Good Work West Texas

What happens when 2,000 engineering students from over 20 countries descend on Midland, Texas to launch rockets into the West Texas sky? Cindy Payton sits down with Steve Taylor, president of the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA), to talk about the International Rocket Engineering Competition — known as IREC — and why Midland is at the center of it. Steve shares how a childhood fasci...

In this episode of Good Work West Texas, hosts Cindy Payton and Leslie Crisp sit down with Dustin Pearce and Jacobe Kendrick of Advance Church — a growing movement rooted in deep relationships, everyday discipleship, and serving people where real life happens. Dustin and Jacobe share their stories of coming back to the Permian Basin, why Midland has become home, and how their vision for Advance Ch...

In this episode of Good Work West Texas, hosts Cindy Payton and Leslie Crisp sit down with Executive Director Renee Meiner and Medical Director Dr. Casey Mraz, MD of Community Children’s Clinic—a nonprofit serving local families who fall between the gaps of traditional healthcare. Renee shares the clinic’s inspiring origin story dating back to 1984, when a small group of community members came tog...

n this episode of Good Work West Texas, hosts Cindy Payton and Leslie Crisp sit down with Kathleen Kirwan-Haynie, Executive Director of Senior Life Midland, and Saul Herrera, who has served the organization for over 30 years. They share heartwarming stories of connection, compassion, and community through programs like Meals on Wheels, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and the Foster Grandpare...

In this episode of Good Work West Texas, hosts Cindy Payton and Leslie Crisp sit down with Rachel Stone, Executive Director of the Recording Library of West Texas, and Anthony Rodriguez, board member and HR leader, to explore how this remarkable organization brings words to life for people who can’t see them. Since 1963, the Recording Library of West Texas has served individuals across the region...

In this episode of Good Work West Texas, hosts Cindy Payton and Leslie Crisp sit down with Shirley Almanza, Executive Director of Breaking Bread Kitchen, to discuss how this Midland-based organization is changing lives—one meal at a time. What began in 1986 with a single man feeding people from the back of his pickup has become a thriving community where compassion and dignity meet daily needs. Sh...

In this episode of Good Work West Texas, hosts Cindy Payton and Leslie Crisp sit down with Kresha Grizzard, Campus Minister at Midland Christian School. Kresha shares her journey from teaching and coaching to ministry, and how she helps lead the school’s Mission Week — a powerful program where students serve locally, nationally, and internationally. From discovering personal gifts to finding ident...

In this week’s episode of Good Work West Texas, hosts Cindy Payton and Leslie Crisp sit down with Brandon Logan and Matt Waller of One Accord. One Accord is tackling the challenges of foster care and child welfare in West Texas—supporting families, preventing separation, and providing hope for children in the system. Brandon and Matt share their powerful personal journeys, how One Accord was forme...

In this episode of Good Work West Texas, hosts Cindy Payton and Lesie Crisp sit down with Kristine Busse, staff member at Stonegate Fellowship, to talk about her journey from growing up in Alaska to making Midland, Texas her home. Kristine shares how her upbringing in a family deeply rooted in church service inspired her lifelong passion for mobilizing others. She reflects on the importance of ins...

In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Good Work West Texas, hosts Cindy Payton and Leslie Crisp sit down with two incredibly community-minded leaders, Jay and Yoshi, for a conversation about calling, purpose, and what it really means to serve. Yoshi, a petroleum engineer, YouTuber, podcaster, and coach, shares how she chose to make Midland home—not once, but twice—and how her journey led her t...

In this episode of Good Work West Texas, hosts Cindy Payton and Leslie Crisp sit down with two local leaders whose organizations are creating generational impact across the Permian Basin. DiAnn Koehl Whigham, Executive Director of Midland Fair Havens, shares how transitional housing and life-skills programs are helping single mothers break cycles of abuse, poverty, and instability. Joey Hopkins, E...

In this episode of Good Work West Texas, hosts Cindy Payton and Leslie Crisp sit down with Tori Martinez and Talor Nunez from the Permian Basin Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) to share how coaches, athletes, and communities are being transformed through faith and discipleship. Tori and Talor open up about their personal FCA journeys, the power of student-led huddles, and how FCA's disci...

In this episode of Good Work West Texas, presented by Every Neighbor, hosts Cindy Payton and Leslie Crisp sit down with Tina Gillihan and Stephanie Hart of Basin Dream Center, a life-changing nonprofit serving vulnerable young adults in the Permian Basin. Tina and Stephanie share how their personal stories of trauma and healing led them to build a safe, empowering home for 17 to 26-year-olds facin...

In this episode of Good Work West Texas, hosts Cindy Payton and Leslie Crisp sit down with Jackie Geiling, Director of Auxiliary Services at Midland Health, for a heartfelt conversation about the power of volunteering, the evolution of hospital auxiliary services, and the community spirit that defines Midland, Texas. Jackie shares how Midland Health’s auxiliary has grown from “candy stripers” to a...

Welcome to the very first episode of Good Work West Texas, a podcast from Every Neighbor hosted by Cindy Payton and Leslie Crisp. In this premiere episode, we’re joined by special guests Jainah Clark, Executive Director of Teen F.L.O.W., and board member Kristina Leigh Johnson. Jainah shares her inspiring journey from Dallas to Midland and how she felt called to serve teens through a ministry with...