Samvel, 18, is currently serving Armenia as an active duty soldier in the military. However, the army is less chaotic than his childhood. He reveals, “I live with five people, my grandparents, my parents, and my sister. Although my parents are good people, my grandfather was an angry and evil man.”
Samvel shares more about life with his grandfather. “In his fits of anger, he would beat anyone he wanted. We were all very afraid of him. We did not know anything about God and couldn’t visit the local church because my grandfather did not allow it. Once, he was so angry, he locked me up in an old garage. It was cold, and I was crying. I was afraid. I was asking for help, but no answer.”
His cousin was a believer, and his grandfather did not like her because of it. But she began visiting when she knew the grandfather wouldn’t be home. “My cousin shared the Gospel with us, telling us about Jesus Christ and about His miracles. While listening to her, I started feeling good. I felt a hunger inside of me for God and His Word. Each time she came and shared the Word of God, I felt peace; that strange, positive feeling,” Samvel explains.
Despite the fear of his grandfather finding out, Samvel and his mother attended church with his cousin for a prayer meeting. “It was such a special place! The Pastor and other people started to pray for me,” he says. “Again, I felt peace inside. Because of that, I decided to go to God’s People Church every Sunday. The day came that I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior, even though I was still missing deep knowledge about Him.”
Samvel got involved in a Project Philip Bible study to learn more about Jesus. And Samvel prayed for his grandfather earnestly. He beams, “A miracle happened! A transformation began to take place in my grandfather’s life! He became a totally different person. He is a different person now. He became kind and allowed my family to join the church.” Samvel asks that we pray for all soldiers. He says, “I want to seize the opportunity to share the Gospel with other soldiers. I want to thank all those supporters who contributed to my repentance and healing. God bless you all.”
