Updates Updates Updates

I am a bit overdue for an update on what’s happening here in Armenia. Our team here has been very very busy with man projects going on all around the country. We are excited to see our Bible school which is giving pastors and future church planters relevant information from American professors. They are being taught, and then sent to reach their communities, with a greater understanding of the Gospel and new ways at expanding the kingdom.

We are also working on strengthening our church plants in a number of ways. One is in the area of worship. We are teaching them practical means to open the door for powerful worship.

We have also been traveling around the country touching base with many of our church plants and pastors networks as to what the needs are in their regions. We get to find out how we can effectively reach out to people in need, delivering them out of poverty, and opening their hearts to the message of hope. We are working in mountainous regions, kurdish villages, and most recently in Nagorno-Karabakh (the war zone region where Azerbijan and Armenia have been in constant conflict since 1991).

Currently we have been processing a container full of relief supplies that we are strategically sending to poor and impoverished villages. Through local pastors and church leaders we are going to be delivering families with vital food staples that they need. This includes soup mixes packed with fortified proteins, pastas, and shoes. We have been working on clearing this container since Christmas, but with the government requirements here, charitable organizations have been abused as fronts for bringing goods into the country without taxation. Under that, we have had severe problems getting the container cleared through customs. It could be as much as a month until we get clearance. We also have many obstacles with who can receive relief goods depending on their welfare status.

PLEASE pray that God would open the door with custom officials to let us clear the container. Pray that we won’t have to pay taxes on humanitarian goods. Pray that the officials on the government’s welfare lists are in fact the ones who need the food and that through this the effort, the Gospel would be shared. Currently, open evangelization through a charitable organization is not allowed in Armenia. Pray that the message will be heard!

Blessings from the Great Country of Armenia

Chad