1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Tutor Dixon Podcast. Today we are going 2 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: to be talking missionaries, and I know that's something that 3 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 1: we don't get to talk about every day. But on 4 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:12,239 Speaker 1: Sunday I was at church and this amazing guy was 5 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:16,799 Speaker 1: at church talking about his life story and an organization 6 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:20,759 Speaker 1: called Josiah Venture, and I was it really resonated with me. 7 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:24,280 Speaker 1: This is a gentleman who had the call to mission 8 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: to be a missionary. He's a second generation missionary. He 9 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 1: had the call to Central and Eastern Europe. And as 10 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: I was listening to the story, I'm like, man, not 11 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 1: only you know the Bible is timely, but not only 12 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: is this timely when it comes to faith in the 13 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: rising faith in the United States, but also with everything 14 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: that's going on in the world stage. So I'm glad 15 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: that Dave Patty agreed to join me today on the podcast. 16 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 2: Dave, thank you, Thank you so much. It's a proven 17 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 2: to be with you. 18 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: I'm so excited. So I want to go a little 19 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 1: bit through Josiah Venture because I was listening to your 20 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: story on Sunday and I'm like, I don't know how 21 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: you know, And I thought it was interesting because you 22 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: said you just felt this moment where you're like, I'm 23 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 1: being called to go to Central and Eastern Europe and 24 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:10,120 Speaker 1: you talk to your wife about it, and she's like, 25 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,759 Speaker 1: I love that you're being called not sure, I am. 26 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. Well I was involved that. 27 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 3: My first experience in Central meaisingup was right after communism fell. 28 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 3: So if you can imagine six months from the time 29 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 3: the wall fell, I was in Budapest in high school 30 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 3: talking to Hungarian young people about God, which would have 31 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 3: six months earlier been just absolutely legal. And I came 32 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 3: home from that trip with just this huge burden on 33 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 3: my heart for a whole region of the world that 34 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:41,759 Speaker 3: had just opened to freedom, just come out from communism, 35 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 3: and have been under incredible oppression. So every year for 36 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 3: the next couple of years, we did these short term 37 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 3: trips into the region, but we had small kids, so 38 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 3: my wife never went with me. And then there was 39 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 3: a spot when the Soviet Union started coming apart that 40 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 3: I just actually I heard someone speak and they said, 41 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 3: we're a hinge of history. This kind of change only 42 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 3: happens in a region once in a generation. That you 43 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 3: imagine the number of countries that came free during that time, 44 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 3: And they said it's important for us to just make 45 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 3: as much progress as possible in rebuilding these countries and 46 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:19,399 Speaker 3: rebuilding the spiritual foundations of these countries. So I came 47 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 3: home and said to my wife, I think God is 48 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 3: calling us to Central Messa in Europe. And she did 49 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 3: not respond very enthusiastically. If you can imagine, well. 50 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: You grew up, I mean you grew up as a missionary. 51 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: Your parents were missionaries. You said you came back when 52 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,240 Speaker 1: you were five, but you had to have grown up 53 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 1: with that knowledge and understanding. Was that her background as well? 54 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 3: No, that wasn't her background. She grew up in Oregon 55 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 3: and her dad was a salesman. So I had more 56 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:51,079 Speaker 3: of that ethos in my personality. And I guess even 57 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 3: from when I was about twelve years old, my dream 58 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 3: was to be involved overseas in countries and hard places 59 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 3: and dark places where the opportunity to tell people about 60 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 3: God and teach the Bible in those places. 61 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: Hard places, in dark places. And sometimes I feel like 62 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: we are in that situation here. But you went someplace 63 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: that is considered an atheist country. But tell me about 64 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: that moment, because I think that it's very I always 65 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: think it's fascinating to hear about that moment when God 66 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:24,520 Speaker 1: lays something on someone's heart and they're unsuspecting and it 67 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 1: hits them very hard. And that happened for your wife, right, 68 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: I really did. 69 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 2: Yeah. 70 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 3: So sometimes when we talk about God's call, where does 71 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:34,080 Speaker 3: that come from? And sometimes it comes from seeing a 72 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 3: need and just sensing you want to respond and dreaming. 73 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 2: About how God could maybe use you to make a difference. 74 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 3: And then there's sometimes where it's just it's almost like 75 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 3: a supernatural moment. I really believe that God speaks to 76 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 3: us in different ways, and there are times he just 77 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 3: grabs us. And so we actually we were talking about 78 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 3: this move and it created so much tension in our 79 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 3: marriage that I finally told my wife we're not going 80 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:01,839 Speaker 3: to talk about it because it was I said, I'll 81 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 3: just pray and if this call is from God, that 82 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 3: he'll change your heart. And her response was, oh, good, 83 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 3: this is over. We're not going to move to Central 84 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 3: Eastern Europe. And then something really strange happened. It was 85 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 3: over Christmas and we had given our young kids to 86 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 3: her parents to take care of and we got a 87 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 3: couple of nights away, and at that time they were 88 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:28,039 Speaker 3: the tryouts for the Olympics were on TV and the 89 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 3: Romanian gymnasts, which if you remember the Armanion gymnasts, were amazing. 90 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 3: They were on and I walked out of the room 91 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 3: to go down the hall to get a bucket of ice, 92 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 3: and came back in and just noticed my wife just 93 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 3: staring at the TV. And she turned and she said, now, 94 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 3: what did you mean about Central Eastern Europe and young people? 95 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 2: And I just sat down my eyes. 96 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 3: And you're like, here, it has happened. Oh no, And 97 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:52,359 Speaker 3: then I said why and she said, well, I was 98 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,479 Speaker 3: just looking at those Romanian young girls and I thought 99 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 3: I could love them the same as I've loved American teenagers. 100 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 3: And something changed in my heart, and something did in 101 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:04,840 Speaker 3: just a moment, and it was just it was amazing 102 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:05,840 Speaker 3: that God changed her heart. 103 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 2: And she said, I think I'm ready to go. 104 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,479 Speaker 3: So in nineteen ninety three we moved with our young family, 105 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 3: this is not long after the revolution, into a corner 106 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 3: of the Czech Republic, and we felt like we. 107 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 2: Moved to the end of the world. 108 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 3: Now there's ends of the world that are much more 109 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:23,720 Speaker 3: desolate than that, but everything was gray. We were the 110 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 3: only Americans in a broad area. It felt like everything 111 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 3: was just covered a layer of soot, including the people. 112 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,839 Speaker 3: You would never see someone smile, They wouldn't catch your eyes. 113 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 3: If you greeted someone on the street, they thought you 114 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,839 Speaker 3: were about ready to rob them because you never talked 115 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 3: to a stranger. And I remember my wife going into 116 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,039 Speaker 3: the store for the first time that the best stores 117 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 3: were like low grade, much worse than a seven eleven. 118 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 3: And she came back home and she said, I don't 119 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 3: know how I'm going to feed this family. We're going 120 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:55,160 Speaker 3: to buy things. So it was a huge step of 121 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 3: faith for us to make that move. 122 00:05:57,320 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 1: But it hasn't been easy. And that's the thing that 123 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 1: I loved about what you said on Sunday. It's like, 124 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 1: this has been a challenge the whole time, and I'm like, 125 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:07,920 Speaker 1: how do you do that? Because I think it's so easy, 126 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 1: especially now in the United States, because we are a 127 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:15,240 Speaker 1: spoiled society. When it gets very hard, we're like, okay, 128 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 1: let me find something else. But you guys have stayed. 129 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 1: You created Josiah venture. You had a vision. The vision 130 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: was a movement of God among the youth of Central 131 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:27,599 Speaker 1: and Eastern Europe that finds its home in the local 132 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:31,560 Speaker 1: church and transforms society. And that's a big vision because 133 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: there wasn't that much of a local church there. But 134 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 1: you knew going to the young people was the answer. 135 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:38,279 Speaker 2: Yeah. 136 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 3: Well, you know, Czech Republic is the most atheist country 137 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:43,720 Speaker 3: on earth. And so I remember I started teaching in 138 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 3: the high school and I asked my students do you 139 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 3: believe even in the existence of God? And there was 140 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 3: only one student in a class of thirty that even 141 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,240 Speaker 3: believe God exists. Now this is this is not even 142 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,920 Speaker 3: someone who has active faith in God. So we were 143 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:01,159 Speaker 3: really moving to the what we felt very different, different area. 144 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 2: But we had this vision. 145 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:06,480 Speaker 3: And part of it was as you look at these countries, 146 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:09,359 Speaker 3: they were trying to rebuild economically, they were trying to 147 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:13,240 Speaker 3: rebuild educationally, but you've got to rebuild the soul of 148 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 3: nations as well, and you don't have if you don't 149 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,320 Speaker 3: have spiritual foundations in a nation, Really, most of the 150 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 3: other things don't work. I remember reading a quote from 151 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 3: Votsof Hovel, who was the first president of the Czech Republic, 152 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 3: and he said, the worst thing is that we live 153 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 3: in a contaminated moral environment. We fell morally ill because 154 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 3: we became used to saying something different than what we thought. 155 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:41,600 Speaker 3: Concepts of such as love, friendship, compassion, humility, or forgiveness 156 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 3: lost their depth or dimension. And so it was really 157 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 3: interesting that the first president was saying, we have a 158 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 3: soul crisis in our nation. That's really where things come from. 159 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 3: And so we had this vision to be part of 160 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 3: rebuilding these nations by rebuilding the spiritual foundations of young 161 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 3: people and basically helping local churches reach young people and 162 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 3: create communities of young people that are centered around the 163 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 3: Bible and around faith in Jesus Christ. And we felt 164 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 3: like that would change countries. Now, that was a big vision. 165 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 3: We just had two couples, four people in nineteen ninety 166 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 3: three and we moved in and I remember thinking, there 167 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 3: is no way this is going to make any difference, 168 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 3: No way anything's going to happen for this. Our church 169 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:28,640 Speaker 3: had a youth group of five people and the youngest 170 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:30,200 Speaker 3: was twenty three and the oldest. 171 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 2: Was seventy one. 172 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 3: In our little small youth group, and we were in 173 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,440 Speaker 3: a town of one hundred Yeah, we are a town 174 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 3: of one hundred thousand, and how in the world are 175 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 3: we going to make any difference here? So it was 176 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 3: slow and tough in the beginning, in those early days. 177 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:47,680 Speaker 1: So I love the fact that you had these kind 178 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 1: of miracle moments where there have been leaders who have 179 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:53,840 Speaker 1: said there's a crisis here and have kind of let 180 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 1: you fill in those spaces, because there certainly were doors 181 00:08:57,280 --> 00:08:59,760 Speaker 1: open that didn't have to be opened in your story. 182 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 1: I think what was most interesting to me was your 183 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 1: story in church started with a young video of a 184 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: young man named Pavel, and it was so powerful to 185 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: me to see him because we saw him as like 186 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:14,480 Speaker 1: a thirteen year old and then he was a young 187 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:18,560 Speaker 1: adult and at thirteen, he said, I was angry, and 188 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:21,040 Speaker 1: I didn't know what to do, and I didn't know 189 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: what to do with my anger. But I went to 190 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:24,800 Speaker 1: this place. And what struck me about what he said 191 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:29,800 Speaker 1: was I saw these people that had this sense about 192 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:31,680 Speaker 1: them that I wanted to be like them. And I 193 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 1: think that's the joy of Christ, you know. I think 194 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: what he saw was the joy of Christ. And to 195 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:41,920 Speaker 1: have somebody who is in a culture, as you said, 196 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:44,960 Speaker 1: that is beaten down, that people have been beaten down. 197 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:49,600 Speaker 1: Communism has taken over the region. Everybody is depressed. There's 198 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:54,200 Speaker 1: been a lot of war. They are now hungry. Everything's gray. 199 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 1: You talk about you set the scene very well for 200 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 1: what the community is. It's almost like those I mean, 201 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 1: the way my mind's eye sees it is those videos 202 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:08,679 Speaker 1: where everybody's in like a dark and dingy scene. It's 203 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:10,679 Speaker 1: almost black and white, and then they walk into a 204 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:14,079 Speaker 1: room and it's filled with rainbow of colors. It's almost 205 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:16,760 Speaker 1: like that's what his soul felt when he walked in there. 206 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 3: Well, that's right, yeah, yeah, you were saying, Pavel, And 207 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:22,560 Speaker 3: he's one of thousands of young people who've come to 208 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:25,920 Speaker 3: faith in Jesus Christ through our work in local churches there. 209 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,080 Speaker 2: And it's so interesting because I. 210 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:30,720 Speaker 3: Love lighting a match in a dark place because you 211 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:33,440 Speaker 3: really see it, and you really see the difference. And 212 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 3: we've just you know, when you think of someone who 213 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:39,240 Speaker 3: who has no faith in their background, he didn't have 214 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 3: a single relative in his extended family who believed in 215 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:45,920 Speaker 3: God or had any connection with church and so and 216 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:49,040 Speaker 3: when I think coming from a Christian background, I think, 217 00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:51,800 Speaker 3: what would it be like if that was missing in 218 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:56,120 Speaker 3: my life? If life was just going to work, making money, 219 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:59,560 Speaker 3: retiring and dying and I didn't have any higher meaning 220 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,720 Speaker 3: or the spiritual dimension of my life was just empty 221 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:06,079 Speaker 3: because I had no relationship with God. I can't imagine 222 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,319 Speaker 3: what life would be like. And yet so many of 223 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:10,360 Speaker 3: those young people, they don't even one of the things. 224 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 3: When I asked in my class do you believe in God? 225 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:15,440 Speaker 3: All of them said I'm an atheist. And I would 226 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:18,880 Speaker 3: ask why, and they couldn't tell me why. They were 227 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 3: cultural atheists, which is really interesting, and they never really 228 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:26,680 Speaker 3: had they'd never met someone who had living faith. And 229 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:29,840 Speaker 3: I remember one of the teachers, we had a teacher's meeting, 230 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:31,800 Speaker 3: and she leaned over and she said, I was the 231 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:34,400 Speaker 3: first Christian teacher in the history of this school, right 232 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:37,560 Speaker 3: in the very beginning. And she leaned over and she said, 233 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 3: I always thought that Christians were either really weak so 234 00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:43,880 Speaker 3: they needed a crutch, or very old. 235 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:46,359 Speaker 2: And she said, you seem. 236 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 3: To be pretty smart and you're young. Why in the 237 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 3: world do you believe in God? And so that was 238 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 3: kind of the background. But then when you saw young 239 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 3: people come to faith in Christ, it's like you said, 240 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 3: it just the lights came on. Changed every aspect of 241 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:02,360 Speaker 3: their life, change their sense of hope, their sense of meaning, 242 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:06,760 Speaker 3: their purpose, how they approached like what Pavel said, he 243 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:10,679 Speaker 3: said got removed anger from his life, gave him different relationships. 244 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 3: So it's pretty exciting for us to see that kind 245 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:17,600 Speaker 3: of transformation happen in really thousands of young people. 246 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: Let's take a quick commercial break. We'll continue next on 247 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:26,840 Speaker 1: a Tutor Dixon podcast. One of the interesting openings that 248 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:31,480 Speaker 1: I think you had is you mentioned that people said, well, 249 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:34,199 Speaker 1: if you're teaching English, my parents will let me come 250 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: because they believe that that's the key to so many 251 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:42,400 Speaker 1: more opportunities. So you got to here, you are in 252 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 1: the United States, you get this call, you get to 253 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:49,680 Speaker 1: go there and use your language, your life, what you 254 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:53,200 Speaker 1: know to reform an entire country's youth. 255 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:56,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was I didn't expect that. 256 00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:58,480 Speaker 3: And that's one of the things about when you're following 257 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:00,400 Speaker 3: God's call, he often has a lot of lands that 258 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:02,880 Speaker 3: you don't know anything about, and he opens them up 259 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:03,360 Speaker 3: as you go. 260 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:06,480 Speaker 2: I was learning Czech, and I speak fluent Czech. 261 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:09,280 Speaker 3: I thought it's you know, it's breaking the rules to 262 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:12,440 Speaker 3: use English and when you're working overseas. But I found 263 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 3: that all the young people, that's their ticket to the 264 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 3: world is English. So we began teaching English and then 265 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 3: did an English camp and then all of a sudden, 266 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:22,679 Speaker 3: the young people from that camp were interested in joining 267 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:24,719 Speaker 3: the youth this little youth group in our church, which 268 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:27,040 Speaker 3: all of a sudden became a youth group of about sixty. 269 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:28,439 Speaker 2: With a bunch of young people. 270 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 3: And we really found these camps were one of the 271 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:34,680 Speaker 3: keys to drawing in young people and exposing them to 272 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 3: a community of believers and to what I mean to 273 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:39,800 Speaker 3: have faith in Christ because they would come to learn English, 274 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:42,120 Speaker 3: and we would teach them English, but we would also 275 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:44,320 Speaker 3: talk to them about what it meant to have a 276 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 3: relationship with God through Jesus Christ. And so we did 277 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 3: one camp that first year in nineteen ninety four, three 278 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 3: the next Since then, we've done two thousand week long 279 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:58,520 Speaker 3: camps in partnership with local churches across the region, with 280 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:01,679 Speaker 3: over one hundred and twenty thousand and young people. So 281 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:04,240 Speaker 3: that that was, you know, what started just with four 282 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:08,400 Speaker 3: people in the beginnings has blossomed. And that's just one 283 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 3: of the ways that we use to reach young people through. 284 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 3: We also go into schools, we have a whole music 285 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:16,960 Speaker 3: ministry or sports ministry. It's really about how do we 286 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:20,080 Speaker 3: gather young people into community, healthy communities that are very 287 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:23,720 Speaker 3: different than what they've experienced before, and then then over 288 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 3: time they begin to learn about faith in God and 289 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:29,280 Speaker 3: and what a relationship with Jesus Christ can do to 290 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:30,520 Speaker 3: really transform your life. 291 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,440 Speaker 1: So over one hundred thousand in a country of how many, Well. 292 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 3: Actually that's in more more countries than just just Check. 293 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:40,120 Speaker 3: But but we also I don't know how many it's 294 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:44,200 Speaker 3: been in Check. It's it's uh, it's a lot in Check. 295 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 3: But we also have been face to face with over 296 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:49,800 Speaker 3: one hundred and fifty thousand people in schools. There's just 297 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 3: a there's a lot. We were able to a TV 298 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 3: program on Check Television that so all kinds of doors 299 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:57,119 Speaker 3: open to really. 300 00:14:57,320 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 2: Talking about change. 301 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:03,800 Speaker 1: That was fascinating because that's that moment where there is 302 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:09,400 Speaker 1: almost a government push to bring culture back. And I 303 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: think that there's something here that we kind of want 304 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: to touch on is that the Czech Republic is very 305 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:18,200 Speaker 1: into preserving what the Checher Republic is. They don't allow immigration, 306 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:20,920 Speaker 1: they're very cautious about who they let into the country. 307 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 1: The culture is important. But in that I feel like 308 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:27,120 Speaker 1: when you were talking about that, it seemed like, Wow, 309 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:29,840 Speaker 1: that was a moment where the country said we need 310 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: a healing. We need hope. This man is bringing hope. 311 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 1: They saw you as bringing hope to their country, and 312 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:38,760 Speaker 1: they're very particular about what they let in. 313 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:43,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, they certainly are. Yeah, they're very competent, very proud people. 314 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 3: They're they're very capable, and they aren't easily manipulated. They're 315 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:54,120 Speaker 3: pretty strong. So what happened was we were working with 316 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 3: young people and we had an intern and one of 317 00:15:56,880 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 3: them is We had the graduation for our interns and 318 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 3: I met this intern's father and I said, what do 319 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:04,600 Speaker 3: you do And he says, I produced television shows for 320 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:09,000 Speaker 3: check Television. And I said, what's your dream for the future. 321 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:11,080 Speaker 3: He says, I wish there was a way that we 322 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 3: could have some kind of spiritual content on TV because 323 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:18,560 Speaker 3: there's none of that. They're not getting anything about about 324 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:20,320 Speaker 3: something that would build a moral foundation. 325 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 2: And I said, yeah, wouldn't it be. 326 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 3: Great if there was a Christian show for young people 327 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,840 Speaker 3: on TV? And he looked at me and he said, 328 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 3: you're not serious, are you? And I said, well, I'm serious. 329 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:32,840 Speaker 3: It's a great idea, but something like that's not possible. 330 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:35,680 Speaker 3: And he said, well, would you pray about it? And 331 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 3: I said yeah, yeah, sure. He said if the door opens, 332 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:42,560 Speaker 3: Would you do it with me? I said, yeah, maybe, 333 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:46,000 Speaker 3: And so about six weeks later he said, I've just 334 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 3: contacted Czech television. They actually are concerned about the moral 335 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:52,360 Speaker 3: slide among young people and they're open to doing a 336 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:55,400 Speaker 3: Christian show and they said, if you will produce it, 337 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 3: they'll air it for free. And so then we asked, well, 338 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:01,680 Speaker 3: how many do they want, and they said, we did 339 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:04,800 Speaker 3: a pilot and they said, why don't you do seventeen episodes. 340 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:08,280 Speaker 3: So we began to broadcast on National TV a show 341 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:11,639 Speaker 3: called Exit three sixteen, which is just basically stories of 342 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 3: young people's lives who've been changed by Christ and changed 343 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:18,640 Speaker 3: by learning how to live like the Bible tells them 344 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:20,879 Speaker 3: to live, and we just would tell these stories on 345 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:24,119 Speaker 3: National TV. Well, it was going so well that they 346 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 3: said wanted to do another thirteen episodes, and then they 347 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:30,080 Speaker 3: said to another fifteen episodes, and we aired twice a 348 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:33,680 Speaker 3: week on National TV and in the most atheist country 349 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,600 Speaker 3: on Earth, stories of young people's lives who've been changed 350 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:40,639 Speaker 3: by Christ. So that was pretty exciting and it was 351 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:43,159 Speaker 3: reaching hundreds of thousands of people every week. So I 352 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:45,920 Speaker 3: became the producer of a TV show in the Czech 353 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:50,239 Speaker 3: Republic and I don't have any TV background, but then 354 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:52,160 Speaker 3: they said, then they said, would you do it again? 355 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:55,320 Speaker 3: So we broadcast twice a week on national TV for 356 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:58,159 Speaker 3: two full years in the Czech Republic and it was 357 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:01,679 Speaker 3: like it was like it just was changing the whole 358 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:04,400 Speaker 3: moral environment of the country to hear those stories. 359 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:07,600 Speaker 1: And I love that because it's young people sharing their story. 360 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,560 Speaker 1: You put together young people's stories so that they could 361 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:12,920 Speaker 1: reach out to other young people. Now there's been kind 362 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:17,160 Speaker 1: of this phenomenon of TikTok, so I wanted to talk 363 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:20,560 Speaker 1: about that because you talked about these young TikTok ministers. 364 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:24,239 Speaker 1: And we complain about TikTok so much because of the 365 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:28,840 Speaker 1: content that is crazy and taking kids in bad directions. 366 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:31,320 Speaker 1: But there is a lot of faith content out there, 367 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 1: and you are finding that people in Eastern Europe are 368 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:37,960 Speaker 1: able to use it to reach hundreds of thousands. 369 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:39,119 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. 370 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:42,360 Speaker 3: So if I fast forward today, I started about their 371 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 3: story in nineteen ninety three, it was just two couples. 372 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:48,199 Speaker 3: Now we're working in sixteen countries of Central and Eastern Europe. 373 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:50,080 Speaker 3: So I live in the Czech Republic, but we have 374 00:18:50,119 --> 00:18:52,840 Speaker 3: staff in sixteen countries. We have three hundred and eighty 375 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:57,159 Speaker 3: full time staff and we're working with we'll train about 376 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:00,679 Speaker 3: seven thousand young leaders in a typical year. So what 377 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:03,080 Speaker 3: we try to do. The reason for our name Josiah 378 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:05,800 Speaker 3: Venture is because Josiah was a king in the Bible 379 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 3: who was a young king and he followed some really 380 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:12,879 Speaker 3: bad kings before him, but he charted a different direction. 381 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:15,720 Speaker 3: He really brought his nation back to God and it 382 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:18,159 Speaker 3: changed the whole nation, and he did it as a 383 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:20,800 Speaker 3: young person. And so we said, how do we find 384 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:24,159 Speaker 3: the young Josiahs, those young influencers who will influence in 385 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:26,880 Speaker 3: a different direction, will influence by their faith in God 386 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:30,399 Speaker 3: and influence their generation for Christ. Because we feel like 387 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:32,919 Speaker 3: they can make changes in the entire country. And so 388 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:35,920 Speaker 3: we're always looking for those young people that are making 389 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:39,399 Speaker 3: a difference. But one of those is in Serbia. His 390 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:44,520 Speaker 3: name is Alexa, and he had a radical experience with 391 00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:47,480 Speaker 3: God as a fifteen year old and really came to 392 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 3: faith in Christ, started reading the Bible. It totally changed 393 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:53,120 Speaker 3: his life. And then he looked at all his friends 394 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:56,080 Speaker 3: and they went there. They're on these all the time, 395 00:19:56,480 --> 00:20:00,159 Speaker 3: but there's no one who's giving any different message. So 396 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 3: he propped up his phone on an Orange he had 397 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:05,160 Speaker 3: an old Android phone and put it on an Orange 398 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:08,840 Speaker 3: and recorded one TikTok just talking about his faith in 399 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:14,160 Speaker 3: God and put it away five views, six views, eight views, 400 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:17,280 Speaker 3: and then he went, this doesn't make any difference. Came 401 00:20:17,359 --> 00:20:19,720 Speaker 3: back a couple of days later, and it had blown 402 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:24,240 Speaker 3: up because another famous TikToker in the nation had absolutely 403 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 3: made fun of him, but it drew everyone's attention to 404 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:29,240 Speaker 3: his TikTok and so they. 405 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:30,080 Speaker 2: Started watching him. 406 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:31,760 Speaker 1: So he started works. 407 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:34,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, he started posting tiktoks every day, and these are 408 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:38,000 Speaker 3: straight up he talks about how here's what the Bible 409 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,359 Speaker 3: says about this issue, and this is why faith in 410 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:41,880 Speaker 3: Jesus Christ will change your life. 411 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:43,280 Speaker 2: Just totally straightforward. 412 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:46,760 Speaker 3: This young now he's seventeen years old, Serbian guy, but 413 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:49,800 Speaker 3: he has hit regularly. His tiktoks will reach a half 414 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:52,720 Speaker 3: a million people. So if you can imagine this young 415 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:57,120 Speaker 3: seventeen year old who just is boldly proclaiming a message's 416 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 3: very different than what's normally out there on tikio. 417 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:02,200 Speaker 1: Talk, is that dangerous in that area? 418 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:07,399 Speaker 3: And well it can be because some people, yeah that 419 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:11,160 Speaker 3: Serbians are pretty hot blooded and but I think they're 420 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:13,160 Speaker 3: also curious about a young Part of it is when 421 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:15,919 Speaker 3: you get a young person's voice, it's different. They're not 422 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 3: quite as threatening. There's a vulnerability to it. But but 423 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:23,919 Speaker 3: he's regularly reaching half the warning people. And in a 424 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:28,520 Speaker 3: country also with that doesn't have a strong church, you know, future. 425 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,600 Speaker 1: I love this story because we keep hearing that Christianity 426 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:34,359 Speaker 1: is losing ground, and I don't think that we have been. 427 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 1: My dad used to always tell me, advertise your progress, 428 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: because nobody else cares unless you're telling them what you're doing. 429 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 1: And I don't think we do that enough in the 430 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: Christian world, is to advertise our progress. And I know that. 431 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,639 Speaker 1: You know, we have a big Arab American community in 432 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:51,600 Speaker 1: the state of Michigan, and in the Muslim community, they 433 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:55,360 Speaker 1: are strong about advertising their progress, and so I think 434 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:57,840 Speaker 1: a lot of Christians feel like, well, we're kind of 435 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 1: falling behind. And when I hear these stories. That's why 436 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:03,119 Speaker 1: when you were at church, I was hearing these stories, 437 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:05,560 Speaker 1: and I'm like, we need to share this because for 438 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:09,520 Speaker 1: those of us who this matters deeply too, it's important 439 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:12,399 Speaker 1: to know that there is progress being done and that 440 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:15,679 Speaker 1: people like you have created something from four people to 441 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:19,200 Speaker 1: go to over three hundred people across multiple different countries. 442 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:26,240 Speaker 1: That's an amazing feat. And there is God's God's fingerprints 443 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:28,720 Speaker 1: on every part of this. But it hasn't been easy. 444 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 1: I think that's the one thing that you said. The 445 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 1: wind of spiritual opposition is constant where you are, and 446 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:36,479 Speaker 1: yet you stay, you stay doing it. So tell us 447 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:38,240 Speaker 1: a little bit about what the opposition is like. 448 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:42,440 Speaker 2: Well, it's interesting because one of the oppositions. 449 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:44,119 Speaker 3: One of the things has been where my family has 450 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:46,600 Speaker 3: been sick most of the time we've been there, and 451 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:49,439 Speaker 3: with crazy things that you wouldn't expect us. It's not 452 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:52,040 Speaker 3: like we live in the jungle where you would catch 453 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:54,200 Speaker 3: malaria or something like that. But it felt like every 454 00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:57,400 Speaker 3: time we would head into something new, my wife would 455 00:22:57,400 --> 00:22:59,280 Speaker 3: get sick or my kids would get sick. I stayed 456 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 3: healthy most of the time. But then also there's opposition. 457 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:06,000 Speaker 3: I you know, I've had I've had my life threatened 458 00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:10,359 Speaker 3: by parents whose whose kids come to faith in God 459 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:13,960 Speaker 3: and they, you know, they're afraid of what that's going 460 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,480 Speaker 3: to be and have threatened our lives and that. But 461 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:19,280 Speaker 3: then the other thing is there just is a sense 462 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:21,960 Speaker 3: of darkness and you know, I think that's that's true 463 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:24,159 Speaker 3: in the United States too, but in areas of the 464 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:27,320 Speaker 3: world where there's small faith in God, you actually feel it. 465 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:30,879 Speaker 3: You know, you sometimes just feel that you're you're pushing 466 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:35,600 Speaker 3: into a headwind. The darkness of discouragement and hopelessness really 467 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:38,719 Speaker 3: presses in on you. And so we've been at this 468 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:42,280 Speaker 3: for thirty one years and and but it's not easy. 469 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:43,520 Speaker 2: We just keep going. 470 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:46,600 Speaker 1: Let's take a quick commercial break. We'll continue next on 471 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 1: a Tutor Dixon podcast. So in the time that you've 472 00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:57,040 Speaker 1: been there, suddenly you have this war breakout in Ukraine, 473 00:23:57,359 --> 00:24:00,199 Speaker 1: which is right next door to where you live, and 474 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:05,360 Speaker 1: you took a turn in your ministry to provide relief 475 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:09,000 Speaker 1: to Ukraine. And that was something that you, again didn't 476 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:12,439 Speaker 1: have any history with, but God provided. So tell us 477 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:13,320 Speaker 1: a little bit about that. 478 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:16,760 Speaker 3: And this is one of the amazing things about serving 479 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:18,440 Speaker 3: God and the call of God is again he has 480 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:21,120 Speaker 3: plans that we don't know about, and I always feel 481 00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:24,160 Speaker 3: like we get invited into his work and it's always 482 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:26,560 Speaker 3: surprising to see what he has. So we have twenty 483 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:30,159 Speaker 3: seven staff in Ukraine and also staff and all the 484 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,560 Speaker 3: countries around it. And so when the war broke out. 485 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:36,240 Speaker 3: We were deeply affected because the refugees were pouring into 486 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:39,199 Speaker 3: the countries where we live in and pouring from the 487 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:43,320 Speaker 3: country that this war was happening in, and so some 488 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:45,760 Speaker 3: of our staff evacuated in the first couple of days, 489 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:48,720 Speaker 3: and then we went, wait, we've got to help with this, 490 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:54,119 Speaker 3: and so we strategizing. Within five days, we were sending aid. 491 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,720 Speaker 3: We found that the border was a very difficult place 492 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:01,199 Speaker 3: because the men couldn't but they would come and just 493 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:03,520 Speaker 3: drop off their wives and kids at the borders and 494 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:05,880 Speaker 3: sometimes stand there in the middle of winter for three or. 495 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:07,680 Speaker 2: Four days, then try to get across. 496 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:11,600 Speaker 3: Then they don't yeah days and with young kids in 497 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:14,639 Speaker 3: a plastic bag of everything that they own, and then 498 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:16,400 Speaker 3: they'd get across the border and then try to figure 499 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:19,439 Speaker 3: out where they were headed next. They didn't speak the language. 500 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:22,800 Speaker 3: So within five days we began sending tour buses across 501 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:26,200 Speaker 3: the border to pick up refugees and bringing them back 502 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:29,360 Speaker 3: and then connecting them with local churches in the country 503 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:32,240 Speaker 3: surrounding them. So we were taking them into the hands 504 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:34,640 Speaker 3: of believers who would care for them and really cared 505 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:39,000 Speaker 3: about them. And we did brought fifty one buses of 506 00:25:39,119 --> 00:25:41,640 Speaker 3: people across the border and then we would send them 507 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 3: back filled with aid. Now we're not an aid organization, 508 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:48,119 Speaker 3: we're a use minister organization, but we had to pivot 509 00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:51,880 Speaker 3: and within five days we basically reorganized our whole team 510 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:55,400 Speaker 3: around helping the situation. But the advantage we had over 511 00:25:55,480 --> 00:26:00,119 Speaker 3: large aid organizations is we know the people everywhere. We 512 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:02,080 Speaker 3: could pick up a phone and call this past or 513 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 3: contact this person, and so we were able to get 514 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:07,120 Speaker 3: aid right to the place where it needed the most. 515 00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:09,200 Speaker 3: We'd get a phone call from someone on the front 516 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 3: front lines and they'd say we need diapers, and we 517 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:15,399 Speaker 3: could have them to them in one day. By we 518 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:19,719 Speaker 3: became the largest buyer of kind of the costco version 519 00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 3: in the Tech Republic, and within in a period of 520 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:25,920 Speaker 3: a year, we were able to provide seven million dollars 521 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 3: of aid to Ukraine. And we're not an aid organization 522 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:33,080 Speaker 3: for the Ministry organization, but we were just channeling that 523 00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:36,520 Speaker 3: to people and we're still very engaged there. We're not 524 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:38,680 Speaker 3: doing as much aid right now, but actually I talked 525 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 3: to our team this morning and they're getting ready for 526 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 3: their summer of ministry. One of the staffs, she's a 527 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 3: twenty three year old and lives in Nipine, which you've 528 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:50,199 Speaker 3: seen on the news, and I just talked to her 529 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:52,040 Speaker 3: about what it's like to be there right right now. 530 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:53,920 Speaker 3: But one of the things that maybe you don't hear 531 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:58,320 Speaker 3: about is believers are really stepping forward and the church 532 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:00,879 Speaker 3: is making a huge difference in Ukraine right now. 533 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:02,440 Speaker 2: And she talked about she said. 534 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 3: Last Sunday they had the anniversary of their church in 535 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,080 Speaker 3: it Opine and she said a thousand people were there. 536 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:10,800 Speaker 1: Wow, Oh, that's amazing. 537 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:10,879 Speaker 2: She said. 538 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:13,960 Speaker 3: She said, the church is making such a difference in 539 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:18,040 Speaker 3: that area. And we'll do thirty seven camps with young people, 540 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:20,720 Speaker 3: with Ukrainian young people this summer, all the way from 541 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:25,359 Speaker 3: the front lines, and there'll be thousands of several thousand 542 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:28,080 Speaker 3: Ukrainian young people in camps that were leaving this summer 543 00:27:28,119 --> 00:27:29,280 Speaker 3: in these next couple of weeks. 544 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:31,679 Speaker 1: As you were telling this, when I was listening to 545 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:34,760 Speaker 1: this on Sunday, I was just thinking, God knows everything. 546 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:37,600 Speaker 1: He already saw that before it happened, you know, he 547 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:39,760 Speaker 1: knew that was where you needed to be, and he 548 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:42,720 Speaker 1: knew this war would happen. And you tell such a 549 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:45,199 Speaker 1: different story of the war than we know because we 550 00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:50,640 Speaker 1: know the higher level negotiations, but when you said that men, 551 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:52,199 Speaker 1: I mean, it brings a tear to my eye when 552 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:54,320 Speaker 1: you said that men are dropping their wives and children 553 00:27:54,359 --> 00:27:58,600 Speaker 1: at the border. When we hear the people in government 554 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:01,399 Speaker 1: in the United States saying we want the killing to stop. 555 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:03,960 Speaker 1: We don't want to lose five thousand men a day, 556 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:06,360 Speaker 1: this is crazy. We've got to stop this. I think 557 00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:08,840 Speaker 1: about how many of those people were dropped off in 558 00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:12,040 Speaker 1: the cold for three days and never saw that man again. 559 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:13,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, oh that's right. 560 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:16,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, he brings a lot of emotion to 561 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:19,119 Speaker 3: me as well when you hear that. Just the impact 562 00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:21,080 Speaker 3: on my families. We just we need to pray and 563 00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:23,320 Speaker 3: do everything we can to bring this war to an end. 564 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:26,600 Speaker 3: It's impacting people every day. So when I talk to 565 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:29,359 Speaker 3: our staff, they say, yeah, every night, we just hear explosions, 566 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:31,560 Speaker 3: you know, all through the night, and they're right out 567 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:34,840 Speaker 3: there in the in the midst of it. Two of 568 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:37,440 Speaker 3: our team members, well, when one of our team members 569 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:39,920 Speaker 3: was driving a he's a man in his mid twenties 570 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:42,760 Speaker 3: with his wife and one and a half year old kid. 571 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:46,800 Speaker 3: He gets stopped at a police checkpoint and pulled into 572 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,240 Speaker 3: the Army you know, because they have to get the 573 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:51,880 Speaker 3: men out there to defend the country. So his wife 574 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,160 Speaker 3: is up, she doesn't have a driver's license, and all 575 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:56,520 Speaker 3: of a sudden she's left in the car alone with 576 00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:58,320 Speaker 3: her one and a half year old child, and her 577 00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:01,000 Speaker 3: husband's gone for the foreseeable fewtre sure she doesn't know 578 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:04,120 Speaker 3: if she'll she'll even see him again. Uh So, And 579 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:06,800 Speaker 3: and these are men on our staff that are now 580 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 3: serving in the military. Another one is just walking down 581 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:12,920 Speaker 3: the streets of the town and got stopped and pulled 582 00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:15,400 Speaker 3: and couldn't even go back to his apartment building. So 583 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:18,600 Speaker 3: there's there's both the the death and destruction, but there's 584 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:22,360 Speaker 3: also the ripping of families and uh and in the 585 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,800 Speaker 3: sense in these young families of will I ever see 586 00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:27,959 Speaker 3: my dad again? So as we're working with the young people, 587 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:31,280 Speaker 3: many of them their fathers are gone, their their their 588 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:34,480 Speaker 3: fatherless homes, and and they don't know even if they're 589 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:37,920 Speaker 3: going to get pulled into the military. So really caring 590 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:41,520 Speaker 3: for the soul of that young generation in Ukraine is 591 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:44,479 Speaker 3: is crucially important. So we've got seven churches that are 592 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:47,680 Speaker 3: right on the border, uh right on the front lines, 593 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:51,400 Speaker 3: and they're pastors who stayed there and their their youth groups. 594 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:53,520 Speaker 3: Youth group is the only place where young people can 595 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,320 Speaker 3: gather together because their school is all online and all 596 00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:58,840 Speaker 3: the communities are shut down, and there's these there are 597 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:02,360 Speaker 3: these pastors who are who are shepherding these young people 598 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:05,680 Speaker 3: right on the front lines. And we'll do seven camps 599 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:08,240 Speaker 3: with them. And they just said, get us as far 600 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:11,800 Speaker 3: away from the noise of the bombardment as possible. So 601 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:15,080 Speaker 3: we're taking them into the mountains in the far West 602 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:17,480 Speaker 3: and going to give them a week of camp together 603 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:22,040 Speaker 3: and create community, but also talk about a hope that's 604 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:26,080 Speaker 3: bigger than just this life, and a hope that's rooted 605 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:30,280 Speaker 3: in a relationship with God that is independent of what's 606 00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:32,600 Speaker 3: going to happen politically. You know that you have a 607 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 3: foundation that's deeper than just the circumstances around you. 608 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:40,120 Speaker 1: I mean, truly truly amazing work that you're doing. I 609 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:43,239 Speaker 1: just want to before we close this is you are 610 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:46,880 Speaker 1: second generation, but you've raised a third you're wondering what's 611 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,120 Speaker 1: going to happen with the fourth. But your kids are 612 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:51,640 Speaker 1: also missionaries, correct, that's right. 613 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:54,800 Speaker 3: My kids are missionaries, and so we're in third generation missionary. 614 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:58,080 Speaker 3: So I have a son that serves in Albania, another 615 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:00,760 Speaker 3: son that serves in czech and a daughter in Germany, 616 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:03,440 Speaker 3: in the eastern portion of Germany. So yeah, it's in 617 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:06,200 Speaker 3: the third generation and maybe we'll raise a fourth. 618 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:10,080 Speaker 1: So tell us tell everybody. I know, as they've listened 619 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:13,040 Speaker 1: to this about Josiah Venture and everything that you're doing. 620 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:14,520 Speaker 1: I know there's a lot of people out there that 621 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,160 Speaker 1: will want to help out. So tell us where they 622 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:19,560 Speaker 1: can go to find out more about it, how they 623 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:22,760 Speaker 1: can contribute to what you're doing over in Eastern in 624 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:23,680 Speaker 1: Central Europe. 625 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:24,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, you could down. 626 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:29,160 Speaker 3: We have a website www dot Josiah Venture and it's 627 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:32,480 Speaker 3: not Josiah Adventure, it's Josiah Venture. So think of the 628 00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:35,840 Speaker 3: name the King Josiah and then just venture dot com 629 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:38,440 Speaker 3: and there you can see our different teams. You can 630 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:40,040 Speaker 3: go in search one of the countries. You can see 631 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:43,400 Speaker 3: all our Ukraine staff. There's different projects there. But one 632 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:45,920 Speaker 3: of the things I would just say is if our 633 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:48,640 Speaker 3: strength is in our national staff, is in our Ukrainians, 634 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:51,600 Speaker 3: our polls, our checks, our young leaders who are really 635 00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:54,000 Speaker 3: serving on the front lines, and if any of any 636 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:56,480 Speaker 3: of your listeners wanted to just adopt one of those 637 00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:59,520 Speaker 3: young people that are making a big difference. You'll see 638 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 3: all all their pictures on our website, or you could 639 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:04,800 Speaker 3: just write you can write me a note through our 640 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:08,880 Speaker 3: website and just be a part of what God's doing there, 641 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:10,320 Speaker 3: which is really exciting. 642 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:13,160 Speaker 1: That's amazing. I love it, I love your story, I 643 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:15,120 Speaker 1: love what you're doing, and I'm so glad you came 644 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:17,760 Speaker 1: on to share it today. Dave, Patty, thank you so much. 645 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:20,840 Speaker 2: Oh, thank you so much as well, and thank. 646 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:23,120 Speaker 1: You all for joining us on the Tutor Dixon podcast 647 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:25,760 Speaker 1: for this episode and others. Go to the iHeartRadio app, 648 00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:28,560 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts, and you 649 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 1: can watch the video on Rumble at Tutor Dixon. But 650 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:33,480 Speaker 1: make sure you join us next time and have a 651 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:34,040 Speaker 1: blessed day.