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,...

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...

Get excited for new Podcast content in 2025! For January, we will take a break from the interview-style episodes to share the main talks from our last fall conference, "Word Formed." The fourth and final episode of our "Word Formed" conference series is "Sacred Rhythms, Atomic Habits" with Landen Llamas. In this episode, Landen explores ways to develop consistent, sacred habits of encountering God...

Get excited for new Podcast content in 2025! For January, we will take a break from the interview-style episodes to share the main talks from our last fall conference, "Word Formed." The third episode of our "Word Formed" conference series is "Word Formed Hope" with Tyler Patty, Director of the ForMission College EU Campus. In today's world, young people face a constant barrage of conflicting mess...

Get excited for new Podcast content in 2025! For January, we will take a break from the interview-style episodes to share the main talks from our last fall conference, "Word Formed." The second speaker you will hear from in this episode is Landen Llamas, a teacher for the ForMission College EU Campus. In today's world, young people face a constant barrage of conflicting messages about identity, tr...

Get excited for new Podcast content in 2025! For January, we will take a break from the interview-style episodes to share the main talks from our last fall conference, "Word Formed." The first speaker you will hear from in this episode is Sean Smith. He is the Research Director for the Josiah Venture Research Institute and a Formation Tutor for the ForMission College EU Campus. Video clip Sean men...

Landen Llamas is originally from California and now lives and serves in Olomouc, Czech Republic, alongside his wife, Jenny, who is a Czech national. They first met in 2005 at a Josiah Venture English Camp. He came to serve with his short-term missions team, and Jenny was the Czech translator and a summer intern with Josiah Venture. As their own relationship grew, so did their love for ministering...

David & Katka Bordner share their profound experiences of suffering, faith, and community as they recount their journey through various health challenges while serving in Slovenia. Their story begins with a transformative trip to Slovenia that led to a lifelong commitment to youth ministry and missions. From David's persistent health issues starting in 2004 to Katka's own health struggles amidst t...

Happy Thanksgiving! It's that time of year to express gratitude. This is the third year that we have released a special Thanksgiving episode of the Podcast. It is encouraging to hear from Josiah Venture missionaries, who live across Central and Eastern Europe, sharing what they're grateful for in this season. Get ready to discover their favorite aspects of this holiday, including a meaningful Bibl...