Why would a landlocked country like Armenia need a lighthouse? Life’s hazards come in various forms, sometimes caused by one’s own family members, who are supposed to provide you safety.
This is why the Armenian Lighthouse Charitable Foundation has existed since 2006, in a village near Yerevan, to offer refuge for women with children escaping domestic violence. Its founders, Zuhrab and Seta Ghazarian obeyed God’s calling to help their motherland, and established this mission in 2006. They were my parents friends, and my mother had spoken very highly about their work. She also supported them throughout the years, uttering many prayers while knitting their hats.
August 2025
I longed to see this place as well, especially after her death, with the hope of continuing her legacy. In August 2025, my husband and I visited the Lighthouse, and the Ghazarians welcomed us in the spacious building they had designed.
At the door of ALCF, as a staff member was letting us in.
In the center of the first floor is a large room for events and a living room, surrounded by offices for their staff, a kitchen, a bright dining room, and a classroom. The second floor offers nine rooms, for the newly welcomed mothers and children, all arranged around a vast lounge hall, right next to the sewing room. The outside grounds provide a community setting complete with a playground, a garden, a machine-shop, a Lavash bread bakery, a serene Chapel, and a staffed preschool. Post-shelters are also built nearby for families with mothers who found jobs and have become more independent.
In addition to the physical needs of its residents, the Lighthouse staff also meet their mental, social, and spiritual needs. The women receive lessons in English, computer skills, hairdressing, cooking and sewing. The local priest from Parakar visits weekly to teach Bible studies and conducts many baptisms in the chapel. The families are also transported to his church every Sunday.
Thanks to donations from the diaspora Armenians and the dedication of local organizations, the Lighthouse is able to enjoy many events as well as to bless the local community. They receive visits from groups who conduct workshops, such as Child Evangelism Fellowship, local athletes, entertainers, artists and more. They go on field trips to historic landmarks, museums, and old churches. The Lighthouse serves the local community by distributing clothing and food to families in need, and offers warm meals to the elderly in their dining room.
How Big is Your Shadow?
To continue my mother’s legacy, I offered to teach the children a lesson from Lightlab “ How Big is Your Shadow”, mainly because the supplies needed were just the Sun and chalk. (lightlabetc.com). We scheduled our event on the day of the weekly Bible Study, led by Mrs. Seta Ghazarian in the summer, instead of the priest.
After a time of worship with the mothers and children, Seta and I taught together. The children had a blast stepping out in the sun every hour to trace their shadows, notice how they shifted, and observe that their shortest shadow was around noon.
Tracing each other’s shadows
I also did an indoor demonstration in the dark, illuminating the small paper figure of a person with a flashlight, to show how its shadow increased as it moved further from the light.
Watch a 2 min video to see the full day events
In the Bible, shadows are mentioned about 50 times. Sometimes they are referred to as helpful as in :
Psalm 63:7 "for you have been my help, and
in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy."
Most of the time, they represent darkness, which God’s light overcomes.
Luke 1:79 " to give light to those who sit
in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
The Bible lesson explains the importance of being close to God who is our light. The closer we are to Him, the smaller our sins and fewer our troubles.
August 2026
In 2026, I had the fortune to return to Armenia, and found a place ten minutes walking distance from the Lighthouse, to maximize my chances of engaging with the families. I met up with the children on different days, and mingled with the mothers a couple times to listen to their stories.
Find the North Star
The lesson,“Find the North Star” from the 12 Lightlab Extras that I hope to release soon, complimented last year’s “How Big is your Shadow”. The sun’s shadows tell time during the day, while the stars tell time during the night.
Genesis 1:14-15 (ESV)
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.
Most of us already know that the Big Dipper points to the North Star, but did you know that it also tells us the time of night and the month? Depending on the season, the Big Dipper appears in a different part of the sky—sometimes to the right, left, above, or below.
The Lighthouse children had an exciting time as they formed a Star Clock that locates the Big Dipper at any time of the year. It was the perfect experience filled with discovery, thanks to our Creator and Redeemer who gave mankind the ability to gain such knowledge about time and space.
Psalm 8:3-4 (ESV)
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Psalm 19:1-2 Written by one of the children on the board
Final Thoughts
While evil exists in our midst, danger creeps in suddenly, and ignorance clouds our thinking, our God is still good and sovereign. He stills the enemy through acts of kindness by His people, and gives us sufficient knowledge to direct us on a daily basis. Praise Him always!
Those who find refuge at the Armenian Lighthouse are truly blessed. Let us pray that such places multiply everywhere in the world, and the sanctity of family is protected in many other ways. Make sure you look up the Armenian Lighthouse Charitable Foundation and follow them on Facebook where they list their updates.
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