, culture, etc. with people who have grown up and live in a different environment than our own (there were also two visitors from Russia present). We can learn a lot from each other!
The rest of our last day will be spent packing (we've already printed our boarding passes!) and tying up any loose ends before going to bed fairly early. We need to be up by 5 a.m. as we fly out at 8:40. We'll have a 7-hour layover in Paris, which will make our journey drag a bit, but we should be home Thursday evening (Montreal time). Your prayers for our trip are greatly appreciated!
Thanks for following our blog these past three weeks! God bless you. :)