We stayed and ministered in different places during the three weeks there. The first week was spent visiting the local A.M.A.A ministries and getting acquainted to the people and the needs of Yerevan, as well as connecting with the Hrazdan church (sister church of C.A.C.C.), and visiting some historic sites around Yerevan.

The second week our group was split into two. Alidz, Aren, Nishan and Jonathan went to Dilijan to minister in a day camp and the rest of us went to Pureghavan to work in the V.B.S. The last week our group came together and ministered in the poverty-stricken neighborhood of Gayaran, Yerevan.

 In each of the above cities our team was working alongside local dedicated leaders. In Dilijan we joined the Ichevan leaders. In Pureghavan, we joined the Hrazdan leaders, and in Gayaran we joined Pastor Hovig Frangulian and his team of leaders from Gayaran. Praise God for raising faithful laborers for his field.

Our help was greatly appreciated and wonderful relationships were made. We left quite assured that the little we did for the Lord, He would bless for many years to come.

We thank all those who prayerfully supported and sponsored this mission project. We are certain of this, “that our labor in the Lord is not in vain.” ( 1 Corinthians 15:57)

Testimonies From The Missions Team

Taleen Kullukian
When I originally began to write about my experiences in Armenia, I found myself trying to write a novel. Trying to chronicle every day activities as well as emotions was too difficult. So I have decided to write only about those things that personally affected me. Which happens to be a lot, so this may still be a novel.

I was really excited to be traveling with everyone for this trip and nervous at the same time. The group all lived in the same area and had the opportunity to study and learn together. I felt like a bit of an outsider and didn't really know how I'd fit in. There were quite a few times when I wondered, "What am I doing here? How can I help? Is there really any way for me to be effective here?" The answers were waiting for me, but that doesn't mean it was easy.

The biggest gift is the children. No matter how confused or frustrated I became, the smile of a child can make any situation better. This is not the same for everyone, I realize, but for me, it was the ultimate pick-me-up. Luckily, I generally work well with children. Much better than with adults. The first time I was exposed to a "jambar", I was amazed. I was standing on a hill and talking to some of the girls. They were asking questions, holding my hand, picking me flowers and singing. They would ask me to sing songs as well! I was then dragged down a hill and made to finish my roll of film taking pictures. The love that pours out of the children (even from the most pouty and the most "char") is unrivaled.

It is difficult, however, to see the situation in which these kids are living. Pureghavan was hard in a lot of ways. I already know that I want to produce a documentary about the building where most of the poorer families live. With 300 people in rooms smaller than any college dorm room and 8 bathrooms for all of them, you wondered how people had lived there for 14, even 20 years. The children wore the same clothes every day, and their shoes were in the worst condition. By the end of the week, our group had bought several pairs of shoes for the most needy, but the problem is, they were all needy. I think the most beautiful thing I saw the whole time I was in Armenia was a child running in his new sneakers. Especially when you know the only pair of shoes he owned were slippers.

Spiritually, I had a lot to learn. Not having been involved with a church in Los Angeles for a while, and not having been involved in Bible study, this experience opened my eyes as to how truly important it is. Many of the times where I felt disconnected involved things like praying together out loud, discussing Biblical stories and questions - even Bible trivia. While I read my Bible and pray, this doesn't mean that I am prepared to be a missions leader or try and teach others about God. The realization that I needed to find the right church and the right study group to be involved in was great. I always think I can do it on my own, but the truth is that as a Christian, we do need to surround ourselves with people who believe the same way if we don't want to stray from the path.

I can see and hear everything in my head. Time spent in class doing crafts. Time spent at homes eating (for hours and hours, and hours). Seeing historical sites. The glint in a child's eye when you know he's about to be bad. The woman on the corner where we bought our vegetables. The smiles from the leaders who enjoy learning from you as much as you enjoy learning from them. Aren, Nishan and Hovnatan on stage in a skit. My brother singing and smiling at the children while he does the hand movements for a song. The voices of a hundred thirty children reciting a verse. The sound of people speaking a language I understood and yet did not. Sam leading the kids. Alidz teaching a story. Mel while she prepares all the gifts and Phil trying to make up a game. And everyone's heads bowed in prayer.

I can still feel everything as well. The gratefulness and love of a child when you tell them they've done a good job and give them a hug. The sadness when you've been told someone hasn't worked in a year. The joy in hearing that a person is saved and is reading their Bible. The frustration over the position women hold in their households and in their lives. The fullness of my heart and the tears in my eyes knowing that God is working and that Satan is working too.

Armenia is an amazing country and a country in trouble at the same time. Changes need to be made spiritually and economically. But that was not the reason I went to Armenia. I went because I wanted to help bring people to God. I hope I was successful. And if I brought some joy to people's lives, I'm grateful for that. I know that my life has been changed. I have a great respect for all my fellow missionaries on this trip. It's wonderful to know how amazing each person in our group is and how much each of them contribute. I feel closer to all of them and absolutely appreciate their friendship and fellowship. I also see the change that needs to begin happening in my life as well. For that, I am glad for the journey and only hope I will have the opportunity to make a difference in the future.

Phil Garo
As with any third world country, there is much poverty and suffering in Armenia. The difference, however, between a traditional third world country like Ethiopia and Armenia is that poverty and suffering has come upon the nation in the last 10 to 15 years. The needs of the people are insurmountable. It seems that no amount of human intervention could begin to provide relief. Every family seems to have a major heart wrenching story, not just a few isolated hard luck cases. The humanitarian relief methods that have been tried have apparently failed, either from the staggering need or just plain corruption where the needy people are not receiving the relief. In my opinion, physical problems were only temporarily relieved through humanitarian works.

The spiritual needs of the country are as great if not greater than the physical needs. In general, the people are without any spiritual direction, and what little spiritual information they have comes from false Communist teachings. There is a great spiritual darkness throughout the land with small pockets of Christian life. In my opinion, the only way to effect physical change is through spiritual change. For example, the government is completely corrupt, no amount of relief or influx of business will improve anything if the government remains evil. The country needs to be transformed by the Holy Spirit so that the highest government official down to the poorest beggar will have the love of Christ. This is the only way to truly save Armenia.

Mel Garo
My impressions of Armenia were better this time because I was able to make friends with some of the locals. I was also able to better understand their situation. Many of the stories we heard were heart breaking and very difficult to fathom being that most of us have never had to deal with starvation, unemployment, and lack of self sufficiency. But they were hopeful of us promising to pray for them. In addition I got to know Elia, Hripsime, Gayane and Abraham better. The fellowships with them and the other women were encouraging.

These are some things I would like to see next time. It may be wishful thinking but with God everything is possible.

1. I would like to see Armenia flooded with the Word of God so no one has the excuse to say I never knew. 
2. I would also like to see the AMAA set up a women's ministries program. 
3. I would like to see pastors taken care of and trained by qualified people. 
4. And lastly I would love to one day go back and see Armenia as the Christian nation it used to be. 
 

Children were not our only ministry in Armenia. We went to homes, passed out tracts, and talked to people on the street. This whole time my mission was to give people the gospel. Tracts were one means by which we spread the Gospel. But really the most effective way was giving people a listening ear. People in Armenia, even strangers on the street, would pour out their lives to you in a matter of minutes. The reoccurring theme was that there was no money, no food and no jobs. If only they knew Jesus Christ the ultimate provider, the God that would let none of his children go hungry, their lives would be directed in the right path. So that is what we did, told them about Jesus.

To what extent God used us to bring people to him I don’t know. But I do believe that souls were won in Armenia this year. I praise God that he decided to use us to accomplish all these tasks. May the praise and glory always be given to him who gives us eternal life, through Christ Jesus.

Aren Balabanian
Before I went to Armenia, I envisioned a country infested by poverty, without a strong Christian presence, which wouldn’t be receptive to hearing the word of God from our team. However, although I found the country to indeed be ravaged by poverty, I also found that there was an increasing Christian influence in Armenia and I saw a nation that is ready to open its ears and hearts and hear the Word of God. It was clear that God was working on this nation, to bring it back to Christianity.

During our first week in Armenia, as we were getting settled, we were informed that our team would be split into two groups for the first week of ministry, with Alidz, Nishan, Hovnatan, and I heading to Dilijan while Phil, Mel, Ara, Taleen, and Sam would go to Pureghavan to hold daily Vacation Bible Schools. At first I was apprehensive about being separated, especially because the four of us would be left without our leader, Sam. Dilijan was a city that had never had a VBS or an AMAA sponsored camp before this summer, making it likely that many of the kids attending the VBS would be hearing the message for the first time. At Dilijan, we stayed at the camp that was being held there, and commuted 5 minutes daily to the local school that the VBS would be held in. At the VBS, we worked with the local leaders, under the guidance of the AMAA representative in that region, Karnig Tootigian. The kids who attended the VBS were extremely responsive and enthusiastic, and were very excited to have guests from the United States. It was heart warming watching the 120 children who attended sing in unison at the top of their lungs. The kids were also very quick learners, as they easily learned the new songs that we taught them and the games we played with them.

A typical day at the VBS started at 9:30 AM with breakfast being served. Then there was a gathering, called dahlij, in a hallway in the school of all the kids attending the VBS, where there would be worship singing, a skit prepared and performed by Nishan, Hovnatan, and I, on the application of that day’s Bible story and message to today’s life, and an object lesson by Alidz. Following the dahlij the kids would spilt off by age groups into classrooms. The age group ranged from 7-14. The day’s Bible story and message would be told to the kids during the classrooms, and they would learn the verse of the day. The classrooms were followed by outdoor games, which we also were responsible for. Following lunch, there was arts and crafts, which Alidz was in charge of, and finally another gathering of all the kids with an afternoon dahlij with more worship singing and indoor games, and another skit we performed which acted out the actual Bible story of the day, and the kids would head home around 5 o'clock. We would all be very tired and worn out at the end of day, and would go back to the camp to prepare for the next day’s VBS. However the effort was well worth it, as it was obvious that God had prepared the hearts of many of the children to learn about Christ. They listened attentively to all the stories, watched all the skits carefully, learned all the verses by heart, and sang with joy. The last day of the VBS many kids accepted Christ into their hearts as their savior. Separating the group turned into a blessing, as we had the opportunity to grow as leaders without relying on Sam, and our team was able to evangelize in 2 places instead of just one. God gave us the strength and the patience to pull it off.

Undoubtedly, many parents were sending their kids to the VBS for the sole reason of the child receiving 2 meals in the day. To most of the children, these 2 meals were a luxury that they normally did not have. The poverty of the nation was apparent, as the majority of the children had worn out clothes and shoes, sometimes their toes hanging out of their shoes. During our visitations we saw houses, large families living in 1 or 2 room houses, sometimes with one bathroom for 50 families to share. People seemed to have no hope of the situation improving. As distressing as the economic situation seemed, it provides opportunities for evangelizing that otherwise might not be there. Parents sending kids to VBS or camps just for the child to receive regular meals are exposing the child to the Word of God. By providing humanitarian aid for the needy, the aid can be followed with a gospel message. As these people see no earthly hope for an improving situation, they are open to listening to anything that we might say to them when we evangelize. When we visited homes and passed out tracts on the streets, no one rejected us or told us they don’t want to hear what we’re saying. They all listened attentively. Christ is the only hope for these people, for Armenia.

It is apparent that God is working in Armenia. As we worked in the VBS and stayed at the camp in Dilijan, we had the opportunity to interact with the counselors and leaders there, who were predominantly teenagers and in their early 20s. They had all become born again Christians in the past few years and now were leading and teaching other children and teenagers. They were all very capable leaders, each with their own unique gift and all filled with the Holy Spirit. We were told that this would not have been possible in Armenia a few years ago. More than 60 years of Communism had hurt the country not only economically but had practically killed Christianity in the country. With the end of Communism, AMAA began to plant seeds in the early and mid 90s with their camps and VBS's, and now through these leaders it was apparent that the seeds that had been planted were now bearing fruit. And now the seeds are being planted in the younger generation. There is hope for the future of Armenia, through Christ. 

As for our team’s role, the next week our team united to serve in Gayaran, which is a suburb of Yerevan. We also worked with capable leaders there in conducting another VBS. I feel that our most important purpose as a team working in Armenia was to provide new ideas for the local leaders, to give them encouragement as brothers and sisters in Christ and to interact with the kids, showing them love and care. The leaders and the children feel loved and encouraged by seeing that we have traveled such a long way to be with them. Although we see God working in Armenia, there is still a tremendous amount of work that needs to be done. I pray that the seeds that were planted during these VBS's will bear the fruits of Christ one day. 

Jonathan Khoshafian
I went on this trip to prove to myself and others that I could make an impact on other peoples lives. By me just being there in those VBS it felt like I was making a difference, and by them being there they were making a difference in my life. I would enjoy singing with the kids and also learning Bible verses with them. I was their big brother; we had fun when it was time to have fun, but when I was serious they would listen. I would sit down and some kids would come and put their arms around me and sit with me, and they were so happy just to sit next to me. Usually no one wants to sit next to me. At Dilijan Aren, Nishan, and I would go in the front and sing and they would sing so loud that most of the teachers would have to close their ears, and I thought that that was awesome.

At the VBS in both Dilijan and Gayaran, the teachers and instructors were very well educated. I got to know them pretty well. On the first day when I went to Gayaran I was very sick, and we went to see the VBS and the family that was going to be working with us. When they saw that I was sick, they took me to their house during the VBS. They gave me a couch to sleep on, they bought me medicine, they brought me drinks of water and tea, they did everything in their power to make sure I got better, and yet these were people that I met for the first time in my life. Everyday after that, they would ask me how I felt and I was stunned at how much they cared for me even though I was a stranger.

Ara Kullukian
Nine people from CACC traveled to Armenia this summer to work in the AMAA's various programs. We had a broad range of ages and experience in our group, ranging from high school students to people with decades of experience working in children's ministries. Notwithstanding our personal idiosyncrasies, we shared a common bond of faith and a commitment to bring what we could to reach people's hearts in our homeland.

 Emerging from Zvartnots airport into the furnace-like heat of early July, we were greeted by David Torossian, pastor of Bethel Baptist church in the Bangladesh district of Yerevan. With its building still in construction but very active, this church generously provided our group with a place to stay. We were anxious to begin working!

In three far-too-short weeks, we interacted with communities in Pureghavan, Dilijan, and Gayaran, as well as spending time with others in Yerevan and our sister church and Brother Edik Tateosian's family in Hrazdan.

Our main efforts were in the running of Vacation Bible Schools or day camps for children. Often a frustrating experience, but nevertheless rewarding, hundreds of children are given an exposure to the message of Christ during these camps. A more subtle consequence of our presence arose from interaction with local leaders. We were able to spend time together and encourage each other, sharing our external perspective and gaining a better understanding of the challenges that face them.

Although this image may seem rosy, the reality was far from it. The land and the economy are in terrible shape, and it was all too plainly evident to our eyes. It hurt to see how many had left for the hope of work in Russia or elsewhere, even from last year to this. It hurt because it was evidence of just how difficult things really are for the common resident of Armenia today.

We were pained and deeply affected, seeing the way in which many of children we worked with and their families lived. Many families lived in small single rooms in badly deteriorated buildings, with no bathrooms or water except those shared with dozens, and in some cases hundreds, of other families. Many had no steady work and it was evident from the way some children reacted to the food they received that they were hungry. Those who went to Dilijan told the story of a young child who lived by himself in a home where everyone was either gone or in the hospital. He scavenged for food as he could by gathering mushrooms in the forest.

Everywhere we looked things were falling apart. Pipes lay broken in places, seeping sewage into the earth. Factories stood gutted of machinery, no longer functional. Roads were badly cracked and pitted. Yet people were surviving, even often happy under these conditions. There is a kind of beauty in this happiness, as it is a sort that comes not from the outside world, but from the joy that we give one another -- the love of family and of friends.

And similarly, when we would occasionally visit an ancient church, set deep into the hills, it was plain to see that the land itself had endured -- that there was an inherent splendor that would not be snuffed out. 

Sadly, as the land has deteriorated and been neglected in many places, so have avarice and falsehood spread to corrupt many of its people. Bribery is commonplace and false teachings are legion, as spoken of by so many of those we came in contact with. Who could remain unmoved by these circumstances? We often discussed what could possibly be done for this country. It felt completely hopeless. We, as a group, could not provide them with much in the way of the physical. Yet we did have a hope to offer in Christ. It was the only real thing we could offer and many were eager to listen. Some are indifferent, others will profess a common faith in God apparent even in the vernacular of everyday -- "God be with you" or "if God wills" -- phrases you will hear from everyone. Yet almost all will listen. If this land will be rebuilt, it will need to be rebuilt starting with people's hearts, with its foundation on Jesus Christ.

Throughout our time there, the perception that we were not accomplishing enough proved to be a constant obstacle for our group. Face-to-face with the physical privation suffered by so many around us, it was difficult to imagine our efforts bearing meaningful fruit. In retrospect, it might be the times in which we though we were doing the least in which we accomplished the most.

Service does not always need to be an active thing, and often takes the form of mere presence. Which is more valuable? -- to speak and sing and talk with hundreds to bring them a message, or to spend time with just one, not stating any message, but showing it. The answer, of course, is both. I suspect there were many times that are not so obvious, when we may not have thought we were doing much at all, in which much actually took place, and whose fruit we will see in the years ahead.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to maintain this sort of contact with those who believe in Armenia, to understand better their burdens, and to encourage them as we can --both from far away, and also by personally interacting with them. It is for all of us as Armenians who have seen the rebirth of Armenia as a nation to ensure that Armenia is also spiritually reborn, and placed under the leadership of Christ. It is this faith which has preserved us for so long, and which provides the only true hope for our future.