May 20, 2022

Stepping Out in Faith

Do you remember a time in your life when God led you down an unexpected path? Maybe you already had in mind exactly the way you thought he’d take you, and then, all of a sudden, he was calling you to step out into something you never imagined you’d do.

One of these moments for me was in 2013. I was settled happily into a career in medical genetics when God very suddenly, and clearly called me to serve at a little church in the middle of the Navajo Nation. I remember the struggle it was to trust him in this sudden change of plans he set before me. There were so many reasons why it didn’t make sense, logically, for me to follow him. It took me away from my family and friends, it took away my security of a great career, and it pulled me out of serving in my local church. But I knew in my heart that I needed to follow him.

Through this surrender of my plans for his, I saw God’s faithfulness in both his path for me and his deep love for the Navajo people. I learned that when God unexpectedly redirects our path, and we wholeheartedly say “yes” to his plans, incredible things follow!

That first step of hesitant faith almost 10 years ago led to my current role with Josiah Venture. I have been the Intern Coordinator for Josiah Venture for 7 years now, and in this role, I’ve walked with hundreds of young people as they, too, are hearing God’s call to step away from the security of the known and into his plan for them. I’m often thankful that God took me on a similar journey, so that I can understand the struggle our interns sometimes face in following God’s often costly call to serve him.

Every summer, we invite college-age students to partner with us all summer long as interns. Some of them come from the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom, while some come directly from the churches we are connected with in Central and Eastern Europe. Each one of them senses God inviting them into his mission with us over the summer, and they are eager to follow him. Our interns are a key piece of our summer ministry. They travel to local schools and churches promoting camps, act as a bridge between young people and the local church, help camps run smoothly by stepping in when a role is unfilled, and they add an extra bit of joy and energy to the camp experience.

We know that an internship is an incredibly big step of faith for a young person to make. Many of them are entering into a different culture for the first time, learning to raise support, and diving into activities they may have never done before. Because of this, Josiah Venture is very intentional in training and discipleship of our interns.

When an intern arrives in Central and Eastern Europe, they participate in our version of The Amazing Race; a race across sometimes multiple countries in partnership with the other interns they will serve with during the summer. By overcoming the challenges of the race together, our teams learn to face conflict and discover more about the gifts that each one brings to the team. The race is followed by several days of Intern Training at our training center in the Czech Republic, and then teams are sent off to each of our countries to serve for the summer. During the summer, each intern is paired with a missionary who will disciple, and shepherd them throughout their time of serving with JV.

Our hope for our interns is that they will not only be a part of the movement of God among the youth of Central and Eastern Europe, but that they will also be forever impacted by seeing God move in young lives, and experiencing discipleship first-hand.

Maybe you are reading this, and God is putting it into your heart to join us. If so, we would love to connect with you and explore what God might be calling you to. Or maybe you know a young person who could be a good fit for serving with us in coming summers. We would love to hear from you too!

Here are a few of the frequently asked questions that potential applicants have:

How long is the summer internship?
Our internships run from late May until late July or early August, depending on which country you choose to serve in.

How much does the internship cost?
This also varies by country, and runs between $4,200 – $4,900 for interns from US, Canada, and UK. This includes airfare.

I need to work during the summer to pay for school, so how would I intern?
For our interns in North America, we allow you to raise a stipend of up to $2,500 extra that will be paid to you at the end of the summer.

How can I learn more about a specific country and the internships available there?
Our summer internship page will give you lots of information about what each country offers.

What if I have further questions?
Email us at interns@josiahventure.com

For the past seven years, I have had a front-row seat in the lives of hundreds of young people, as they listened to the call of God to step away from the known and into his mission in Central and Eastern Europe. Some of them now work full-time with us, or work full-time in ministry elsewhere, but all of them were given an opportunity, as Josiah Venture interns, to deepen their trust in God as they stepped out in faith and said “yes” to his plans.

Is God calling you to something new? Don’t miss the opportunity to say “yes!” to his call. Wherever he directs your steps, being on mission, with him leading the way, is the very best place to be!

Related Posts

Read Story

Evangelism, Stories

When we say “Yes”

Dear Friends, What happens when we say “yes”? Ermal was obsessed with soccer as a child and headed to university in his home country of Albania with the dream to become a famous professional player. He never quite made the top level of performance required and was deeply discouraged. At the same time, he was growing in his relationship with God under the disciplemaking care of a local pastor. Hearing God’s call into ministry, he said “yes” to a major life change and returned to his small village to shepherd a local congregation of just 35 believers. But his passion for young people–⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and for soccer–⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠never left. So, when our JV Albania team approached him four years ago with the invitation to join JV and develop a sports ministry in his church and throughout his valley, he heard the call of God and said “yes.” In just a few years, Ermal had started Edge Soccer teams in six villages with no prior evangelical witness, reaching over 60 young people every week. A part of every practice was a short Bible study, and the young boys were relationally shepherded to faith in Christ. After a time of prayer in early November of 2024, Ermal came to his wife Nertila with an outlandish vision. “I believe God is calling us to share the gospel with 1000 young people before Christmas.” “Are you kidding me?” his wife replied. “I was thinking like a human,” she later shared. “How can we reach 1000 kids in such a short period of time?” “I don’t have any ideas,” Ermal said, “but I think God is calling us.” “I was very challenged,” Nertila reflected later, “and didn’t know how to handle that pressure. But then I said, ‘Here I am God, if you want to use us. Let your will be done.’” Then, out of the blue, a call came from Operation Mobilization, who wanted to send 6 people from Moldova to help with whatever they wanted. Ermal said “yes.” Next, Ermal had an idea to request 1000 Shoebox gift packages from Samaritan’s purse. It was an unusual request, but they said “yes.” He contacted six schools and asked if he could share the story of Jesus at Christmas.  Albania is historically Muslim, and the directors are not allowed to do anything religious in the school building. “Would you be willing to talk to our students outside?” they asked. He said “yes.” It was a simple program. Two songs, a 15-minute message about Jesus, and heartfelt testimonies from the Moldovans. And, of course, some shoebox gifts. But the students were very open, and many asked to hear more about Jesus. Others gave their addresses and wanted to join the youth activities. The director of the largest school is now meeting regularly with Ermal for Bible study.  When Christmas came, they counted the numbers and realized that over 1000 young people had heard a clear gospel message in just a few short weeks. A simple “yes” to the call of God brought miraculous fruit. This month, you also said “yes” through your gifts and prayers. Thank you.

Read Story

Discipleship, Stories

Fruit in Hard Soil

Dear Friends, How does the gospel bear fruit in hard soil? Montenegro is one of the most beautiful countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Sandwiched between Croatia and Albania on the Adriatic Sea, it combines stunning beaches with soaring 8000 ft mountains, rushing rivers, and the deepest canyon in Europe. But this hidden gem has very few evangelical believers. Out of a population of 600,000, less than 300 believers attend a few tiny evangelical churches. How do you make progress in such a difficult place? When Josiah Venture staff Noah and Jill Ellenwood moved to Montenegro in 2020, they immersed themselves in the local language and culture and took every opportunity to build natural relationships. Following the instructions of Jesus in Luke 10:6, they prayed that one of these new friends would be a “person of peace,” a trusted insider who would open the door to others. Noah met Slavo while playing soccer with a group of guys and invited him over to their apartment for board games. Slavo asked if he could bring his friends, and what began as a small gathering quickly grew into a weekly tradition with more than ten people attending. Slavo was always the catalyst, inviting new people while consistently building relationships. During this time, Slavo was on a personal spiritual journey. He openly shared his exploration of various paths for inner peace, including Hinduism, Buddhism, individualism, and Christianity. Noah and Jill had many candid conversations with him, sharing their own stories of God’s transformation in their lives. Still searching, Slavo embarked on a six-month backpacking trip through Europe. Along the way, he encountered people from all walks of life—Muslims who invited him to join their mosque, those who dismissed Christianity as fake, and others who loved him unconditionally. Throughout the trip, Slavo sensed that God was calling him, though he wasn’t sure what it meant at the time. When he returned, Noah spent 10 months studying the Bible with him, focusing on themes such as identity in Christ, being adopted into God’s family, and understanding sin and how it separates us from God. During this period, Slavo began experiencing dreams that seemed to be God speaking directly to him. One day, Noah received a call asking to meet on a hill where they often walked and talked. There he was greeted by a joyful Slavo, who exclaimed, “I want to do it—I want to follow Jesus!” Sitting down together, he prayed to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Slavo quickly became passionate about studying the Bible. He would often cancel plans just to keep reading, feeling unable to put the Word down. His transformation impacted his family so much that they started joining him for church services. This fall Noah had the privilege of baptizing Slavo as he publicly proclaimed his faith in Christ. Perseverance, prayer, relationships, God’s Word, time, sacrifice, and commitment—each of these is needed to bear gospel fruit in difficult soil. But then the transformation is real and spreads to others. Thank you for your part in this movement of God.

Read Story

Spotlight, Stories

The Light of Imagination

On Saturday, December 22, 2012, in my final year of Czech high school as a Josiah Venture Kid, a light came to our doorstep in Czech. I was preparing to graduate in the spring and move to the States for college. While I expected this Christmas to be the same as all the previous ones, it felt different because of one encounter on a chilly Saturday morning. Our neighbor Pavlina, who lived down the street, rang our doorbell to bring us a special and meaningful Christmas greeting: a flame from Bethlehem. This flame was lit in Bethlehem by a Palestinian boy, flown to Vienna, and taken by the scouts through Brno to Ostrava. Pavlina had woken up early that morning to take the one-hour train trip to Ostrava to light her flame so that she could spread the Light to our little town. The candlelight danced inside the lantern as she opened its glass door and passed the flame to a candlestick, which she used to light my candle. It was so cold that we could see our breath, and we lingered only for a moment at the door before she said goodbye and went on her way. Pavlina walked away with her lantern, but the light she still held was now also in my hands. We kept that flame alive throughout the following days until Christmas. Even after we turned off the lights for the day, it still glowed safely in our lantern on the windowsill. I was mesmerized. Growing up as a JV missionary kid, I often heard about Christ being the Light of the World. That Christmas, however, that flame that came from Bethlehem ignited my imagination. It brought the story of Jesus’s birth to life in a new way. We don’t only get to hear about the Light of the World; we get to experience him, just as I experienced the light and felt the warmth of the Bethlehem Light. This past September, I had the joy of hosting a workshop at JV’s Fall Conference and learning together with youth leaders and brothers and sisters in Christ from all over Central and Eastern Europe. The workshop, “Getting People Excited About the Bible,” centered around applying our imaginations to studying God’s Word. Back in high-school, the visual of the Bethlehem Light sparked my imagination as I considered the Christmas story. In the same way, when we apply our imaginations to engaging with God’s Word, we see it with fresh joy and wonder. In our workshop, we imagined ourselves as different characters and looked at Scripture through that lens. For example, we talked about being like a guest. As guests, our goal is to come in and try to understand the culture and the people in the home we are visiting, not assuming we already know what life looks like there. With that in mind, we explored the cultural traditions of Psalm 23 together. We also imagined ourselves as astronauts who can see the whole world from their space station. They can see how the continents fit together and how big the ocean really is. We again looked at Psalm 23, but this time to discover how it fits into the bigger picture of Scripture. Perhaps someone nearby has delivered the Bethlehem Light to your town, and you could find it, bring it home, and share it with your neighbors. Or perhaps you could discover and carry the light differently—by using your imagination to explore the story of Jesus and inviting others into this joy. Advent is a season of anticipation, a time to pause and let the beauty of the gospel stir our hearts and imaginations. Just as the flame from Bethlehem sparked awe and inspiration in me that unexpected December morning, we, too, can let the light of Christ illuminate our lives and draw others toward his truth. What could it look like for the story of Christ’s birth to come alive to you this Advent season? How might your imagination draw you into its beauty? Could this wonder then spread to those around us as we also bring the light to them? May this season be one of discovery, joy, and sharing the gift of Immanuel, God with us.