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August 22, 2017

Lives Changed - The Interns' Summer

The summer is quickly coming to a close and our 130 or so JV interns are getting back into their regular lives at home and reconnecting with their families and friends in their communities.

While it may seem that everything is normal again, the interns’ ten weeks serving alongside us here in Central and Eastern Europe brought change that could affect life for years to come.

Campers Changed

Here are just a few stories of how the interns saw young people’s lives change while at camps:

“There was a girl at the Ukrainian camp we went to who was chasing me for a game and ran head first into a wall. She was going in and out of consciousness, her pulse was bad, and basically we didn’t know if she was going to live…. It was really scary for the campers and everyone. We were all crowding around her. She went to the hospital. She should have had a really bad concussion. She should have had a lot of side-effects like sensitivity to light, can’t read, can’t move around very well, can’t talk, just a lot of those. But she had none of those. She went from almost not living, faint pulse and barely breathing, to totally fine. It was a miracle. Everyone at camp was praying and at the hospital everyone was praying too. The nurses all commented on it saying, ‘We’ve never seen that happen for somebody, that everyone’s praying.’ And then after that they see the girl healed from a really bad injury. After that, the girl wrote a letter to the camp. She was a Christian so she was talking about how she knew where she was going even if she did die. There were around 35 kids at camp and 20 non-Christians, and after that, 19 made decisions to confess. It was really cool to see that take place. God was here and He’s working here and this couldn’t have happened otherwise. So that was a highlight.” – Chris Cox, Edge International Team

 

“There was one guy who I was pretty intentional about hanging out with at camp. He was definitely open to the gospel and I could sense that, but we would have conversations and he was worried about what other people would think. He was worried that maybe his friends wouldn’t accept him. He accepted Christ at the end of camp, which was really cool for me to see…. I think he realized that the way people were treating him at camp was something he desired, to be a part of that community of believers. It was cool to see him be attracted to the gospel, based on other people. And I played some little role in that.” – Matt Carpenter, Czech  

Interns Changed

Besides seeing other people change through hearing and believing the message of Christ, the interns also saw God work to change their own hearts throughout the summer. Here’s a small look into what some of them have to say about that:

“I think the Lord just taught me that walking alongside people and discipleship looks the same everywhere. If I can get beyond what I feel comfortable with culture or if I can get over the fact that we may not perfectly be able to communicate, the Lord will use it. He just wants us to be offering our time…. I started realizing I could do something like this. I think we always have in our head, ‘oh maybe someday that might be interesting. We could think about it.’ But I think the Lord moved in me this summer to be like, ‘no, you could actually do this because you are choosing to surrender to me and to trust me in this. It would be hard, but you could learn to live in another culture, you could learn a new language, you could do these things.’…. That’s one of the biggest things I want to take back and live in whether or not that means moving overseas tomorrow.” – Abby Carpenter, Czech

“Seeing the enthusiasm and zeal that the youth have here to spread the gospel and tell people in their own natural environments where it can be difficult for them, really encouraged me to do that back in the US…. There are 17 year olds sharing the gospel at camp, regardless of what their friends think. It’s a really good call and conviction for me as someone who is working. Why am I not as enthusiastic about how Jesus changed my life in the US? Just because I didn’t meet Him at an English camp doesn’t mean that Jesus hasn’t changed my life where I’ve lived.” – Jacob Adent, Communications Team  

“I had no idea what to expect in applying as an intern, but I stand here now, having no idea how to express how humbled and honored I am to be able to be a part of it all. My goodness gracious people. I have never seen an organization so fervently carry out their core values and both represent and spread the name of Jesus Christ with such excellence and integrity. I wish I could properly verbalize and express to you what is going on in this volcano in my belly after this experience. But I cannot. All to say, I highly recommend looking into Josiah Venture, especially if you are a college student and are looking for an amazing way to spend the summer serving Jesus.” – Rachelle Grizzard, Poland

This is just a small look into the many stories of change that the interns witnessed and experienced this summer. We’re praying that as they process more and move into the fall, the growth would continue to have a major impact both here in Europe and in their home countries. Please pray with us, and if you have the chance to ask an intern about their own stories of change take it. We’re sure they’d love to tell you all about their summer.

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Discipleship, Evangelism, Stories

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Sajmir just wanted to belong. As the youngest son in a Muslim family of eight children, he was expected to serve everyone. Sajmir’s family was oppressed in Albania because they were dark skinned Gypsies. On top of that, during the difficult time after the revolution, his father began drinking and beating his mother. “My father never beat me,” Sajmir said, “but he never showed me love. He never hugged me or kissed me. I never saw a father figure. I was afraid of him. Also, outside in the city, people were not very close to me. I spent most of my time alone, playing soccer alone, or basketball alone.” There was only one soccer field in his village, and when Sajmir tried to join a game, the other kids would kick him out. One day, a group came toward the field and Sajmir began to back away, sure they would ask him to leave. “Will you play with us?” they asked. “You want to play with me?” Sajmir replied. For the first time in his life, someone invited him in. After the game, they invited him to church. “What is a church?” he said. Running home, he asked his parents if he could go. “Don’t go to church,” they answered sternly, “you will shame us.” But the next day was Sunday, and he snuck out when no one was looking. “When I stepped into the church, at the door, someone gave me a hug for the first time in my life,” Sajmir said. “They put me in the first row. I felt like a celebrity. Then I heard the story that someone loves you just as you are, that is, Jesus—as I was, dark skinned, rejected. But still, there is someone who died for me.” “I ran and told my family, but their response was: ’If you go one more time, we will tell your brother to beat you up.’ I went again. My brother beat me up. For three months, I was beaten every week. I was loved and accepted in church, while suffering and being beaten in my family. Then my mom said, ‘Let him go.’” Filled with joy, Sajmir fell on his knees and said, “God, I will serve you wherever you want me to.” That was 25 years ago, and today Sajmir and his family are part of our Josiah Venture team in Albania. Through youth ministry, he recently planted a church called “Mosaic,” which has grown to over 100 people. Every day, young people come after school and in the evening for tutoring, children’s meetings, youth meetings, small groups, discipleship groups, and a very lively Fusion choir. The church is open every day, from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, and there is always something happening. “Our building is a daily home for everyone; it’s a family,” says Sajmir. “I always remember what God did for me in my youth. My heart is burning to see more young people come to Christ and find that they are loved and belong.” During this Advent season, we remember how Jesus left his home to make a home for us. He was sent to find us, where we play our games alone, and to invite us into his family. He found Sajmir, and you, and me. Thanks for helping us share this good news with young people who are still without a home. Dave Patty President, Josiah Venture
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Stories

A Thanksgiving Challenge and Promise

Philippians 4:4-7 states, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Two things stand out to me from this verse: a challenge and a promise. The Challenge: Christians are commanded to not be anxious about anything. Instead, we are to be thankful. Paul wrote this letter as he was in prison, preparing for his martyrdom. He acknowledged that his entire ministry was in the Lord’s power and he had nothing to be anxious about. Furthermore, his friends were not supposed to be anxious either. Rather, they were to thank the Lord for his provision and truth. In this situation, Paul was not instructing his friends to deny that there was hardship. He admitted that there would be pain in the future. However, with that, the Church was to devote all troubles to the Lord. How would this play out in a modern Thanksgiving Day context? Jenny Llamas was born in the Czech Republic, so she did not grow up with Thanksgiving. Landen, her American husband, did and has had so much fun introducing the holiday to her. From American football to turkey trots to sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, Landen and Jenny love getting to spend Thanksgiving either with their family or at Josiah Venture’s conference center in Malenovice, Czech with Josiah Venture missionaries. One challenge for Jenny, though, has been when people are asked to share what they are thankful for. It’s not the mental search for thankfulness that’s difficult for Jenny. Instead, it’s all the other thoughts that come to her mind too. It’s “the hard things in my life that sometimes even seem louder than the things I’m thankful for,” Jenny said. During these times, she wants to find ways to process and acknowledge times of hardship while also remaining thankful. So, how does Jenny do that when she is reminded of hard times during Thanksgiving? How does she process both pain and thankfulness? Jenny’s favorite part of Thanksgiving is the meal preparation. She has her own quiet time in the kitchen. As she experiments with all sorts of traditional American recipes, she reflects on how God has worked in her life over the past year. She recalls the exciting times of blossoming relationships with friends and the painful memories of things uncertain and hurtful. It’s in these moments that Jenny brings everything to God, both the good and the bad. That’s where the promise of Philippians comes into play. The Promise: In response to giving thanks, the Lord will surround us with his peace. When we submit to the Lord in thanksgiving, he places a spiritual shield around our hearts and minds. He takes us out of a state of fear and provides us with the ability to give thanks in all circumstances. When the meal preparation is complete and Jenny steps out to celebrate with friends, she reminds herself that God wants her to have peace. God has given her a spiritual family with whom she can process heartache and pain. He also provides her with the time to journal, writing down her thoughts as a way of acknowledging hardship and giving it to the Lord. Then, he gives her rest. “I say a quick prayer to the God who sees me,” she said. “I give myself permission to rejoice in what God has done and … take a break from the hard things knowing that God sees them and he holds them.” This Thanksgiving, I invite you to recognize the trials in your life and give them over completely to God. Replace the state of anxiety with the action of thankfulness, preparing your heart for worship as we enter into this holiday season. “The Lord is at hand.” (Phil. 4:5b)
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Events, Stories

You’re Not Alone in the Battle

When you’re used to leading, serving, and pouring into others, what happens when you suddenly can’t? What happens when the person who normally encourages everyone else wakes up and realizes she has nothing left to give? That’s where I found myself last year. I’m naturally a driven person. I love to see progress—to watch people grow, ministries flourish, and God’s work move forward. But last year, right before a major conference I had been preparing for—a mental health summit for nearly 700 youth leaders and church leaders—everything stopped. I got sick, and my normal pace of life vanished overnight. Suddenly, I couldn’t do what I thought I had to do. At first, I tried to stay positive, to find purpose in the pause. I told myself God was teaching me patience, humility, or to delegate better. But underneath those thoughts, a more dangerous narrative started to form: “God is disappointed in you.” “You’re not strong enough.” “You’re failing as a leader.” “Maybe God is holding back because you don’t deserve his help.” Those are the kinds of lies that can take root quietly—and quickly. It’s the same old whisper the enemy used in the Garden: “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1). The serpent’s goal was never just to tempt Eve; it was to make her question God’s heart. And he still uses that same strategy today. He wants us to believe that God is distant, that we’re alone, unseen, and unloved. I’ve seen this pattern not only in my life, but in the lives of so many young people and leaders I’ve walked with. The moment things get hard—disappointment, exhaustion, relational conflict, failure—the enemy twists the truth. He tells us we’re forgotten, that our prayers don’t matter, and that no one really understands. And slowly, we start to isolate ourselves. But isolation is one of his most effective weapons. Once we withdraw, our vision blurs. We stop hearing the truth clearly. We start interpreting everything through the lens of fear, shame, and self-pity. Even Scripture is full of people who felt this same ache. David cried, “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted” (Psalm 25:16). Elijah, after a great victory, ran into the wilderness and said, “I have had enough, Lord” (1 Kings 19:4). Job sat surrounded by friends who misunderstood him. And even Jesus—our Savior—experienced complete abandonment in Gethsemane and on the cross. Loneliness and lies are not new, but neither is God’s response to them. In my own season of weakness, when I couldn’t find the strength to pray, others prayed for me. When I felt unseen, people showed up with meals, with text messages, and with quiet presence. Even my unbelieving neighbors said, “We think someone up there cares about you.” That was God reminding me: You are not forgotten. You are not alone. The truth is, the Body of Christ was never meant to function in isolation. Strength in God’s kingdom doesn’t mean independence—it means connection. It means letting others carry you when you can’t walk and trusting that God is at work even when you can’t see progress. This experience also helped me recognize a pattern: the enemy always attacks identity and connection first. He wants to disconnect us from God’s truth and from God’s people. But the way we stand firm is by returning to both. When I start to spiral now—when I believe I have to prove my worth or carry everything alone—I stop and remind myself of what’s true. I reach out to trusted friends and ask for prayer. I ground myself in simple spiritual and physical practices that bring me back to reality: breathing deeply, reading a psalm, or stepping outside to notice beauty. These small moments become declarations of faith. Romans 11:33-36 says, “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” That verse anchors me. I don’t have to understand everything; I just have to trust the one who does. Maybe you’re in a similar place right now. Or maybe you’re walking with young people who feel lost, invisible, or stuck in lies about who they are. The battle is real, but so is our victory in Christ. So, here’s my invitation to you: Would you take a moment to pray—for yourself, for your friends, and for the next generation—that we would recognize the lies of isolation, stand firm in truth, and live connected as the Body of Christ? You’re not alone in the battle. And neither are they.