October 8th, 2019 by Kim
We have changed our form of communication to quarterly e-mail updates. This website is no longer current. If you would like to receive these e-mail updates, please e-mail us at zshepperson@josiahventure.com. I’ll be happy to add you to our mailing list. Thank you for your interest in what God is doing in Slovakia!
February 29th, 2016 by Zac
Kim keeps having an encouraging response to her blog “Napokon Krasne” (After all Beautiful). Most recently she hosted a group of her authors, editors and translators for a staff meeting. Their goal was to plan ahead for the next few months of direction, themes and articles. She has a very capable and active group of team players.
Remember to pray for Kim and her team as they diligently chooses articles that will touch the hearts of their Slovak readers.
February 29th, 2016 by Zac
Our local church keeps moving
forward at a steady pace. Different people come and go but our numbers stay about the same. Next month we will send out our first missionary to Thailand. So we are excited at this sign of growth and maturity.
Small churches like ours are being birthed at a growing rate across Slovakia. Although most religious people are still involved in the traditional church, many are being attracted to forms of church that are more relational and non traditional.
Please pray for our church, that we can be the kind of light God intends for us to be in this city.
February 29th, 2016 by Zac
This is not an easy topic to speak publicly about. But every person these days is being affected by the wave of pornography that has swept over our world in the last 20 years.
I believe every parent should assume that by the age of 6, their child (especially boys) has been exposed to pornography. Our “good” missionary kids are no exception. We have already had pornography related issues with each of our children. Because inappropriate sexual images are everywhere – magazines, TV, movies, google images, websites, advertisements, video games, Facebook to name a few. So we have adopted a kind of “under siege” posture in our family as we face the overwhelming presence of pornography in our society.
Beyond the normal healthy relationship kind of practices, here are some of our attempts at pornography prevention and protection. Read the rest of this entry »
February 25th, 2016 by Zac
It all starts with the tree!!
Hampton’s class preformed a Christmas special at his school.
Complete with a flute ensemble.
Church family Christmas celebration together.
February 25th, 2016 by Zac
Soccer balls, picture frames and ginger bread cookies. It looks like a Pinterest list. But it’s actually the list of gifts we chose to give to our gypsy club members this Christmas.
Our club team of 10 gathered together on a cold December 22 to make preparations. We had also decided to have a cookout with hotdogs, pickles, bread and cookies. So we set up the grill and a table and went to work. Read the rest of this entry »
February 25th, 2016 by Zac
We’ve lived in our new neighborhood for a year and a half now. Although we have made some progress in meeting our neighbors and becoming friends, I’m sure we have not reached the standard of loving our neighbors the way that Christ intended.
But one day recently, we had a unique chance to move in that direction. One cool autumn day, our neighbor had started building a retaining wall around part of his property. We don’t know the neighbor that well, but we imagined that he might need some help. So, we offered to lend a hand.
Early Saturday morning, I found my work gloves Read the rest of this entry »
February 24th, 2016 by Zac
It’s one of the inspiring things about EXIT tour. You never know who God has prepared to receive the truth of the gospel. Every tour is different. And there is usually someone God has waiting. If you are not acquainted with what EXIT is, it is a very special outreach project, where we visit public schools in Slovakia.
This time, it was Alexandra. And to our surprise, she wasn’t a student, but a teacher! Usually teachers are not even in the classroom during the EXIT lectures. But as we taught the “Divorce prevention” or “Healthy family” lecture, Alexandra was on the front row, among 50 High School students. During the lecture we talk about how we all have a dream of a happy marriage and family. But the path to it is not easy. It doesn’t happen automatically. And there are many ways you can destroy your dream even before you get close.
When the lecture was over she approached and began to thank us for the lecture and explain why it was meaningful for her. She basically said, Read the rest of this entry »
October 30th, 2015 by Kim
Fall is always a busy time for us and this year is no exception. In addition to school starting and getting back into the swing of things, I’m organizing after school activities and schedules. Our national organization (TCKompas) is also starting the new school year and doing the very same (as our family).
Some of the highlights of the past 6 weeks include:
Welcoming Hudson and Kari Jones (back) to Slovakia! The morning they arrived to Slovakia from Arkansas, Zac came down with a terrible stomach virus! I was able to make the 3 hr trip to Vienna and be their welcoming committee. We are so excited to have them here. Although they didn’t stay with us that weekend as we planned (because of Zac’s illness), they did return and stay with us the following weekend for the Fall staff meeting.
During the staff meeting I was able to host our growing staff (35+) in our home for a meal. Honestly, when I said “yes” to having them, I didn’t think about the details. Details like, I don’t have enough plates or silverware, or what if it rains, there isn’t enough room for everyone to be inside. Read the rest of this entry »
October 26th, 2015 by Zac
22 students from 5 different denominations. That’s our count for this session of our school for youth leaders here at Training Center Kompas. It’s one of the largest classes we ever had in our school. These are youth leaders from all over Slovakia who need help working with youth in their local churches. We will teach them practical youth ministry skills, systematic theology, Bible study methods, Christ’s ministry strategy and more.
My role (Zac) is to lecture in Systematic Theology and in a new course called History of Israel. Plus each school staff member has one or two students to mentor throughout the year. Read the rest of this entry »
