Manush, a 33-year-old mother of three, grew up in Armenia. She lived close to the beautiful Goshavank monastery, which her parents regularly visited with their children. But as Manush became a teenager, she began to question their faith. “I didn’t know anything about God,” she says.

When she was 15, two American missionaries visited her village, and for the first time in her life, Manush heard the Gospel. “That day, I realized how hungry I was for the Lord,” she remembers. She accepted Christ as her Savior and was baptized later that year.

Her faith continued to grow as she graduated high school. She joined the Baptist Theology Seminary as she wanted to become a Sunday school teacher at her church. She felt her life was going well, but things took a turn.

A man from her village called her and professed his love for her. She knew he wasn’t a Christian, but he persisted. He continued to call her and began visiting her and attending her church. He promised he was ready to live for Christ. Manush agreed to marry him.

She quickly began to question her choice, but she stayed in the marriage. They’ve been married for 10 years, and though he’s never objected to her involvement in the church, Manush’s husband has never become a believer. Soon after they were married, Manush learned that her new father-in-law despised Christians. “He never accepted me as a believer, and he was even hostile toward me,” she says. “Gradually, other social problems and challenges caused my faith to weaken. Eventually I ended up far from the Lord. I didn’t read the Bible anymore, I didn’t pray. I was the only one to blame.”

A year ago, Manush was visited by an old friend, Alvina, whom she studied with at the Seminary. Alvina and her son invited Manush to their home and talked about faith. “I felt something was changing inside of me,” Manush says. “They helped me come closer to the Lord again.”

Alvina, a Bible League-trained leader, invited Manush to attend a Project Philip Bible study. “This Bible study group made a deep impression on me,” she says. “The lessons amazed me as I realized I didn’t know much about Christian faith. Through the lessons in the Bible League materials, God was bringing me back to the Christian life and truth.”

Today, Manush is happy and at peace. She’s teaching her children about Christ and faithfully prays for her family and father-in-law. “Happiness and peace have come into my life,” she says. “It’s a peace only God can give. May God bless you all.”