07/05/2026
JON STEMKOSKI
July 4, 2026
EXTREMLY IMPORTANT MESSAGE…
Dear Friends,
First and foremost, a very happy Fourth of July weekend to you! We are immensely blessed to live in this country! I’ve ministered in 120 countries…spent (in pieces) nearly half of my adult life in the 3rd world…and know that of which I speak. While certainly not perfect (as sadly, many these days are very quick to point out), I still virtually kiss the ground upon every landing back in the United States of America.
Now…THIS IS A VERY LONG INVOLVED MESSAGE…BUT SUPREMELY IMPORTANT & VERY TIME SENSITIVE. PLEASE PERSEVERE AND READ EVERY WORD. MY SINCERE THANKS IN ADVANCE.
IN THIS COMMUNIQUE, I’M “SENDING UP A FLARE”…A GENUINE “SOS” IF YOU PLEASE… SOMETHING I’VE NEVER DONE BEFORE IN NEARLY 50 YEARS OF INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS MINISTRY WITH CELEBRANT SINGERS.
I’m hoping and praying with all of my heart you will read/hear this message in its entirety and respond as quickly as possible.
Thankfully, by God’s grace, I never “panic” and NEVER cry “wolf.” My hope is securely anchored in the faithfulness of God, but on this occasion, I felt led of the Lord to share this with you…my friends and family…otherwise you’d never be aware…and I’m virtually certain I would hear later, these words… “If only I had known.”
In less than 36 hours, (On Tuesday, July 7, at 1:51 a.m. out of Los Angeles International Airport) I’m taking a Celebrant team of 20 to deeply troubled Venezuela. The entire mission is very near to being stopped… the situation is critical.
THERE ARE THREE THINGS WE URGENTLY NEED TO SEE THIS SPIRIT-LED MISSION…ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ON WHICH WE’VE EVER EMBARQUED…ACCOMPLISHED AND SUCCESSFUL FOR GOD’S GLORY AND THE SAKE OF HIS PEOPLE.
These 3 are: FERVENT PRAYER…A HELPFUL CONTACT IN THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT or in the Venezuelan government…AND A SIGNIFICANT INFUSION OF IMMEDIATE FINANCIAL SUPPORT.
This Venezuela outreach is perhaps the most opposed and challenging one of our 49-year history…including all of the Communist bloc countries before the fall of the Berlin wall, Cuba, Iran, Albania, etc. And yet, its importance and the severe in-country needs are so very deep and clear…this absolutely needs to happen.
With all of this being said, may I count on you to read on, pray and respond as led by the Holy Spirit?
Certainly, all of us can pray… hopefully consistently, fervently and regularly until the answers come… and in truth, all of us can give…some even perhaps sacrificially.
SPECIAL NOTE: Due to an incredible and highly unusual set of circumstances…largely due to the recent Venezuelan earthquakes…our costs for this critical outreach are double what they would normally be…particularly our airfares. Hence the need for significant giving at this very moment.
Not all of us…maybe just one of us …will have a helpful friend or contact in the U.S. State Department! Although I must say, if you have a close relationship with your Congressional representative or Senator, or even a Congressperson or Senator from another district who happens to be “an old friend from college” or better yet your cousin, that contact could eventually lead us to just the right person in the State Department. None of us ever know, but God knows. It’s just our opportunity and responsibility to unturn every stone. It only takes one to yield a positive result.
Here is clearly the most important and urgent need. At this very moment, just hours until our fully-booked departure flight out of Los Angeles (LAX) we have no Venezuelan visas. This is why we need a State Department contact stat.
Our applications are all “in the system”…but the system is broken…primarily due to the recent earthquakes. This is why a connection to our U.S State Department would be so helpful…and at this stage, quite possibly…essential. The right person could request a favor from the Venezuelan government to locate our apps., bring them to their attention, expedite and issue the visas quickly.
All of our visa apps. were submitted individually (no group visas are issued) online as requested/required by the Venezuelan government. But…currently, Venezuela has entire days with no electricity or wi-fi service! Our applications are likely “stuck” in cyberspace! This is why we need person-to-person contact.
At present we have a fully-booked, 14-day concert/service schedule with thousands of excited and hurting people awaiting our arrival on July 7. The spiritual and emotional support impact can be astonishing and deeply consequential for so many people…with life-changing results…not only for time, but also for eternity.
So…if my message today makes sense to you and touches your heart, as I certainly hope and pray that it does…what’s the bottom line? Or, as the Christian writer, theologian and philosopher, Francis Schaeffer, once famously posited, “How shall we then live? What shall we actually do?” What actions shall we take when faced with this information?
My dear friends, my fervent hope and prayer is that you will do these 3 things…and hopefully very qu**ky given the timeline…
PRAY…fervently, seriously and consistently starting now and for the next several days. If you’re part of a prayer or Bible study group, please share it with them also…and maybe on your own FB page. “The fervent prayer of a righteous person avails (accomplishes) much.” – James 5:16.
GIVE GENEROUSLY …Perhaps even sacrificially or certainly as you feel led… and definitely quickly… online at Celebrants.org GIVING PAGE, by mail at: P.O.Box 1416, Visalia, CA, or if you live locally, take your gift by the Celebrant office at: 420 North Dudley Street (near the Rawhide Baseball park). If no one is there, simply drop it in our secured mail slot on the front door.
RACK YOUR BRAIN FOR A KEY CONTACT… If you don’t know anyone personally, please ask all of your friends in search for a good and helpful political connection…State Department official, member of Congress and/or Senator…then you or your friend speak to them about this urgent time sensitive matter… and email me your contact information and how I should reach out to them (with a little detail…who the contact is (relationally) to you or your friend, what they presently know about our situation, etc.) at: ([email protected]), text me at my personal cell: (559)967-5960, or Direct Message me via Facebook. ***Maybe even post this entire message on your own FB page.
Thanks for caring… reading/listening/hearing… and thanks in advance for your quick and generous response.
As I mentioned early on in this message, to the best of my knowledge or remembrance, I HAVE NEVER SENT THIS TYPE OF COMMUNIQUE BEFORE…but our backs are truly to the wall in these three areas. We’re fully trusting our ever-faithful God for all provisions but also sharing this with you in pure faith and transparency. It’s the real deal…no hype involved…and now is the time. Thousands of precious Venezuelan lives hang in the balance. God bless you.
Yours in His service,
Jon
Jon F. Stemkoski, Founder/President
Stone Ministries, Inc./Celebrant Singers
Personal Cell: (559)967-5960
www.celebrants.org
Touching the World with God’s Love – Since 1977
