Advance

Dear Friends,

“I’m the only believer in my extended family”, said Rano, a 21 year old college student from Tallinn, Estonia. “My mom will at least listen to me when I talk about God, but my grandmother just shuts down and waves me away. Her husband was killed during the Soviet occupation, and I guess she never got over it.”

Rano was one of 120 Estonian youth leaders gathered in Tallinn this weekend to be equipped for ministry and dream together about reaching their country for Christ. I spoke three times at the training event, all around the topic of making disciples. As I talked with Rano and many others, I couldn’t help reflecting on how the world has changed.

There is no more foreign oppressor in Estonia, but still only a small percentage of the population knows Jesus as their Savior. Yet these young people told story after story of how they are bringing the gospel to their lost friends, through creative outreach, healthy youth ministries, and work in the schools.

Their vision doesn’t just stop there. “I’m hoping to be a part of a church planting team in the next few years,” Rano shared. This dream was echoed by a number of others, a clear sign that they are in this for the long haul. “We need so many new churches, and young people can be the energy behind starting them,” he said.

Next week I will be with 135 leaders at our training center in Czech as we begin “Advance”, an initiative designed to help young leaders in Eastern Europe plant new churches. This is a new development within JV, but also a natural outgrowth of the youth movement God is stirring across the region. Please pray that God will give us wisdom to shepherd this new aspect of our work, and bless these gifted young leaders.

It’s great that Rano knows Jesus. We’d like to see his family come to saving faith as well.

Thanks for standing with us!

Dave Patty
President, Josiah Venture