As we settle back into the normal rhythms of life, it’s encouraging to look back at the latest Joseph Summit with clear eyes.

God moved, friends.

The simple truth is, this work is messy. People come with needs, they have questions and doubts and struggles, and for the many Joseph Network members, life as a foreigner working to bring the Kingdom can be exhausting.

We’re not looking to sugarcoat anything: this work is HARD! Maybe we present the rosy stuff a little too often, making it seem like idealic farm work for the Kingdom, adventuring around the world and making new friends at every stop.

Those things do happen, praise God, but there’s a lot happening in-between all that.

The Joseph Summit is a chance to plan and reorient ourselves as we step back into that in-between, the things we do when friends are far away, money seems tight, and every decision seems unsure.

These gatherings give us a chance to address all that. They’re about community and the reminder we are stronger together, sharing ideas, praying for each other, and learning from the successes and failures of our brothers and sisters.

Thanks for all you and this network make possible, we are truly grateful.

The Summit is a place to remind one another that God is with us, always and no matter what, ‘closer to us than our own blood’ as one wise attendee put it.

Below are a few moments from this Summit and the businesses we explored together. Thank you to all of our donors and sponsors, and thank you for taking a moment to read these updates.

Pictured: Touring the new Oasis Agro, Kazakhstan facilities.

Joseph Summit attendees toured Oasis Agro's new facilities in Almaty. This expansion into Kazakhstan is an exciting step for our flagship investment partners in Central Asia, not to mention a huge reversal given the struggles of 2024-25!

We are incredibly grateful for the work and witness of this team as they continue to provide jobs and build out the food supply chain (and raise people up as they do it!) in a way that makes Central Asia better.

Thanks to these Summit attendees as well for engaging with great questions and curiosity!

Pictured: Ben from Zimbabwe, who issued a call for all Believers to unify and refuse to be divided.

Friends, these rifts between us are growing. The division we see in our communities, culture, and country is heartbreaking as people pull further and further away, refusing to even try.

So sitting in a room full of VERY different people, different faith backgrounds and perspectives, yet seeing a Church united in common cause...it was beautiful.

'Refreshing,' one team member called it.

Thanks to these incredible Joseph Summit attendees for checking ego at the door and choosing to lean in curiously, humble and eager to help (and ask for help!). This community has grown into something special. Thanks to all you who've attended, sponsored, or supported the Joseph Summit over the years. We're VERY grateful to be part of a unifying community that refuses to stop trying, even when our differences seem impossible to overcome.

Pictured: The director of Sady Zhetyou guides our group on an orchard tour.

How 'bout them apples?!

The largest city in Kazakhstan, Almaty, literally means "father of Apples" as the region has produced the fruit for hundreds, possibly thousands of years. Silk Road caravans and traders prized these apples from the wild forests of the Tien Shan Mountains for their sweetness and resilience, and Kazakh apples became world-renowned as they were traded all over Europe and Asia.

So the opportunity for Joseph Summit attendees to glimpse this trade, spend time with farmers in the fields, and even get a quick fruit-grafting lesson was a treat. Special thanks to our friends at Sady Zhetyou Trade for hosting a delicious lunch and letting us tour their work, including the gym/fitness ministry out back!

Grace and peace to you friends, and thanks for all the uplifting work you've done in the Almaty region over the years.

Thanks also to our friends at First Baptist Church-Mound City, KS for sending a team to the Joseph Summit this year!

These men brought curiosity and kindness, not to mention agricultural and pastoral expertise that proved a huge boon to the community that met in Kazakhstan.

Our deepest gratitude to these gentlemen and their faithful service in so many areas of life—it's a true blessing to be in this with you!