November 29th, 2011 by Zac

One of the next steps toward returning to Slovakia is finding a new place to live. We are grateful we are not living on the street, but finding a new house to rent is a pressing priority.

We moved out of our previous house (pictured right)  for a couple of reasons. We preferred to not have to pay rent for 6 months while we were in the States. This alone is a huge financial savings for us. But also, the previous house had some mold problems that we believed were contributing to some chronic sickness with our boys.

We were thankful for the 4 years we had in this house. Our landlord was very gracious and helpful during our time there. And it was privilege to get to know her and her family through those years.

I (Zac) will travel back to Slovakia early (December 5-17) to look for a new house. I also will attend a special council meeting in Vienna focused on raising up healthy, reproducing churches across Slovakia.

God has always met our need in housing and we believe he has already prepared the prefect place for now. All of our possessions are now in storage. So, this means we will be moving in the first weeks of January – which is the coldest weather of year. (moving could look like the picture to the right!).

Please keep this whole process in your prayers as we search for God’s chosen location and make a winter house move.

November 29th, 2011 by Zac

Although we are not in Slovakia, we have recently heard great news from various ministry projects.

Summer Camps – The final totals are in from the summer camp ministries. 9 camps in different cities.

From 500 students, 59 put their faith in Christ! This is the highest number of believers ever seen in summer camp ministry!
American music band tour – The focus of this outreach was 2 cities in Slovakia. Over 2700 students were presented with the gospel and offered a copy of the Bible. At least 150 of these

expressed an interest in knowing more about Christ through follow-up.

These are astounding numbers! More than we have ever seen before. And we believe that it represents a change in the

spiritual atmosphere in Slovakia.

Please help us pray for further fruitfulness in these particular ministries.

November 29th, 2011 by Kim

Even Gwyneth said it just last week, “Mom, it seems like we just got here”. It’s true, it does seems like we just arrived in the US, although it has been almost 6 months! Time has moved so quickly. We have kept incredibly busy traveling from Houston, Texas to Boone, North Carolina. and every where in between!

Although tired of the actually traveling in a car, the kids have done exceptionally well (or so it seems at this point). They have endured Sunday after Sunday in a different church and actually enjoyed all the new places.

When asked, it is hard to name just one favorite place.  But the top of the list includes: 4 wheeler ride in Boone, NC ; homeschool co-ops in Greenville, SC (I know! Who would have thought it); garage saleing in SC; cabin with the Potts family; Halloween in Houston, TX; GA Aquarium in Atlanta; summer church camp in Arkansas (was that really THIS summer?);  23 mile bicycle ride in Atlanta, GA (maybe not top on the list, but definitely memorable);  baseball games, zip-line at Camp Highland, GA; Fishing and jet skiing in Columbia, SC; walking tour of Charleston, SC; inner tubing birthday parties, weddings of dear friends; playing in the ocean, swimming all day, everyday in Tampa, FL;  youth retreats and  father/son camp out in SC; deer hunting and Razorback football!

Not on the list would be: long car rides, home-schooling, leaving fun places and friends, so many new churches and  saying goodbye.

We are thankful that the list of good things is much longer than the list of bad! Now, with only 4 weeks left, we look forward to the final things God has in store for us here in the US. However, packing and saying good-bye, are not on that list!

This time has been incredibly busy and yet rich in friendships and opportunities to share about the work God is doing in Slovakia. We look forward to returning, settling into a new home and not traveling! Just living and breathing!

November 29th, 2011 by Zac

After our second full month of focused fundraising, we are both challenged and hopeful. Our current standing is at 40% of our total need. We still need quite a few new financial partners to join our team in order to meet our goal. 

Some have asked, “why do you need to raise so much money? Have you suddenly lost so much support”? This is a good question. And the answer is pretty simple. We have NOT lost an abnormal amount of support. The reason is this. Apart from the normal needs of a growing family and the weak US dollar, the core reason is that we have simply been living for some time at a low support level. Our desire has been to live within the monthly support that God has provided over the years. And we have managed to survive with this approach for some years.

But now at our 10 year anniversary in Slovakia, it’s time to prepare for the next “stretch” of ministry. Part of that good preparation is to reach the proper and healthy financial position required by Josiah Venture (our governing organization). JV sets our budget figures as well as our monthly salary. So, our goal is to reach this required financial position.

Over the last two months we have presented our ministry and needs to a large number of people in numerous states and contexts. Many have responded with open hands and hearts and many are still prayerfully considering the decision.

Our focus in these final two months will be in ElDorado, Arkansas and surrounding cities. And although the balance of our need is a challenging amount, we believe that God is able to provide what is needed. He always has been faithful!

If you have an interest in becoming a financial partner with us, please contact us at zshepperson@josiahventure.com or call us at 501-613-2185