Articles listing

Helplessness Plus Faith

Dear Friends, In my note to you last month I shared a challenge to bring impossible prayer requests to the Lord this year.  In the light of this, I want to add another crucial thought about prayer. “Prayer…

Asking for the Impossible

Dear Friends, What are you praying for in 2016? Is there anything on your list that is impossible? My parents got me hooked on missionary biographies sometime in junior high when I was sick with a nasty…

Mission at Christmas

Christmas always causes me to reflect again on missions.As someone who has moved to another culture and learned a foreign language, I am absolutely amazed at the cross cultural implications of the incarnation.…

It Can Change Their Life

Dear Friends, It can change their life. Last summer over 100 college student spent three months serving with JV, learning to reach the lost, make disciples, and share the gospel in a cross cultural…

Young and Planting a Church

Could a small group of young people start a church?When the totalitarian government was toppled in Albania in 1989 there was not a single church in the entire country. In fact, only a handful of believers…

Changed Dreams: Syava’s Story

Syava Garvas, a Ukrainian from Lviv, thought he had his life planned out. At 16 years old, he wanted to finish high school, attend university, and get a job that would make him rich. In a country known…

Re-Jesus: Now That the Conference is Over

I leaned in against the table in a room set up to be a “World Café” at Josiah Venture’s Malenovice training center, as I listened to my new friend Iveta tell me about her conference experience. “When…

Re-Jesus: Pavel’s Story

I’ve always been glad that Jesus told stories to illustrate his teaching. When he talks about seeds or birds, missing coins or lost sons, it makes more sense, even today, than if he’d used complicated…

Kids that are Making a Real Difference

Dear Friends, I can still remember the anguished wails of our son Caleb the first day we dropped him off for preschool as a four-year-old. It wasn’t just being away from Mom and Dad that overloaded his…

God Waited for Me: Mana’s Story

Mana Selan had never heard about God before attending an English club when she was 14. It took seven years after that for her to finally accept that Jesus died for her. Now she is sharing that news with…

Faithful Discipleship: Maruška’s Story

Maruška Kožlejová learned about Christ at a young age and became involved in ministry in her church youth group when she was only 17. She is a part of the Josiah Venture leadership team in Slovakia…

“I Am Third” book release

Today we are releasing a book called I Am Third that was written by Josiah Venture third culture kids. This book is a compilation of their stories, written in their own words. It was not merely an educational…

Slovakia Then & Now

“Is it really that easy?!” An eager highschooler named Mato leaned into the conversation he was having with Peter Hrubo, a national JV missionary in Slovakia. “All I have to do is confess my sins and…

A Historic Day

Dear Friends,  July 12, 2014 is a historic day for Josiah Venture. Twenty years ago my wife and I were serving in a small church in the Czech Republic. There were just five in the youth group,…

A Passion for Ministry: Lukasz’s Story

When Lukasz Kropisz first heard about God in a protestant church as a twelve year old, he had no idea God would give him a passion for junior high students or lead him into full-time ministry.…

It’s a Relationship: Katka's Story

In 1995 Katka Vlnova was one of many young Czechs who came to an English Camp put on by Josiah Venture. Today, she serves on the Bteam, walking alongside nationals throughout JV and directing conferences…

20 Years, Same Mission

“A movement of God among the youth of Eastern Europe that finds its home in the local church and transforms society.” With those words, penned in 1992 by my husband, Dave Patty, the vision for Josiah…

Family On Mission

Dear Friends, On May 31st I was both the pastor… and dad. My son Caleb stood beside me as we both watched Haley walk down the aisle in Fort Collins, Colorado. She was stunning in her flowing white dress,…

Pray for Ukraine

Dear Friends, Josiah Venture staff serve in 13 countries, but right now the one that I think about every day is Ukraine. Sometimes I feel like we are back at the start of World War II, when Hitler annexed…

I Will Follow You

When the boat is tossed upon the wavesWhen I wonder if You’ll keep me safeEven in the storms, I’ll follow YouEven in the storms, I’ll follow You” – Jon Guerra “I will follow you” I have listened to this…

Fruitful Soil

Dear Friends, “What strikes you most about the United States after living in Eastern Europe for 20 years?” A friend asked me this question yesterday as my wife, Connie, and I shared the vision of Josiah…

Lessons from Maiden Square

Dear Friends, As I write this in early March, Ukraine has been at the forefront of my thoughts and prayers for many days now. This rapidly changing crisis is the most significant geopolitical event in…

None of the Above

Dear Friends, Think back to your experience in high school. You may remember more about your extracurricular activities and friendships than the specific content of your classes. Perhaps you were involved…

Fighting for a Lasting Revolution

Dear Friends, As I write today, the first day of 2014, Ukrainian protesters are again filling the streets of Kiev, continuing their call for an end to corruption in government and responding to the latest…

Living Above the Noise

Dear Friends, I just experienced my first “Black Friday.” Every fall for the past 20 years, I have celebrated Thanksgiving with the JV team in Central and Eastern Europe. This year my wife and I happened…

20 Years of Eternal Fruit

Dear Friends, This month is a historic one for Josiah Venture. In November of 1993, twenty years ago this month, the first two Josiah Venture couples moved to the countries of the Czech Republic and…

Supporting our youngest missionaries

Dear Friends, This month they head back to school. Just like young people in your town, right? Well, not exactly. The children of the missionaries you support have the special challenge, and privilege,…