Back

June 3, 2016

Into the Harvest

Dear Friends,

I stood in the back, because there were no empty chairs. But that gave me the best view of all.

A room packed with 133 college students, all giving their summer to share the gospel with thousands of Central and Eastern European young people.  Enthusiasm and energy bounces off the walls.  They are full of passion for Jesus, and for his mission.

In just a couple of days they would fan out across 13 countries, working with local churches and leading 110 evangelistic camps.  They will be the agents of transformation for so many they come in contact with this summer.   Along the way, God will change them as well.

Looking across the room I saw many faces I knew.  Over forty of these interns are from Central and Eastern Europe, and many of them came to Christ a few years ago in camps like the ones that they will lead this summer.  This is the body of Christ – multinational, family, connected to the Head, and joining his redemptive mission.  Joyful, so alive, full of hope.

They know how to worship and pray.  Every one of them took huge steps of faith to trust God for the financial resources to serve during these crucial summer months.  Some have non-Christian parents who think their kids are crazy.  Maybe they are.

I didn’t stand in the back the entire time.  Every evening I wound my way to the front of the packed room, and opened the Word of God with them.  We talked about knowing God as Father, how our identity can only be found when we embrace who we are in Christ. He gives us a place in his throne room, and in his plan.  When we join the Father’s work we find true purpose and meaning.  These are precious truths for young adults with most of life’s big decisions still looming before them.

We laid hands on them and commissioned them into the Master’s work last night.  They piled into cars and vans and headed for the harvest field today.  I can’t wait to hear how God uses them.

The room is empty now. But I’m still standing in the back, supporting them in prayer.  Will you stand there with me?

Grateful for these precious servants,

—Dave Patty, President, Josiah Venture

Dave Patty President

Related Posts

Read Story

Evangelism, Internship

Full Circle

Dear Friends, Small decisions can change the course of your entire life. When Szabi was a junior in his high school in the center of Hungary, his best friend kept pestering him with the same question: “Why don’t you come visit our youth group?” Szabi was an expert at finding excuses. “My parents won’t let me” (not true). “I have a lot of homework” (partially true). Finally, he got tired of saying “no,” and one time just said “yes.” To his surprise, the youth group was interesting, especially when Rob, the leader, paid special attention to him in a way he had never experience before. He decided to go back, and then accepted the invitation to a JV summer English camp. After camp, Rob invited him to McDonald’s. “Do you believe the things we were talking about at camp?” he asked. Szabi nodded yes. Have you ever given your life to Jesus? “No.” “Would you like to?” “Yes.” Simple questions. Life-changing answers.     The next summer, Rob invited Szabi to do an internship with JV, and then to study the Bible in our three-year bachelor’s program. At one of the camps, he met a cute girl from Wisconsin named Maggie. They began a long-distance relationship, and, several years later, Szabi asked her a really big question: “Will you marry me?”. Gratefully, for both of them, the answer was “yes.” Just a few days ago, I sat with Szabi and Maggie in a room full of interns at our training center in Malenovice, Czech Republic. They both recently joined JV staff, and Maggie is now taking responsibility for summer interns in Hungary. Sitting at the table with us was Myla, from Louisville, Kentucky, who will be serving under Maggie’s leadership. She is studying Sports management at her university but is giving up her summer to be a light for Jesus in a faraway place. When I asked Maggie what she had learned in her first summer internship, she said, “God ignited a flame in my heart during those short months. He gave me a heart for the young people of Hungary and a passion for them to know Jesus.”     Szabi looked over at her and smiled. He has a life partner because of the decision that she made. But even more than that, he has eternal life because his best friend, Rob, and other college students made small decisions that changed the course of his life. This summer, over 40 interns will be serving with us for three months, sharing the gospel with thousands of young people across Central and Eastern Europe. I wonder what will happen because Myla and 39 others said “yes” to God’s call. Thank you for making this possible through your support and prayers.
Read Story

Online Ministry, Stories

Four Years of “Josiah Venture Stories”

It is the human condition to dream. Five years ago, I dreamed of starting a podcast for Josiah Venture. I approached the then-director of the International Team, Kyle Evans, and told him of my idea for a Josiah Venture podcast. He asked, “Who do you imagine hosting this podcast?” After a short pause, I replied, “Um…me?” To which he said, “My thoughts exactly.” I knew this was what God was asking me to do.  The podcast, “Josiah Venture Stories,” was officially launched on April 6th, 2021, roughly a year after this initial conversation. It took a little while to get the ball rolling. I needed time to research the best equipment, come up with the name, decide on the format and structure, and everything else that goes with starting a podcast. I enjoy thinking through the strategy and practical steps for a process, and it’s exciting to see a dream become a plan and a plan become reality. A common statistic in podcasting is that 90% of podcasts don’t publish more than three episodes. Many dreams come crashing to a quick end due to the lack of traction and momentum. Some podcasts fail because there isn’t a clear content strategy, episodes are released sporadically, the quality is poor, or proper marketing and promotion are lacking.  To be in the top 1% of podcasts in the world, you only need to publish 21 episodes. This month, the “Josiah Venture Stories” podcast has published 121 episodes featuring various missionaries, Josiah Venture kids, interns, short-term missions team members, alumni, and more. That is something to celebrate! My favorite part of hosting the podcast is hearing about God’s faithfulness, journeys of faith, and the unlikely stories of how people became missionaries. Multiple responses to the question, “How did you know God was calling you to full-time missions?” start with, “Well, I never thought I would be a missionary.” This proves that we never know what God is going to do with our lives or where the roads of life might lead. God simply asks us to trust him. I have repeatedly asked guests on the podcast, “What message of hope would you give to young people today?” The responses are always insightful and inspirational.   Baška from Slovakia said, “I usually tell them to trust God and his plan. I know it’s really difficult, and it seems easy to say but harder to live, but every time that I trusted God, it was better than I expected. Trusting God gave me so much hope and so much peace.” Mark Krupa, a missionary who has lived in the Czech Republic for 26 years, said, “ I would encourage them to look into the living water. Jesus went around saying, ‘I am living water. Come to me and you won’t thirst again.’ Spiritually, young people are hungry, and Jesus can fill them. I would encourage young people to look into what the secret of Christianity is. Colossians 1:27 says, ‘To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ The secret of Christianity is actually Jesus in you.” Not only does this podcast exist to tell long-form stories of the movement of God among the youth of Central and Eastern Europe, but it also encourages the listener as they hear stories for all ages. If you have listened to the podcast once or to every episode, thank you. Would you please consider, not just listening, but also sharing an episode or two with a friend or on your social media? Another thing that truly goes a long way in the podcasting world is reviews. Do you enjoy our podcast? Help more people discover our podcast by following us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and writing us an honest review. Here’s what people are saying about the podcast: “What a rich podcast—full of encouragement, new insights and perspectives about what God is doing in central and Eastern Europe.” -Ben_Rob_27 “Last summer, I went with a group from my church in Colorado to stay in Albania for a month and help with summer camps. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! One of my favorite parts about this experience was hearing the life stories of the people in charge, how they came to be a part of this amazing organization, and their hearts behind the ministry that they are doing. This podcast gives you an even deeper and wider insight into the organization as a whole. You are able to hear what is truly going on in different countries from those living there. It’s so inspiring as a young adult to hear the ways God is moving through the faithful servants he has called to make an impact on people my age and younger. Thanks for sharing these stories!” -Kiko1170 Thank you for listening, investing in the ministry of Josiah Venture, and hearing the stories of our missionaries.
Read Story

Evangelism, Online Ministry

TikTok and the Gospel

Dear Friends, I wonder where Paul would be preaching the good news if he lived today. There are some places where believers feel particularly at home. We enjoy being around people who think like we do, in places that are known and comfortable, like our church buildings. Of course, it is best to be far away from sin and evil. So, when Paul visited Athens, why did he not just stay in the familiar synagogue? Why did he go to the marketplace, where all the sinners gathered, and then to Mars hill, which was full of pagan philosophers? He purposefully went where people gathered, despite the ungodly influences there, so that the good news of Jesus would be heard in the messy marketplace of ideas. Social media is today’s “Mars Hill.” Over 90% of young people in Central and Eastern Europe own smartphones, and they spend over two hours a day on a collection of social media platforms. And who are the most trusted public figures for young Europeans?  YouTubers and TikTok influencers. That is why, for the second year in a row, Josiah Venture gathered a group of young Christian influencers for a “Digital Missions Summit” at our training center in the Czech Republic. Last year, I wrote about a young 15-year-old Serbian boy named Alex who experienced a radical conversion to Christ and then began sharing about it on TikTok. He recorded his first video on a broken Android phone propped up with an orange on a table in his room. Soon, his raw honesty drew a following. One of our Josiah Venture Serbian staff began to disciple him and gathered resources to buy him a phone that really worked. Alex’s message became more pointed, unapologetically proclaiming Jesus as the only way and boldly sharing the truths of the Bible. Now, he is 17-years-old and has a following of 60,000 in a country with less than 9000 evangelical believers. Often his short videos draw over 300,000 views! At the Digital Missions Summit, we talked about how to share a clear gospel message on social media. We also taught on how to bridge from the digital to physical world, and the importance of connecting people to a local body of believers. When Alex began his TikTok preaching, there were only 15 older people attending his small Baptist church. Now, the church has doubled in size to 30. Often on weekends he travels to other towns and sets up a table to give out free Bibles and talk to anyone who wants to meet him in person. People stop him on the streets to ask him questions about God.   Alex is not even out of high school, yet he is being used by God to reach hundreds of thousands of Serbians with the good news.   Thank you for helping us equip a new generation of evangelists for today’s public square.