August 24, 2021

Beyond Hope

What do you do when you lose the thing you’ve been putting your hope in? For so many of us, the events of this past year and a half have forced us to answer that question. Normal activities were cancelled, school was moved online, people were separated from family, and friends, jobs, and businesses were lost; every day there were stories of more sickness and death. In the face of so much loss, it was easy to feel that things were beyond hope.

When Fusion stopped being able to meet, Emi suddenly found herself alone with a lot of time to think. She started developing anxiety that she was too broken and that her past history of toxic friendships, combined with the distance of quarantine, would be too much for her new friendships from Fusion to endure. As a result, she started withdrawing further into herself. She tried making art and music on her own, escaping into books or tv shows, or just sleeping the day away; unfortunately, her anxiety only grew worse. It got so bad that she could barely function, and she began to feel like she would never be able to fix herself. She felt like she was beyond hope.

The theme of summer camp this year was “Beyond.” Throughout the week, campers heard talks about how Jesus is beyond our fears, failures, doubts, and dreams. This theme (as well as restrictions, fewer leaders, limited time, etc.) inspired our Fusion team to think “beyond” what our normal end of the week concert could look like. We came up with the idea for a creative dance/pantomime drama set to music that would tell the story of some of the feelings teenagers faced during the pandemic—including how to move forward in a positive way.

We settled on the theme of Hope, who was also the main character in our drama. On her journey, Hope encountered other characters like Loneliness, Anger, and Depression—responses we can all have when we lose the thing we’ve been putting our hope in. At first, Hope was reluctant to help because she feared that if she shared her hope (symbolized by a white flower), she will have nothing left. But, when she finally did share her hope, she discovered that she still had hope within her. The hope she shared with one person soon spread throughout the entire stage until everyone was dancing together.

Emi was so excited when she heard the idea for our drama at camp! You see, Emi’s story didn’t end with hopelessness. In fact, she told me at camp that the theme of hope had been so important for her over the past few months.

Earlier this year, Emi realized she couldn’t overcome her anxiety on her own, so she reached out for help. In our weekly meetings, that started out as English/Polish language practice, she started opening up to me about her struggles and her fears. I encouraged her to invite God into those fears through prayer. She reached out to other people who were close to her. She started a regular practice of reading her Bible, praying, and talking about what she was learning. Slowly, she started seeing God clearly answering her prayers for deep, strong friendships. Her faith has been growing ever since. Though she still struggles with anxiety, she knows it doesn’t have control over her life, because she sees now that God is in control.

On her own, Emi felt hopeless. But, when others shared their hope with her—the hope we have in Jesus that is not dependent on circumstances or our own goodness or abilities—her life changed for the better. And now she’s able to share that hope with others.

What if “beyond hope” can have a double meaning? Instead of hopelessness, it’s a hope beyond how things appear. Our hope is in a God whose love and faithfulness is beyond measure and who will one day take all of the darkness and brokenness we see in this world and redeem it into something more beautiful than we can imagine. And it’s our task to share in God’s redemptive work—sharing that hope with a hurting world.

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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.

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The Unseen War

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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.