Stories 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…

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…

This race truly is amazing

Dear Friends, Have you ever seen an amazing race? I did last week, as 111 summer interns finished a cross-country contest to discover who could make it in the least amount of time from Prague to our…

Life-Changing Work

Thanks for praying – let me tell you how God is answering.In February I asked you to join us in prayer for training conferences the JV team would lead for young leaders during the months of February and…

Looking at the Present Through the Lens of the Past

Dear Friends, To be honest, it is hard for me to follow world news these days. The brutality of the ISIS fighters and the devastation being experienced in Ukraine are causing so much human…

Lasting Change

Dear Friends, What brings lasting change? As a New Year begins I’ve been reflecting on change. There is a list of things I want to grow in this year, but I know that my human nature naturally resists…

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…

The Tunnel

Dear Friends, What does a tunnel have in common with Christmas? Radim trusted Christ at a JV English camp in Czech this summer. Last week his mom, Martina, joined him on Sunday morning – her first visit…

Ukraine Then & Now

Josiah Venture missionaries, Ben Williams and Syava Garvas, walked down the hallway of energetic junior highers and into a classroom of 7th and 8th grade Ukrainians ready to learn some English. Okay,…

A Rescue Mission

Dear Friends, On platform #1 of the Prague main train station stands a bronze statue of a short man with two small children. I get choked up every time I see it. In 1939, shortly after Hitler annexed…

U-Turn: Vahur’s Story

In Estonia’s atheistic culture, Vahur Kobin grew up what he describes as a good Christian boy influenced by his mother and grandmother’s faith. When he rebelled and turned to partying, drugs,…

Estonia: Then and Now

100 young leaders. The phrase was on Dave Cupery’s heart and mind as he and his wife, Jen, started thinking about moving to Estonia. It was 1998 at the time and clearly God had placed the specific vision…

Not At The End

Dear Friends, Gabe looked to his left, and then surprised us all with his comment. “Next time I expect I will be standing in the middle and not on the end.” As you probably know, this year marks the…

Re-Jesus: JV’s Fall Training Conference

“Whoever claims to abide in him must walk as Jesus walked.” – 1 John 2:6It’s nothing new. As a movement, Josiah Venture has always been about Jesus. But this week, we are going back to the basics.As…

A Chance to Serve: Stojce’s Story

Stocje Nikolov grew up looking for love and happiness in the wrong places. After an attempted suicide during his mid-teens, Stojce was given a second chance at life. God led him from Macedonia to…

Serbia Then & Now

“I’ll tell you who I think God is,” Ljubisa, a young man in his late teens, said as he and missionary, Steve Brown discussed the evening program at an English camp in Serbia last summer.“Our village has…

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…

Next Gen Leaders: Edgars’ Story

Edgars Deksnis comes from a Baptist family in Latvia. When he fully committed his life to following Christ at the age of 20, God began giving Edgars leadership opportunities at church and youth group.…

Latvia Then & Now

He is only 17. With a cowlick and great sense of humor, Valters seems like your average teenager living in the small town of Priekule, Latvia. He’s been a Christian for a few years now, has “Jesus always…

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,…

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…

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…