There are so many stories that I want to share from Azerbaijan. That month was FILLED with the Holy Spirit in so many ways. We spent the month going into villages and visiting the homes of both believers and non-believers, and I am so incredibly blessed to share with you all that we have six new brothers and sisters in Christ from that month! The most beautiful thing about that month though, was how little a part we actually played in the process. Every time we stepped into a new home, we could tangibly feel the prayers spoken over the family by our hosts. All we had to do was show up and ask about Jesus and He did the rest.
With all my heart, I want to write a blog about our hosts and about all of the wonderful ways God is using their family in Azerbaijan, but for their protection and the continuation of their ministry, I will have to avoid too many specifics in this blog (but if you would like to know more, feel free to email me or message me!). And, with all of that being said, I wanted to share a story from one of our last days in Azerbaijan:
We only had a few days left in the country, but we had promised to pay second visits to some of the families we had met earlier in the month. So on this particular evening, we decided to go an visit one of the first families we met in Azerbaijan. On our first visit there, the matriarch of their family (a Muslim) accepted Jesus into her heart, and we wanted to see how she and her family were doing since we saw them last.
We arrived at the home, piled out of the car, and as we were walking into their yard, an old woman called out to us to greet us. Our host went to exchange greetings with her briefly, then we all went inside. We waited for about half and hour in their backyard. No one had come out to greet us and we were afraid that no one was home, so after waiting and picking a few fresh fruits off the trees, we decided it was time to go.
And not even a minute after we made the decision to leave, our friend came out to greet us. She had only been napping and woke up just in time to hear us. So, as is Azeri hospitality, she prepared tea for us and brought out plates of fresh fruits from her backyard. We had only barely gotten into a conversation when the old woman from across the street came in to visit as well. She sat down at the table and we asked her a few questions. It wasn’t long before our host brought up Jesus.
She began to explain that she was praying to Allah to heal her sister. She was afraid of what life would look like without her sister in her life. She had no husband or children at the age of 73. Immediately, the Lord brought Psalm 23 to mind. I don’t immediately think of this verse when sharing the gospel, but I went with it and read it out loud as our host translated:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
She listened intently as we read the passage aloud, and thanked us for sharing such “beautiful” words with her. Then, she said something that I wasn’t expecting: “Okay, I am afraid that I have to go back to my sheep. They are missing me.”
Wait. What?!
This woman was a shepherdess! If anyone understood the imagery of that Psalm, it was her. And immediately, after asking her if she could spare a bit more time (she graciously agreed), I shared with her the passage about Jesus being the Good Shepherd in John 10:11-18:
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” – John 10:14-15
After reading this passage, with the kindest look on her face, she answers, “I could listen to you read such beautiful words all day.”
As we continued speaking with her, I couldn’t help but become overwhelmed with emotion for this woman. What are the odds that we would happen to meet a 73 year old shepherdess in Azerbaijan who was seeking healing from God? What are the odds that someone would greet us in that home a minute before we would leave? What are the odds that God would give me Psalm 23 before finding out that I was speaking to a shepherdess?
The Lord was pursuing this woman fiercely. He wanted her to know that He loved her more than she could imagine. He wanted her to know that she was not alone and that He was with her even in her pain and grief.
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” Luke 15:4-7
That night, He found the one, and we gained a new sister in Christ at the age of 73. I will never forget that shepherdess, and I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to introduce her to the Good Shepherd.
Praise God!
Love love love!!!!!