The only constant in life is change. This quote was true more than ever in my life this year. Let me look back on what God was doing through my ministry and in my personal life. Thank you for your support, you're making this a reality!
Winter academy/Spring conference
In the beginning of the year with a lot of travel restrictions in place, we were forced to move a lot of our in-person training online. It was definitely a challenge for me since there were hours of teaching that required hours and hours of editing - all of which I had to do while being isolated from my team and staying in Slovakia for health reasons. God has used this time to teach me patience and perseverance, renewing my understanding that the materials I'm working on will bless many of our missionaries who then in turn are better equipped for the ministry they do in 16 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. I understand that this is the core of what I do - fueling God's movement from a position that not many see - but He does.
Summer ministry
After not being able to travel anywhere in 2020 it was amazing to get to go visit camps in Slovakia, Poland and Latvia this year. In the summer we usually gather a lot of photos, videos and stories documenting the ministry when it's most 'alive' - and this year it really felt like it. Even when a lot of our US short-term teams or interns couldn't come due to travel restrictions we saw God move here. The local teams and youth leaders had to step up into roles usually done by the American teams. While definitely challenging, we heard a lot of stories of how follow-up after camps is even more successful, because the new students are even better connected to local church leaders and the transition is very natural.
I've had some great talks with Emils, 21 year old missionary in Latvia, while walking around Riga (there was still sun at 11PM!) and was inspired by his drive and passion for Fusion ministry he's leading (reaching young people through music). Watch this short video we made with him talking about how Jesus changed his life and how he wants to share Him with everyone around.
Youth Ministry Recharge
Last year when we came up with a 'backup' solution to our annual Fall conference, with it being online, we didn't know that God had even bigger plans than we expected. Instead of meeting in person, we created an online event experience where youth leaders would meet in their cities all over Europe in groups of 10-50. The feedback we got after was amazing - not only with the relevance of the teaching but with everyone being together with their small teams the practical application was very easy to grasp and process together the next steps. This year for volume II. we kept to the same formula, but my team's role was even more significant - with a custom website, videos and design. When it all came together we saw the hard work was worth it. Instead of around 500 people who'd meet in person (pre-covid) we had 1200+ young leaders go through the training this year, inspiring and equipping them for the next school year of youth work.
If you want to experience the event yourself you can take a peek here. Talk to me if you're leading a youth ministry and might be interested in actually running this event yourself, maybe we can figure something out. The password for the event is: ymr2021
Josiah Venture Podcast
Have you heard the JV podcast yet? We released 19 episodes at this point and I love that I get to be a part of it - editing audio (as pictured :). This podcast is all about sharing life-changing stories from on-the-ground missionaries, and the local people they work with, to inspire and fuel the movement of God in Central and Eastern Europe.
Have you ever wanted to hear a more detailed account of what it's like to be a summer intern or come on a short-term team? Have you ever wondered what it's like for moms on the mission field or how much courage it takes to come as a single missionary to another country? Would you like to hear more stories of Jesus changing lives, or how the prayer room has come to be a vital part of our ministry? Links to all your favorite podcast channels can be found here.
Personal life update
The quote I started this update with was about constant change. That was true in my ministry - always having to adapt to new circumstances/projects but also in my personal life. Some of you know I've been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis a few years back, but these last 2 years it got even more severe. The treatment I was getting wasn't working anymore, my symptoms worsening and my immune system was basically shut down (which is not great during a pandemic). That meant even more isolation this year and doubts about how long I can keep going like that. During that time I was staying in Slovakia with my family.
One day I got a phone call from David, my long-time roommate in Czech - saying he's okay but there was an explosion in our apartment building last night. 3 floors under us there was apparently a meth lab, that exploded at 3 am. I wasn't there, but the chaotic scene he described over the phone was very hard to hear. Once they deemed the building stable enough to walk in a week later, we were able to move our stuff out. So I didn't suffer any material loss, but you can pray for David. He owns the apartment, but even now, months later he doesn't know if it will be ever livable again or if he will get any of his investment back. Here is a news article (in Czech).
I know this sounds pretty bad. I'm not gonna pretend these were easy times. But through it all, I can see God's mercy and that narrow road that leads me closer to Him. In March after many doctors, tests and insurance requests I got approved to start a new treatment called biologic therapy. Now I go to a hospital every 2 months to get it through IV - and it's been great! After a few doses, it started working and now I can gratefully say that I've been symptom-free for 6 months! Being vaccinated and my immune system recovering I can be with people more. Praise God. I had to move two more times, but right now I live in a great apartment that I can afford (longer story but is a miracle too). God cares. However it feels like at the moment, He cares.
