There is one thing that I have been neglecting to do these past few weeks. It is not spending time with God in His word. It is not school work. It is not spending time with family. It is not commitment to the student ministries at church. What I have been neglecting is something that American society as a whole has seemed to devalue as time has passed. What I am referencing is reflection on what is happening around me and who is in my life at this moment. Even in the midst of this turbulent time with school, church, and, as of recently, work, I still need to take time to look at life as it is happening around me. In doing so, I see more than just my life but the lives of others. I try to imagine what other people are doing in situations. Why are they there? I wonder to myself, what drives them to get through the day? What is there motivation? For me, the answer is easy as it is to live for God. I cannot speak for others but after realizing this, I come to see the peace and security I have laid in Christ no matter what my circumstances are. That alone brings a comfort to me that is not laid upon material things. The comfort I am speaking about is that which comes from the knowledge of God's grace. Nothing can surpass comfort that has knowledge of God as it's foundation. So in getting myself out of and above the soup that I refer to as life here, I am able to see what is around me and more importantly it allows me to see that God is above it all. God's glory and sovereignty is manifested in a distinct and sharply defined way that is beyond the scope of understanding of our minds. We realize the distinction exists but cannot fully grasp the complexity and reach of it both in the physical and metaphysical sense. God illuminates the "soup" in a way I could never conceive of alone with my own eyes. Regardless of this fact, the amount of peace and comfort that God bring to my life is beyond explanation......and I am completely fine with that. There is no need for explanation. Just savor it.

Maybe at one point in your life you have been stripped.....of rank, position, ambition, dignity, or during a search. Regardless, each of these things results in a person being humbled as a consequence of some action taken. Most people would associate these situations as being unfavorable. However, when it comes to my faith, to be humbled, to be stripped of all that I hold in high esteem in regards to my character and values is a good thing. It is far too easy to forget about what is important in life (God) and to spend time, money, and focus on. God makes known to me what my focus and priorities are in life and whether they are in line with His desires for my life through such experiences. Life is more than just living to make it through, living to have wealth, and living to be good. Rather, we are called to be obedient to God's calling, not to put it in the back closet to pull out at the end of it all when we deem that we have the time for it. His calling does not cease, it just changes in manifestation.

Luke 12:15 - The He (Jesus) said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."

After being away from home, friends, and the community that I considered myself to be a part of, it is quite the shock to return and find everything that I once knew has changed drastically. Who could have imagined how much change can take place within a span of 2.5 months? I certainly did not but in some ways I guess I was naive as I knew it would happen, but I never expected to such a degree. At the moment I am at a loss for finding community. Also, I have come to realize that some of my friendships seem to be less than what I thought they were. It is sobering to come back an realize that people who I considered friends have been taking me for granted.

After losing what has been built up over the course of 3 years in one swift move, new community cannot be established as quickly as it was lost. Community takes time to develop as it requires the building of trust and camaraderie through which deep personal connections, support and fellowship grow and thrive. It is my hope that over this next year God will place me where I need to be in terms of community and fellowship, wherever that may be. It is also my hope that God would surround me with friends who truly care about mutuality required in a friendship as one sided friendships are doomed to failure.

At the end of October, the 30th to be exact, Josiah Venture is coming to the Phoenix area to share with people what God has been doing in Europe and what may happen in the near future. It is Josiah Venture's vision to see their ministry double in fruitfulness in three years time. So come and check it out! Its free! All you have to do is RSVP.

Check out the 2x3 Campaign website for more details and to RSVP for the event.


One Percent from Josiah Venture on Vimeo.

Looking back on this summer I can say I am wrought with a mix of emotions in regards to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and home. In those last hours I spent riding the train from Ceske Budejovice to Prague and the subsequent wait in the airport, I was not looking forward to the physical manifestation of home that I call Arizona, but rather I was looking forward to talking with my close friends who I consider to be my actual home. In actuality I could care less about Arizona or the USA. If those that I consider to be close to me moved to another state or country, then I will have lost the community that I call my home.

Going beyond what I realize is home, God taught me more about myself than I could have ever realized going into this summer. God showed me how much we as believers need to be in fellowship with one another. We can be surrounded by many people but unless we have those few select people with who we can go deep with, we are missing something vital. Being transparent with a close friend allows that fellow believer to see your life from a completely different angle than you, speak into it, and be able to encourage you through that way. In no way am I saying that is a means to cut out on time spent with God studying scripture and praying. For me, my time with God was the thing that I desperately clung to to get through the days I was not at a camp.

Also, another thing that I came to realize is my weakness in relating to people I just meet. I'm not horrible but I can quickly deteriorate from doubt and my own insecurities. Usually ends up spiraling down to the point where I would rather withdraw rather than stick around the awkward situations. So for future reference I will have to work on this area and keep from withdrawing during the rough times. I thank God for everything He taught me this summer through being on a small intern team in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. I loved my teammates and continue to do so. There is nothing that I would have traded the hardships of those 2.5 months for.

Beware in your prayer, above everything, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. --Andrew Murray

To see more photos, below are links to 3 albums of photos.

1) Before the start of English camps
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2326207&l=5194f&id=10036145

2) Ceske Budejovice and Strakonice English Camps
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2351822&l=47780&id=10036145

3) Presov English Camp and Debriefing
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2351826&l=8d1ce&id=10036145

21 hours ago I stepped off the plane at Phoenix Sky Harbor to be greeted by the forthcoming heatwave that is known as the Arizona summer. Never before has 100 degrees felt so homely. To wrap up the last weeks worth of events, it started with debriefing in Prague with the other summer interns located in the Czech Republic. It was such an awesome time to be able to talk with and share stories about the summer with the other interns. What was even better was being able to share with each other what we learned and how we grew through the summer. With one of the interns, the change was clearly evident in comparison to the beginning of the summer and such was encouraging to see. Debriefing in general went well with paperwork to fill out in regards to our thoughts and feelings toward the entire summer and each camp specifically. Getting on to more interesting stuff, my intern team had our last dinner together on Saturday during which we spend the time going over how we have seen each other grow this summer and just encourage one another one last time before saying our good byes (at least in regards to being a team together). I am sure that this was not the last time I would see any of them.

Sunday morning at 3:30 am, the interns who were not staying longer left for the airport. For me it was not a problem waking up to say goodbye to them as I never when to sleep. After returning to the Czech Inn Hostel around 1 am, I stayed up working on debriefing paperwork and team finances (fun stuff). After seeing them off, I went to bed for 4 hours and then woke up, said my goodbyes to my team and whoever was up and I left for the train station with the final destination being Ceske Budejovice. I spent a few days in CB with my friend Ondra and his family. I am so glad that I decided to stay the few extra days as it was so great to be able to have conversations with Ondra about different issues in our lives. This time was encouraging for me and I can only hope that it was just as or more encouraging for him. Also, it was great to meet up with some of the students from camp to play pool or bowl. As for staying at Ondra's place, it was awesome. His family was so hospitable and generous towards me that I hope to be as kind to others as they were to me. I thank God for them. At 9 pm my time in Ceske Budejovice came to end as the train pulled out of the station and I said my final goodbye (for now) to Ondra. Someday within the next 2 years I hope to return to the Czech Republic.

The train pulled into the Prague train station at midnight and from there I worked my way over to the airport with some difficulty. I could not find where a certain bus stop was and so I ended up walking to Namesti Republiky to catch the tram headed towards the airport. Finally at 1:45 am I reached the airport and proceeded to stay awake for the night as had an early flight out. So walking through the airport, it came at me by surprise when I found my self in front of a Starbucks. They are like body hair, they can be found just about everywhere. Well, putting my ill thoughts of the company aside, I stepped up to the counter to order a venti caffe latte as I needed caffeine. I quickly noticed that the price of the venti caffe latte when converted to dollars was roughly $7. Ouch! After a bit of rationalizing, I decided to bite the cost (besides I needed to get rid of the currency) and order it. Well I milked that cup for the next hour while I sat and waited in Starbucks for time to pass. While enjoying my $7 cup of coffee (you in the States have no room to complain), I spotted the Prague Starbucks coffee mugs and decided to get one for my brother. In doing so, Starbucks gave me another free coffee, anything I wanted, so another caffe latte later, I was wired with no chance of falling asleep. 3 flights later, I landed in Phoenix. It is good to be home from a great summer in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Three days ago Presov Slovakia camp ended and I returned with the team to Strakonice for the very last time this summer. However, getting here was quite the trip. After spending one night in Presov, our team broke into two groups to travel back to the Czech Republic. Josh and Aubree took a route through Bratislava so that Aubree could sign paperwork in regards to her extended visa. Leah and I took a route going through Zilina with the ultimate goal of going through Cesky Tesin and Olomouc. The route was set up this way on purpose for I planned on meeting two friend from home on the train starting at Cesky Tesin and ending at Olomouc. Everything worked out well and I was able to meet with Thomas and Stephanie and spend almost 2 hours in conversation with them. Talking to them was uplifting and encouraging for me as I had not been in face-to-face contact with anyone from home since Ceske Budejovice camp which was at the end of June. I am so glad that everything worked out so well and smooth....at least up to that point. Eventually the train reached Prague but we were 10 minutes late. We then had to rush over to the bus station but arrived 10 minutes after our bus to Strakonice was scheduled to leave. With no options left in regards to reaching Strakonice, we headed over to the Czech Inn to get some sleep before continuing on in the morning. At the Czech Inn, we met some of the other summer interns who were staying in Prague for the few days preceding debriefing. After reaching Strakonice, I spent our last day there at a party during which I said my good byes to the students that I had come to know from being at camp. It was a great end to the many weeks that I spent living in Strakonice during this summer.

Looking back on the camp that just finished, I can say that it sure was interesting. Every day had a full schedule of activities and other events which left little free time for people to gain some during. However, the camp was a lot of fun. The evening program was awesome and the various speakers did an awesome job. I personally would hope that the evening programs that students ministries camps back home would be as fun and attention grabbing as those I experienced last week were. The one thing I missed at this camp though was the lack of discussion groups. I felt that it was a lot harder to bring up the speaker's topics in a one-on-one setting. I think that a group discussion might have worked better. Beyond all of that, the camp was good and it was a lot of fun. The location of the camp was on the top of a ski mountain so it had quite the view. So the last night (read as morning), I went with a group of people to the top to watch the sun rise above the trees. Two other guys and myself helped carry another intern up to the top since she had hurt her ankle and could not walk on it. Nevertheless, the view as terrific. What a great camp to end the summer on.

Today is the last day of camp. This week has been so hectic and crazy that I have not been able to sit down and write an update earlier due to time constraints and for the basic fact that it was not my priority to get an update out while at camp when I could be spending the time with students. So here I find myself still awake at 4am writing quick update of a long week.

This has been a difficult camp for reasons not typically associated with the second camp. Usually, the second camp is harder due to it being in the middle and us interns not having much motivation for it if the previous camp went extremely well (which it did). In my view, it was none of these reasons so much as the people from the states that the problems revolved around. The case presented here at this camp dealt with a few strong-willed leaders seemingly railroad the Czech team leader at different times. This created tension between the 4 different teams which could have been avoided in the first place. Also, at times I found my disagreeing with the way in which the speaker spoke. Never before have I heard a speaker be so frank in bashing the US. While yes there are things that the US has done that I don't fully agree with, to bash the US is to stereotype the people and thus cause people to have a more negative view than the one they held previously. So without dwelling on the problems faced in this camp too much, there has been a fair amount of conflict but, so far as I know, it has been dealt with accordingly.

Looking past all the difficulties experienced at this camp, I believe that God is at work in Strakonice. I think that many of the students are still wrestling with the truths that were presented here at camp and that a decision will be made in the future, but not that this current time. Who are we to decide how and when God will grow a person in understanding and fruit? We cannot and thus we have to trust in Him.

Well the next few days will be follow-up so I am hoping that a good number of students will join us in the planned activities. Follwing follow-up, we interns will be heading to Oloumoc to gain some rest before leaving for Slovakia. Continue to be praying for strength and continued unity for our small intern team.

Here we are, back in Strakonice for 2 days to relax and recoup strength before we head back to Malenovice for training with the American teams that are going to be helping out at the Strakonice English Camp. So a few things that you can be praying for is that me and the rest of the team will be fully rested before camp starts this coming Saturday. I have been told that the second camp of the summer is typically the roughest one due to being in the middle and with having another camp to compare to. Knowing that, I will be trying hard to head into this camp with the mindset of it being a blank slate that has yet to be filled out. Each camp is unique and should never be compared to another as that can cause me and the other interns to lose our focus and motivation. With all of that in mind though, I am really looking forward to being at a new camp and to meeting new people.

As much I am looking forward to the next camp, I cannot forget what I just came from. To follow up on the Ceske Budejovice camp in a few words, it was awesome. I'm so glad to have come back to the Czech Republic and meet people that I met two years ago.  It was so encouraging to see them again and see what God was doing in their lives.  I will continue to stay connected to them through the internet and hope that I may somehow continue to encourage them in all that they are doing in Ceske Budejovice and the Czech Republic.  Beyond just seeing old friends, the camp was great.

Thinking back over the past week, we did a lot in a short amount of time that seemed to have passed far too quickly.  The english lessons that the AZ team from my home church prepared were great and the students had an awesome time during class.  The daily discussion groups were also really great, they were never completely in English but they were still good and we had some interesting conversations about life, ourselves, and spiritual matters (ie: heaven and hell).  In the middle of the week, we went on a hike with the destination being a watchtower on a forested hill overlooking the surrounding area dotted with small villages.  Through all of the different events and activities, the best part of all of them was the time spent with the students.  Also, since the week was pretty crazy and I didn't get much sleep, I could see God working through all of it, giving me, my team, and the other teams energy to have fun with the students and build connections with them.  I should also mention that throughout most of the week, a lot of the leaders were sick with a cold or flu, but God was amazing and gave them the strength to carry on and not let them get depressed with themselves.