Meet Gunel Azerbaijan

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Kid
Bio
Gunel
........................................
Azerbaijan
Meet Gunel!
Baku, Azerbaijan
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Hi! My name is Gunel (Goo-nil). I live in Azerbaijan (AZ-er-byJAHN). This country is located above Iran and below Russia.
Can you find my country on the map? I live in a fairly new
country that gained independence in 1991.
I live in a city called Baku. This city is on the Caspian Sea, which is actually the world’s largest
lake. Baku is the largest city in Azerbaijan. It is a great city to live in because all of our roads
are paved, grass grows all around, and you can see the sea from nearly everywhere! The
weather is fairly warm, but every once in a while it will snow in the winter. Snow days are my
favorite!
AGES
My family and I live in an old stone building. The old building has been made into many
apartments! We live with my grandparents and a few other extended family members. Nearly
everyone in the city has modern utilities, such as running water and electricity. However,
families in rural Azerbaijan don’t have access to either of these luxuries.
Have you ever heard of mud volcanoes? Our country has the most mud volcanoes in the
world. There are over 400 of them in Azerbaijan, and the tallest one is almost 700 feet tall!
There are a lot of mud volcanoes near the Caspian Sea. Usually when they erupt, they spew
mud and clouds of gas, but sometimes to produce flames! They are not dangerous unless
you get too close.
Gunel s
tand
ing
ne
ar
am
ud
no.
volca
Th
i ty
of
ku
Ba
6-9
ec
AGES
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“
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”
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Meet Gunel!
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Baku, Azerbaijan
Kid
Bio
Gunel
........................................
Azerbaijan
PRAY
..............................................
As a family, pray for Gunel
and her family
Many people who live in
Azerbaijan have not heard
about Jesus or God’s love for
them. Pray that they learn
about and believe in the God
of the Bible.
There are many kids who live
in group homes called
orphanages. Pray for these
kids, that they have what they
need and that a family will
want to adopt each child.
In Baku, there are a lot of animals that wander through the streets. You might see cows, goats,
chickens, cats, and dogs! The streets are also filled with many street vendors selling art, food,
and clothing. I love wandering through the streets of Baku with my family!
I go to a very small private school. There are only eight kids in my grade! I have a few friends
who don’t go to school, but most kids in Baku go to school if their parents can pay the
necessary fees. At school, we study the basic subjects that you study, and also multiple
languages. Azerbaijani and Russian are the most common languages spoken in my country.
Want to learn some words in Azerbaijani? If you want to say hello, you say “salam”. If you want
to say goodbye, you say “sag ol”. My favorite color is orange. To say the word orange, you say
“narıncı”. English is becoming more of a common language, but there are thirteen languages
spoken in my country.
My family and friends really like to eat. In fact, mealtime is very elaborate. Usually, our entire
table is filled with dishes of delicious food. My mom will keep filling the plates of everyone
sitting around the table until we say that we are full. If someone is not eating, it is actually
disrespectful. My favorite thing that my mom makes is baklava. This is a pastry filled with
nuts and soaked in honey. It is delicious! We also eat a lot of rice and vegetables, and flavor
everything we eat with fresh spices like mint, cilantro, and tarragon. Every meal is ended with
black tea.
I do not go to church. My family claims to be Muslims, but no one is practicing. In fact, I know
very few people who go to church. There is only one church building in the city. Very few
people are interested in seeking and knowing God. In fact, I know very little about God.
Thanks for reading my story.
a dessert pastry filled
lava,
with
Bak
nu
ts a
n
ey.
on
dh
Pray for missionaries who live
in Azerbaijan. Pray that they
are able to tell lots of people
about the one true God.
The Bible was just translated
into Azerbaijani, the most
common language in the
country. Pray that many people
are able to have a copy of the
Bible and will read it.
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6-9
M
ud
©JusticeKids.
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“
ca no
es near the
ia n
Casp
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