Modern Day Missionaries

What if year-end fundraising isn’t really about year-end? For many missionaries, November and December can feel like a mad dash to close a budget gap. But what if, instead of fundraising for survival, you used the end of the year to invite people into the vision God has given you for what’s next? In this episode, Coach Ben sits down with Mary Valloni and Mike Kim of Fully Funded Academy to talk ab...

What actually protects a leader for the long haul? And why do the ones who fall almost never see it coming? In this episode, Dr. Rob Hoskins , a deeply respected leadership expert and president of OneHope , joins Stephanie to talk honestly about the isolation missionary leaders face, the habits that guard against moral failure, and the powerful concept of overlapping accountability (you need this!...

Do you ever feel like you're falling behind? Like everyone around you is buying houses, getting married, having kids, and finding a career while you're out here saying yes to the calling? You’re not mad about it…sometimes, you just wonder. What are you up to, God? In this episode, three single missionaries in their 20’s and 30’s, Mark, Natan, and Sierra, open up about things rarely talke...

You love the people on your team. So why does working with them feel so hard sometimes? What if the tension you keep experiencing isn't a people problem, it's a culture problem? And what if the culture shaping your team was never chosen, it just happened? In this episode, Dr. Jay Raines , founder of LeadersQ Coaching , seven-year cross-cultural leader in Bangalore, India, and author of C...

Have you ever thought about leaving the mission field? Not just in a passing moment of frustration, but really thought about it? What would it actually cost you to stay? And how do you know the difference between a hard season and God genuinely closing a door? In this episode, Stephanie sits down with David Joannes , founder of Within Reach Global and 28-year missionary, for one of the most honest...

What if the financial ceiling you've been living under was never actually real? Have you ever wondered if there's a limit to what your ministry can afford, and that limit was set the day you sent your first support letter? Have you ever felt stuck between cutting back again, asking supporters for more, or wondering if it's time to come home? In this episode, Stephanie sits down with...

What do you do when one of you is terrified of fundraising and the other one grew up doing it like it's second nature? Danny and Stephanie Gutierrez found out the hard way, over twelve years, two daughters, and one very memorable $666 support check. In this episode, Coach Ben sits down with them for a conversation about what they'd do differently , from how they divided the work, to what...

What does your body already know that your mind hasn't caught up to yet? What if the thing most burning you out on the mission field is not the workload, the culture shock, or the lack of support, but something else? And what if the very traits that made you say yes to the field are the same ones slowly wearing you down? In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Steve and Lisa Cuss , founders...

The missionaries burning out fastest are not the ones who stopped caring. They are the ones who cared the most. Mindy Caliguire, founder of SoulCare , joins the podcast to talk about what research with missionaries in the Global South revealed about soul health, the relational deficit nobody wants to touch, and what it actually takes to find your way back.   In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why...

Two-thirds of global missionaries are women. And most of them will tell you they have never heard an episode like this one. Denise Beck, Executive Director of Velvet Ashes, has spent years sitting with women in every season of missionary life, and she is not afraid to say what most people skip over. The single woman who wonders if anyone on her team actually values what she gave up. The married wo...

Your MK’s are watching everything . They see how you handle the hard seasons, how you hold it together when everything is falling apart, and how much space there is in your family for the hard stuff to be said out loud. But what are they actually holding inside? And what do they wish you would ask? In this episode, three young adults who grew up on the mission field sit down to share what that lif...

Have you ever been in a season where everything seemed to be working against you, and you could not tell if it was spiritual warfare, burnout, or just the hard reality of missionary life? When you can tell the difference, you know how to fight. In this episode, evangelist, World Harvest founder, and Modern Day missionary Jacob Ebersole shares what spiritual warfare actually looks like on the missi...

What do you do when everything falls apart on the field? When the team fractures, the funding dries up, or a decision you made starts unraveling in ways you never anticipated? What if the way you respond in the first few hours determines whether your ministry survives? In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Phil Cooke , filmmaker, media producer, PhD in theology, and one of the most sought-afte...

Have you ever caught yourself angling the camera just right, choosing the words that make your ministry sound a little more impressive than it actually is? What if the pressure to perform is actually the thing standing between you and the life God designed you for? What if joy is closer to your insecurity than you ever imagined? In this episode, Stephanie sits down with author, speaker, and former...

Are you preparing for your financial future, or are you hoping it takes care of itself? What does it actually look like to invest on a missionary income? And is it even possible when support fluctuates month to month? In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Elias Reyes , president of Modern Day Missions and a financial consultant with 25+ years of experience serving missionaries and nonprofit le...

In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Ben Ankarlo , fundraising coach at Modern Day Missions , to unpack what is really happening beneath the surface of support raising. Together, they explore how fear unknowingly shapes decisions, why some missionaries default to self-funding or scarcity, and how embarrassment and control can distort the way we invite others into partnership. Ben shares from...

Have you ever wondered what the Church really believes about Israel? Have you felt confused by replacement theology, one law teaching, or political noise around the Jewish people? And does any of this actually matter for missionaries today? In this episode, Modern Day Missions Executive Director Marvin Slaton II and Gateway Center for Israel Pastor & Director David Blease explore the three pre...

You didn’t move across the world to lose your family in the process. Mission life is full of purpose, but it can also pull at the very relationships we care about most. Jonathan and Elizabeth Trotter , missionary parents, writers, and trusted voices in cross-cultural life, open up about what it looks like to stay emotionally connected as a family in the middle of ministry, transition, and loss. We...

AI is changing everything—how we think, work, lead, create…How about how we hear from God? Without realizing it, are we letting it reshape our hearts, our habits, and our spiritual lives, too? Today, we talk with Carey Nieuwhof about the very real tension missionaries face when using AI for ministry. From sermon prep to leadership decisions, we explore how to use this tool with wisdom, where it ma...

Modern Day Missionaries is a podcast created specifically for missionaries navigating real life on the field. We talk honestly about the questions missionaries actually ask— How do I retain supporters? Am I burned out… or heading there? How do I stay connected to my spouse in the middle of ministry chaos? What does it look like to flourish as a single missionary? Our heart is simple: help you be w...

You're serving full-time. You're pouring yourself out. And yet, you still feel like it's not enough. Many missionaries live with an unnamed pressure, a constant inner drive to do more, be more, prove more. In this powerful conversation, Dr. Curt Thompson helps us uncover the role that shame plays in shaping our stories and how it may be calling the shots in your life and ministry wi...

Want to know how you can double your monthly donations this December? Statistics show that missionaries who take a few simple steps can significantly increase year-end giving—and in some cases, receive more in the final four days of the year than any other month.  In this episode, Modern Day   Missions president and financial consultant Elias Reyes shares how to make the most of this golden opport...

What’s really going on when you feel numb, irritable, or disconnected on the field—even when you’re doing what God has called you to do?  Why do high-functioning workers sometimes shut down emotionally, pull away from others, or lose the ability to feel God’s presence? How does long-term pressure affect your brain—and what can you do to move toward restoration?  If connection feels hard, there’s a...

What if the support you need is waiting on the other side of a bold conversation with the right person? Many missionaries feel unsure about how to connect with business leaders—and even more unsure about how to talk about money. But what if those very people are called to partner with you? In this encore episode, we revisit our conversation with Lee Domingue —entrepreneur, author, and founder of K...

What if the pushback you're getting from Gen Z missionaries isn’t rebellion—but an invitation to lead differently? Many leaders are navigating cross-generational tension in missions, unsure how to guide and motivate a generation that values autonomy, mental health, and meaning over traditional hierarchies and hustle culture. In this conversation, leadership expert Dr. Tim Elmore joins us to u...