A virtual tour

Dear Friends,

During this month I will see many of you face to face during our 11 cities “vision tour.” To those of you who were able to attend one of these special events, thank you! If you were unable to make it, I don’t want you to miss out on the experience. So let me give you a virtual vision tour on paper. I can’t promise you a desert like the ones we served at the events, but I trust you’ll still enjoy it!

Just 15 years ago the first JV missionaries began serving in Eastern Europe. I remember our early team meetings, sitting in a small circle in my living room in the Czech Republic. Without knowing how God would answer, we began to pray for a movement of God among the youth of Eastern Europe.

The next year we began training youth leaders, and then led our first English camp. The work expanded to 11 countries, and the team developed innovative new ways of reaching the lost and discipling leaders.

During those 15 years JV staff led 544 English camps with 32,000 young people in attendance. Thousands of young leaders were trained, and hundreds of churches experienced renewal as the young people learned to reach and disciple their friends. God answered those early prayers in ways we could have never imagined.

We are amazed at what the Lord has done! But as we look at the countries of Eastern Europe, we want to see more. Just 1% of the young people know Jesus as their Savior. Once they leave school and enter the working world they will be very difficult to reach. We feel a sense of urgency to reach this waiting generation before it is too late.

That is where the 2X3 vision comes in. As we look forward into the next three years, we are asking God to double our kingdom fruit (2X3 stands for doubling fruit in three years). By His grace, we would like to see twice as many young people coming to Christ, twice as many young leaders trained and equipped, and twice as much eternal fruit for His kingdom.

The Josiah Venture team won’t fit in a small circle these days – especially since you are a part of it. But that means we can ask God for even bigger things in the years ahead!

Thank you for joining us on HIS vision tour,

Dave Patty
President, Josiah Venture