A Quiet Dream

Dear Friends,

In the early days of JV I had a quiet dream. I am a second generation missionary who knows the power of a healthy missionary “family” that cares deeply for their kids. In addition to praying for thousands of Eastern European young people to put their faith in Christ, I asked God to help us raise godly children who love Jesus and join us as servants of the Great Commission.

Seventeen years later, 91 JV kids either currently live, or have lived with their parents overseas. By God’s grace, all of these who are old enough to respond have put their faith in Christ and are walking with Him. This is no small blessing! Four have returned to the team as college interns, and several are preparing for full time ministry.

But strategic ministry does not have to wait until they are adults. Since most JV kids attend national schools, they can be active witnesses for Christ in settings where there are few believers. Even in a second language, these kids often excel. Meagan Jackson won a city wide writing competition in the capital city of Ljubljana – in Slovenian! Jacob Hash attends an elite math and science high school – in Polish!

Recently Noah Ellenwood tried out for the Czech and Slovak version of “American Idol”, called “Superstar”. Between these two countries almost 12,000 people auditioned for the show. Noah made it to the top 100. After a rigorous weekend of competition in Prague the final 24 were chosen. Only 6 boys from the entire country of Czech are proceeding to the finals – Noah is one of them. He is 15 years old.

This month the show goes live as millions from across the country follow the competition and vote for their favorite singer. In a country with only one half of one percent evangelicals, it is not by chance that one of the contestants is the son of a missionary, who is not shy about his faith. Would you pray for Noah and the Ellenwood family as they respond to this unexpected opportunity?

Because “family” is key to the mission of the Great Commission!