0:00:05.686,0:00:08.729
<i>Knarik regularly greeted [br]her neighbor Anahit</i>

0:00:08.729,0:00:10.853
<i>in the mornings on her way to work.</i>

0:00:11.241,0:00:14.394
<i>They would often stop to talk, [br]and their friendship grew.</i>

0:00:16.561,0:00:19.828
One day, my neighbor told me[br]that a new café was opening.

0:00:20.858,0:00:24.813
It was a healthy, vegan café [br]called Dr. Veggie.

0:00:26.133,0:00:30.391
I was interested in it[br]because I love living a healthy lifestyle.

0:00:31.749,0:00:35.090
I work at a bank, [br]and it was near the café.

0:00:35.090,0:00:37.410
So every day I had lunch there.

0:00:43.312,0:00:47.115
<i>This café in the center [br]of Yerevan, Armenia,</i>

0:00:47.115,0:00:50.989
<i>was run by Adventists [br]as an urban center of influence.</i>

0:00:51.200,0:00:54.389
<i>Knarik knew that her neighbor [br]was a Seventh-day Adventist,</i>

0:00:54.389,0:00:56.938
<i>but she didn't really understand [br]what that meant.</i>

0:00:57.056,0:00:58.962
<i>Knarik believed in Jesus,</i>

0:00:58.962,0:01:01.940
<i>but had no interest [br]in attending any churches.</i>

0:01:04.685,0:01:07.723
I remember clearly [br]the first time I went there.

0:01:08.931,0:01:11.479
There was something good[br]inside these people.

0:01:12.263,0:01:16.847
A spiritual peace and calmness [br]that I had never met in anyone else.

0:01:17.318,0:01:19.194
<i>Knarik started participating</i>

0:01:19.194,0:01:21.850
<i>in the various activities[br]the center offered.</i>

0:01:22.067,0:01:25.307
<i>One of them was a trivia night[br]about Bible topics.</i>

0:01:25.558,0:01:26.873
<i>After the first night,</i>

0:01:26.873,0:01:31.496
<i>she realized there were so many things [br]she didn't understand about the Bible,</i>

0:01:31.496,0:01:33.399
<i>so she started reading more.</i>

0:01:33.648,0:01:37.397
<i>Knarik decided it would be best [br]to visit the Adventist church</i>

0:01:37.397,0:01:39.847
<i>to get some of her questions answered.</i>

0:01:40.229,0:01:42.465
After attending church for about a year,

0:01:42.465,0:01:45.327
I was invited to a healthy lifestyle camp.

0:01:45.327,0:01:47.378
I decided to be baptized there,

0:01:47.378,0:01:49.570
and it was the happiest day of my life!

0:01:49.935,0:01:52.835
<i>Knarik is so grateful[br]for her neighbor Anahit</i>

0:01:52.835,0:01:55.840
<i>and for the people in the Dr. Veggie café.</i>

0:01:55.840,0:01:59.175
<i>Urban centers of influence,[br]such as Dr. Veggie,</i>

0:01:59.175,0:02:00.887
<i>can be a crucial bridge</i>

0:02:00.887,0:02:04.111
<i>between the Adventist church[br]and its community.</i>

0:02:04.641,0:02:08.590
<i>Yerevan is Armenia's largest [br]city and capital,</i>

0:02:08.590,0:02:10.459
<i>with more than a million people.</i>

0:02:10.711,0:02:14.032
<i>One-third of the country's [br]population lives here.</i>

0:02:14.032,0:02:15.980
<i>As cities like Yerevan</i>

0:02:15.980,0:02:19.816
<i>increasingly become[br]one of the biggest mission challenges,</i>

0:02:19.816,0:02:21.696
<i>Adventists have the opportunity</i>

0:02:21.696,0:02:25.450
<i>to create meaningful connections [br]with those around them.</i>

0:02:25.750,0:02:30.568
<i>Unfortunately, it's expensive[br]to do mission work in cities.</i>

0:02:30.568,0:02:34.528
<i>The Dr. Veggie café[br]had to close its doors suddenly</i>

0:02:34.528,0:02:37.009
<i>due to the high cost of rent.</i>

0:02:37.189,0:02:40.412
<i>This loss is felt [br]by the Adventists who run it,</i>

0:02:40.412,0:02:43.013
<i>but even more so by the community members</i>

0:02:43.013,0:02:47.555
<i>who have found it to be a fun, [br]safe space to spend their time.</i>

0:02:48.068,0:02:52.930
<i>Dr. Veggie has an opportunity to reopen,[br]but they need your help!</i>

0:02:53.130,0:02:56.623
<i>This quarter, a portion[br]of your 13th Sabbath Offering</i>

0:02:56.623,0:03:01.396
<i>will help reestablish Dr. Veggie [br]in a new, improved building.</i>

0:03:01.599,0:03:06.089
<i>This will give them the opportunity [br]to own the space and provide stability,</i>

0:03:06.089,0:03:09.084
<i>so they can focus [br]on building relationships,</i>

0:03:09.084,0:03:11.580
<i>such as the one they built with Knarik.</i>

0:03:12.232,0:03:16.899
<i>Please pray for the future of Dr. Veggie[br]and the Adventists in Yerevan,</i>

0:03:16.899,0:03:18.846
<i>who have a passion for mission.</i>

0:03:19.089,0:03:23.342
<i>Thank you for supporting[br]this 13th Sabbath Offering!</i>