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May 20, 2022

Stepping Out in Faith

Do you remember a time in your life when God led you down an unexpected path? Maybe you already had in mind exactly the way you thought he’d take you, and then, all of a sudden, he was calling you to step out into something you never imagined you’d do.

One of these moments for me was in 2013. I was settled happily into a career in medical genetics when God very suddenly, and clearly called me to serve at a little church in the middle of the Navajo Nation. I remember the struggle it was to trust him in this sudden change of plans he set before me. There were so many reasons why it didn’t make sense, logically, for me to follow him. It took me away from my family and friends, it took away my security of a great career, and it pulled me out of serving in my local church. But I knew in my heart that I needed to follow him.

Through this surrender of my plans for his, I saw God’s faithfulness in both his path for me and his deep love for the Navajo people. I learned that when God unexpectedly redirects our path, and we wholeheartedly say “yes” to his plans, incredible things follow!

That first step of hesitant faith almost 10 years ago led to my current role with Josiah Venture. I have been the Intern Coordinator for Josiah Venture for 7 years now, and in this role, I’ve walked with hundreds of young people as they, too, are hearing God’s call to step away from the security of the known and into his plan for them. I’m often thankful that God took me on a similar journey, so that I can understand the struggle our interns sometimes face in following God’s often costly call to serve him.

Every summer, we invite college-age students to partner with us all summer long as interns. Some of them come from the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom, while some come directly from the churches we are connected with in Central and Eastern Europe. Each one of them senses God inviting them into his mission with us over the summer, and they are eager to follow him. Our interns are a key piece of our summer ministry. They travel to local schools and churches promoting camps, act as a bridge between young people and the local church, help camps run smoothly by stepping in when a role is unfilled, and they add an extra bit of joy and energy to the camp experience.

We know that an internship is an incredibly big step of faith for a young person to make. Many of them are entering into a different culture for the first time, learning to raise support, and diving into activities they may have never done before. Because of this, Josiah Venture is very intentional in training and discipleship of our interns.

When an intern arrives in Central and Eastern Europe, they participate in our version of The Amazing Race; a race across sometimes multiple countries in partnership with the other interns they will serve with during the summer. By overcoming the challenges of the race together, our teams learn to face conflict and discover more about the gifts that each one brings to the team. The race is followed by several days of Intern Training at our training center in the Czech Republic, and then teams are sent off to each of our countries to serve for the summer. During the summer, each intern is paired with a missionary who will disciple, and shepherd them throughout their time of serving with JV.

Our hope for our interns is that they will not only be a part of the movement of God among the youth of Central and Eastern Europe, but that they will also be forever impacted by seeing God move in young lives, and experiencing discipleship first-hand.

Maybe you are reading this, and God is putting it into your heart to join us. If so, we would love to connect with you and explore what God might be calling you to. Or maybe you know a young person who could be a good fit for serving with us in coming summers. We would love to hear from you too!

Here are a few of the frequently asked questions that potential applicants have:

How long is the summer internship?
Our internships run from late May until late July or early August, depending on which country you choose to serve in.

How much does the internship cost?
This also varies by country, and runs between $4,200 – $4,900 for interns from US, Canada, and UK. This includes airfare.

I need to work during the summer to pay for school, so how would I intern?
For our interns in North America, we allow you to raise a stipend of up to $2,500 extra that will be paid to you at the end of the summer.

How can I learn more about a specific country and the internships available there?
Our summer internship page will give you lots of information about what each country offers.

What if I have further questions?
Email us at interns@josiahventure.com

For the past seven years, I have had a front-row seat in the lives of hundreds of young people, as they listened to the call of God to step away from the known and into his mission in Central and Eastern Europe. Some of them now work full-time with us, or work full-time in ministry elsewhere, but all of them were given an opportunity, as Josiah Venture interns, to deepen their trust in God as they stepped out in faith and said “yes” to his plans.

Is God calling you to something new? Don’t miss the opportunity to say “yes!” to his call. Wherever he directs your steps, being on mission, with him leading the way, is the very best place to be!

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