1
00:00:05,686 --> 00:00:08,729
<i>Knarik regularly greeted 
her neighbor Anahit</i>

2
00:00:08,729 --> 00:00:10,853
<i>in the mornings on her way to work.</i>

3
00:00:11,241 --> 00:00:14,394
<i>They would often stop to talk, 
and their friendship grew.</i>

4
00:00:16,561 --> 00:00:19,828
One day, my neighbor told me
that a new café was opening.

5
00:00:20,858 --> 00:00:24,813
It was a healthy, vegan café 
called Dr. Veggie.

6
00:00:26,133 --> 00:00:30,391
I was interested in it
because I love living a healthy lifestyle.

7
00:00:31,749 --> 00:00:35,090
I work at a bank, 
and it was near the café.

8
00:00:35,090 --> 00:00:37,410
So every day I had lunch there.

9
00:00:43,312 --> 00:00:47,115
<i>This café in the center 
of Yerevan, Armenia,</i>

10
00:00:47,115 --> 00:00:50,989
<i>was run by Adventists 
as an urban center of influence.</i>

11
00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:54,389
<i>Knarik knew that her neighbor 
was a Seventh-day Adventist,</i>

12
00:00:54,389 --> 00:00:56,938
<i>but she didn't really understand 
what that meant.</i>

13
00:00:57,056 --> 00:00:58,962
<i>Knarik believed in Jesus,</i>

14
00:00:58,962 --> 00:01:01,940
<i>but had no interest 
in attending any churches.</i>

15
00:01:04,685 --> 00:01:07,723
I remember clearly 
the first time I went there.

16
00:01:08,931 --> 00:01:11,479
There was something good
inside these people.

17
00:01:12,263 --> 00:01:16,847
A spiritual peace and calmness 
that I had never met in anyone else.

18
00:01:17,318 --> 00:01:19,194
<i>Knarik started participating</i>

19
00:01:19,194 --> 00:01:21,850
<i>in the various activities
the center offered.</i>

20
00:01:22,067 --> 00:01:25,307
<i>One of them was a trivia night
about Bible topics.</i>

21
00:01:25,558 --> 00:01:26,873
<i>After the first night,</i>

22
00:01:26,873 --> 00:01:31,496
<i>she realized there were so many things 
she didn't understand about the Bible,</i>

23
00:01:31,496 --> 00:01:33,399
<i>so she started reading more.</i>

24
00:01:33,648 --> 00:01:37,397
<i>Knarik decided it would be best 
to visit the Adventist church</i>

25
00:01:37,397 --> 00:01:39,847
<i>to get some of her questions answered.</i>

26
00:01:40,229 --> 00:01:42,465
After attending church for about a year,

27
00:01:42,465 --> 00:01:45,327
I was invited to a healthy lifestyle camp.

28
00:01:45,327 --> 00:01:47,378
I decided to be baptized there,

29
00:01:47,378 --> 00:01:49,570
and it was the happiest day of my life!

30
00:01:49,935 --> 00:01:52,835
<i>Knarik is so grateful
for her neighbor Anahit</i>

31
00:01:52,835 --> 00:01:55,840
<i>and for the people in the Dr. Veggie café.</i>

32
00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,175
<i>Urban centers of influence,
such as Dr. Veggie,</i>

33
00:01:59,175 --> 00:02:00,887
<i>can be a crucial bridge</i>

34
00:02:00,887 --> 00:02:04,111
<i>between the Adventist church
and its community.</i>

35
00:02:04,641 --> 00:02:08,590
<i>Yerevan is Armenia's largest 
city and capital,</i>

36
00:02:08,590 --> 00:02:10,459
<i>with more than a million people.</i>

37
00:02:10,711 --> 00:02:14,032
<i>One-third of the country's 
population lives here.</i>

38
00:02:14,032 --> 00:02:15,980
<i>As cities like Yerevan</i>

39
00:02:15,980 --> 00:02:19,816
<i>increasingly become
one of the biggest mission challenges,</i>

40
00:02:19,816 --> 00:02:21,696
<i>Adventists have the opportunity</i>

41
00:02:21,696 --> 00:02:25,450
<i>to create meaningful connections 
with those around them.</i>

42
00:02:25,750 --> 00:02:30,568
<i>Unfortunately, it's expensive
to do mission work in cities.</i>

43
00:02:30,568 --> 00:02:34,528
<i>The Dr. Veggie café
had to close its doors suddenly</i>

44
00:02:34,528 --> 00:02:37,009
<i>due to the high cost of rent.</i>

45
00:02:37,189 --> 00:02:40,412
<i>This loss is felt 
by the Adventists who run it,</i>

46
00:02:40,412 --> 00:02:43,013
<i>but even more so by the community members</i>

47
00:02:43,013 --> 00:02:47,555
<i>who have found it to be a fun, 
safe space to spend their time.</i>

48
00:02:48,068 --> 00:02:52,930
<i>Dr. Veggie has an opportunity to reopen,
but they need your help!</i>

49
00:02:53,130 --> 00:02:56,623
<i>This quarter, a portion
of your 13th Sabbath Offering</i>

50
00:02:56,623 --> 00:03:01,396
<i>will help reestablish Dr. Veggie 
in a new, improved building.</i>

51
00:03:01,599 --> 00:03:06,089
<i>This will give them the opportunity 
to own the space and provide stability,</i>

52
00:03:06,089 --> 00:03:09,084
<i>so they can focus 
on building relationships,</i>

53
00:03:09,084 --> 00:03:11,580
<i>such as the one they built with Knarik.</i>

54
00:03:12,232 --> 00:03:16,899
<i>Please pray for the future of Dr. Veggie
and the Adventists in Yerevan,</i>

55
00:03:16,899 --> 00:03:18,846
<i>who have a passion for mission.</i>

56
00:03:19,089 --> 00:03:23,342
<i>Thank you for supporting
this 13th Sabbath Offering!</i>