Josiah Venture Stories

We are excited to release the main talks from our last Fall Conference, which was  "VICTORIOUS: Equipped for the Battle, Anchored in Christ"  and focused on spiritual warfare and the unseen battle for the next generation across Europe.   Our annual Josiah Venture Fall Conference is designed to equip our team for the year of ministry ahead. Every conference includes amazing teaching, worship, and f...

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 Hunnicut...

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...

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 j...

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 C...

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 insig...

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 coordinate...

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,...

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 gos...

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 gos...

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 sha...

Jesus was more than just a good teacher or an amazing leader.  He embodied all he taught and put flesh on all he communicated.  He was (and IS) the Word, Light, Life, and so much more.  When people encountered him, they were changed in a manner that was hard to explain.  Can we be transformed today in similar ways? The theme of our 2025 Spring Conference was "Jesus Stories: Transformative Encounte...

Jesus was more than just a good teacher or an amazing leader.  He embodied all he taught and put flesh on all he communicated.  He was (and IS) the Word, Light, Life, and so much more.  When people encountered him, they were changed in a manner that was hard to explain.  Can we be transformed today in similar ways? The theme of our 2025 Spring Conference was "Jesus Stories: Transformative Encounte...

Jesus was more than just a good teacher or an amazing leader.  He embodied all he taught and put flesh on all he communicated.  He was (and IS) the Word, Light, Life, and so much more.  When people encountered him, they were changed in a manner that was hard to explain.  Can we be transformed today in similar ways? The theme of our 2025 Spring Conference was "Jesus Stories: Transformative Encounte...

Jesus was more than just a good teacher or an amazing leader.  He embodied all he taught and put flesh on all he communicated.  He was (and IS) the Word, Light, Life, and so much more.  When people encountered him, they were changed in a manner that was hard to explain.  Can we be transformed today in similar ways? The theme of our 2025 Spring Conference was "Jesus Stories: Transformative Encounte...

Jesus was more than just a good teacher or an amazing leader.  He embodied all he taught and put flesh on all he communicated.  He was (and IS) the Word, Light, Life, and so much more.  When people encountered him, they were changed in a manner that was hard to explain.  Can we be transformed today in similar ways? The theme of our 2025 Spring Conference was "Jesus Stories: Transformative Encounte...

Jesus was more than just a good teacher or an amazing leader.  He embodied all he taught and put flesh on all he communicated.  He was (and IS) the Word, Light, Life, and so much more.  When people encountered him, they were changed in a manner that was hard to explain.  Can we be transformed today in similar ways? The theme of our 2025 Spring Conference was "Jesus Stories: Transformative Encounte...

Peter Mead is the director of Cor Deo and part of the leadership team of Trinity Chippenham, a church in the UK Peter helped to plant back in 2014. Peter shares his background, including being raised in a missionary family, his initial resistance to ministry and preaching roles, and how his faith journey led him to embrace these callings. He discusses the inspiration behind the ministry training p...

In this conversation, Josiah Venture alumnus Susan Ellis shares her remarkable journey from a life-changing trip to Europe in 1985 to becoming a Josiah Venture missionary in 1995. She discusses her deep emotional connection with Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland, where she served for 20 years. Susan's work spanned youth ministry, discipleship, marketing, and program development. I...

Get to know Baška Benešová from Slovakia and be inspired by her incredible journey of faith. She gave her life to Jesus at a youth church camp at the age of 13 and has been involved in ministering to teens and young adults ever since. She currently leads the English camp at her local church and works as the director of pointonline.sk for TCK (Training Center Kompas), providing resources and suppor...

In today's special episode of Josiah Venture Stories , we're live from the Digital Missions Summit in the Czech Republic! This incredible event brings together content creators, influencers, and storytellers from Central and Eastern Europe who are passionate about sharing the gospel in the digital space. Joining me are three amazing guests who are pioneers in using their creative gifts to advance...

Mark Krupa has been a Josiah Venture missionary for 26 years. He currently works as a Christian coach to young people and youth pastors and serves as the Josiah Venture country leader for Croatia. He discusses his ministry work dedicated to youth ministry and church leaders in the Czech Republic and Croatia. Mark shares his passion for seeing spiritual growth among youth and church leaders, emphas...

Faith Child is a multi-award-winning rapper, presenter, and one of the UK's top Contemporary Christian Artists. Born and raised in South London, his music is an eclectic blend of Rap, Electro, and Pop. Putting his life experiences into music, Faith Child has a remarkable story that dates back to his birth. His consistent message is, " You are not a mistake. God has a plan and a purpose for every s...

How 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 Mi...

In this episode, John and Erin Kloosterhuis share their journey into missions, starting from their college years, where they felt called to a life devoted to missions and relational evangelism. They discuss their move to the Czech Republic and later to Slovakia to support Josiah Venture's international communications team. John, an assistant communications director and UX design director, and Erin...