A Story of Discipleship-Verse by Verse

This picture was taken about 9 years ago. 

Cory had gotten saved a couple years ago on a missions trip to Honduras. He realized he had no plan for his life and new that God did. He told the Lord he would do anything for him, "even if it meant pulling out old people's teeth in Russia." ...that was the worst thing he could think of at the moment. But he meant it. 

He knew he needed get involved at church. He went to Jr. High group one Wednesday night and found himself hurling dodge balls at tiny 6th graders. 

He was hooked. 

He had begun to learn how to study the Bible verse by verse and had learned enough to know that disciples are to make disciples. 

He started to pray that the Lord would give him guys to disciple.

Though he knew that he had so much to learn, he wanted to do it alongside younger guys that he could teach. 

So he prayed. He prayed that the Lord would give him guys to disciple. 

A month later he went to summer camp. At the end, two guys who had been in his small group came up to him.   

They said, "Will you do a bible study with us?" 

Cory was 21, they were 15.

So they started studying the Bible. 

1 Peter. Verse by verse. 

Cory always says "I really had no idea what I was doing."

But they went verse by verse. Elected. Predestined. Sanctified. 

What do those words mean? 

2 years later there were 10 guys in the bible study. 

Studying the Word of God. Verse by verse. 

Now, 9 years later, those two guys have become two of Cory's best and closest friends. He has roomed with both of them, traveled with both of them, been in ministry with both of them. They were in our wedding. 

Cory never thought he would be doing missions. 

Today, all 3 of them are. 

Those two guys are Chad Lambert and Daniel Reimer. Now, they are Josiah Venture missionaries as well. 

Today Daniel leaves for the Czech Republic. He will be serving on the communications team. He will have a variety of jobs, one of which will be to make videos such as this one, for missionaries. 

In one month Cory and I leave for Albania. 

In one year Chad and his wife Jess will come to serve with us there. 

Together, we will all be a part of a church plant and continue to disciple, teaching people to study the Word of God for themselves, verse by verse.

We are amazed at and humbled by what the Lord has done and cannot wait to serve Him together in Central and Eastern Europe! 

Philemon 1:6 "And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ."