At the same time, I have to be honest and say that our debt free status may not last long. In the last year, we have only added one new monthly partner to our support family, from the ten partners (we have mentioned so often) we need to shore up our financial needs. Also, in this condition, we have NOT been able to add back  the $500 salary reduction that we imposed on ourselves last year.

So, please pray for us in this situation. We  really need God to bring those additional 9 monthly partners to us soon.

Dinner together usually follows, prepared with love by my wonderful wife. Then me and Jay find a quiet room for focused time in God’s Word and for prayer.

For some months, Jay has been coming closer and closer to our family and to God. He also is enrolled in our school for youth leaders at Kompas. So, there is always lots to talk about – from theology to Bible study to relationships to ministry.

At present, he is working in his father’s business and is asking God to show him the next steps for his life. He wants to finish his college education and serve God wherever he leads.

It is obvious that God has His hand on Jay and that he has great plans for using him here in Slovakia.

Please pray that Jay will keep growing in God’s wisdom and grace in the days ahead.

We can’t control timing of when needs come, and God does say that “we have not because we ask not”.  So, I’m writing about some of our urgent needs:

dishwasher- Our dishwasher has been broken for about 3 months now. It needs a new electronic panel (for 375$). We’ve been hand-washing (not unusual, but tiresome) and would be very thankful if we could get ours repaired or buy a new one (which ever is cheaper)

computers - Zac’s computer has been broken since our last return from the States. It needs a new motherboard. The home computer is out of date and doesn’t have sufficient memory to run the educational programs we have. The good news is my computer is working perfectly, so we are able to work, but there isn’t enough time during the day to share it between so many uses. We need to at least purchase 1 new computer, probably for the home (desk top), so Zac can fully take over mine. This will be a big investment of probably around $1200 (or less if we can find a good used one).

If you are willing to help us with either of these special items, we are creating a special funds account with JV to cover these items. Or, if you have a newer computer you would like to give to our ministry we would be thrilled to work out a way of getting it here.

So here is our family’s Christmas story. I was hesitant to share it until now. I pray I can communicate it correctly.

Because of the financial situation we are in,  I sat down to think and plan for Christmas and made out a very modest budget for our family. Because things are so much cheaper in the States and because online shopping is so much easier than shopping here, I decided it would be best to order all our gifts from the US and have them mailed here.

It was fun to shop online, and even more fun to take advantage of the incredible deals offered at Thanksgiving. I let the kids buy gifts for each other online as well. I was so happy with the products and prices, and it confirmed to me this was the right thing to do.

By December 4th, my mom had received all the packages, unpacked everything, then repacked it for overseas mailing. On December 5th she mailed the first box, express mail (7-9 days) to Slovakia. December 7th she mailed the second box (2 smaller boxes were more economical than 1 large). From that day we began praying for these boxes. Everyday we prayed for them to get here safely, without taxes or trouble. Sometimes the kids would ask, “what if they don’t come” and I would reply in confidence, “don’t think that way, let’s believe God will do this”.

I was determined, as the days drew closer, I would make no back-up plan. To me a back-up plan didn’t show faith. We continued to pray, with confidence.

On December 23 (the last day for mail delivery ) when the package didn’t arrive, I was more devastated than the kids. I prayed and prayed, asking God to give me wisdom and understand for myself, so I could explain it to the kids.

We had a family meeting that evening and all agreed that God could have gotten this box to us on time. Next we asked ourselves why do we think He did it this way. Emili (our oldest) spoke immediately and said, “probably He wanted us to focus more on Jesus and not getting gifts for ourselves”.

Tearfully, I agreed with her and it didn’t take long for the others to agree as well. So from that moment, we decided to forget about the boxes (which we figured probably had gone to someone who needed them more than us) and focus more on Jesus. We had a beautiful Christmas, celebrating through our advent traditions, visiting with friends and lots of food It was perfect. We really could not have ask for a more meaningful time.

I avoided posting about the boxes not arriving. I didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for us or even worse, give money to buy last minute gifts. I just felt God wanted me to be quiet on this. The kids were not fully without gifts. Special friends here gave them wonderful gifts that they loved. And there was 1 big gift in hand that was given to us back in the summer, but we had waited to give it until Christmas – a Nintendo Wii!!! So, this was way more than enough.

And then one day, around the 30th of December, as we were leaving for Poland to celebrate New Year’s with our close friends, guess what? The package came! Yep it sure did. We opened it with joy and were thrilled with each gift. But I’m sure the timing wasn’t a mistake. Our hope is that our perspective was changed for ever – to focus on the real meaning of Christmas.

We have tried to be proactive in reducing our monthly salary by $500 per month, and this has certainly helped. But we still have to find additional supporters to replace our losses. So, we are asking God to provide us with 10 new supporters at $50 per month (or 20 at $25). This would bring us back up to sufficient support. However, we also have to repay the $5000 debt we have accumulated over these past months. (And just in case you are wondering, this debt has accumulated from our normal, fixed, monthly salary expenditures. We have not been overspending or buying anything new. It’s simply a matter of a financial support shortfall.)

If God would lead you to begin partnering with us monthly or to help in our situation any any way we would be very grateful. All gifts are tax deductible when given through Josiah Venture, which offers the following options for how to give.

* Mail your monthly check (our name attached on a note) to Josiah Venture at:
P.O. Box 4317
Wheaton, IL 60189-4317

* Create a monthly electronic bank transfer by clicking here and following the instructions.

* Use your credit card to give, by clicking the same link above.

We are grateful for you who faithfully stand behind us here in Slovakia and who have a global view of the kingdom of God.

If you have any questions, please e-mail us (zshepperson@josiahventure.com) or simply pick up the phone and call us at our US number -  864-335-9388.

This has been me so many times, I honestly can not tell you how often we have been the recipient of these generous “bringers of imports”- countless.  However, I am reminded of them (and thus never to forget them) on a daily basis. Whether it is while I am doing school with Emili (school books), or cooking with brown sugar, eating pancakes with syrup, or peanut butter, listening to Emili practice her piano or eating the last hot tamale, I am reminded and I am thankful. I understand that I would be without all these wonderful things if they had said “no”,  because shipping is way too expensive.  It’s funny the kinds of things (big and small) that bless you when you are away from them for so long, huh?

So this is for all of you who have sacrificed (and only packed 1 set of clothes for yourselves) to allow more room in your bags for things for our family. The Lord brings you to my mind almost daily, and I am overwhelmed with thankfulness. Bless you!

Nevertheless it’s that time now. The dreaded task of going to the basement to find the winter clothes boxes (x4), have everyone try on all the winter clothes, sort out the misfits and pack the summer ones back up. It’s at least a days work (that I have been putting off all week). But it seems I can’t put it off any longer, the kids must wear warmer clothes to school now!

Speaking of school, we’re off to a great start this year! With now a first, fourth and sixth grader, school and school activities take up the largest part of our day.

Sam LOVES his first grade class. He is going to school with Gwyneth now (although he rarely sees her there). That means Gwyneth, being the eldest (on most days) at school loves the responsibility of taking care of little brother, getting him from class and bringing him home.

Emili continues her homeschooling now as a sixth grader. Just last night, as we were listening to her read aloud from one of her books, we were commenting on what an incredible reader she is, agreeing that neither Zac or I were quite that kind of reader in the 6th grade. We’re so proud of her!

For a bit more interaction with kids her age, she goes to school on Tuesday & Thursday for a Biology class. Interestingly, it’s the same class of students she attended 1-4 grades with. The students have welcomed her back excitedly. It was fun to watch that reunion! Also, I know the teacher of this class, and she is a loving, kind woman with similar beliefs and values it seems. What a blessing!

I’m still teaching at the school 4 days a week and even in Sam’s and Gwyneth’s classes! It gets busy around here in the afternoons with sports, music, homework and supper preparations-I’m certain no different than yours. We’ve learned flexibility (even Hampton, since he has to have his nap in the car 2x week!) and grace (like yesterday when I forgot Sam’s sports bag, so he missed his sports class) Everyone is happy (for the most part) so we keep going

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A new year in our training school for youth leaders has started! This is our largest school ever. Here are the statistics.

* 21 students (We were asking God for 20 students in connection with our 2×3 vision)
* 15 mentors and teachers

* 13 girl students, 8 boys
* 14 local churches represented
* 14 cites in Slovakia represented

Will you pray with us that this year’s students will infuse significant energy into the movement of God among the youth of Slovakia?

The baton represented the process inherent in Christ’s mandate for us to “go and make disciples”. It’s a process of reproducing ourselves (as reflections of Christ) in another person, who can in turn do the same.

But the “forces” are against us. In some of our small group time, many excuses surfaced. “I don’t have time, I like to be alone, I’m naturally shy, I can’t see anyone to disciple, I have never been discipled myself, I don’t know enough”. But as the week progressed the mission was clear. We must not let the baton drop! We can’t let excuses stop us!

Throughout the week, we studied the scripture, we worshiped, we prayed, we battled our weaknesses, we shared our experiences. And then we went our separate ways… with our batons in hand.

Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Albania, Latvia, Ukraine, Estonia & Romania.