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August 20, 2025

“Yes” to God’s Calling

This summer, 40 of us—including myself—became summer missionaries in Central and Eastern Europe. Pretty amazing, right? Each of us said “yes” to God’s call to serve.

I am from Ukraine, and for the past three years, I’ve been living, working, and serving in the Czech Republic, in the city of Ústí nad Labem. This year, I’m serving as a Josiah Venture intern. Before the internship began, I was really nervous. I kept wondering how I would communicate with Americans and people from other European countries—it’s a whole mix of different cultures.

About a week before departure, I kept telling myself, “Nika, why are you doing this? Wouldn’t it be better to just keep working at your coffee shop and enjoy the summer in your hometown?” I was afraid that maybe this internship wasn’t what God wanted from me, but I was so wrong.

As soon as intern training started and I met so many young people with the same heart as mine —to serve youth and follow the same God—I didn’t feel invisible or alone anymore. It was a priceless feeling to worship God together, study His Word, listen to powerful testimonies, and be inspired by how beautiful our Lord truly is. For a long time, I struggled with the thought: “Why did God choose me for this mission?” I was overwhelmed by doubts. I wondered if I was wise enough, interesting enough, outgoing enough, spiritual enough, etc. My thoughts were full of me, me, me. But during intern training, I received a word from God: “Nika, this isn’t about you. It’s about what I want to do through you and how I want to show my power through your life.” God doesn’t look at how “cool” we are or how many Bible verses we can recite. He looks at hearts that are ready to serve him.

Among the interns at training, there was one more Ukrainian —Emily. This summer, she is serving with the Fusion International team. It was such a comforting feeling to know I wasn’t the only one from my home country. One of the most powerful moments for me was when the intern teams gathered to pray for and bless one another for the summer ahead. Sadly, due to the war in Ukraine, the Ukrainian intern team couldn’t join us in person. So when it came time to pray for Ukraine, Emily and I stepped into the center of the circle.

Everyone began to pray for us, for Ukraine, for the ongoing war. At that moment, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I cried tears of gratitude to God for the unity of his people, for the deep sense that we are not alone in this war. It was a family moment. It was a moment that reminded me again that Christians are not just people who believe in the same God, but are a true family. They’re a family that walks through both joy and pain together—a family that supports and prays for one another.

Would you join me in praying for a generation that cries together, rejoices together, and says “yes” to God’s call to serve youth, right where we are?

Nika Buratova

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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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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.
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Internship

Blessing Upon Blessing: My Summer With JV

“I dance in the freedom you have given.” These are the words that describe this summer internship most clearly and deeply for me. Before summer began, I had heard many stories from past interns about how life-changing this season had been for them–a time when faith, hope, and love grew. Of course, I believed it could happen to me too, but experiencing it myself was so much more powerful and personal than I ever imagined. God gave me joy, a free spirit, and a longing heart to serve the youth of Estonia. When I was younger, I was pretty convinced that youth ministry was not the area where I saw myself serving in the future. But today, I carry a desire and longing in my heart to possibly continue in youth ministry even after this summer, because I’ve seen how deeply needed it really is. That longing was placed in my heart by God, through the JV (Josiah Venture) summer internship. So how did I even end up serving with JV this summer? When someone asks me that, I usually say, “God called me.” And that’s the truth. I joined my church last fall when I moved to Tallinn to begin university. About halfway through the year, I met a lovely woman named Brittney at a Sunday service. We talked, prayed together, and got to know each other a bit. A couple of days later, she sent me a voice message telling me about the JV internship and the opportunity to be a summer intern. It was all so new to me that I honestly didn’t know how to respond at first; I had basically never heard of JV before. Eventually, I replied that I wanted to learn more, so we arranged a time to have lunch. Our conversation helped bring clarity, but I still had doubts. We agreed that I would give her my final answer in a week. One night, I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep, but I just couldn’t. I kept waking up, reading, and praying–nothing helped. At one point, God reminded me that I still hadn’t said my “yes” or “no.” Without thinking too much, I picked up my phone and messaged Brittney: “I want to be a summer intern.” Immediately after sending the message, I fell asleep. God gave me complete peace. That was my first confirmation that God was truly calling me into this summer of service and that he had something very special planned. To me, the summer and this calling felt like a door leading into the unknown. But, at the same time, I had the assurance that Jesus would be with me there. Because I knew that he holds everything in his hands and my faith rests entirely in him, nothing would be too scary. After saying “yes,” I experienced blessing upon blessing. Even before the summer began, God took care of my living situation after the internship. The whole fundraising process was completely in God’s hands. The whole summer–every camp, every moment—was full of situations where God’s hand and power were greater than anything else. We started our bigger summer adventure in the Czech Republic with the Amazing Race. I honestly had no idea what to expect from the competition at first. I still remember the anticipation as we stood there at the airport with our little Estonian flags, waiting for our summer teammates to arrive. A few minutes after the first brave arrivals, the race began, and we started laying the foundation for our team. Building this “house” wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. From the very first moment, these people already felt like family. One of my favorite sayings is that a team is only as strong as its weakest link. In our case, though, I would say that we didn’t have a weak link. Even during the Amazing Race, it became clear that each of us had our own strengths, and we complemented each other perfectly with them. I have learned so much from these four amazing young people. I can fully trust them and know that they stand firmly behind me, and vice versa. I’m grateful that I got to work alongside them this summer, serving the youth of Estonia. I wouldn’t trade them for anyone else. I thank God for these four every day. After the Amazing Race and intern training, it was time to truly start our summer mission. Two weeks after we returned to Estonia, the first youth camp began. Sports have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, but the moment I found myself on the football field in that yellow camp t-shirt, I suddenly doubted all of my athletic strengths. On the first morning of the soccer camp, Katre (my fellow intern) shared a story where Jesus fed 5,000 men with just two fish and five loaves of bread. Katre shared that this camp could be a place where, in our weakness, God might grow and use us the most. I tucked that thought firmly into my heart and trusted that if God called me here, then he must have a plan! It was such a blessing to see the small things God was doing in these young boys’ lives during the camp. We had so many special conversations and heard beautiful stories. We taught the boys the camp dance, and on the last day of camp, they performed it for us. “I haven’t been this happy in a long time!” Katre shouted across the room as we laughed and watched them dance. At that camp, God started something, and I can trust him to continue the work he began in those boys’ hearts. After the soccer camp, I got to be part of and serve at the Edge Disc Golf camp. This is truly the ideal ministry sport. Walking through the beautiful forests of Estonia, God gave me several great opportunities for conversations, and I got to see how he continued to work in the hearts of the young boys from the soccer camp. The camp was filled with life-changing moments and new commitments. A few young people received their first Bible, and some took several big steps closer to God. Those moments were so special, and I feel so deeply grateful that God called me to this summer, using our team to bring these young people closer to himself. “If there were a way for this camp and this environment to last all year, I’d be so happy!” and “This was the best camp of my life” were just some of the comments we heard from the boys after the camp. But as our camp leader said, their comments weren’t because we put together a cool camp; they were because God was there, living and moving among us. The last camp of the summer was TAFT English Camp. We organized the camp together with two churches–Tallinna Kogukonnad (TaKo) and the youth of Risttee, also known as Lift. (The name comes from: TaKo + Lift = TAFT.) That camp definitely secured a special place in my heart. We spent a week surrounded by the stunning nature of Estonia–misty morning runs, breathtaking sunsets, and the only truly beautiful camp weather we had all summer. In English environments, we built towers and attractions from whatever the Estonian forest provided, played Masterchef, and gave the youth a chance to test their commercial filming skills. Together with two members from some American mission teams, I also had my first experience leading a small group during this camp. Our conversations always ran longer than planned, and I learned so much from them myself. God spoke to me deeply through that group, and those times together later led to even deeper conversations–something I’m incredibly thankful for. We wrapped up our summer adventure with an intern debrief on a beautiful Estonian island called Saaremaa. We shared stories, looked back on the summer, and took a moment to dream and listen. We imagined what might be ahead and heard what God still wanted to bring to light. It was truly a time that words can’t fully describe. After the debrief, it was time for everyone to step back into their “real life.” For me, an exciting year lies ahead. I carry with me a wealth of experience and knowledge from the summer, ready to step into a new season. We’re also hoping to gradually grow and develop our church’s youth ministry. We have many ideas and dreams, and I’m excited to see which ones come to life and how this year will take shape. My heart is full of gratitude for being part of JV’s summer internship, for working with such special and diverse people, and for all that God has done. Thank you for walking alongside me through this short reflection and reading to the end. Please keep this new season in prayer–for the year ahead, for the youth in Estonia, and for the Good News of Jesus to reach even more hearts.