November 3rd, 2014 by Zac

Kim is back in the USA again this Fall.

She is doing the same routine as last year – blogging conference in South Carolina, Josiah Venture recruiting at various colleges in several states, and visiting our home churches in ElDorado, Arkansas. Her last week there is November 4-9.

She has been quite busy for the last months, planning all the meetings, travel itineraries, personal connections, college visits and fund raising events. 

She also has two Slovak girls from our Kompas ministry staff traveling with her. They are faithful girls who need additional financial support.

And the surprise is that Kim’s mom will fly back to Slovakia with her! It’s the first time either of our parents have visited us here. So we are excited that she will be able to experience our life here. She will stay for about one month.

November 3rd, 2014 by Zac

This year, Josiah Venture celebrated it’s 1000th summer camp, reaching out to young people in this region of the world with the Gospel!

We’re super excited that over 55,000 teenagers have heard about Jesus during the past 20 years of our camps.

Click HERE and watch a short video that captures the heart of summer camps.

November 3rd, 2014 by Zac

I could barely believe my eyes! In the concert, my daughter Gwyneth was playing the keyboard and my son Sam was playing the bass guitar. Neither of them had ever played those instruments before. It was an amazing evening, with around 50 High School students singing and performing before a packed audience of parents. This is outcome of the new Fusion ministry here at Training Center Kompas.

We believe music can serve as a new highway for us to communicate the message of hope in Christ to a young generation in Slovakia. Here are the opportunities you have at Fusion camp:

* Learn how to play an instrument       * Learn lots of new songs

* Learn how to dance                         * Learn to be a sound technician

* Learn how to direct a choir               * Learn to be a lights technician

* Sing in the choir                              * Play in the band

* Perform in a dance team                  * Learn to be a multimedia technician

* Meet people who love you                * Hear about the good things God has

and accept you the way you are             waiting for you

Another unique aspect of Fusion is the Fusion club, which starts in the local church after camp and lasts ALL YEAR LONG!

Over the last 2 years, Fusion has been started in 3 local churches across Slovakia. More are scheduled to start soon!

November 3rd, 2014 by Zac

In November of 1993, the first two Josiah Venture couples moved to the countries of the Czech Republic and Poland. Because of the significance of this milestone, we’ve set aside time to celebrate God’s goodness as we mark the 20th year anniversary of the founding of Josiah Venture.

There is much to thank God for! From our small beginnings in 1993, Josiah Venture has grown to include 230 full time staff serving in 13 countries of Central and Eastern Europe with support organizations in both the US and Canada.

After 20 years in the trenches, we are still pressing hard toward the same vision: A movement of God among the youth of Central and Eastern Europe that finds its home in the local church and transforms society.

Please click HERE to watch a short 20th Anniversary Video

November 3rd, 2014 by Zac

In our last update, I told part of the story about the miracle of our new house. But it wasn’t the whole story. It’s a little long, but worth retelling the miracle!

In April, our old house owner had told us that he would like to sell the house we were renting and we needed to be vacated by the end of June. We were really disappointed, because moving is such a life disruption and it was also in the middle of summer. But we accepted it as God’s movement and began packing and looking, as well, for a new rental house.

But by the middle of June, we had only found one place we felt was suitable. It was a row house (the kind that are connected to other houses on each side). So, because it was getting so close to our moving date, we decided to take the row house, even though didn’t seem ideal. On a Friday, we contacted the realtor and agreed to take the house. But something didn’t feel right about it. We prayed that if it was not God’s plan, that he was stop the process somehow. I felt weird praying a prayer like that, since we had already made the decision. But our time had seemingly run out. Read the rest of this entry »

November 3rd, 2014 by Zac

Dad (far left) as a young man

My Dad turned 90 this past August. So, I traveled back to Arkansas (alone) to bring attention to this amazing man whose shadow I have grown up under for almost 50 years. As I reflect on this occasion, I realize how much I still don’t know about my dad. He is a multifaceted man with seemingly limitless experiences and stories that span 90 years. (click here to listen to my Dad sing a favorite song from his childhood)

However, there is one thing that I know for sure. He has influenced my life like no one else! Dad’s have that special place in the lives of sons. 

As I was flying home for the celebration, and idea crossed my mind. What if I tried to write down 90 things that I learned from my Dad. I wasn’t sure how it would go, but I got our my phone and started jotting down the first thoughts that came to my mind. After the first 20, I thought this would never work. Ideas were coming too slowly. But each time I returned to the task, there seemed to be a new burst of inspiration and a new category of influence to mine. So, soon I had 40, then 60 then 90. I’m confident I could have kept going, but 90 was sufficient to make  me realize that Dad had made a more significant mark on my life than any other.

I’m not expecting that everyone will read my whole list. But it does stand as a tribute to the fabric of who I am.

I love you Dad!

1.  For working at marriage and not giving up
2.  For loving mom
3.  Choosing to stay in our small town (ElDorado) instead of looking for bigger and better
4.  Not pressuring me to be a preacher
5.  Following your dream of Victory Bible Camp
6.  Being optimistic
7.  Taking vacations as a family
8.  Saving money
9.  Winning people to Christ
10. Taking off work to take me to school and basketball practice and baseball games and band practice.
11. Teaching me to sing
12. Being missions minded and missions active
13. Being a faithful pastor
14. Standing up for black people in the church
15. Teaching me to say “I’m sorry” to Mom
16. Giving up your lawn so I could have a garden
17. Loaning me your shotgun
18. Driving me to places to hunt and fish
19. Encouraging me to raise chickens
20. Telling us jokes to make us laugh
21. Cooking breakfast all those years
22. Keeping the oyster stew and boiled clustered traditions alive.
23. Making church fun
24. Teaching me the songs “bloody war” and “my gals a corker” and “down by the old mill stream”
25. Loving a real fire place
26. Helping us to appreciate antiques
27. Teaching me to appreciate classical music
28. Passing on the legacy of good bible teaching
29. Fighting for accurate biblical theology
30. Not retiring after retirement
31. Teaching me how to charcoal grill
32. Teaching me how to play tennis
33. Being committed to youth ministry in the church
34. Introducing us to Panama City beach
35. Loving flowers
36. Being a firm disciplinarian
37. Obeying the law
38. Taking us to see the fishing boats that came in at Venture Out
39. For having enough humility to retire from the pastorate when you did
40. For living an example of daily time in the Word and prayer
41. Encouraging me to work from an early age
42. For promoting me and standing behind me as youth pastor, camp director and missionary
43. For being the youth pastor, children’s pastor and the adult pastor  for all those years
44. Teaching me how to drive
45. Teaching me how to teach
46. Teaching me how to make a fire
47. Teaching me how to play the ucalaly
48. Teaching me how to lead the “singin”
49. For being bold enough to start Real Life club and teach me how to have a youth club.
50. Showing me how to “go to Paris”
51. Reading Miss Minerva
52. Following God’s leading to Arkansas
53. Choosing to invest in the study of Gods word in college and seminary
54. Sharing your chocolates
55. Investing in the lives of people
56. Teaching me how to enjoy fried eggs
57. Teaching us the family history
58. Inviting Aunt Fan to be a part of our lives
59. Keeping the clock wound
60. Putting the wallpaper on the ceiling
61. For not swatting the nats
62. Teaching me to not lie
63. Teaching me not to steal
64. Teaching me how to love people who are hard to love
65. For “plowing around the stumps”
66. Bringing me gifts when you traveled
67. Embracing technology even in your later years
68. For teaching in the black seminary
69. For teaching us to care about the way we look
70. For teaching me not to overrate what people think about me
71. To never give up on people
72. To never give up on God
73. To believe that people (including me) can change by the power of  God
74. That God is a present, living reality
75. For pursuing some lost people – sometimes for their whole lives
76. That God answers prayer.
77. That God uses even the small things that we have to do great things.
78. That serious people can have fun too.
79. That faithfulness + time = deep impact.
80. How to eat pressure for lunch.
81. How to mobilize people for a task.
82. How to have fun and get work done at the same time.
83. How to tell a story
84. How to make an illustration.
85. That the Kingdom of God is more important than money.
86. Teaching me Bible stories
87. For leading me to saving faith Jesus Christ.
88. For praying at every meal
89. Teaching me to pray in hard times.
90. To not be afraid if death.

November 3rd, 2014 by Zac

Siblings acting crazy!

Three baptized from our church family

One excited school group from our latest EXIT TOUR

English camp team from South Carolina (Fellowship Greenville)

Our most recent graduation from the school of youth leaders

A rare still moment together

Kim’s mom’s retirement party

Hampton’s first attempt at a selfie

With Fellowship Greenville team in Budapest

Duck plucking with a friend

Fresh cherries

Hampton turns 7

Homework

Sam turns 11

Best friends

Our wonderful local seamstress making new curtains

Gwyneth entertaining herself

No Words!