Changing Seasons

Changing Seasons It has been my privilege to serve with Joy El these past 2 years.  I’ve been humbled by the encouragement, prayer, and support that the team of volunteers, donors, and staff have poured into me.  However, the Lord is calling me into a new phase of ministry.  After much prayer and fasting, I have discerned that we are entering a new season of life as caregivers for my mother in Bedford County.  We will be moving to Bedford late in September or early October as we take up residence in my mother’s home.  Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: I have been blessed while serving the Lord through Bible Adventure/CIA and I desire to see others carry on the work of speaking truth into the lives of children.  My heart is to see Jesus proclaimed in our public schools and to encourage discipleship around the world.  I thank God for you, and I pray that you continue to support the work of Joy El Ministries as you seek ways to reach others for Christ.  Please visit the website and consider supporting another missionary serving here.  Each one is walking by faith to do God’s work in the public school system and is dependent on donor support to meet their physical needs. Your prayer and financial support is important to the work of Joy El Generation.  God is doing amazing things through the ministry of Bible Adventure and CIA.  Join me in praising God for the volunteers that work to share the gospel with public schools students each week.  Volunteers are the heart of the program and it was great to see such record attendance at the Kick-Off Rallies this year.  I will miss many of you. I appreciate your prayers for my mother as she underwent heart valve replacement surgery in July.  I am grateful for your prayers and financial support of my role while I was here at Joy El.                                                                                                                                                                                  Victor Holler

Why numbers matter!

I was recently asked why I was so interested in how many children are registered in Bible Adventure and why I wanted to know how many families have been called to encourage them register for a week of summer camp here at Joy El.

In Luke 15:7  Jesus said it best - "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

EVERY student is important to God, and as a servant of God, what is important to Him is important to me. Each member of the Joy El team has a responsibility to fulfill the great commision. In order to be effective at sharing the gospel with EVERY student placed by God in our care, we need to keep track of them. It doesn't matter if you are a listener, driver, prayer warrior, donor, or coordinator each of us has been called by God to care for these children and their families.

That is why the numbers are so very important for us to track!

We know that at the end of time Jesus wins...
but it is good for us to keep score while there is still time!

Check out summer camp dates HERE.

 To contribute any amount please Click Here to Donate. Thank you!

The CORCLS are Coming!

The Corcls are coming to summer camp! 

Corcls are an exciting new element of fun on the water at Joy El!
Is your child registered for camp yet? March 30 is the last day to register and pay in full to get your
free summer theme shirt and your best price for overnight camp! Check out summer camp dates HERE.

 To contribute any amount please Click Here to Donate. Thank you!

WARNING This is only for COOL PEOPLE!

There is a discount deadline coming up SOON! Call before January 31st before the deal is gone!

Brownstown Released Time

The children of Released Time get the opportunity to share in the unity of Christ through singing together. This unity is a powerful weapon when the enemy whispers. "You are the only one that believes in God"

Powerful Weekend Retreats

Please prayerfully consider joining us in financial support.
My position is underfunded by $33,046.00. A special year-end gift in any amount is greatly appreciated.

Pro 11:25 The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.

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Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?

Check out this new Video

Father & Son Retreat

Together For Good

Bob is in the fourth grade and works hard at memorizing verses during Released Time. I had the pleasure of meeting this young man during a Released Time visit last year. He was also in my cabin for the Mother and Son Retreat this past spring, and I saw him again during a week of summer camp when he was signing his name on the poster board that keeps track of children that began relationships with Jesus during camp. 

Each aspect of Joy El worked together so that he could experience God in a personal way and ultimately begin a new relationship with Jesus. Now he will be able to return to Released Time and his listener to be encouraged to deepen his relation ship with Jesus. 

There are thousands of Bobs in the public school system, that need the hope of Jesus in their lives. If you are interested in joining me to reach young people for Christ, please let me know and I can help you find a Released Time to volunteer with near you. Click Here for a Volunteer Application.

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Slow Fade

It is amazing how our perceptions can change. Summer goes by much faster than winter and school takes forever to end. As an adult, I know that 12 years is a relatively short amount of time. Isn't that how it is with sin. Our perception of how bad something is changes. I am old enough to remember when divorce was a terrifying sin for a Christian, but over time churches have come to accept it a just part of life BUT scripture tells us in Malachi 2:16 "For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one's garment with violence," Says the LORD of hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously."

It is easy for us to deviate from the path the God sets for us to walk in if we do not know the scriptures. Even churches can get lost, but the Released Time Bible Program is fighting hard to teach children the scriptures during their public school hours. Please join us as we pray for more students, more volunteers, and more missionaries to carry on the work.

To contribute any amount please Click Here to Donate. Thank you!

My Dad's in a Pickle!

On a recent Joy El Day Camp bus ride I met a lovely second grader who explained to me that she was coming to camp for the first time ever. She had many questions...how big is the pool? Is the zip-line fast? How high is it? What will we have for lunch? What if I get lost? Our friendship developed as I answered each of her questions. She pointed out a stream and told me that was where her pop-paw took her fishing...but they put the fish back. She opened up and confided in me that she got to come to camp because "My Dad got himself in a bit of a pickle." I later learned that this precious second grader was part of the Angel Tree Network. Joy El hosts children who had a parent in prison, for a week of camp through out the summer. While her Dad was "in a pickle" she was staying with her grandparents who signed her up to come to camp. Joy El offers this to Angel Tree children at greatly reduced cost because of the campership fund.

That afternoon on the bus ride home she told me that she had a great time at camp and learned about a young guy that God helped hit a giant in the head with a stone...and when the giant fell down, the guy cut off the giant's head. I asked her if she went to church and heard that story before. She told me "No, I went to church once but they didn't let me go on stage and sing with the other kids because I was new." She excitedly proclaimed that she had sung on stage at camp and even learned the dance for the song.

I am so blessed to be part of an organization that allows children to encounter God on a personal level. I praise God for giving us the opportunity to present the gospel with them. As I prayed for her through the week I watched her move from UnRooted to Rooted in Christ. Join me in praising the Lord for another child that began a relationship with Jesus last week.
If you know a child that needs to experience the Gospel now it the time to register them for camp. Visit www.joyelcamps.org for more details or call 717-369-4539 and ask about the special for first-time campers.

Please join me in asking God to send 20 monthly donors willing to partner with me in ministry for $25 each month. My position is underfunded but I know that God will provide the needed funding. Are you one of the 20 donors that I am praying for?

To contribute any amount please Click Here to Donate. Thank you!

God Is Not Unjust!

I have seen the evidence of this scripture in action recently in my attempt at fund raising. 

I thank God for those who have given sacrificially to the support of my position as Assistant Director of Released Time Ministries. The widow who gave an extra $20.00 for the month and the retired people who are facing health struggles of their own that still send $25 each month. I am blessed by the faithful $15.00 each month sent by a dear soul that loves The Lord above all else.

I praise God for the people that encouraged us to take this walk of faith as they support us with prayers, finances, and frequent dinner invitations. I praise God for the family that shared their savings account as a donation. I am thankful for the sharing of another donors tax refund. I praise God for the groceries that show up on the porch. I thank God for the people that paid the car repair expense and bought tires. I am thankful to the person that watches over our dog and cat when we go to conferences and stay overnight.

God has moved through many of you that read this blog and I thank God for all of these people that have the privilege of sharing the service of The Lord through His people.

"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."

Hebrews 6:10

Please prayerfully consider joining me in God’s ministry by supporting my position. 

I am praying for 40 new monthly donors at $25.00 per month and a foundational donor for $3000.00

Please mail your checks payable to “Joy El” to Joy El, 3741 Joy-El Drive, Greencastle, PA 17225 designated to “Victor Holler Missionary” You can also click here to donate online. Please remember to scroll down to my name and enter the amount on that line.

From Generation to Generation

Friday afternoon I greeted parents as they entered the worship center, asking them “Are your children were in the Released Time Bible Program at school?”  The responses were as varied as the parents. Some did not know about the program, others did but had questions, many knew about the program.

I met a grandmother who was in the Released Time while it was still taught during school and called Children’s Bible Ministry. She told me how she earned a week of camp before there was a Camp Joy El. She also shared how at that camp you had to clean your own cabin. This dear grandmother said when she had children they came to released time and earned free camp at Joy El. Now her grandchildren were coming to Released Time and Camp Joy El. Her daughter from Lancaster came and stayed the week with her and the grandchildren would come to day camp. Her other daughter would come the same week each summer with her children and all of the cousins would share the day camp experience together.

She was so thankful that God was providing solid Biblical teach for her grandchildren and how God has used the ministry of Camp Joy El and the Released Time Bible Program  

I continue to seek support to cover the cost of my position as Assistant Director of the Released Time Bible Program. Please pray for this need. Please share this need. Most of all praise God for this need. Last year was the second highest year for attendance with 3457 students enrolled in the program. It is vital that we use every opportunity to share the gospel to mentor the next generation and to support the 1200 plus volunteers invested in the Great Commission.

Please join me in asking God to send 20 monthly donors willing to partner with me in ministry for $50 each month. My position is underfunded but I know that God will provide the needed funding. Are you one of the 20 donors that I am praying for?

To donate please follow the link and scroll down to my name to donate. Click Here to Donate

Praising in the storm!

Off in the distance, I watched as the dark clouds made their way towards our position. The wind picked up some litter and chased it through the parking lot towards our bus that had a broken radiator hose. Justin was on the ground under the bus working feverishly to make the repair before the storm arrived. I was going to drive the bus back to camp once the repairs were made but while I waited and handed a few tools to Justin; I prayed for God to slow the storm or make it go around us, or help Justin get the repair completed before getting drenched by the storm. I could see the storm bearing down on Wendy’s parking lot that had become our resting spot. The repair was completed as the first few drops of rain began to fall.

Praising the goodness of God and His perfect timing I prepared to pull out with Justin following behind the bus as we would be making our way home because I did not have my cell phone. You see the night before Myra’s mother needed her to come to York quickly so after sharing our testimony at Zion Covenant Church in Chambersburg, PA, we packed her car in a hurry. I forgot to get my cell phone out of the console of her car. As Myra speed out of sight I realized my mistake so I did not have my phone with me to communicate with Justin if I got into trouble with the bus. He followed as I took Route 29 to Route 70 out of Baltimore area and headed towards Camp. The rain pelted the windshield and the wipers slapped the rain away so I could see…barely. After a few miles on Route 70, Justin came up along the side of the bus blowing the van’s horn and motioning frantically for me to pull over. Which I did…remembering the training from preparing for my CDL just a few months earlier. Justin hopped out of the van and made a dash for the bus. Once he arrived he told me that the bus was blowing white smoke. This is a sign that there is water getting into the engine and mixing with the fuel as it burns. He instructed me to get off at the next exit and we would find a place to park it so the bus could be towed back.

Have you ever had a day when things went wrong? When things were a little more complicated than you had hoped? God uses all things together for good according to the Bible and he did that for us and the bus. What I did not know at the time was if Justin had not followed me, I couldn’t have seen the white smoke in the rain. I would have kept on driving, resulting in further damaging the engine without knowing it.  The inconvenience of forgot the cell phone was part of God’s plan. The storm and the broken bus, the extra time stuck in traffic all worked together for good…I had time and a reason to pray. Think about it is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? God wants us to run to Him in prayer. He wants us to take refuge in him.

Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is a stronghold in a day of distress; He cares for those who take refuge in Him”

Please join me in asking God to send 20 monthly donors willing to partner with me in ministry for $50 each month. My position is underfunded but I know that God will provide the needed funding. Are you one of the 20 donors that I am praying for? Please follow the link below and scroll down to my name to donate. Click Here to Donate

Amazing Week!

Learning verses is easier with motions

What an amazing week of ministry! 

This is the opening week of the camp season and the hill has come to life in a big way as wave after wave of enthusiastic campers washes over the area. It is exciting to see the interaction between the college age men and women and their young disciples.  The unhindered worship of God in the sanctuary or the quiet group discussions of scripture around the cabins combine to encourage and challenge the campers to walk closer to Jesus. 

There are also some that do not have a relationship with Jesus and are experiencing God's love from a caring adult for the first time. There is a list of children's names (posted in our office hallway) who need to be "Rooted" deep in Christ, that is prayed over by the staff throughout the day. As children step into a new relationship with Christ we then pray for them to find a mentor back home so that the seeds that are planted continue to grow even deeper roots after they leave the safety of camp. 

Campers learning to live in Christian fellowship and community

The Released Time Bible Program helps support new believers throughout the school year with our weekly educational program. I finished the layout for the Listener Booklet this week; which includes directions about how to lead a child to Christ, how to memorize scripture, how to study the scriptures and the verse for each week of the program that is supported by a Bible lesson. This is a vital tool for our volunteers to use as they disciple and support their students to walk with Jesus. 

If you would like to be part of this program or would like to help support us reach children for Jesus in the public school system please contact me at victor@joyel.org.

You can also help defer the cost of my position here by following the link below and scrolling down until you see my name. 

Yes, I want to help support!

Yes, I want to contact Victor!

Celebrations of God!

Myra and I recently celebrated annual sobriety milestones, I received my 5 year coin and Myra her 4 year coin last Thursday evening at the Celebrate Recovery in Greencastle. Each of these milestone markers gives us an opportunity to praise God for how he has changed us as we submit to His promptings. 

As Myra and I grow deeper into our relationships with God we are encouraging others to do the same. We continue to workout the details of walking in faith and trusting God for everything. I know that when God says “every need” he means it. It is easy to focus on the physical things He provides, but today I was struck by the thought that He provides every breath we take.

Last night we celebrated the “Home Going” of my friend Karl during his memorial service. He was a man that loved the Lord so we know he is rejoicing with his savior, but we also are saddened that we are separated for a little while. Once again we are confronted with the urgency of our calling to share the gospel and make disciples.

I praise God for having the chance to make a difference in the lives of others through the ministry of Joy El Camps & Retreats and Joy El Generations. Because of faithful sponsors and their donations we rejoiced in 303 children that began relationships with Christ so far this year and the anticipated 1800 campers that will come to experience life change through personal encounter with God over the next several weeks.

Please "pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should." Col. 4:3-4 

Please donate to help cover the cost of Victor Holler's position

Just Be Nice Dude?

The sunshine blessed me as I made my way across the parking lot to the school entrance. It took a moment to find the call button located on the wall with a small sign explaining the security protocol for the school. A cheerful voice responded to my button press, “Hello, May I help you?”

“Hi I am here for an appointment with the superintendent of schools,”  I responded.

Suddenly the door buzzed like a swarm of angry bees; I grabbed the door handle quickly and made my way into the brightly colored vestibule. I was met by the enthusiastic administrator who escorted me down the hall; I noticed her black T-shirt captioned in white letters were the words “JUST BE NICE DUDE”. I later learned that it is part of a new marketing initiative by a clothing manufacturer to make a social impact while turning a profit by passing as a nice charity.

What a contrast it is to the Released Time Bible Education Program I had come to represent to the district. The Released Time Bible Program is free to the students and free to the school. The profit we strive for is eternal in nature and the benefactors are those we serve. Through the training of the Released Time Bible Program, children learn scripture and have an opportunity to start and build a relationship with God through Jesus. We have many accounts of how students change as they memorize scripture.  The fruits of the spirit are made manifest in their young lives as they are discipled by caring adult volunteers. Behavior problems disappear. Sadness is replaced by joy and troubled homes are impacted by the power of God to change lives for good.

Christ empowers children to be nice as the holy word of God takes root in their hearts, minds, and lives. They change as the hope of Jesus replaces the hopeless worldview. If you would like to be part of this community of believers that are making an eternal difference in the lives of the next generation, contact me. I would love to have a few moments of your time to explain how you can help.

Expanding God's Kingdom around the World

How can a group of missionaries in Central Pennsylvania impact the world for God?
Right now in our J-serve discipleship program, we have a student from Portugal staying here in central Pennsylvania that is learning how to serve as she grows in grace and knowledge of Christ. Our Released Time Summer Assistant will be starting soon but is finishing a tour with her choir through South Korea.  She to will learn from the Godly example and training she experiences here at Joy El. Today I learned that one of our housekeepers has submitted her resignation because she is preparing to go to the Philippines to be a midwife with a medical missions group. How amazing that God is using the staff and students of Joy El to minister around the world.
If you would like to learn more about the many ministries of Joy El please contact me at victor@joyel.org I would love to share with you how you can get involved.

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He Is Why

I found this video a few days ago and was very blessed by it. While it is a little long it is well worth watching it all the way through.


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