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February 24, 2021

Eighteen Years and Still Learning

18.

In Hebrew, it means “life.”

In most countries, it’s the age when you are considered to be a legal adult.

Yet, for me, it’s the number of years I’ve served within Josiah Venture as a missionary.

God called us to love him and love others. He commissioned us to make disciples, looking to Jesus as the example. He has specifically called me to equip the JV Staff with my administrative gifts. And, along the way, to lead young people in a growing relationship with Jesus by making disciples.

“Disciple making” begins the moment you meet someone. What follows as we lead them can either be momentary, or it can take you on a journey for weeks, months, or even years, depending on the desire of the Father’s heart for that relationship. Over these past 18 years, what has brought me the most joy, where I’ve seen much fruit, and the lessons I continue to learn from Jesus is in disciple making.

The lessons I’ve learned have stretched from encouragement to disappointment, and have shaped my life since the beginning of my 18-year commitment.

Build Up and Encourage (1st Thes. 5:11)

Encouragement did not come natural for me at first. It is something I’ve had to learn, especially serving in a post-communist culture, observing the side effects of a socialist upbringing. Often I hear about parents in first-generation Christian households making discouraging remarks by asking why their child (often the only Christian in their family) is working with youth, or why they are not going to the local pubs or discos like “normal” teenagers. These young people are not receiving encouragement to follow Christ at home.

Early in Jesus’ ministry, his disciples left their families to be built up and encouraged by Jesus for their ministry calling. Through my experience discipling two cousins and many others, I learned to “be present” in their lives—to help build them up and offer encouraging words along the way. Attending a sports match or offering a word of praise after passing a hard exam made a huge difference. Today, I enjoy encouraging youth who God continues to put in my life. And, I am proud of these two cousins who are serving within our organization and in their local churches, making disciples who are making disciples.

Never Give Up (Gal. 6:9)

Jesus never gave up on his disciples, who oftentimes were fearful and showed little faith. In my ministry, I’ve learned to never give up on someone who the Lord has put on my heart.

Two brothers attended one of our early English camps. The eldest became a believer in Christ soon after the camp and got involved in our youth group. I got to know his younger brother as he would tag along at times. Over the years, we developed a friendship where I would challenge him with his faith. During his high school years, he told me that he did not believe in God. However, as a university student, things changed. While walking the streets in Prague, one of our conversations led to him asking deep questions about life and his purpose. Soon after, he started reading a book on skepticism and the Bible. Later, his older brother shared the gospel with him and he eventually put his faith in Christ. Today, both brothers are leading their families in a growing relationship with Jesus, with their wives and daughters.

Live Outside Your Comfort Zone (1 Cor. 9:23)

Jesus left his throne and comfort to share the gospel with sinners, both Jews and Gentiles. Growing up protestant had created a barrier for me to engage with Catholicism. However, after moving to a Catholic nation, I began to learn more about the differences and similarities to help me leave my comfort zone to engage with students. Three young men whom I’ve had the honor to disciple come from a charismatic Catholic background. We’ve enjoyed learning about and respecting each other’s traditional upbringings, which has never caused a division. We all agree that the foundation of our faith is having a personal relationship with Jesus. Today, in their 20’s, they attend their church, serve and love their families, and desire others to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

And here is a bonus lesson…

Disappointment Mustn’t Stop You (Mark 6:4-6)

I’ve poured hours into a project working for a team’s buy-in, yet, in the end, not receiving it. I’ve spent many long hours preparing a large outreach event only to see few students wanting to follow Jesus. I’ve also had many conversations with Christian teenagers praying for their families to become followers of Christ, who have not done so. However, in those moments, I’ve been reminded that Jesus experienced this in his ministry as well. He had a family who thought he was crazy, a hometown who did not believe, and the rich young man who he had offered to come and follow him, in the end did not. Yet, that did not stop Jesus. He continued on.

And, so must each of us!

We must be purposeful each day and continue to be students of Jesus’s ministry. Learning as we make disciples and, oftentimes, mistakes, we must grasp onto his calling for us, understanding that the ministry is a partnership with him for his purpose and glory. Ralph Waldo Emerson, said it best when he said, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

May we learn from and live well for Jesus as we lead people in a growing relationship with Him by making disciples.

Michael Sullivan International Team

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Sajmir just wanted to belong. As the youngest son in a Muslim family of eight children, he was expected to serve everyone. Sajmir’s family was oppressed in Albania because they were dark skinned Gypsies. On top of that, during the difficult time after the revolution, his father began drinking and beating his mother. “My father never beat me,” Sajmir said, “but he never showed me love. He never hugged me or kissed me. I never saw a father figure. I was afraid of him. Also, outside in the city, people were not very close to me. I spent most of my time alone, playing soccer alone, or basketball alone.” There was only one soccer field in his village, and when Sajmir tried to join a game, the other kids would kick him out. One day, a group came toward the field and Sajmir began to back away, sure they would ask him to leave. “Will you play with us?” they asked. “You want to play with me?” Sajmir replied. For the first time in his life, someone invited him in. After the game, they invited him to church. “What is a church?” he said. Running home, he asked his parents if he could go. “Don’t go to church,” they answered sternly, “you will shame us.” But the next day was Sunday, and he snuck out when no one was looking. “When I stepped into the church, at the door, someone gave me a hug for the first time in my life,” Sajmir said. “They put me in the first row. I felt like a celebrity. Then I heard the story that someone loves you just as you are, that is, Jesus—as I was, dark skinned, rejected. But still, there is someone who died for me.” “I ran and told my family, but their response was: ’If you go one more time, we will tell your brother to beat you up.’ I went again. My brother beat me up. For three months, I was beaten every week. I was loved and accepted in church, while suffering and being beaten in my family. Then my mom said, ‘Let him go.’” Filled with joy, Sajmir fell on his knees and said, “God, I will serve you wherever you want me to.” That was 25 years ago, and today Sajmir and his family are part of our Josiah Venture team in Albania. Through youth ministry, he recently planted a church called “Mosaic,” which has grown to over 100 people. Every day, young people come after school and in the evening for tutoring, children’s meetings, youth meetings, small groups, discipleship groups, and a very lively Fusion choir. The church is open every day, from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, and there is always something happening. “Our building is a daily home for everyone; it’s a family,” says Sajmir. “I always remember what God did for me in my youth. My heart is burning to see more young people come to Christ and find that they are loved and belong.” During this Advent season, we remember how Jesus left his home to make a home for us. He was sent to find us, where we play our games alone, and to invite us into his family. He found Sajmir, and you, and me. Thanks for helping us share this good news with young people who are still without a home. Dave Patty President, Josiah Venture
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A Thanksgiving Challenge and Promise

Philippians 4:4-7 states, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Two things stand out to me from this verse: a challenge and a promise. The Challenge: Christians are commanded to not be anxious about anything. Instead, we are to be thankful. Paul wrote this letter as he was in prison, preparing for his martyrdom. He acknowledged that his entire ministry was in the Lord’s power and he had nothing to be anxious about. Furthermore, his friends were not supposed to be anxious either. Rather, they were to thank the Lord for his provision and truth. In this situation, Paul was not instructing his friends to deny that there was hardship. He admitted that there would be pain in the future. However, with that, the Church was to devote all troubles to the Lord. How would this play out in a modern Thanksgiving Day context? Jenny Llamas was born in the Czech Republic, so she did not grow up with Thanksgiving. Landen, her American husband, did and has had so much fun introducing the holiday to her. From American football to turkey trots to sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, Landen and Jenny love getting to spend Thanksgiving either with their family or at Josiah Venture’s conference center in Malenovice, Czech with Josiah Venture missionaries. One challenge for Jenny, though, has been when people are asked to share what they are thankful for. It’s not the mental search for thankfulness that’s difficult for Jenny. Instead, it’s all the other thoughts that come to her mind too. It’s “the hard things in my life that sometimes even seem louder than the things I’m thankful for,” Jenny said. During these times, she wants to find ways to process and acknowledge times of hardship while also remaining thankful. So, how does Jenny do that when she is reminded of hard times during Thanksgiving? How does she process both pain and thankfulness? Jenny’s favorite part of Thanksgiving is the meal preparation. She has her own quiet time in the kitchen. As she experiments with all sorts of traditional American recipes, she reflects on how God has worked in her life over the past year. She recalls the exciting times of blossoming relationships with friends and the painful memories of things uncertain and hurtful. It’s in these moments that Jenny brings everything to God, both the good and the bad. That’s where the promise of Philippians comes into play. The Promise: In response to giving thanks, the Lord will surround us with his peace. When we submit to the Lord in thanksgiving, he places a spiritual shield around our hearts and minds. He takes us out of a state of fear and provides us with the ability to give thanks in all circumstances. When the meal preparation is complete and Jenny steps out to celebrate with friends, she reminds herself that God wants her to have peace. God has given her a spiritual family with whom she can process heartache and pain. He also provides her with the time to journal, writing down her thoughts as a way of acknowledging hardship and giving it to the Lord. Then, he gives her rest. “I say a quick prayer to the God who sees me,” she said. “I give myself permission to rejoice in what God has done and … take a break from the hard things knowing that God sees them and he holds them.” This Thanksgiving, I invite you to recognize the trials in your life and give them over completely to God. Replace the state of anxiety with the action of thankfulness, preparing your heart for worship as we enter into this holiday season. “The Lord is at hand.” (Phil. 4:5b)
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You’re Not Alone in the Battle

When you’re used to leading, serving, and pouring into others, what happens when you suddenly can’t? What happens when the person who normally encourages everyone else wakes up and realizes she has nothing left to give? That’s where I found myself last year. I’m naturally a driven person. I love to see progress—to watch people grow, ministries flourish, and God’s work move forward. But last year, right before a major conference I had been preparing for—a mental health summit for nearly 700 youth leaders and church leaders—everything stopped. I got sick, and my normal pace of life vanished overnight. Suddenly, I couldn’t do what I thought I had to do. At first, I tried to stay positive, to find purpose in the pause. I told myself God was teaching me patience, humility, or to delegate better. But underneath those thoughts, a more dangerous narrative started to form: “God is disappointed in you.” “You’re not strong enough.” “You’re failing as a leader.” “Maybe God is holding back because you don’t deserve his help.” Those are the kinds of lies that can take root quietly—and quickly. It’s the same old whisper the enemy used in the Garden: “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1). The serpent’s goal was never just to tempt Eve; it was to make her question God’s heart. And he still uses that same strategy today. He wants us to believe that God is distant, that we’re alone, unseen, and unloved. I’ve seen this pattern not only in my life, but in the lives of so many young people and leaders I’ve walked with. The moment things get hard—disappointment, exhaustion, relational conflict, failure—the enemy twists the truth. He tells us we’re forgotten, that our prayers don’t matter, and that no one really understands. And slowly, we start to isolate ourselves. But isolation is one of his most effective weapons. Once we withdraw, our vision blurs. We stop hearing the truth clearly. We start interpreting everything through the lens of fear, shame, and self-pity. Even Scripture is full of people who felt this same ache. David cried, “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted” (Psalm 25:16). Elijah, after a great victory, ran into the wilderness and said, “I have had enough, Lord” (1 Kings 19:4). Job sat surrounded by friends who misunderstood him. And even Jesus—our Savior—experienced complete abandonment in Gethsemane and on the cross. Loneliness and lies are not new, but neither is God’s response to them. In my own season of weakness, when I couldn’t find the strength to pray, others prayed for me. When I felt unseen, people showed up with meals, with text messages, and with quiet presence. Even my unbelieving neighbors said, “We think someone up there cares about you.” That was God reminding me: You are not forgotten. You are not alone. The truth is, the Body of Christ was never meant to function in isolation. Strength in God’s kingdom doesn’t mean independence—it means connection. It means letting others carry you when you can’t walk and trusting that God is at work even when you can’t see progress. This experience also helped me recognize a pattern: the enemy always attacks identity and connection first. He wants to disconnect us from God’s truth and from God’s people. But the way we stand firm is by returning to both. When I start to spiral now—when I believe I have to prove my worth or carry everything alone—I stop and remind myself of what’s true. I reach out to trusted friends and ask for prayer. I ground myself in simple spiritual and physical practices that bring me back to reality: breathing deeply, reading a psalm, or stepping outside to notice beauty. These small moments become declarations of faith. Romans 11:33-36 says, “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” That verse anchors me. I don’t have to understand everything; I just have to trust the one who does. Maybe you’re in a similar place right now. Or maybe you’re walking with young people who feel lost, invisible, or stuck in lies about who they are. The battle is real, but so is our victory in Christ. So, here’s my invitation to you: Would you take a moment to pray—for yourself, for your friends, and for the next generation—that we would recognize the lies of isolation, stand firm in truth, and live connected as the Body of Christ? You’re not alone in the battle. And neither are they.