Amazon to the Himalayas

In this episode of 'Amazon to the Himalayas,' host Paul Akin, Provost and Professor of Missions at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, dives into the lives of three remarkable IMB missionary couples: Matthew and Eliza Yates in China, Thomas and Lorena Bowen in Nigeria, and William and Anne Bagby in Brazil with Dr. David Brady. They explore the hardships, legacy, and enduring impact these mi...

In this episode of Amazon to the Himalayas, host Paul Akin, Provost and Professor of Missions at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, explores the relationship between preaching and the Great Commission. Joined by Pastor Blake Hodges, Campus Pastor at Highview Baptist Church, they discuss how preaching can fuel missions and evangelism in the local church, the importance of pastors living on...

In this episode of Amazon to the Himalayas, host Paul Akin, Provost and Professor of Missions at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, speaks with John Klaassen, professor of Christian missions at Boyce College, about the important factors in selecting a missionary team. The discussion covers theological alignment, strategy, and family considerations, providing valuable insights for aspiring...

In our final episode of this season, I speak with Dr. John Chesnut, president and CEO of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Wycliffe Bible Translators exists to work with churches, communities, and partner organizations until everyone can access God's Word in their heart language.

In this episode, I speak with David Platt, president of Radical. Radical exists to serve the church by equipping Christians to follow and make Jesus known in their neighborhoods and among all nations. David Platt is a pastor in Northern Virginia at McLean Bible Church and is the founder and chairman of Radical.

In this episode, I speak with Nathan Sloan, the Executive Director of Upstream Sending. Upstream Sending a newer missions organization based out of Louisville, Kentucky. Upstream Sending is a church-centric global sending organization that is a part of the Upstream Collective.

In this episode, I talk with Andy Kampman, US director of Launch Global. Launch Global is a training organization that connects local churches and their members with unreached people across the globe. Launch Global staff has sent over 500 global workers to the unreached since 2014.

In this episode, I speak with Josh Newell, the executive director of the Jesus Film. The Jesus Film is a ministry of Cru. Since 1979, The Jesus Film has been translated into more than 2,100 languages. Millions have watched and have decided to follow Christ.

In this episode, I talk with Vance Pitman, president of Send Network. Send Network is the church planting arm of the North American Mission Board. It is the largest church planting organization in the United States. Vance Pitman has served as president of the Send Network since 2022.

In this episode, I speak with Andrew Scott, the president of Operation Mobilization (OM). OM is a missionary-sending organization that has over 5,000 missionaries serving worldwide in over 140 countries. Scott has served as president of OM since 2010.

In this episode, I speak with Troy Nesbitt, president of The Salt Network. The Salt Network is a family of churches partnering together to plant churches in major university centers. They currently have 29 local churches across 15 different states.

In this episode, I speak with Steve Richardson, president of Pioneers. Pioneers mobilizes and supports over 3000 missionaries and marketplace professionals working in nearly 100 countries around the world.

Our guest today is Ryan Robertson, president of Reaching & Teaching International Ministries. Ryan has been serving as president of Reaching & Teaching since 2020. Reaching & Teaching is doing work all over the world to make disciples, plant churches, and train local leaders.

In this episode, I speak with Paul Davis, president of ABWE. ABWE has 1,000 missionaries serving in 84 countries all over the world. Paul Davis has served as the president of the missions organization since 2017.

Radius International is an intense missionary training program whose graduates are serving in hard places all over the world. In this episode, I speak with Brooks Buser, president of Radius International. Brooks has been the president of Radius since 2016. Before that, he and his family served in Papua New Guinea among the Yembiyembi people.

Amazon to the Himalayas returns with a new season focusing on different missions sending and resource organizations. When considering long-term missionary service, there are many different options one can choose to partner with, and the hope for this season is to allow those organizations to speak for themselves and allow listeners to make informed decisions. Our first interview is with the Intern...

In our final episode this season, we are talking to a missionary serving in a very challenging physical and spiritual environment in Central Asia. James grew up in the Pacific Northwest and while he confessed Christ at an early age, it was not until college that he became a believer in Jesus Christ. He moved away for medical school a few years later, where he met his wife. After getting married, h...

Today we will be talking to a missionary couple, Nate & Jenni, serving in the Bush of Central Africa. Nate grew up in Michigan and Jenni grew up in Australia. They were both saved in their early twenties, and each felt the Lord’s call to missions and were living in Africa as singles by their mid-twenties, where they met. They were married in 2007 and attended Southern Seminary from 2008-2012. In 2...

Today on the podcast we are going to be talking with a couple of missionaries who are serving in South Asia. One of these missionaries, Ray, is a recent graduate from Boyce College, the college here at Southern Seminary, and he is currently serving as a Project 3000 Explorer with the International Mission Board. Project 3000 is a new initiative that the IMB has recently launched, and I am excited...

Today we are speaking with a missionary named Jackson. Jackson has been serving on the east coast of Africa for 11 years in a Muslim context with his wife and four children. They live in a community that is heavily influenced by Islam and have had to deal with jihadist threats in the past. However, despite the challenges, Jesus is still saving people.

Today, we are talking with a missionary who serves on a remote island in Southeast Asia. Allen is originally from the Pacific Northwest. He did his education in California. He has served with IMB for twenty-five years in Southeast Asia. He has served among a majority Muslim population where Christian religious workers are not allowed. For that reason and to safeguard his work, some of the details...

Today, we are talking with a missionary who serves in South Asia, deep within the Mountains of the Himalayas. James and his wife, Grace, have been living in South Asia for 8.5 years. They work among Buddhist people in the Himalayas and are laboring to reach them with the Gospel. James grew up in Africa, spent a few years at Seminary, and then, in 2015, headed to South Asia, focusing on learning th...

Our guest today is Clark Atwood. Clark and his wife, Elizabeth, have been married 20 years and have four kids - 2 boys and 2 girls - from teenager to toddler. They both grew up and went to college in Georgia and had previous careers before going overseas. They have lived in South Asia for over 10 years, serving with a missions-sending agency. Their context is majority Muslim, but also a notable pe...

Today, we are back in a rural American context. I am having a conversation with a pastor who serves in rural Eastern Kentucky as a bi-vocational pastor. Our guest today is Pastor William Dooley. William Dooley is a high school teacher and the bi-vocational pastor of Middletown Baptist Church in Berea, KY, as well as an adjunct communication professor at Eastern Kentucky University and Bluegrass Co...

Our guest today is Scott Branson. Scott and Laura Branson and their two children have served with the International Mission Board (IMB) in South America for 15 years. The first 8 years of their time on the field were spent in Andes Mountains in a very hard-to-reach village 9 hours from the nearest city. After that project ended, the Bransons moved down the Andes Mountains to the Amazon Basin. They...