Thanksgiving Reflections: Stories and Blessings from Central and Eastern Europe
Josiah Venture Stories
In this special Thanksgiving episode of Josiah Venture Stories, host Gwynne Gardner shares reflections from Josiah Venture missionaries across Central and Eastern Europe. They express gratitude for God's faithfulness, share favorite Thanksgiving dishes, and highlight meaningful Bible verses. Stories include experiences from the following missionaries: 🇸🇰 Darina Malá / Slovakia 🇸🇮 Kingsley Hunnicutt / Slovenia 🇺🇦 Hayley Arnold / Ukraine 🇵🇱 Caleb Tedder / Poland 🇱🇻 Katka Roney / Latvia 🇪🇪 Garrett Haas / Estonia 🇨🇿 Daniela Dickson / Czech Republic...
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Jonathan Ogden on Music, Art, and Serving the Kingdom
Josiah Venture Stories
In this insightful session, Jonathan Ogden, a Manchester-born singer-songwriter with a background in graphic design and former lead singer of the band Rivers & Robots, shares his personal and creative journey at Media Academy in the Czech Republic. He reflects on his upbringing in a large Christian family and how his faith became a personal commitment during his teenage years. Jonathan discusses his extensive involvement in music and creativity from a young age, his passion for creating and storytelling, and how he combined his interests in animation, graphic design, and music. He also...
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Discipleship and Miracles with Diana "DU" Anton
Josiah Venture Stories
Diana "DU" Anton serves in Bucharest, Romania, alongside her husband Bogdan. DU shares her spiritual journey from a young age and her calling into full-time ministry with Josiah Venture. She recounts her initial resistance to ministry, her supportive family, and her life's work in discipling young women and promoting the gospel. DU also details her personal challenges and triumphs, including her journey to marriage at 34 and the miraculous birth of their son, Adam, after years of struggle with infertility. The interview provides deep insights into the spiritual climate of Romania, DU's...
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From New Age to True Faith in Jesus with Mateja Todorovska
Josiah Venture Stories
In this podcast episode, Mateja Todorovska shares her remarkable journey from growing up in a Catholic church to becoming deeply involved in New Age practices and the occult. After believing she was serving God through these practices, Mateja's life changed dramatically in December 2018 when she encountered Jesus while watching a YouTube video. This revelation led her to repent and fully embrace Christianity, even leading her former New Age followers to Christ. Mateja lives in Slovenia with her family, works with Josiah Venture, and is committed to helping others through her faith. Mateja also...
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Fall Conference: Strategies, Stories, and Spiritual Warfare with Rob Chestnut & Brooke Stevens
Josiah Venture Stories
Discover the heart behind the Josiah Venture Fall Conference, featuring insights from Rob Chestnut and Brooke Stevens. They share the significance and purpose of the annual training and equipping event, detailing its varied history and evolution over the years. They explore this year's theme, 'Victorious: Equipped for the Battle, Anchored in Christ,' and share their personal experiences and insights into spiritual warfare. "There's a spiritual shift that's taking place in this next generation, like in ways that we really haven't seen before." -Rob "Is Jesus getting the headline of the...
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Camps Ministry and Mission Teams with Lelde Keice
Josiah Venture Stories
In this episode of Josiah Venture Stories, Gwynne Gardner interviews Lelde Keice from Latvia. Lelde became a Christian at 14 through a youth camp and was introduced to Josiah Venture during high school. She later moved to England to pursue an Applied Theology and Youth Work degree at Moorlands College. Called back to Latvia in 2015, she now serves as the Camps Director for JV Latvia and coordinates mission teams. Gwynne and Lelde discuss the impact of Christian camps on youth, Latvia's spiritual climate, and mission teams' role in local ministries. Lelde shares personal anecdotes and...
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"Real Life" Story with Lee Humerian
Josiah Venture Stories
In this interview, Lee Humerian shares his journey from rock star to full-time missionary in Ukraine. Lee and his wife, Katie, led mission teams to the Czech Republic and then to Ukraine, which sparked their passion for youth ministry, leading them to join Josiah Venture in 2017. They have been deeply involved in various ministries, including Exit Tours and music camps. Due to the war in Ukraine, they have also led trauma-healing retreats. Lee now leads the evangelistic ministry programs team, while Katie handles human resources. They focus on supporting local church leaders and organizing...
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Inside the Summer Internship with Rosie and Inita
Josiah Venture Stories
Summer is one of the most exciting seasons across the 16 Central and Eastern European countries where Josiah Venture serves. Local churches are gearing up for camps, short-term teams are arriving, and perhaps one of the most energizing parts of the season—our summer internship program—is officially underway. This program welcomes college students and young adults passionate about spreading the gospel. Interns share their experiences, starting with their Amazing Race team-building exercise and subsequent training in the Czech Republic. In this episode, interns Rosie Kaminski...
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Summer Intern Insights with Julie, Isaiah, and Adele
Josiah Venture Stories
Summer is one of the most exciting seasons across the 16 Central and Eastern European countries where Josiah Venture serves. Local churches are gearing up for camps, short-term teams are arriving, and perhaps one of the most energizing parts of the season—our summer internship program—is officially underway. This program welcomes college students and young adults passionate about spreading the gospel. Interns share their experiences, starting with their Amazing Race team-building exercise and subsequent training in the Czech Republic. In this episode, interns Julie Weeks, Isaiah Martin,...
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Extended Summer Intern Spotlight: Aidan Carson
Josiah Venture Stories
Get to know Extended Summer Intern, Aidan Carson, in this episode. Originally from Chandler, Arizona, Aidan majored in civil engineering and worked as an engineer before feeling called to intern. After interning last summer, he’s back for another season, eager to continue building friendships with students and missionaries, make new connections, and help others become disciples of Jesus. Aidan shares his desire to grow in understanding the Czech language and culture, as well as his passion for supporting Edge Sports leaders as they use ultimate frisbee to reach young people who don’t know...
info_outlineHow do you hold onto hope in the midst of war? In this episode, Kristy shares how the team in Ukraine is doing after three years of full-scale, active war. At the end of the episode, she also shares specific ways you can continue to pray as we ask the Lord to bring peace and end the war.
You can also support Ukraine by clicking on the following links:
- Help Ukraine - General Fund
- Get to Know Our Missionaries in Ukraine
- Help a Frontline Worker in Ukraine
- Send a Ukrainian to Summer Camp
Kristy and her husband, Ben, have served in Ukraine for 18 years. Their first introduction to Josiah Venture was when they served as high school students in the Czech Republic at English camps. That exposure to peer evangelism started them on a journey with Josiah Venture to share Christ with the youth of Central & Eastern Europe. In 2002, they served as summer interns in Czech before marrying in January 2003.
For the next three consecutive years, Ben and Kristy led short-term high school teams from southern New Jersey to the Czech Republic for camp ministry. During these summer trips, they felt God calling them into full-time missions. Josiah Venture suggested that they help launch a new team in Ukraine, and in January 2007, they moved there.
After serving as camp directors and in a local youth group for several years, they began leading the Josiah Venture Ukraine team, Epokha, in 2011. Ben and Kristy serve in a dynamic local church, train Ukraine's youth, volunteer with the Department of Education, and teach and equip leaders across Central and Eastern Europe. They live in Lviv, Ukraine, with their children, Marissa and Dylan.
Learn more about Josiah Venture
Social Media: @josiahventure
Contact: social@josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room: pray.josiahventure.com
Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP: josiahventure.com/prayer-room-app