CEE Story From The Mission Field
New Testament Times
August 2003
Something incredible is taking place in Armenia. Recent volunteer projects have seen the movement of the Holy Spirit in such a way that it has evoked many comparisons with New Testament activities.
"I felt like we were in Jesus' time,” said one volunteer from Virginia. “I watched 3 or 4 young men who had accepted Christ immediately attach themselves to the Armenian believers, coming back every day to go with us and talk to other people we were visiting."
"Without question, the greatest moment was pulling an Armenian believer aside with her saying, 'But I can't translate' and seeing the two of us lead 5 people to Christ," another testified. "God completely superseded all language barriers by the power of His Spirit. Praise His Name!"
Armenia is seeing a work of God. A volunteer group that went in July saw 400 people pray to receive Christ in only 5 days of ministry. Another team saw 200 decisions for Christ. Day after day amazing things took place. God used even the rain as the local people invited ministry teams into their homes when they got caught out in a downpour. God even used the faith of one of the national partners to miraculously stop the hail for His glory and for those who were questioning His power.
So where is this little country where God is at work and who are the people responding so positively to the Gospel? Armenia is a tiny country about the size of Maryland sandwiched between Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Though geographically, it is part of South West Asia, CEE claims it as her own. The evangelical population there is small, but its history has Christian roots all the way back to 300 A.D. Its biblical roots extend back to Noah, as Armenia is the original proprietor of Mount Ararat, where Noah’s Ark is said to have come to rest.
Today the dominating religious force is the Armenian Apostolic Church, a church closely connected to the culture and government of the country. They are not favorable to evangelicals and have been successful so far in keeping our missionaries from being able to take up residence inside the country, but the volunteer teams have been allowed in for short periods and despite hardships and barriers, God is making his message heard.
*One woman approached volunteer team members and said she had been given a tract, had read it 3 times and had prayed to receive Jesus as Lord of her life.
*One of the translators wasn't a believer, but she was saved the very first day of one of the volunteer projects!
*One child asked, "Can children be saved too? I repented at the concert yesterday but my friends are telling me this is just for adults."
*Whole families came to Christ.
*One young man refused to go to work for 3 days so that he could be with our team members. He said, "I can't even find the words to describe what God is doing in my heart since I prayed. There is so much I need to learn."
Even better is the fact that Armenian believers are catching a vision themselves to evangelize their people. One partner said, "These Americans don't know our language or culture, but God used them to reach so many. I see how they weep for the lost and my heart breaks. These are OUR people, and we must take the Gospel to them."