“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
In early September, The Outreach Foundation made its first visit to Armenia to meet believers serving in one of the world’s most challenging contexts. Our team gathered with leaders of our trusted partner Radmard who live in a bordering country for a time of learning, worship, prayer, and spiritual encouragement.
Thanks to the generosity of The Outreach Foundation congregations and donors, Radmard’s director, Reza Faroutan, was able to bring 18 leaders to the conference. They were government workers, business owners, teachers, well-educated but jobless, and house church leaders. Our team—Tom and Joy Boone; Dr. Eddie and Teri Capparucci, our conference speakers from Dallas; Brady Clark; Dan and Jill Gilbert; and Mike and Sue Tribby joined them. We came prepared to discuss generational trauma. But as Eddie and Teri listened, they recognized that those gathered were not yet ready to analyze trauma.
They are grieving.
Their ability to pivot and our desire to hear them created safe and sacred space for weeping, lament, and honest sharing. Believers from very different backgrounds discovered again that, in Christ, we are one body. We heard the depth of the wounds carried by both the majority population and Christians, and we saw the costly faithfulness of these believers who are bringing others into the light. Upon leaving, they shared with us how much their hope was renewed and committed afresh to bringing light into darkness.
Radmard is helping to change culture in a Muslim-majority context where believers flourish underground. Its ministry brings healing to men trapped in addiction and – through their transformation – to marriages, families, and communities.
Two stories from our time together especially revealed the quiet, powerful work of the Holy Spirit. We have changed the names to protect the identities of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
The first is the story of John, Maya, and their nine-year-old son, Luke. John’s father had been strict and unaffirming. During the conference, Eddie spoke about how childhood wounds can shape the way we face trauma later in life. John began to weep as he recalled carefully building a model airplane as a child, only to have his father destroy it because he was unimpressed.
As evidence of how the Holy Spirit was crafting this moment, one member of our team had given Luke a Lego model airplane! As Luke began building it, John took a strong interest in the project. When Luke completed the plane, John delighted in his son’s work. Once we heard John’s story, we understood the significance of that moment: a father chose affirmation where he had once received rejection. Maya testified to the difference Radmard has made in John’s life, helping him become a loving and encouraging husband and father. John now serves as one of Radmard’s leaders and, with Maya, helps lead a small house-church network.
Our second story is of Joseph and Elizabeth. At first, Elizabeth seemed disconnected from the conference. She was not feeling well, and we noticed Joseph quietly comforting her. Then, during a time when spouses shared Radmard’s impact, Elizabeth told her story:
For most of her life, she struggled to hear. In her country, disability like hearing loss can bring shame, physical abuse, and even divorce. Afraid, she concealed the problem from Joseph until it became severe. Joseph has been part of Radmard for several years and came to faith through its ministry. When Elizabeth finally told him, he broke down in tears and promised to do whatever was necessary to help her.
They located hearing aids but could not afford them. Joseph did something almost unheard of among men in his culture: he sold his wedding ring so Elizabeth could receive the hearing aids she needed. In another providential moment, Eddie wears hearing aids. Though Elizabeth does not speak English, she pointed to her ears, and Joseph thanked Eddie for showing her that she need not be ashamed.
Thank you to each sponsoring church and donor who made this conference possible. We felt your prayers as the “home team,” and we returned with deep gratitude and renewed faith. In a place where we cannot go freely, the Holy Spirit is transforming a culture one family at a time. Through the faithful work of Radmard, the light of Christ is shining through the cracks of clay pots.
