Heghineh wanted to go to college. She dreamed of getting an education in her home country of Armenia. Instead, her father decided to marry her off to a man. That’s when her suffering began. Her in-laws treated her badly, and her husband had no job. She recalls, “I was sad, angry, and fearful. I had no hope for the future.”
Years later, when her family moved to a new village, a neighbor encouraged her to take her teen children to a local Bible League Project Philip Bible study. At the group study, Heghineh listened to the lessons carefully. Feeling a hunger for the Word of God, she decided to follow the Lord. Her newfound faith changed her life. Now, she had true peace that came from Jesus. She was able to forgive her father and in-laws for the pain they caused her.
Although the Word of God brought her hope and assurance, she still faced difficult times. Her husband despised Christians and started to mock her. Heghineh remembers, “He used any chance to offend me, scold me, or mock the Word of God. However, I just couldn’t stop attending the Bible study. I couldn’t stop following Jesus!”
But God was working out the details. The local church Heghineh attended asked her husband to do some construction work there. One day, Heghineh brought him lunch and noticed that he was listening to the worship songs the believers were practicing. Her husband astounded her when he said that he loved these Christians and that he would no longer mock her faith. Instead of persecuting her, he encouraged her to attend more Bible studies!
Heghineh and her family pray together every evening. Even her husband happily joins them. She shares joyfully, “I thank God that His Word has the power to change our lives. Pray for me to grow in Christ and for the Lord to use me to reach my husband, relatives, and neighbors.”
