Our chief operating officer joins the team for the first time in the show’s new format, sharing some of his personal journey to missions after 30 years working for Maranatha. Growing up in a missionary family, there was a certain expectation that Kenneth would do something for missions. But at a certain point he decided he wasn't going to follow suit. His career trajectory was set for high-level federal work in Washington D.C. until Maranatha’s president asked him to consider working for Maranatha. After struggling for weeks with his future, he gave it to God and ended up choosing Maranatha.

The rest of the group shares their paths to working at Maranatha and remarks how God leads each person to the mission at the right time. The panel also discusses how working for Maranatha has impacted their own children, how their international experiences have changed the way they serve in their home churches, and even how the mission has enhanced what it means to be a Seventh-day Adventist Christian for them.

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Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.

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Our country director for North America and Zambia makes his second appearance on the show, this time with our group of hosts in the new format. He shares stories from his time in Africa that he never told in Episode 1, explaining why he loves the continent so much, and some of the differences in people groups and languages between some of the countries there. The panel talks about what it means to be a missionary, whether you’re serving abroad or at home.

David recounts camping in the African bush, explains how he learned local languages, reflects on how he’s handled periods when the work was hard, and talks about tough decisions to stop drilling for water at certain well-drilling sites. In our rapid fire question round, hear David’s favorite and least favorite African food dish, favorite African safari park, the African animal he’s most scared of, which African animal he thinks he can take down, and his favorite “Inside Missions” host to travel with. He also shares why Maranatha’s work in North America has such an impact on the places we serve, and the volunteers who assist.

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Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.

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** NEW FORMAT! Going forward our TV producers will be regulars each episode, discussing a wide variety of topics related to missions, and sometimes bringing guests into the conversation.**

What’s it like being a television producer in the mission field? Go behind the scenes with our “Maranatha Mission Stories” producers from the moment they get the assignment, all the way through capturing the images and stories that bring the mission to your screen. What goes into the planning of a media production trip before flights are even booked? What kind of logistics need to be fine-tuned before the team lands on the ground? The group discusses what happens when the best-laid plans don’t materialize, interviewing people who speak a different language, and balancing the need to show challenging conditions while not perpetuating inaccurate stereotypes, and yet still honoring the people and cultures we’re visiting.

We also talk about why we always tell stories through the eyes of individuals, how covering a volunteer project is different from filming an episode on the challenges of a country or region, and how interview subjects have impacted us personally.

Thanks for listening! Please subscribe, leave a review, and share the show.

Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.

Text us! Let us know what you thought of this episode and the show in general!