About Latvia & Josiah Venture

About Latvia
Size: 64,000 sq. km.  (roughly the size of West Virginia)
Borders: Baltic Sea, Estonia, Russia, Belarus, Lithuania
Population: 2.2 million
Capital: Riga (Ree guh) 712,000 people
Ethnicity: Latvian 59%, Russian 27%, Belorusian 4%, other 7%
Average Salary: $14,000
Unemployment: 16%
Evangelical Christian: 2%

Riga was founded in AD 1201; however, its people were ruled by outside powers (Germany, Poland, Sweden, Russia, Germany) until it finally gained independence in 1918 - after WWI. When the Second World War started The Soviet Union took control of Latvia. Nazi Germany gained control for 1 year during the war, but the Soviets won out. Latvia finally gained independence during the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The Soviet rule did a lot of damage to the Latvian culture. Christianity was abolished, thousands of Latvians were deported to Siberia, and many Russians were sent in to break its culture. Now, in 2011 evangelical Christians are at 2%, most of whom are young people.

Josiah Venture: Missions Organization in Eastern Europe

Josiah Venture was founded in 1992 to serve Eastern Europe just after the fall of the Iron Curtain. They started and are based out of the Czech Republic. They currently have missionaries serving in 11 countries in Eastern Europe. Josiah Venture began working in Latvia in 2003. Their vision is:

This is the vision of Josiah Venture, a vision for a movement of God among the youth of Eastern Europe that finds its home in the local church and transforms society. Our mission and calling is to equip young leaders to fulfill Christ’s commission by reaching and making disciples. More than just conversion, we want to see passionate followers of Jesus Christ, with a vision to reach and disciple their generation for Him.

During the summers, Josiah Venture partners with local church youth groups to help put on summer camps (sports camps, English learning camps, and Fusion (music & arts) camps. This is what our group will be a part of from July 4 - 19.

Fall Semester Electives

We kick off our fall semester Electives beginning in August! We will be offering at least 8 electives / Bible Studies that cover various topics and issues. Here are the electives that are open for registration at this point:

• 12 Ordinary Men: The Life & Story of the Apostles
• Parenting 101
• Man 2 Man - Every Man's Battle Bible Study
• Lies Women Believe & the Truth That Sets Them Free Bible Study
• Fresh Start: New Believers Class
• S.H.A.P.E.: Discovering the Unique Purpose God has for Your Life
• Foundations of the Faith: Discipleship Class

Dates, times, and length of classes are all located on the church website. To be a part of a class you must register online or at Guest Services. Click HERE to view and register for the classes!

If you have any question please email Pastor Daniel, the GROW pastor at MVFC.

Sermon: 30 Days to Live - Learn Humbly

Part three in the 30 Days to Live series. Pastor Joey talks about humble learning.

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Sr. High Latvia Mission

On July 4, students from the Sr. High group will be heading to Latvia for a 2 1/2 week mission trip. They will be putting on a music & arts camp, and through the camp they will share about Christ with the students. 

Every day, students will have the opportunity to learn how to play instruments, do dramas, learn photography, and dance. Our team will be leading these workshops and along the way they will be building relationships with the students. During the day the team will also run rec time and free time activities. Each evening Ray (Sr. High director) will share a lesson from the Bible, our students will share testimonies and dramas, and there will be small groups to talk about Christ more in depth.
Pray for our team that they will have boldness in sharing Christ and being outgoing to build relationships with the campers. Pray that the campers will be willing to hearing the Gospel message. Pray for the team in its travels and unity.
Stay tuned for updates from the mission field!

Sermon: 30 Days to Live - Love Completely

Part two of the 30 Days to Live Series. Love Completely.

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Jr. High Camp Follow-up

Jr. High Summer Camp was such an AMAZING experience. We had 30 students and 6 leaders from our church along with 250 campers from other churches around Arizona. We spent the week at United Christian Youth Camp, and our theme was Cannonball: Going All In.

Each day we would have a morning session and an evening session where we would talk about what it meant to be a follower of Jesus. After the sessions students had solo time where they were given some verses to read and answer questions. We also had small groups so the students could share about what they read, what they were going through, and what they were learning.

During the week we also had a lot of fun activities. Some included: kayaking, hiking, swimming, a rock wall with a zip line, paintball, and much more! It was great seeing students conquering their fears and trying some of the activities.

This was a great week and I'm sure everyone was impacted. Two students accepted Jesus as their Lord & Savior (!!!) and 14 students recommitted their relationships with God!

Thank you for your prayers for the team. It was a great time and it's exciting to be building momentum going into the new semester.

Here are some pictures from the week:

Sermon: 30 Days to Live - Living the Dash

Pastor Daniel begins a new series titled, "30 Days to Live". In session 1 he talks about Living the Dash. On our tombstones we have a date of birth, a dash, and then the date of death. It's what takes place in the dash that is so important.

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Video: Friend Day with Tim Hightower

Friend Day with Tim Hightower from Mountain View Family Church on Vimeo.

Sermon - Tim Hightower

Friend Day with Tim Hightower. Pastor Rick interviews Tim Hightower of the Arizona Cardinals. Tim shares his testimony on faith, football and family.

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Jr. High Summer Camp

Jr. High camp is coming up this Sunday! We'll be leaving after church at around 1pm. This is our largest group yet...35 students in all and 6 leaders. We are heading up to United Christian Youth Camp in Prescott from Sunday - Friday. It is going to be an amazing time and great weather!

The theme at the camp this summer is Cannonball. When you think of a cannonball you picture someone jumping right in to the deep end and making a big splash. This week the students have the opportunity to do a cannonball - to completely immerse themselves in their relationship with Christ. It's a perfect opportunity for everyone to focus on God without having to deal with all of the distractions back at home (tv, internet, relationships, family, etc...)

Please be praying for the students that they will take full advantage of the time at camp to build on their relationships with each other as a youth group and with Christ. Pray also for the leaders that they will know how to best minister to every student there.

It will definitely be a life-changing trip for everyone attending!

Work begins

On of the people we have helped is Mr. Roberts. He lost his trailer and had several fallen trees on his property. He is limited in what he can do due to injuries sustained in war. Our crew began working on removing the fallen trees with chainsaws and cleaning up the area. We also helped a man named Mr. Cox. His father died in the storm, and he needed help cleaning up debris on his property. Tiffany Smith headed up some of the work at Sav-A-Life. She, along with some of the ladies and younger children were able to organize the donations the the church delivered as well as donations that have been coming in throughout the country. Here are some pictures from the work sites:

Continue praying for the team and the work they are involved in! They should arrive back at Mountain View on Saturday afternoon.