Josiah Venture Stories: Recent Episodes
Josiah Venture
Josiah Venture is a non-profit mission organization all about equipping young leaders in Central and Eastern Europe to fulfill Christ's commission through the local church. We want to see passionate followers of Jesus Christ with a vision to reach and disciple their generation for him. This podcast is all about sharing life-changing stories from on-the-ground missionaries, and the local people they work with, to inspire and fuel the movement of God in Central and Eastern Europe.
Summers are always exciting throughout the 16 Central and Eastern European countries Josiah Venture is located in as local churches prepare for camps and missions teams to arrive. Another cause for all the excitement is our summer internship program. Each summer, we invite college students and young adults who love Jesus and want to share the gospel with others to join us to help impact the next generation.
This episode, hosted by Ruthanne Chadd, features nine of the 35 2024 interns. We encourage you to listen to the entire episode to hear all of the different stories and perspectives, but here is the time stamp for each interview.
- [2:30 - 10:07] Chloe Brandow, American, serving in Slovenia
- [10:08 - 16:18] Tadej Ogorevc, Slovene, serving in Ukraine
- [16:19 - 22:35] Jake Herrington, American, serving in Estonia
- [22:36 - 28:43] Nia Stoitseva, Bulgarian, serving with the Fusion International Team
- [28:44 - 35:09] Aidan Carson, American, serving in the Czech Republic
- [35:10 - 39:23] Vika Mamchur, Ukrainian, serving in Ukraine
- [39:24 - 45:40] Martin Toomet, Estonian, serving in Estonia
- [45:41 - 51:24] Mallory Neebes, American, serving in Poland and with the Fusion International Team
- [51:25 - 56:24] Jackie Fitzgerald, an American doing an Extended Stay Intern in Hungary
Ruthanne has been on staff with Josiah Venture since 2014 and currently serves as the Intern Coordinator stateside. Each summer, she recruits, prepares, and sends college-age students from across the US, Canada, and the UK to serve alongside us. Enjoy hearing Ruthanne's passion for ministry as she guides the conversations with these interns. You will hear why they decided to intern, how they heard about the internship, what the amazing race was like for them, and more!
Please also join us in praying for summer ministry. Our online prayer room has specific prayer requests for each of the 35 interns serving with us. Thank you for listening!
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Ranno Seppel has worked with Koma, Josiah Venture’s partner organization in Estonia, since the Fall of 2017. He has been the Edge Sports Director there for four years and has been involved in soccer camps for eight years. He recently accepted the Director of Edge Sports International role, which is very exciting!
He desires to equip churches and leaders to use sports as a tool in their youth ministries. Ranno is married to Kristiina and they have three beautiful sons named Noah, Benjamin, and Joosep.
This episode is all about Sports! The first-ever EDGE GAMES International sports tournament was recently held in Rumburk, Czech Republic. 340 people from 9 Central and Eastern European countries gathered to compete in floorball and football, or soccer, for all the Americans listening.
The EDGE SPORTS ministry currently involves 1000 young people and tends to impact teenagers in a deeper way than typical traditional church programs.
Our hope with EDGE GAMES was that lives would be changed and momentum would be created for this ministry.
Enjoy listening to this episode, featuring:
🇪🇪 Ruuben from Estonia - Student
🇷🇴 Dome from Romania - Coach
🇱🇻 Linards from Latvia - Student
🇸🇰 Pali from Slovakia - Coach
🇭🇺 Daniel from Hungary - Student
🇪🇪 Mathias, 15, from Estonia - Student
🇵🇱 Magda from Poland - Coach
*At the end of the episode, there is a special appearance, Filip Szturc, from the Czech Republic. He helped with setting up the stage, lighting, and sound during the event.
Bartek Wilkosz has been a Josiah Venture missionary in Poland for the past three years. His first involvement with Josiah Venture was in 2014 when he took part in a camp called Growth Academy, organized by El Dorado—one of JV Poland’s national projects. The goal of El Dorado’s activities is to help young people discover Christ and his calling for their lives, as well as equip teenage leaders to serve in their local youth ministries. Bartek’s service with the project has continued to grow, and in 2019, he became a part-time Coordinator. In July 2021, he became a full-time JV missionary and now serves as the Director of El Dorado.
Bartek's dream is that Poland will one day be known all over the world as a nation of followers of Christ that sends hundreds of thousands of missionaries to other countries.
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Tino Peste and his wife live and serve in Constanta, Romania. Tino met and married Cristiana while they were studying theology in their country’s capital and attending the same church. After finishing their education, both felt God’s calling to serve the young generation in Constanta. They have two girls, Amanda & Haria.
They believe that the best way to serve the church of today is actually to serve the church of tomorrow by ministering to the young generation. Together, they are implementing and leading Exit Tour in Romania while actively serving in their local church. Tino also leads the youth and student ministry there, and Cristiana works with children and teenage girls. As a couple, they believe that by communicating the great message of the Gospel in a relevant way, the church will be active in the lives of young people through discipleship.
Give to Tino's ministry/donate to raising an Exit Tour Van
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
This episode features three individuals who are bringing the gospel to today's public square of social media and powerful online platforms.
Alex Ralevic is a 16-year-old Serbian with over 40k followers on TikTok. He made his first video on a broken phone, using an orange as a stand.
Janči Máhrik is a pastor in Slovakia and has a podcast in Slovak called "Zabudnuté Cesty," which translates to "Forgotten Ways." He and his co-host, who is also a pastor, use this podcast to show people how Bible truths apply to the modern world.
Abel Aronica is a Hungarian who lives in Romania. He uses his knowledge of all things technical to help churches livestream their services. Over 50,000 people have access to sermons through these live streams.
We hope you enjoy these stories. Please pray for the Christian influencers across Central and Eastern Europe who are carrying the gospel to today's public square.
@aleksa.ralevic on TikTok
@zabudnutecesty
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Paul Williams serves as the Vice President of Finance & Operations for Josiah Venture. In this capacity, he works alongside the President and other executive team members to provide leadership, support, and strategic thinking in the operations of JV. Paul lives in the Czech Republic with his wife, Molli, and their daughter Mae. They have three additional young adult children (Tate, Claire, and Grant) who all live in Texas.
In this informative episode, Paul shares how God called him to move from the business world into serving as a missionary, the humbling journey of support raising, his philosophy of living generously, and more.
Shortly after the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe, Paul, his wife Molli, and their new baby moved to Prague, Czech Republic, for a two-year work assignment. The year was 1996, and during that time, they fell in love with the Czech Republic and its people. In 2009, while attending a home gathering, Paul and Molli were introduced to the ministry of Josiah Venture and were overjoyed to know that God was working in a place they had grown to love so much.
In the summer of 2019, Paul and Molli helped lead a team from their home church in Texas to serve at a Josiah Venture English Camp in Poland. Through that time, God began to capture their hearts with the vision of Josiah Venture. Soon after that, they believed God was leading them to join JV in the Frydlant office.
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Zuzi Džubakovska decided to follow Jesus when she was 10 years old at a camp organized by Child Evangelism Fellowship. Since then, her life has been one big adventure. During her management studies, she started working in business and continued in marketing and customer success for a few years. Meanwhile, she served in her home church—Bratislava City Church—where she became a member of the worship band and helped out with the Josiah Venture young adult ministry called EXIT. In 2019, she answered her calling to join full-time ministry. The Lord directed her to TCKompas (Josiah Venture Slovakia’s partner organization) and their EXIT Tour ministry, which brings evangelism to high schools through a prevention program.
She currently works with the Point Online team on their website and helps with internal human resources for the JV team in Slovakia. Zuzi lives in Bratislava, Slovakia, with her husband, Feri—who also came to Christ through TCKompas. They continue to serve together in her home church and serve other people with their open home. They never turn down an invitation for good coffee! They love to laugh and enjoy spending time with people and praying for them.
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Liuda Rubtsova has served at her church in Lviv for 10 years and recently joined Epokha, JV’s national organization in Ukraine. She currently coordinates the work of the Communication Team in Ukraine and strives to capture and tell the stories of God's amazing work, even amidst the war.
She is one of the key youth leaders at her church, serves on the worship team, and participates on the church council. Liuda especially enjoys organizing large Christian events, meetings, and conferences for young people. Mentoring teenage girls has a special place in her heart.
In this episode, Liuda shares about joining the team in Ukraine just over a year ago, her love for discipleship, and how she has felt God's nearness during times of war. She also encourages everyone to keep praying for Ukraine.
You can still give to our Help Ukraine Fund. War is still going on in Ukraine, and you can stand with us as we pray for peace.
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Ben Robertson and his family have lived and served in the Czech Republic for five years now. Ben met his wife, Sarah, in 2012 while they were both serving as Josiah Venture summer interns in the Czech Republic. During that experience, they developed a deep desire to serve full-time in Czech as they witnessed young people being deeply impacted by Jesus.
Ben and Sarah now live in Ústí nad Labem with their children, Phoebe, Jadon, and Khloe. They serve on the regional team, helping to equip, train, and disciple youth leaders in their city and the northwest region of the Czech Republic. Ben and Sarah desire to come alongside the churches in their region to see disciples multiplying, leaders strengthened, and the churches empowered to live out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Ben completed a Masters in Transformational Leadership from Bethel Seminary before starting his service with Josiah Venture. He is passionate about equipping, training, and coaching transformational leaders.
Follow @ben_the_coach for more!
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
For the month of January, we invite you to listen to the main talks from our annual 2023 fall conference. The theme was "Lifeline: First Responders and the Anxious Generation." We brought in Dr. David Van Dyke, a marriage and family therapist, and professor at Wheaton College, to speak and train us all in what it looks like to be like Jesus for people in need.
Our goal was to equip youth leaders across the region with practical tools to respond to the ever-increasing mental health issues among the youth in their ministries. Thank you for listening, and please continue to pray that we will be first responders for the anxious generation who are fully present, ask good questions, listen well, and point them to the love of Christ.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
For the month of January, we invite you to listen to the main talks from our annual 2023 fall conference. The theme was "Lifeline: First Responders and the Anxious Generation." We brought in Dr. David Van Dyke, a marriage and family therapist, and professor at Wheaton College, to speak and train us all in what it looks like to be like Jesus for people in need.
Our goal was to equip youth leaders across the region with practical tools to respond to the ever-increasing mental health issues among the youth in their ministries. Thank you for listening, and please continue to pray that we will be first responders for the anxious generation who are fully present, ask good questions, listen well, and point them to the love of Christ.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
For the month of January, we invite you to listen to the main talks from our annual 2023 fall conference. The theme was "Lifeline: First Responders and the Anxious Generation." We brought in Dr. David Van Dyke, a marriage and family therapist, and professor at Wheaton College, to speak and train us all in what it looks like to be like Jesus for people in need.
Our goal was to equip youth leaders across the region with practical tools to respond to the ever-increasing mental health issues among the youth in their ministries. Thank you for listening, and please continue to pray that we will be first responders for the anxious generation who are fully present, ask good questions, listen well, and point them to the love of Christ.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
For the month of January, we invite you to listen to the main talks from our annual 2023 fall conference. The theme was "Lifeline: First Responders and the Anxious Generation." We brought in Dr. David Van Dyke, a marriage and family therapist, and professor at Wheaton College, to speak and train us all in what it looks like to be like Jesus for people in need.
Our goal was to equip youth leaders across the region with practical tools to respond to the ever-increasing mental health issues among the youth in their ministries. Thank you for listening, and please continue to pray that we will be first responders for the anxious generation who are fully present, ask good questions, listen well, and point them to the love of Christ.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
For the month of January, we invite you to listen to the main talks from our annual 2023 fall conference. The theme was "Lifeline: First Responders and the Anxious Generation." We brought in Dr. David Van Dyke, a marriage and family therapist, and professor at Wheaton College, to speak and train us all in what it looks like to be like Jesus for people in need.
Our goal was to equip youth leaders across the region with practical tools to respond to the ever-increasing mental health issues among the youth in their ministries. Thank you for listening, and please continue to pray that we will be first responders for the anxious generation who are fully present, ask good questions, listen well, and point them to the love of Christ.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
For the month of January, we invite you to listen to the main talks from our annual 2023 fall conference. The theme was "Lifeline: First Responders and the Anxious Generation." We brought in Dr. David Van Dyke, a marriage and family therapist, and professor at Wheaton College, to speak and train us all in what it looks like to be like Jesus for people in need.
Our goal was to equip youth leaders across the region with practical tools to respond to the ever-increasing mental health issues among the youth in their ministries.
Thank you for listening, and please continue to pray that we will be first responders for the anxious generation who are fully present, ask good questions, listen well, and point them to the love of Christ.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Happy New Year! For the month of January, we will be sharing the main talks from our annual 2023 fall conference. The theme was "Lifeline: First Responders and the Anxious Generation." Dave Patty kicked off the conference by talking about the anxious generation and ways we can respond.
Our goal for this conference was to equip youth leaders across the region with practical tools to respond to the ever-increasing mental health issues among the youth in their ministries. We invite you to join us for this teaching podcast.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and thank you for tuning in to this special Christmas end-of-year episode! This will be short and sweet as host Gwynne Gardner recaps the year, remembers God's faithfulness, and gives you all a few important announcements for the year ahead. Consider this your audio Christmas newsletter from Josiah Venture!
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Summer Internships
If you are interested in knowing more about ForMission, you can email: formission@josiahventure.com
How to leave a rating & written review on Apple Podcast:
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Go to the “Josiah Venture Stories” show page.
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Scroll down to the bottom of the page to the “Ratings & Reviews” section.
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Select a star rating! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Tap “Write a Review.”5. Give the review a fun title along with your description.
How to rate a podcast on Spotify:
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Open the Spotify app on your device.
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Drag your finger or tap on one of the five stars to leave a rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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*You can also follow the podcast on Spotify so you never miss an episode.
Kilian Špiess grew up in Germany, and during his childhood, he attended an Evangelical Lutheran Church where he heard about God and faith. At the age of 12, he discovered the heart of the gospel and God's love at a camp, and since then, he has desired to follow Jesus. After years of serving at camps and being discipled, Kilian explored his heart for missions during internships in Manchester and Chemnitz, Germany at the age of 19, leaving him with the desire to reach people for the sake of the gospel.
In 2020, he started studying Theology, Mission, and Ministry at ForMission College. Studying the depths of God and his word, Kilian focused on missional leadership in his dissertation, proposing new ways to combine leadership styles in ministry. After finishing his Bachelor's degree in 2023, Kilian took on the role of an academic administrator on the Higher Education team for Josiah Venture. In this role, he supports students and staff of ForMission College in order to enhance their college experience. His goal is to develop existing processes and pave the way for new experiences, equipping Christian leaders in Central and Eastern Europe for effective missional ministry.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Happy Thanksgiving from the JV family!This episode features 12 of our missionaries serving across Central and Eastern Europe (Diana “DU” Anton - Romania, Wendi Rumbold - Slovakia, Ermal Bimaj - Albania, Katie Humerian - Ukraine, Ross Nielsen - Bulgaria, Ellie Mouchet - Poland, David Kingdon - Latvia, Sarah Ward - Czech Republic, Indrek-Eliel Tambek - Estonia, Trisha Wynn - Slovenia, Kilian Spieß - Germany, and Judita Kočiš - Croatia).They share what they're grateful for this season, their favorite Thanksgiving foods, and a meaningful Bible verse about thankfulness that holds a special place in their hearts. We pray you have a truly amazing Thanksgiving wherever you may be celebrating. This holiday is a beautiful time to cherish the presence of loved ones and to reflect on our blessings and God's unwavering faithfulness. Thank you so much for listening!"May your thanksgiving be regular, loud, and unifying, declaring the goodness of God and how his steadfast love is so very real and present and deep and luxuriant." - Dave Kingdon
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Dan and Laura Hash are founding members of Josiah Venture and have served in Poland for 30 years. They live in Mikołów, Poland, and are blessed with a son, Jacob, and his wife, Becca, and granddaughter, Clara, who also serve in Poland with JV. In this episode, you will hear their faith journeys, how they were first connected to Josiah Venture, what life was like in Poland during those early years of ministry, what they are involved in now, words of wisdom, and so much more. They are now on the member care team responsible for marriages, counseling, and counseling resources and developing the member care people in each country.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Dr. David Van Dyke, or DVD, serves as Director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program and Associate Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at Wheaton College. His areas of expertise are working with adolescents and their families and integration of Christian faith and systems thinking. He's a Fulbright Scholar in Hungary, and he's also started "With U Projects" with his wife Tara. It aims to strengthen the understanding of life's big transitions and learning better skills for healthy connection.
DVD has spent time each year in Prague, where he supervised, trained, and consulted with mental health professionals from nine Central and Eastern European countries (Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Serbia). He also developed g a post-master marriage and family therapy certificate that is culturally appropriate for Central and Eastern European professionals and meets EU regulations, which is set to launch in the Summer of 2024. In his personal time, he likes traveling, being with his family, kayaking with his wife, and exploring family history.
This episode is hosted by Rob Chestnut, Director of the Training Team and International Team for Josiah Venture. He also recently helped lead the 2023 Fall Conference team. The theme for the 2023 Fall conference was "Lifeline: First Responders and the Anxious Generation," and DVD was our guest speaker.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Instagram: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
This episode features one of the seven talks from our annual Spring Conference that happened back in May.
The theme of this year's conference was "Missional Be-Attitudes." After three years of Covid and an ongoing war in Ukraine, you may feel a bit like a passenger on a plane that has flown through some turbulent air or a sailor on a ship that has sailed through a challenging storm. After all the shaking and rocking, you may need to pause and make sure all the ropes are tied down and that your key instruments still work. During the week of the conference, we had space to focus back on the core of who we are, and we invite you to join us in this process.
We asked questions like;
- Who do we need to be to stay on mission in turbulent times?
- What key attitudes will keep us on track no matter how difficult the storm?
The theme verse for this conference was 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Enjoy listening, and I pray this teaching encourages you. Thank you for being on mission with us!
This episode features one of the seven talks from our annual Spring Conference that happened back in May.
The theme of this year's conference was "Missional Be-Attitudes." After three years of Covid and an ongoing war in Ukraine, you may feel a bit like a passenger on a plane that has flown through some turbulent air or a sailor on a ship that has sailed through a challenging storm. After all the shaking and rocking, you may need to pause and make sure all the ropes are tied down and that your key instruments still work. During the week of the conference, we had space to focus back on the core of who we are, and we invite you to join us in this process.
We asked questions like;
- Who do we need to be to stay on mission in turbulent times?
- What key attitudes will keep us on track no matter how difficult the storm?
The theme verse for this conference was 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Enjoy listening, and I pray this teaching encourages you. Thank you for being on mission with us!
Jonathan Rosen began serving full-time with Josiah Venture in October 2012 after many summer internships in the Czech Republic. He and his wife, Veronika, and their daughter, Hailey, live and serve in the city of Ostrava, where they help lead their local church's high school and young adults' ministries. They also focus on encouraging and equipping youth ministry leaders throughout the city of Ostrava.
Currently, Jonathan is waiting in the hospital for a heart transplant. He shares about his health journey, how he and his family are doing, and how you can pray for them as they are in a difficult time of waiting and trusting in the Lord.
*This episode was recorded on Sept. 6th. Since Friday, Sept. 8th, he has been in the city of Brno waiting for the transplant to take place.
Prayers for Jonathan:
- Pray that he stays in remission!
- Pray that God heals his heart miraculously or provides a heart for the transplant soon.
- Pray for his family, as they are two hours away. Pray for strength and peace for his wife Veronika as she parents their 15-month-old daughter Hailey.
- Pray that the faith of the believers around them would be encouraged.
- Pray that God would use this health journey to bring the non-believers around them to faith in Jesus.
Click here to donate to the Rosen's Ministry fund.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
This episode features one of the seven talks from our annual Spring Conference that happened back in May.
The theme of this year's conference was "Missional Be-Attitudes." After three years of Covid and an ongoing war in Ukraine, you may feel a bit like a passenger on a plane that has flown through some turbulent air or a sailor on a ship that has sailed through a challenging storm. After all the shaking and rocking, you may need to pause and make sure all the ropes are tied down and that your key instruments still work. During the week of the conference, we had space to focus back on the core of who we are, and we invite you to join us in this process.
We asked questions like;
- Who do we need to be to stay on mission in turbulent times?
- What key attitudes will keep us on track no matter how difficult the storm?
The theme verse for this conference was 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Enjoy listening, and I pray this teaching encourages you. Thank you for being on mission with us!
This episode features one of the seven talks from our annual Spring Conference that happened back in May.
The theme of this year's conference was "Missional Be-Attitudes." After three years of Covid and an ongoing war in Ukraine, you may feel a bit like a passenger on a plane that has flown through some turbulent air or a sailor on a ship that has sailed through a challenging storm. After all the shaking and rocking, you may need to pause and make sure all the ropes are tied down and that your key instruments still work. During the week of the conference, we had space to focus back on the core of who we are, and we invite you to join us in this process.
We asked questions like;
- Who do we need to be to stay on mission in turbulent times?
- What key attitudes will keep us on track no matter how difficult the storm?
The theme verse for this conference was 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Enjoy listening, and I pray this teaching encourages you. Thank you for being on mission with us!
This episode features one of the seven talks from our annual Spring Conference that happened back in May.
The theme of this year's conference was "Missional Be-Attitudes." After three years of Covid and an ongoing war in Ukraine, you may feel a bit like a passenger on a plane that has flown through some turbulent air or a sailor on a ship that has sailed through a challenging storm. After all the shaking and rocking, you may need to pause and make sure all the ropes are tied down and that your key instruments still work. During the week of conference, we had space to focus back on the core of who we are, and we invite you to join us in this process.
We asked questions like;
- Who do we need to be to stay on mission in turbulent times?
- What key attitudes will keep us on track no matter how difficult the storm?
The theme verse for this conference was 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Enjoy listening, and I pray this teaching encourages you. Thank you for being on mission with us!
This episode features one of the seven talks from our annual Spring Conference that happened back in May.
The theme of this year's conference was "Missional Be-Attitudes." After three years of Covid and an ongoing war in Ukraine, you may feel a bit like a passenger on a plane that has flown through some turbulent air or a sailor on a ship that has sailed through a challenging storm. After all the shaking and rocking, you may need to pause and make sure all the ropes are tied down and that your key instruments still work. During the week of conference, we had space to focus back on the core of who we are, and we invite you to join us in this process.
We asked questions like;
- Who do we need to be to stay on mission in turbulent times?
- What key attitudes will keep us on track no matter how difficult the storm?
The theme verse for this conference was 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Enjoy listening, and I pray this teaching encourages you. Thank you for being on mission with us!
This episode features one of the seven talks from our annual Spring Conference that happened back in May.
The theme of this year's conference was "Missional Be-Attitudes." After three years of Covid and an ongoing war in Ukraine, you may feel a bit like a passenger on a plane that has flown through some turbulent air or a sailor on a ship that has sailed through a challenging storm. After all the shaking and rocking, you may need to pause and make sure all the ropes are tied down and that your key instruments still work. During the week of conference, we had space to focus back on the core of who we are, and we invite you to join us in this process.
We asked questions like;
- Who do we need to be to stay on mission in turbulent times?
- What key attitudes will keep us on track no matter how difficult the storm?
The theme verse for this conference was 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Enjoy listening, and I pray this teaching encourages you. Thank you for being on mission with us!
Liam Gaspar recently celebrated five years of service with Josiah Venture in Latvia. He first visited Latvia in 2007 and participated in his first Fusion camp in 2010. Subsequently, Liam returned to Latvia many times and now lives and serves in Liepāja, Latvia. Liam understands the hopelessness experienced by the youth of this region. His heart is to live life with them and share the good news of the gospel!
Enjoy this conversation and get to know Liam as he offers his experience of Latvian culture, shares his testimony, and details his journey to Latvia. In this episode, recorded prior to Fusion camp in Liepāja, Liam reflects on his first camp experience and shares his hopes for the youth of Latvia.
Learn more about Josiah VentureWebsite:
www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact:social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Kate Rankin is originally from Glasgow. She is currently serving as an Extended Summer Intern in Latvia, a country she first visited in 2015. Kate has since served on many missions teams and interned for the first time in 2019.
In this episode, you will hear Kate’s journey of faith, how she got connected to Josiah Venture, her heart for the young people of Latvia, what the rest of her internship holds, and more. Enjoy getting to know Kate through this episode!
Learn more about Josiah VentureWebsite:
www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact:social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Jonathan Mullins is 21 years old and originally from California. He is currently studying Finance at California State University, Fullerton. He has served twice on Missions Teams to Estonia with his home church, Chino Valley Community Church.
In this episode, Jonathan shares his faith journey and his heart for the young people of Estonia. He reflects on the highlights and challenges of Soccer Camp and offers advice to those considering serving on a Missions Team. If you know someone who has served on a missions team or is considering serving, pass this episode to them. Thanks for listening!
Learn more about Josiah VentureWebsite:
www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact:social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Nick Markham is currently serving as a video intern with Josiah Venture's International Communications Team for the summer. He is originally from Massachusetts and recently graduated from Gordon College with a degree in Communication Arts.
In this episode, Nick shares his faith journey, how he got connected to Josiah Venture, and when he discovered his love for video. Enjoy this conversation with Nick as he reflects on his internship experience thus far and shares his hopes for this summer and beyond.
Learn more about Josiah VentureWebsite:
www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact:social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Erin Bowman is originally from Northern Ireland, and this summer, she is serving with the International Communications team in the area of social media. She currently attends Durham University in England and is studying History. She is excited that the UK is one of Josiah Venture's mobilizing countries and for her unique voice and experience to be heard.
You will hear her share her faith journey, how she first became involved with Josiah Venture, what young people in the UK think about the gospel, why she decided to intern, and more. Enjoy this episode and get to know Erin a bit more before she takes over as host for the next few summer episodes.
Learn more about Josiah VentureWebsite:
www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact:social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Josh Dietz has lived in the Czech Republic since 2017 and currently lives in Prague with his wife, Anežka, and son, Krištof. He shares about his experience with Fusion, the summer camps ministry, his faith journey, his current role as a regional worker in Prague, and more. Josh and Anežka seek to mentor and lead young leaders in the churches of Prague.
Ever wonder who writes the camp talks for all the evangelistic camps we do across Central and Eastern Europe? This year's theme, "Part of the Plan," is about the grand narrative of the redemptive story of the gospel. The camps team asked Josh to write the talks used during the evening program portion of a camp. Enjoy this conversation with Josh, and join us in prayer for all the camps that will happen all across Central and Eastern Europe this summer.
Learn more about Josiah VentureWebsite:
www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
This episode is about Fusiondary, an international music festival that gathered 700 young people from 13 different countries to a weekend festival at the end of April, with music, art, and powerful messages about a personal relationship with Jesus. Those participating were young people who are involved in 25 Fusion choirs.
While at Fusiondary, I walked around with a microphone and recorded what some attendees had to say about Fusion. I asked them, "What is your favorite part about Fusion?" and, "What was your life like before Fusion?" I talked to people from seven different countries, and all of them said that the thing they love the most about Fusion is the people. It's true; Fusion is like one big family. Please enjoy this fun, Fusion-filled episode of the podcast and take to heart what these young people have to say and join us in prayer for the Fusion choirs across Central and Eastern Europe, especially as we step into summer and the gospel will be shared at each camp.
Fusiondary 2023 AfterMovie
Fusiondary Music Video: Ready Set Go
Learn more about Josiah VentureWebsite: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact:social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Amy Ellenwood, and her husband, Mel, have been serving with Josiah Venture in the Czech Republic for 25 years. She shares how she never thought she would be an overseas missionary and about the ups and downs of ministry. She loves being with, serving, and investing in people. One of her passions is caring for and shepherding the women on the Josiah Venture team. She speaks about how it is vital that women are poured into and entrusted with significant work.
During the 12 years they spent working in stateside youth ministry, their hearts were continually challenged by the need they saw worldwide to reach and train the next generation. During a brief trip to visit the ministry of Josiah Venture, their hearts were captured by the innocent honesty they saw in students they met. They were deeply inspired by JV's vision to work through the local church and disciple young leaders who would transform their countries. After serving locally in the Czech Republic to develop a model youth ministry, they helped to grow JV's English camp ministry.
Today, Mel is the Executive Vice President of Josiah Venture, and Amy is the Director of Women's Ministry. She also disciples young female leaders, teaches and speaks, and works with the Third Culture Kid ministry. They live in Frydek-Mistek, near Josiah Venture headquarters, where they are also involved in building up their local church.
Learn more about Josiah VentureWebsite: www.josiahventure.comSocial Media: @josiahventureContact: social@josiahventure.comJosiah Venture Prayer RoomJosiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Kuldar Kaljuste is a national missionary in Tallinn, Estonia. He and his wife Margaret joined Josiah Venture in September 2009. God gave Kuldar a vision to reach young people in his country, and then responded to God’s calling and moved to the university city of Tartu to reach the lost through training young leaders in a soccer ministry. As of fall 2014, God has called their family back to Tallinn to lead the Josiah Venture Tallinn team and be part of a new local church plant. Kuldar and Margaret have two sons, Albert and Samuel, and two daughters, Matilda and Helmi. As a family, they want to be a part of the movement of God among the youth of Eastern Europe and desire to lead the next generation to Christ.Learn more about Josiah VentureWebsite: www.josiahventure.comSocial Media: @josiahventureContact: social@josiahventure.comJosiah Venture Prayer RoomJosiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Dan Blazek is from Písek in South Bohemia, Czech Republic. He got involved in Fusion in high school and came to faith and accepted Jesus into his life in 2018. He shares about his love for coffee, how Fusion was a vital part in him coming to Christ, and about the upcoming International Fusiondary event happening at the end of April. He is thankful for the opportunity to be there for Czech teenagers and, with God's help, provide an environment and a perspective that he himself was able to experience for the first time when he was not a believer.Learn more about Josiah VentureWebsite: www.josiahventure.comSocial Media: @josiahventureContact: social@josiahventure.comJosiah Venture Prayer RoomJosiah Venture Prayer Room APP
It's time to celebrate! 🎉 🎙️
The "Josiah Venture Stories" podcast has been going strong for two years now. Wow! In this episode Gwynne Gardner, the host, reads some of the written reviews, gives some fun facts about the podcast, and shares some advice given to young people from past episodes.
Thank you to everyone who has been a guest on the podcast, everyone who has listened and shared, and been a fan. Thank you!
Our prayer for this podcast is that God, the greatest storyteller, and author of all time, would use these stories to inspire and encourage everyone who listens. Stories matter. Yes, your stories matter! Thanks for listening, and thank you for joining the movement of God in Central and Eastern Europe!
"More Than a Name" blog by Josh Yates
Here are the links to the full episodes that were included in the advice for young people:
Episode 7: Dave Patty and How Josiah Venture Started
Episode 14: Rob Chestnut and the Hero's Journey
Episode 16: Olya Meland and Making Disciples While Being a New Mom
Episode 18: Andrej Lovse and Being a Missionary and Pastor in His Hometown
Episode 32: Damaris Iordache and Videography, Romania, and Surrendering to God's Will
Episode 36: Casey Yorman and Being Healed from Long Covid
Episode 45: Josh Yates and Developing Ministry Leaders Through the Leadership Lab
Episode 49: Kelly Lillpop and the Kindness of Christ in the Waiting
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Kelly Lillpop and her husband Chris first experienced Josiah Venture when they served at an English camp during their high school years. They have now been serving as full-time staff since 2013. After almost eight years of living and serving in Poland on the JV Poland team, Kelly and Chris now serve in the US on the JV International team in the area of partner development.
Kelly shares about the kindness and compassion of Christ in a long season of waiting to have a child. This adoption journey points to Christ and will encourage you in your own season of waiting. "God's goodness, faithfulness, kindness, and compassion have never faltered through it all." -Kelly
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Ema Kreko has served in the local church in Zagreb, Croatia as a youth leader for over a decade. She first heard of Josiah Venture at an English camp in 2006. She was captured by the vision for young people. She didn’t know how God was going to work things out, but somehow God used her experience as a high school teacher and her passion for investing in a new generation of young believers and brought it all together.
She desperately desires to see many lost young people come to Christ, find their hope in forgiveness and new life in Jesus, restore the church in Zagreb, build God’s Kingdom in Croatia, and glorify God with all that he has given her. It is her vision to see young believers being discipled, actively involved in spreading the gospel, and building his Kingdom.
Ema joined the Josiah Venture team in the summer of 2018 and is currently developing a small team of leaders to be the next generation serving the church in Croatia. In addition to this, Ema is currently leading a school for Korean language and culture and teaching a class in systematic theology.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Olena Volovyk was born in Ternopil, Ukraine, and has lived there her whole life. She shares about growing up in Ukraine, how she came to know Jesus as her savior, five years of working with Josiah Venture and her passion for summer camps ministry, what life was like during the first few months of the war, and how because of the war she met her now fiance and is soon getting married.
When she was eight years old, she started attending a church kids’ club and Sunday school through the invitation of a Christian elementary school teacher. There, she met Olena and Eduard Kurat—Ukrainian national missionaries in Ternopil who serve with Josiah Venture and have played an important role in her spiritual life.
Olena became acquainted with Josiah Venture through an English camp in 2009. The following year, she went to English camp again and accepted Christ there. She was invited to a youth group, which eventually became Philadelphia Church. There, she started to grow as a Christian and learned how to serve others. She remembers the huge impact and change it brought to her life. Her life turned into an exciting trip with God, which also led to being a Josiah Venture summer intern in Ukraine in 2015 and 2016. This was the time when God revealed His calling on her life, and the Camps ministry became one of her passions. Olena enjoys equipping churches throughout Ukraine to use camps as an instrument to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
During the first few months of the war, she was involved in the organization of buses and the evacuation of refugees abroad. Her local church continues to be a hub for serving refugees and internally displaced people.
Olena & Evan are getting married Saturday, February 25, 2023.
Here is the link to the YouTube livestream so you can watch if you would like to.
3pm in Ukraine (GMT+2) / 2pm in Central Europe (GMT+1) / 8am (ET - Eastern Time)
Support Olena by giving!
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
❤️Happy Valentine's Day!🥰
Johnny and Brooke Stevens live and serve in the country of Slovenia, and they have an amazing story all about how the Lord brought them together. They share how they met, dated, got engaged, have been married for 15 years, and are now part of the JV marriage coaching team. Wow!
In the fall of 2004, shortly after Johnny first joined Josiah Venture in Slovenia, he met Brooke, who was at that time a volunteer with the Church of the Nazarene in Slovenia. Even though Johnny and Brooke were both active in relational ministry in the capital city of Ljubljana, their paths rarely crossed until the spring of 2007, when they began dating. As their relationship progressed, they quickly found that the Lord was leading them to serve him together with Josiah Venture in Slovenia.
They were married in January of 2008 and began a partnership with a local church in Celje in the spring of 2008. In March 2010, they welcomed their daughter Kinsley into the family. They are thankful for the opportunity to mobilize the church body to minister to the needs of the next generation in Celje.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Josh Yates is a new addition to the Josiah Venture USA team. He serves with a new initiative called the Leadership Lab, which involves training and equipping ministry leaders in North America.
In this episode, he shares how he met his wife, Katie, while they were both students at Moody Bible Institute. Upon graduating in 2000, Josh accepted his first youth ministry pastorate, and they have been serving in full-time ministry ever since. Most recently, Katie has served as the Operations Manager and Josh as the Associate Director for Sonlife North America.
They desire to use their skills and leadership vision for a more significant Kingdom impact. In the waiting process, they continued to ask, "How might we build up young leaders to be effective kingdom disciple-makers?"
Josh and Katie have two children, Foster and Jorie. They enjoy hosting friends and family around great food and fellowship, frolicking through the woods, biking down the mountain, sipping quality beverages, or eating donuts on the weekend.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
For the month of January, we have been changing things up a bit with the podcast. Instead of our regular interview-style episodes, we have been sharing the teaching from the main talks from our last Fall Conference. This is the last of this teaching series. We are kicking off the year with a big reminder that, as believers, we are Messengers of Hope.
This past fall, around 400 youth ministry specialists from 18 Central and Eastern European countries came together after a two-year break for our “Movement Conference,” designed to fuel God’s work among young people across the region. The theme was "Messenger of Hope." In the evenings, we heard some fantastic teaching by three Josiah Venture missionaries. This episode features Dave Patty, President of Josiah Venture, with his Fall Conference talk, "Equipping Messengers."
We hope you enjoy this encouraging talk and that you are inspired to be a messenger of hope.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
For the month of January, we are changing things up a bit with the podcast. Instead of our regular interview-style episodes, we will be sharing the teaching from the main talks from our last Fall Conference. This is the first time we are using the podcast platform to share teaching like this. We are kicking off the year with a big reminder that, as believers, we are Messengers of Hope.
This past fall, around 400 youth ministry specialists from 18 Central and Eastern European countries came together after a two-year break for our “Movement Conference,” designed to fuel God’s work among young people across the region. The theme was "Messenger of Hope." In the evenings, we heard some fantastic teaching by three Josiah Venture missionaries. This episode features Juli Muhameti, Josiah Venture Country leader for Albania, with his Fall Conference talk, "Fellowship of the Lantern."
We hope you enjoy this encouraging talk and that you are inspired to be a messenger of hope.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
For the month of January, we are changing things up a bit with the podcast. Instead of our regular interview-style episodes, we will be sharing the teaching from the main talks from our last Fall Conference. This is the first time we are using the podcast platform to share teaching like this. We are kicking off the year with a big reminder that, as believers, we are Messengers of Hope.
This past fall, around 400 youth ministry specialists from 18 Central and Eastern European countries came together after a two-year break for our “Movement Conference,” designed to fuel God’s work among young people across the region. The theme was "Messenger of Hope." In the evenings, we heard some fantastic teaching by three Josiah Venture missionaries. This episode features Paul Bowman, Josiah Venture Director for the United Kingdom, with his Fall Conference talk, "Fuel For the Flame."
We hope you enjoy this encouraging talk and that you are inspired to be a messenger of hope.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
For the month of January, we are changing things up a bit with the podcast. Instead of our regular interview-style episodes, we will be sharing the teaching from the main talks from our last Fall Conference. This is the first time we are using the podcast platform to share teaching like this. We are kicking off the year with a big reminder that, as believers, we are Messengers of Hope.
This past fall, around 400 youth ministry specialists from 18 Central and Eastern European countries came together after a two-year break for our “Movement Conference,” designed to fuel God’s work among young people across the region. The theme was "Messenger of Hope." In the evenings, we heard some fantastic teaching by three Josiah Venture missionaries. This episode features Dave Patty, President of Josiah Venture, with his Fall Conference talk, "Messenger of Hope."
We hope you enjoy these encouraging talks and that you are inspired to be a messenger of hope.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Merry Christmas, everyone! 🎄⭐️
This episode, the last of the year, is all about taking a look back at 2022, remembering God's faithfulness, and sharing a few announcements for the year ahead. Consider this your audio Christmas card from us to you.
Thank you for listening and making this podcast a part of your life. Truly, we are so thankful for each and every listener, and we would like to encourage you to please share your favorite episode with a friend or family member this holiday season. You can give them the gift of a good story!
Lots of links to explore!
Help Ukraine + Ruslan Video - Click for more information on how to give to Ukraine to help provide aid, safety, and spiritual care for Ukrainians.
Spring Conference "Burden to Blessing" Original Songs on Spotify
Summer Internships - The deadline to apply for the internship is January 31st, 2023!
ForMission College EU Campus
New Bible Study Material: SHARE
Evangelistic Highways
Josiah Venture Prayer Room
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Here is the fifth and final installment of the special 5-part bonus series of the "Josiah Venture Stories" podcast featuring some original worship songs by Josiah Venture missionaries.
These songs are connected to the theme we studied during our annual Spring Conference this past May. The theme was "Burden to Blessing: A Journey Through the Psalms." We learned about five soul paths highlighted in the book of Psalms: Lament, Sovereignty, Repentance, Wisdom, and Praise. During this series, each songwriter interviewed will share their musical background and songwriting process. Then at the end of the episode, you will hear their original song.
This bonus episode features Shelby Flowers, the author of the original song inspired by the soul path “Praise” entitled “Psalm 95.” Shelby has served in the Czech Republic for nine years and is the International director of music and arts. She is featured on episode 15 of the podcast, so after you listen to this episode, you can hear more about her story and her passion and love for music.
Listen to "Psalm 95"
*All of these songs were recorded live during our conference.
Burden to Blessing Spring Conference 2022 Teaching
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
This Fall, we are doing a special 5-part bonus series of the "Josiah Venture Stories" podcast featuring some original worship songs by Josiah Venture missionaries. These songs are connected to the theme we studied during our annual Spring Conference this past May. The theme was "Burden to Blessing: A Journey Through the Psalms." We learned about five soul paths highlighted in the book of Psalms: Lament, Sovereignty, Repentance, Wisdom, and Praise. During this series, each songwriter interviewed will share their musical background and songwriting process. Then at the end of the episode, you will hear their original song.
This bonus episode features Mark Chase, the author of the original song inspired by the soul path “Wisdom” entitled “Breathin' There.” Mark and his wife Amy have served with Josiah Venture in Bratislava, Slovakia, since 2012. They have served with Fusion both on a national level and in their local church. Additionally, they lead Slovakia's summer intern program and are a part of other ministries that reach university students. They have four adult children, three grandchildren, and one on the way.
Listen to "Breathin' There"
*All of these songs were recorded live during our conference.
Burden to Blessing Spring Conference 2022 Teaching
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Happy Thanksgiving from the JV family! This episode features 11 JV missionaries serving across Central and Eastern Europe. (Tiffany Short - Czech Republic, Elliott Phillps - Poland, Haley Patty - Albania, Liam Gaspar - Latvia, Juliana Law - Ukraine, Brittney Haas - Estonia, Zac Shepperson - Slovakia, Killyn Kanters - Romania, Marcus Mitchell - Hungary, Nadia Tsonchev - Bulgaria, & Jill Ellenwood - Montenegro.)
They share what they are thankful for in this current season and what they enjoy about this holiday, including their favorite foods, and each of them shares an encouraging Bible verse. As you are preparing food for loved ones or traveling to wherever you will be celebrating, enjoy listening to the voices of these JV missionaries as they share from the heart.
We pray that you all have an amazing Thanksgiving wherever you might be celebrating. This holiday is such a wonderful time to be with loved ones and remember our blessings and the faithfulness of God.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Paul Bowman has been doing youth ministry in Ireland for 30 years. In this episode, he shares all about his love for youth ministry, how he came to know Jesus as a teenager, and some amazing advice about how to "live your dash." Recently, he became the JV United Kingdom Director, serves as a Trustee of the JV UK board, and has over 30 years of experience in full-time youth ministry in the local church. He has served in a variety of settings throughout Ireland—both urban and rural—working with churched and unchurched young people.
He is passionate about developing youth ministries that are rooted in the life and ministry model of Christ. For many years he led teams of young people on short-term mission trips to the Czech Republic to serve in the Josiah Venture Camp ministry. He is committed to training and equipping the next generation of youth leaders and seeing young people mobilized to make disciples throughout the world.He holds a Bachelor of Science Honours (BSc Hons) in Community Youth Work and has a Masters in Transformational Leadership. He lives with his wife Val and their three children in Saintfield, Northern Ireland.
Paul's Teaching from Fall Conference 2022 : Fuel for the Flame
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Learn More About Edge Sports
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
This Fall, we are doing a special 5-part bonus series of the "Josiah Venture Stories" podcast featuring some original worship songs by Josiah Venture missionaries. These songs are connected to the theme we studied during our annual Spring Conference this past May. The theme was "Burden to Blessing: A Journey Through the Psalms." We learned about five soul paths highlighted in the book of Psalms: Lament, Sovereignty, Repentance, Wisdom, and Praise. During this series, each songwriter interviewed will share their music background and songwriting process. Then at the end of the episode, you will hear their original song.
This bonus episode features Noah Ellenwood, the author of the original song inspired by the soul path “Repentance” entitled “Hear My Prayer.” Noah serves with his family in Montenegro as the team leader, and they are pioneering the way as they are the only JV missionaries there. He is featured on episode 9 of the podcast, so after you listen to this episode, you can go and hear more about his story and the ministry happening in Montenegro.
Listen to "Hear My Prayer"
*All of these songs were recorded live during our conference.
Burden to Blessing Spring Conference 2022 Teaching
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Theresa Kerns has been a part of Josiah Venture basically since the beginning. In this episode, she shares all about her role as the Human Resource Director, her love for relationships, how she lost her husband to cancer, and how she keeps on growing and pursuing purpose.
Theresa’s first involvement with Josiah Venture was in 1996 when she and her daughters came to visit the Patty family in the Czech Republic. Her service with the ministry continued to grow, and in 2002 she became Josiah Venture’s Human Resource Director. Working out of the home office in Wheaton, Illinois, Theresa builds relationships with all the missionaries by providing administrative assistance to those on the field and by preparing new missionaries for the field. She also travels overseas to encourage the JV staff and provide personal assistance to all the JV missionaries.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Learn More About Edge Sports
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
This Fall, we are doing a special 5-part bonus series of the "Josiah Venture Stories" podcast featuring some original worship songs by Josiah Venture missionaries. These songs are connected to the theme we studied during our annual Spring Conference this past May. The theme was "Burden to Blessing: A Journey Through the Psalms." We learned about five soul paths highlighted in the book of Psalms: Lament, Sovereignty, Repentance, Wisdom, and Praise."During this series, each songwriter interviewed will share their music background and songwriting process. Then at the end of the episode, you will hear their original song.
This bonus episode features Korban Miller, the author of the original song inspired by the soul path “Sovereignty” entitled “From This Shelter.” For the past nine years, Korban and his family have served in Poland with the Fusion ministry. For the Millers, leading Fusion at a local and national level allows them to serve in a way that maximizes their gifts and passions --mainly, their desire to see the next generation in Poland know the saving love of Christ.
Listen to "From This Shelter"
*All of these songs were recorded live during our conference.
Burden to Blessing Spring Conference 2022 Teaching
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Casey Yorman lives in the Czech Republic with his family. He is the Director of Edge Sports International and helps lead the entire International Team. In this episode, he shares about his journey to the field, his love for sports, and how God healed him from long Covid.
He and his wife Kristin first heard about Josiah Venture in 2002 when a group of high school students from their church in California went to the Czech Republic to teach at a JV English camp. The following year, they were invited to become JV summer interns in Romania. This experience really awoke in them the desire to share the gospel with youth in Central and Eastern Europe.
In 2011, the Yorman family (this time including their sons, Caleb and Benaiah) moved to Czech so that Casey could fill the role of Speciality Team (S-team) Director as well as Director of both Camps and Edge Sports. In 2015, Casey decided to step down from his roles leading Camps and the S-team to focus solely on JV Edge Sports International. Casey serves all of our JV countries in training coaches in discipleship and quality coaching, helping cast vision for JV countries that are struggling to get Edge Sports started, writing training material, recruiting more coaches to help, networking, fundraising, and casting vision for what is ahead.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Learn More About Edge Sports
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
This Fall, we are doing a special 5-part bonus series of the podcast featuring some original worship songs written by Josiah Venture missionaries.
These songs are connected to the theme we studied during our annual Spring Conference this past May. The theme was "Burden to Blessing: A Journey Through the Psalms." We learned about five soul paths highlighted in the book of Psalms: Lament, Sovereignty, Repentance, Wisdom, and Praise."
During this series, each songwriter who is interviewed will share their background in music, and the process of how they wrote the song, and then at the end of the episode, you will get to hear their original song.
This bonus episode features Tyler Patty, the author of the original song inspired by the soul path "Lament" entitled "Right Hand - A Corporate Lament." Tyler serves with his family in the Czech Republic on the International Team as a facilitator and tutor with ForMission college on the Central and Eastern European campus. He is featured on episode 28 of the podcast, so after you listen to this episode, you can go and hear more about ForMission.
Listen to "Right Hand - A Corporate Lament"
*All of these songs were recorded live during our conference.
Burden to Blessing Spring Conference 2022 Teaching
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Kuba Vejmelka lives and serves in his hometown of Brno, Czech Republic. He grew up in a Christian home, but in high school, he went through a season of deconstructing his faith. "I came to a point where I needed to figure out if my faith was my own or my parent's." He began spending time with Monika, his now wife, and realized that she had something different. "I saw something in her that I didn't have, some kind of different light and beauty, and I realized that it was the presence of Jesus."
In the spring of 2018, God called Kuba to join Josiah Venture’s Czech national organization—KAM. Kuba leads a team of people whose primary focus is to prepare training events and materials for both Josiah Venture workers and youth leaders in the Czech Republic to equip leaders to serve Jesus and reach this young generation with the gospel.
He and Monika currently live in Brno and serve their local community. In April 2020, their first child Rozalia Nora was born.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
KAM: Křesťanská Akademie Mladých (Christian Academy of Youth)
https://kam.cz/
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
This year, TCKompas or Training Center Kompas, the Josiah Venture national organization in Slovakia, celebrated 30 years of operation. Alongside this momentous occasion, on June 3rd, a big leadership transition happened within Kompas. The baton of leadership was handed off from one national leader, Peter Hrubo, to another, Timo Mahrik. In this episode, the two of them share their personal testimonies about the team in Slovakia and the story of this leadership transition.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
https://www.tckompas.sk
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Ryan Palmer is originally from Seattle Washington and has been assisting with short-term teams for Josiah Venture since 2009. In Seattle, Ryan is a high school teacher who teaches astronomy and biology.
In this episode, Ryan explores the mission behind "short-term teams" and why they are so essential to Josiah Venture's ministry in Central and Eastern Europe. He shares the joys and challenges that came with serving with short-term teams, along with what he has learned. At the end of this episode, Ryan explains what he hopes to see in future short-term teams, and emphasizes that there are more ways to serve the kingdom of God than being a full-time missionary.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Damaris Iordache is an intern serving with the Communications team this summer as a videographer. Damaris is from Galati, Romania, and studies Marketing at the University of Bucharest. She is 21 years old and going into her final year.
In this episode, Damaris shares her testimony, how she came to accept Jesus, and her experience as an intern for the C-team. At the end of the episode, she explains her hopes for her country and how people can be praying for Romania.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Josh Benning is an intern serving in Germany this summer. Josh is from Brookfield, Wisconsin, and is studying Elementary Education at the University of Wisconsin Oh-Claire. He is the 2nd youngest of four and is minoring in German and Spanish teaching at his university.
In this episode, Josh shares how he first heard of Josiah Venture, why he decided to intern in Germany, and his time during this internship. At the end of the episode, he offers encouragement and advice to others considering a Josiah Venture internship and what God has been teaching him through his experience.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Summer Internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Darius and Bia Bocsa are missionaries in Romania. Darius, who is from Romania, met his wife Bia, who is from Brazil, at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Both have a desire and passion for serving the Lord and making the name of Jesus known. After they were married, they decided to move to Romania and work with young people. Darius and Bia's passion is to communicate the gospel to Romanian youth so that they will understand it, live by it daily, and ultimately pass it on to others. Darius is the director of Josiah Venture's Summer ministries in Romania and is helping to train youth leaders across the country to be fruitful in their ministries yearlong. He likes all types of sports (basketball the most) and uses pop-culture references when sharing the gospel. Bia is the intern coordinator for Josiah Venture in Romania and coaches other missionaries in their fund-raising endeavors. She is very proud of her Brazilian heritage and loves coffee and Chick-fil-A sauces. Darius and Bia have two children, a boy named Lucca and a little girl named Lara.
In this episode, they share how they met, the spiritual climate in Romania, their roles with summer ministry, and how they desire to be a family on mission. At the end of the episode, Darius shares his journey with cancer and what he has learned through a difficult season.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Geri Fuehring and her husband Dave joined the Josiah Venture Czech Republic team full-time in 2015. There, they worked as local missionaries investing in students and leaders in their local church and community in the city of Olomouc.
In the summer of 2019, they relocated to Chicago and are now serving with Josiah Venture as Directors of Ministry Partner Development. Their role is to help equip both nationals and missionaries-in-training to develop teams that will invest in their ministry work. The Fuehrings love being involved in the broader Josiah Venture team. They feel blessed and encouraged to be able to work in this role, serving the Lord with their shepherding gifts and life experience.
In this episode, Geri shares about the call to full-time missions, the challenges of living in another country while all four of her adult children were in the states, her role with the online Prayer Room and how worship is warfare. One of her daughters identifies as transgender, and she shares how the Lord has taught her so much about his love and compassion.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Tyler Patty and Sean Smith serve in the Czech Republic as facilitators and tutors with ForMission college on the Central and Eastern European campus.
Tyler is the Campus Tutor and he leads the entire campus, facilitates classes, and takes care of all campus administration.
Sean is the Formation Tutor and he facilitates classes, leads student support efforts, and leads a weekly cluster group.
In this episode, you will learn more about what ForMission is, hear stories, get some great book recommendations, learn about the podcast they have on practical theology, and more.
Praxologie Podcast: This podcast exists to help people think biblically, reflect theologically, and act missionally.
Learn more about ForMission College
Follow @formission_eu
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Gwynne Gardner is the Social Media Manager for Josiah Venture and is usually the podcast host! That’s right, instead of asking the questions, Gwynne is the one to be interviewed this time. A big thank you to Rob Chestnut for being the host for this episode.
After serving as an intern and then as a full-time missionary in Slovenia for 8.5 years and then Czech for a little over a year, Gwynne now serves from the states on the Josiah Venture International team. She desires to see the gospel advance through the media highway and storytelling. She uses social media to tell young people across Central and Eastern Europe all about Jesus. Enjoy this conversation all about celebrating stories!
Book mentioned in Episode:
Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Eric and Lindsay Meland are doing amazing things in Hungary! Currently, along with language learning, local ministry, leading Summer interns, and directing Summer camps, they are supporting and mentoring 12 different youth pastors around Hungary, which is one of their favorite things to do. Their goal is to equip these pastors in making committed, passionate disciples of Jesus who will turn around and make more committed, passionate disciples!
They share about their journey to the mission field, how they met, and life and ministry in the capital city, Budapest. Eric and Lindsay are eager and so thankful to be working with the young people of Hungary; to see them come to deeply know their heavenly Father and boldly proclaim His incomprehensible love so that their whole country might turn to follow Him.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Christy Owen has served in Lviv, Ukraine, for the last eight years. She has been a part of the Fusion ministry there and has been highly involved in discipling young women. Christy shares about her journey to Ukraine, but mostly we have a conversation about being single on the mission field. She talks about some of the common joys and struggles of serving as a single.
We recorded this episode back at the beginning of February before the invasion of Ukraine that happened on February 24th. Christy references how the tension between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for years, but when we recorded this, we had no idea what was about to happen. We continue to pray for peace in Ukraine and everyone who serves on the JV Ukraine team. We ask you to please join us in prayer, and if you feel so inclined, you can give to our Ukraine Fund, where every donation goes to support the ways we are helping over there.
Here is a link to the Ukraine giving page for updates on how we are responding to the war in Ukraine: josiahventure.com/help-ukraine
You can also follow @josiahventure on social media.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
"Heart of Dating" Podcast with Kait Warman
"That Sounds Fun" Podcast with Annie F. Downs
"Outdated: Find Love That Lasts When Dating Has Changed" by Jonathan "JP" Pokluda
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Ben Williams is the Josiah Venture country leader for Ukraine and Dave Patty is the JV President. In this episode they share an important and timely update on what's happening in Ukraine with our team, what we are doing to aid and support our local church partners in there, and how we are getting refugees out. The update and words of encouragement they have to share during this dark time are powerful.
Please take the time to listen and then pass this episode on to others so more people will hear about ways they can pray, give, and support Ukraine.
Join us in Prayer in the Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
JV's current response to the crisis in Ukraine: josiahventure.com/ukraine-crisis
Give to our JV Ukraine Crisis Fund: josiahventure.com/ukraine-fund
You can give to the Ukraine general fund or you can now give more specifically. Give toward getting emergency humanitarian aid into some of the hardest-hit places in Ukraine by giving towards food packages, medical aid packages or to the purchase of vans to help distribute this aid. You can also help in getting Refugees out of Ukraine by sponsoring a bus rental, Refugee care or the printing of spiritual resource packets that include Bible and studies in Ukrainian.
Link to the Psalms booklet: “22 Days of Encouragement in Difficult Times”
Many people around the world are asking how they can help the crisis in Ukraine. Here is how you can help! Pray, Give, & Share!
Click here to Pray!
Click here to Give to the Ukraine Crisis Fund!
Listen and Share!
Please join us in spreading awareness on how to help by sharing this short podcast on your own personal social media platforms. Every share, instagram story, and prayer helps and matters.
Thank you for joining us!
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Stojce Nikolov is the Josiah Venture country leader for Serbia and he is doing creative and innovative things with his ministry through social media.
Shortly after coming to faith, Stojce began asking God to provide a way for him to deepen his understanding and relationship with his newfound Savior. Within a few months Stojce, who was living in Macedonia, received the opportunity to move to Serbia to pursue a degree in theology. During this time he began to discover his passion for working with youth and became very involved with the local church in Bačka Topola.
Stojce was introduced to Josiah Venture when his church decided to host a camp for its youth. One year later, Stojce and his wife, Sara, were married. Together, they continued to volunteer and serve with JV until 2013, when they were officially asked to join the organization. Today, Stojce pastors a newly planted church in Pačir. Stojce, Sara and their son, Noel, live in Bačka Topola, where they also continue to serve.
Check out Stojce's daily Facebook video on his churches facebook page - Crkva Logos - Pacir.
https://www.facebook.com/logospacir
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Marta Logins is a missionary, pastor's wife, and mom in her home country of Latvia. She and her husband, Raimonds, have been serving there, along with their three daughters, for seven years. Back in November some of the Josiah Venture women gathered over zoom and heard an encouraging message from Marta and we quickly realized that her story needed to be shared with a wider audience.
Marta shares about how she fell in love with God's Word and is spending more intentional time abiding in him. Please be encouraged and inspired by her message. Something unique about this episode is that in order for Marta to fully express herself, she shares in her heart language of Latvian and her friend and fellow JV missionary, Lelde Keice, translated for her. This might be the first time you have heard Latvian spoken. It is a beautiful language! Enjoy!
"No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus" by Steffany Gretzinger
@the.hidden.way - Instagram account for Emily, the woman Marta mentions in her message.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
This last episode of 2021 features 11 amazing missionaries (Shelby Flowers, Bara Filipová, Jacob Adent, Kseniya Dušek, Terry English, Mike Sullivan, Mel Ellenwood, Lauren Bozon, John Kloosterhuis, Martina, Pixová, Rob Chestnut) who serve with the Josiah Venture International Team in the Czech Republic. The International Team, or I-Team, as we like to call it, exists to serve, empower and equip all the Josiah Venture staff and national organizations as they fulfill the JV mission.
You will hear these missionaries answer questions such as; What is your favorite Christmas Movie? What is it like for a single person to be far from family during the holidays? What are your Christmas traditions? What is the best Christmas present you have ever received?
There is also a special sneak peak of a brand new Christmas song written by Shelby flowers and Cory Simon.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
*We will be taking a short break from the podcast in January, but will kick things back up in February. This is a perfect opportunity for you to catch up on past episodes or re-listen to them. See you in 2022!
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Check out Josiah Venture Music on Spotify to listen to the full song, "I Will, I Will"
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Juli Muhameti is a national from Albania and he believes in the God who saves. He was just 14 years old when he become a Christian after he was challenged to read the Bible, both Old and New Testaments at the same time. Somewhere in the middle of Exodus and John, God opened his eyes. Juli put his faith in Christ and received the gift of eternal life. Juli grew up in a culturally Muslim household and he speaks about how less than one percent of Albania’s 2.9 million people are evangelical Christians.
Juli is married to Suela and they have two daughters Amelia & Ema. He and his wife studied at GLO Bible College in Scotland and when they came back to Albania they began to serve in church planting and started a new youth ministry in Vlore. Their dream is to see healthy disciple-making youth ministries all across Albania, and are burdened for the thousands of young people in their country who do not yet know Christ.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Andrej Lovše is a missionary and pastor in his hometown of Maribor, Slovenia and serves as the Josiah Venture country leader. In this episode you will hear all about Andrej’s love for his country, his family and his three horses. He also shares his wild dreams and prayers he has for Slovenia.
He met his wife, Nina, when they were teenagers. Nina was the first to accept Christ as a result of missionaries sharing the gospel with her outside her high school. A few years later, Andrej became a believer and left medical school to pursue Bible training. They married in 2001 and moved to Zagreb, Croatia to study theology and both got undergraduate degrees in Bible at the Biblical Institute in Zagreb and Master’s degrees in Christian Ministry at Abilene Christian University.
Since 2010 they have been church planting and using tools such as Fusion, English, and sports to continue to invest in the youth of the city with the hope that new churches will be planted and that next-generation leaders will be equipped to reach Slovenia. They live and serve, with their three kids, Eva, Izak and Timi in a small community near Maribor.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Eliza Kobin is originally from Latvia, but is currently living in Estonia with her husband, Vahur, who is serving as Country Leader for Koma, the national organization in Estonia. Eliza serves in Koma as the Media Team Leader.
She first came to a JV Fusion camp as a Latvian student in 2009, and there she put her faith in Christ. She then started serving in Latvian local ministries and as a JV summer intern. Eliza and Vahur are passionate about building up a community of believers in the local church that view themselves as “on mission” in Tallinn, Estonia.
In this episode you will hear Eliza share about her journey with mental health including anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. She speaks about how she reached out to her community for help and how she sees Jesus as the amazing healer. She is also using her platform on social media to share her experiences.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Olya Meland is a national missionary in her home country of Ukraine. She loves her husband, her country, making disciples and is a new mom. She and her husband, Marc, met while both were serving in Josiah Venture. Marc for four years in Hungary and Olya in Ukraine. Now they serve together in the city of Lviv, Ukraine with their son Enoch.
Marc serves in the ministry of EDGE sports, while Olya leads the Fusion ministry. God has put on their hearts a deep burden for the youth of Ukraine. They especially desire to see young people enter healthy local churches through the ministries that God has placed on their hearts.
Olya first became acquainted with JV as a camper at an English camp in 2004 near Rivne, Ukraine. In 2013, Olya took a step of faith by joining JV to help start Fusion in Ukraine. Olya and Marc enjoy using english, Fusion, and Edge sports to equip local churches, to reach young people, and to share Jesus with them. Marc and Olya pray that God will use their family to further the gospel in Ukraine.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Shelby Flowers is the Director of Fusion International and has a passion for young people to use their gifts and talents for the Kingdom. She first traveled to Czech in 2010 to serve at a Fusion camp with a short-term team. Very quickly she realized that her relationship with Czech would never be “short-term”. The way music works as a tool to build relationships and connect people to Christ is Shelby’s passion, and in that sense, Fusion is basically a dream come true.
She served as a Fusion intern in the Czech Republic in the summers of 2011 and 2012 and moved to Czech in 2014. Shelby is using her passion for music to reach young people in Central and Eastern Europe with the love of Christ. She lives in Ostrava, Czech Republic and travels internationally to help train and establish Fusion in other JV countries.
Fusion Related
Fusion Website: https://fusionjv.eu
EuroFusion 2021
Fusion International "Connection" Video COVID-19
JV Fusion YouTube Channel
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Rob Chestnut loves the hero's journey and in this episode he shares all about his journey of faith, his identity as a JV missionary, what he is doing now with the Training Team, and his love for Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.
Rob and his wife Audrey served with Josiah Venture from 2011-2016, working with the English camps team in the Czech Republic. After moving back to the U.S. for several years, where Rob served on staff at a church in Florida, they once again felt God leading them back to JV. They returned to the Czech Republic in August 2019 and currently live in the city of Ostrava, where they serve on Josiah Venture’s international Training Team. Rob's focus is on developing disciple-making resources and training leaders across Central and Eastern Europe to effectively serve and equip others in their local ministries. Audrey is using her spiritual direction training to help lead the care and shepherding area of the International team and JV women. They have two lovely daughters, Stella and Adria.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Surprise! We have a special bonus episode of the “Josiah Venture Stories” podcast for you! This episode was recorded at the annual Josiah Venture Kids Camp that happened in August and features 6 JVK of various ages. Enjoy hearing the young JV voices of Gage, Kinsley, Caden, Tanash, Caleb, and Isabelle.
They talk about what they love about being a JVK and what they enjoy about JVK camp. They share about family, friendships and how they came to know Jesus. Stick around for the end of the episode where some of the JVK take over and start interviewing themselves. Thanks for listening and supporting the JV family!
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Joe Brooks is an American missionary living in Latvia. He went on his first Josiah Venture mission trip to Latvia as a high school student back in 2001. Later, he came back three more times as a JV summer intern. These summer trips had a profound effect on his faith and changed the direction of his life. Consequently, after graduating from BIOLA in 2007, he decided to move to Latvia. Once there, he met Anna, who was born and raised in the capital city of Riga. They became friends and served together for years before getting married in 2011. We get into more of that story in this episode! You will also hear about Latvian culture and what it has been like for Joe to do youth work there for the past 14 years.
Joe is leading "SELA," the training ministry for the Latvian team, and works with teenagers in their local church in Riga. Joe desires to see many more young people encountering Jesus and becoming his faithful disciples for the rest of their lives.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Hannah Hartman is a JVK alumni and third culture kid! She just started her second year of college in Massachusetts at Gordon College. She is the oldest of four and moved to the Czech Republic with her family when she was 9 years old. She has navigated learning a new language, attending school in her second language, and successfully graduating.
In this episode you will hear her talk about the joys and challenges of growing up as a TCK and how being a TCK has shaped who she is today and she even gives advice to families who are thinking of moving to the mission field. You will definitely enjoy this conversation with Hannah!
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Do you know what a TCK is? Claire Patty grew up in the Czech Republic with her family as a TCK, Third Culture Kid, and from a young age was impacted by being raised in a cross-cultural setting and seeing the gospel transform lives. After graduating from a Czech national school, she moved to Chicago to begin her studies in Children's ministry at Moody Bible Institute. During her years at Moody, God placed a passion in her heart for third-culture kids. Claire now serves on the Josiah Venture international team as the JV Kids Director.
In this episode you will hear all about her experience as a JVK/TCK and what exactly is a TCK. She shares some common phrases she hears JVK say and some amazing resources. Click on the link in bio to listen.
Learn more about Josiah Venture Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Books Mentioned in Episode
Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds by David C. Pollock, Ruth E. Van Reken, Michael V. Pollock
Raising Up a Generation of Healthy Third Culture Kids: A Practical Guide to Preventive Care by Lauren Wells
JVK Stories book: I Am Third, Volume II: Josiah Venture Kids and Their Journeys JVK Deep Dive PDF:
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Noah Ellenwood was only two years old when his family moved to the Czech Republic. He grew up as a JVK, a Josiah Venture Kid, or more commonly known as a Third Culture Kid. He and his wife, Jill, were called to join the movement of God in Montenegro and moved there in January of 2020, yes, right before the pandemic hit. Noah is now the team leader there and they are pioneering the way as they are the only JV missionaries in Montenegro. They have partnered with a local church and are doing contact ministry with the youth as they have big hearts to see the young people of Montenegro come to know Christ as savior.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Ion Matei is from the small, but beautiful country of Moldova. He is a soccer coach and trainer and is developing a Josiah Venture Edge Sports evangelistic soccer league. Currently, he is the only Josiah Venture Missionary in Moldova. He became a believer at the age of 22 and joined a local church, where he found fellowship and community. He aspires to empower young people to make disciples and to connect with other churches throughout the country for a bigger influence through soccer.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Learn More about Edge Sports: www.josiahventure.com/about/highways/sports-highway
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Dave Patty is the founder and president of Josiah Venture. He and his wife Connie have lived in the Czech Republic for 28 years. He is an incredible visionary, the author of the book "Father God", an inspiring speaker, and faithful servant of the Lord. He is a man of deep conviction and passion and has seen the Lord work in awesome ways.
In this episode he shares his favorite movie, the books he is currently reading, the origin story of how Josiah Venture started, why he loves working with young people and so much more. Enjoy listening to this conversation with Dave!
Books Mentioned in this Episode
Father God: Daring to Draw Near by Dave Patty: https://amzn.to/3dsprqK
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear: https://amzn.to/3w0UkJ6
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Lyubov Zheleva is an amazing woman of God and an inspiration as she serves as a youth leader in her local church in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. She has served as a JV intern and is now on staff as the Summer Ministry Director in her country. She has a heart and passion to see young leaders reach their potential in Christ and is already a witness of how the movement of God is transforming Bulgaria.
In this interview she talks about how she grew up as a pastor's kid and how she relates to her two younger sisters. She shares about Bulgarian culture, how she became a believer at age 12, how she has seen how the partnership between the local church and JV work well together, and gives some amazing advice at the end of the episode that you will not want to miss. Enjoy this fun and encouraging conversation!
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
The God Ask: A Fresh, Biblical Approach to Personal Support Raising by Steve Shadrach: https://shorten.one/FiqQR
Get ready for a fun interview with the one and only, Chris Loux! He is originally from “the diamond of the South” - Arkansas, but has been living and serving in Lviv, Ukraine for the past 5 years. He has served as an intern multiple times, has lead teams of interns and now serves as the summer camps director for the team in Ukraine. He is also one of the most hilarious people and amazing story tellers. In this episode he shares about his language learning experience, his first time ever in Ukraine, which happened to be his first time out of America, and about his conversational English club called "Level Up." I hope you enjoy this conversation with Chris.
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Rachael Davison is originally from Northern Ireland, but has called the Czech Republic home for the past eight years. She first heard about Josiah Venture from her youth pastor and came out on four short term teams before serving as a summer intern leader in 2012. She now works on the JV International Team as the International Summer Ministry Director, so she knows all there is to know about summer camps and interns. She is also currently working on her Masters in Transformational Leadership with the Irish Bible Institute and she shares about how she is currently writing her dissertation on a fascinating subject. Hit play to learn more!
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Urh Kolar is a national missionary in his hometown of Celje, Slovenia. He was first introduced to Josiah Venture, camps, and Jesus in 2013. He has gone from unbeliever to on fire for Jesus. His testimony and the way the Lord has transformed his life is truly remarkable. He has been on staff for 3 years and is currently the Director of the Communications team in Slovenia and is highly involved in his local community.
Fun fact: This episode was actually the first one we ever recorded back in Oct. 2020.
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
National Organization in Slovenia: drustvovec.si
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Connie Patty is the wife of Dave Patty, the founder and President of Josiah Venture. She has lived in the Czech Republic for 27 years and has a deep passion for the Lord and is an incredible prayer warrior. She launched the Josiah Venture online Prayer Room 5 years ago and now there is even a prayer room app that you can download right on your phone. Enjoy this wonderful conversation with Connie and afterwards, please check out the prayer room.
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app
Connie's Book: No Less Than Yes: Personal Encounters with the Promises of God: shorturl.at/iCET1
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
For the first ever Josiah Venture Stories podcast, Mel Ellenwood, Vice President of JV and missionary of 23 years, talks about how God called him and his family to the mission field. He shares about his experience with summer camps ministry, making disciples, and how to make the local church thrive. He also shares the Vision and Mission of Josiah Venture and our 5 Core Values.
Vision: A movement of God among the youth of Central and Eastern Europe that finds its home in the local church and transforms society.
Mission: Equipping young leaders to fulfill Christ’s commission through the local church.
Core Values: Bold Faith, Dynamic Community, God Honoring Excellence, Deep Integrity, & Indigenous Empowerment
Website: www.josiahventure.com
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Mission Trips: josiahventure.com/mission-trips
Summer Internships: josiahventure.com/summer-internships
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app