February 4, 2025

The Fog is Lifting

The fog was relentless. It engulfed the city, delaying flights, forcing reroutes, and leaving hundreds stranded. One plane circled Kraków Airport 27 times before finally diverting–an unofficial record. This was not how I imagined the start of the Revive Europe Conference when I agreed to help organize it. Our team spent two years planning this gathering of thousands of young believers from across the continent, yet we still felt unprepared to handle the haze that greeted us the first day. 

I must confess, at times, I feel as though all of Europe is in a fog. Once a place where church bells rang with certainty, Europe now seems lost in a haze of spiritual confusion. It’s one that muffles sound, obscures vision, and leaves many wandering without clear direction—making it easy to believe this gray uncertainty is all there is.

Yet, after Revive, I am now more convinced than ever that God is not done with Europe. These students didn’t just come with longing; they came with expectation. Throughout the week, hundreds knelt in surrender, responding to the call for repentance, forgiveness, and consecration. Some might dismiss this as youthful idealism or a fleeting emotional response. But this generation is not naive. They have known suffering, loss, and longing, and still, they believe. Their faith is not blind; it is bold.

I saw this depth displayed in my Ukrainian friend Nastya. As we counted down to the New Year, worship resounding around us, she stood with tears in her eyes. A release of soldiers in captivity had just been announced, and her friend’s name was not on the list. She turned to me and whispered, “I had hoped… I really thought he would be free by now.” Like many others, she hadn’t expected the war to last this long. 

So we spent the first moments of 2025 in tears and fervent prayer. And then, as the final “Amen” was spoken, Nastya lifted her hands in worship, singing with the crowd:

“Bless God, for he holds the victory. Bless God, for he’s always with me. Bless God, for he’s always worthy. Every chance I get, I’ll bless your name.”

Like Nastya, the crowd was aware of how deeply broken Europe is. We all felt the weight of the task before us. But we were also aware of the power of the cross. We know the Great Physician, the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace. And we believe that he has a desire to see Europe restored. Therefore, this is not a time to settle for small victories. It’s a time to seek God’s presence, to cry out for revival, and to pray his promises into reality.

We are already seeing glimpses of renewal breaking through. The hunger for God’s Word is growing in Bulgaria, with a surge in Bible distribution over the last few years. In Romania, churches are uniting across denominational lines in unprecedented ways. Ukraine now has the fastest-growing church in all of Europe.

We know that revival is not something we manufacture—it’s something we receive. However, scripture shows that revival begins with us, broken and surrendered, crying out for God to do what only he can do. This is what I saw displayed over New Year’s. 

Perhaps you, too, are in a season of waiting—longing for a breakthrough, clarity, and the fog to lift. Take heart. The same God moving in Europe is moving in your life. 

Will you join us in praying for revival? Let’s cry out together, trusting that the Spirit is at work, lifting the fog and bringing light where there was once only gray.

 

Related Posts

Read Story

Discipleship, Evangelism, Missionary Kids

A Family Matters

How does a young man with no believing relatives come to faith in Christ? “Family on mission” is a phrase you will often hear on the Josiah Venture team. We teach our staff that a missionary call involves all members of their family, children included. Serving together with different gifts reflects the family cooperation we see in the Trinity and the early church. Lauren first met Ondra when he showed up for Fusion practice at her local church in Frydlant, Czech Republic. For over 12 years Lauren has faithfully reached out to High school students through this innovative JV ministry called Fusion, which uses the context of a rock/gospel choir to build community and introduce young people to Christ. Several years ago, the ministry went through a drop in numbers and was primarily attracting girls. Then, Lauren’s son Toby, who had just entered high school, began recruiting his friends. Toby’s confidence and enthusiasm were contagious and soon Fusion was full of energetic boys. Since Ondra was Toby’s best friend, he was one of the first to join. Toby openly shared his faith with his friend, but Ondra was cautious and not particularly interested. However, another influence began to soften his heart. Lauren teaches English part-time at Toby and Ondra’s high school in Frydlant, and was asked to be a part of a team to build student life at the school. One of their activities is a student-led retreat called “Catch It,” where the believing students have an opportunity to share their faith in God with their non-believing friends. In the past there have often been only 20-30 students at this event, but this year over 120 signed up. Ondra heard testimonies from his friends, but, more importantly, he could observe the change that faith in Jesus had made in their lives. His heart began to soften. Toby’s dad, Petr, leads the construction of our Malenovice training center in Czech, and also serves as an elder in the local Frydlant church. The elders encouraged one of the younger leaders to start a Bible study for seekers and invited Ondra. Trust had been built through all the family connections, and Ondra began attending. Since the study was on Sunday morning before church, it was only natural to stay for the service. At this point, Ondra still hadn’t put his faith in Christ. The final step of spiritual rebirth happened at the evangelistic camp JV led with the Frydlant church in July. The night the gospel was shared, Ondra went through the labyrinth, an experiential opportunity for students to respond to the claims of Christ, and, at the end, prayed with a counselor to put his faith in Jesus. Two days later, Ondra gave personal testimony of his repentance and faith in front of the entire church. When I asked Ondra about the impact his best friend had on his life, he responded by exclaiming, “Toby rocks his faith. He really puts it out there. At just 16, he led our discussion group—by himself. He is such an inspiration to me—how 100 percent sure he is. There is nothing that could change his mind.” “Family on mission.” A mom who is leading Fusion and organizing gospel events at their local high school. A dad who is serving as an elder and building the facilities where these outreach events are held. A son who “rocks his faith” and is not afraid to let his friends know. The Holy Spirit used all of these influences to draw a young man to himself. Thanks for making it possible for the Josiah Venture team to be family on Mission. Now you can look forward to meeting Ondra in heaven. Dave Patty President, Josiah Venture

Read Story

Evangelism, Help Ukraine

Longer than WW1

How do you manage a somber milestone? On June 11, 2026, the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine officially surpassed the duration of World War 1. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has now outlasted the Great War, which ended after 1,568 days. For our team of 30 full-time staff serving in Ukraine in the midst of aggression, nightly bombings and the sound of drones overhead have become a daily reality. Yet, most of their attention is focused on a different battle, the fight for the hearts and souls of young people. Vitalii has a special heart for reaching boys whose fathers are absent or conscripted into the military. These vulnerable young men are growing up without a strong male influence in their lives, at a time when they need one the most. Since most boys enjoy activity and challenge, Vitalii teaches men in the church to father groups of boys in Wise Carpenter clubs. They build projects together and learn from Jesus, the great wise carpenter. Despite the pressures of war and the difficulty of travel, Vitalii has launched 45 of these clubs in churches across Ukraine, reaching over 500 boys each week. One of the recent clubs they started was in a Baptist church that was targeted and destroyed in April by a Russian-guided missile. During the explosion, one man was killed, and several were hospitalized. There is no safe place in a war of missiles and drones, even for Wise Carpenter clubs. In June, Vitalii gathered many of the boys for a Wise Carpenter camp featuring creative projects, fun events, and a clear proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many put their faith in Christ and experienced an environment of love and personal care that was medicine to their souls. While the somber war milestone was being passed in June, Vitalii was taking young people past a different milestone, the dividing line from spiritual death to life. Lee and Katie are originally from California, yet they have chosen to remain in Ukraine with their two young children in the midst of war. Many nights are spent sleeping in the basement of their apartment building, which doubles as a bomb shelter. But rather than shrinking back, they are actively expanding the summer camps our JV team leads and will host 43 evangelistic camps in July and August. Each of these camps is in partnership with a local church and will make it possible to share the gospel with nearly 3,000 Ukrainian young people this summer. One battle front seems locked in place, but this battle is pressing forward rapidly into enemy territory, rescuing young lives from the power of sin and darkness. I’m so proud of the faith and courage of our Josiah Venture team. Thanks for making God’s milestones possible through your gifts and prayers. Dave Patty President, Josiah Venture

Read Story

Evangelism, Events, Help Ukraine

Dare

Who holds the future? As Josiah Venture works with local churches to help them reach the next generation, one very effective tool we offer is a program called Fusion. Teenagers love music and the arts, yet schools in our region don’t generally offer choir, drama, band, or other programs you may have participated in when you were young. This creates an opportunity for the church to gather unbelieving young people together into a Fusion community, which is a contemporary rock/gospel choir. In the context of weekly meetings, teens are shepherded toward faith in God, but we also found that large gatherings can strengthen the local outreach. So last month, 20 Fusion choirs from 10 countries joined for a unique festival called Fusiondary, where the choirs perform for each other, grow in their skills, and are challenged with the gospel. Out of the 500 participants, at least half were unbelievers. Several months before the festival, students filled out a survey about their needs and interests. Normally, classic teen issues like relationships and identity come to the top, but this time, the number one concern was the future. Surrounded by uncertainty, this “anxious generation” is fearful as they look ahead. In response to this, our team chose the theme— “Dare.” “Dare to take a step of faith and trust in Jesus.” “Dare to believe there is a God who holds the future.” One of our newest Fusions is in the city of Lviv, Ukraine, a country still in the grip of relentless war with neighboring Russia. For many of the students, traveling to the Czech Republic for Fusiondary was their first time out of the war-torn country. Yura, a 16-year-old, joined Fusion because of his love for music, and became their key drummer. Although he had heard the gospel many times, he was hesitant to give his life to Christ. On Saturday evening, Jenny used an unusual passage for her talk—the story of the nation of Israel dying from poison and needing to look to a snake on a stick to be healed. “Jesus was lifted up in the same way,” Jenny shared, “and we need to ‘dare’ to look to him in faith for healing that we can find nowhere else.” After the message, Timothy, one of the Ukrainian leaders, found Yuri and asked if he wanted to talk. “Why don’t we come to Jesus right now?” he said. “You know he is real, and then you can have a life with God.” Yuri shared that he wanted to wait, but then said, “What if I don’t live until the next camp? Life is not forever. You don’t know what life brings, and you don’t know when your life ends.” That night, Yuri “dared” to put his trust in Jesus. The next Sunday, he was giving testimony to his faith at his local church in Lviv. Many others made the same step of faith and discovered that, “Even if everyone leaves me, God loves me like I am and will never leave.” Thank you for “daring” with us to give this next generation hope for the future. Dave Patty President, Josiah Venture