The Innkeepers by Sanctuary Inn

Dr. Connie Befus helps us understand the significance and means of grieving the compounded losses of a cross-cultural life.   ABOUT CONNIE BEFUS, PHD.:  Connie Befus is a psychologist with 35 years of experience in providing for the mental and spiritual health needs of international cross-cultural workers. She grew up in Africa, the daughter of career international workers and served wit...

Minna Kayser shares with us about how God is using MK Ministries to bring healing and wholeness to adult TCKs.   ABOUT MINNA KAYSER:  Minna was born multi-cultural! Her father was German, her mother an American, and Minna was born and raised in Ethiopia. Having survived intense childhood trauma, she pursued a degree in psychology, but it wasn’t until she met Karen that her healing journe...

Clint & Valerie share their story of living missionally in two different countries. God’s call on their lives has not changed despite their location changing. ABOUT CLINT & VALERIE: Clint and Valerie and their family have pursued God's call on their lives to serve and work amongst cultures who have little to no access to the Gospel around the world.  They've done this through starting...

Nancy Elwood shares with us from her breadth of experience on TCK education issues and resources. ABOUT NANCY ELWOOD: Nancy and her husband, Mike, lived in eastern Europe for 35 years and recently returned to the U.S. to care for elderly parents. They started out in Croatia, then lived in Vienna where Nancy worked at Vienna Christian School. In 1994, they moved to Budapest where she helped found S...

This interview is a snapshot of Dr. Mary Wilder’s years of service as a medical doctor to women in Pakistan. ABOUT DR. MARY WILDER Dr. Mary Wilder obtained her B.S. from Portland State University and later her M.D. from University of Oregon Medical School. God then called her to serve as a medical doctor with CBInternational in Pakistan. She lived and worked in Pakistan from 1966 - 1983. Her years...

Larry Sharp explains the realities and misunderstandings of the Business as Mission model. ABOUT LARRY W. SHARP, PHD Larry W. Sharp is the Founder and current consulting specialist with the consulting firm, International Business and Education Consultants ( www.ibecventures.com ). He served 21 years in Brazil and then 20 years as Crossworld VP of Operations and as Vice President of Business Partne...

Dr. Laura Mae Gardner, a pioneer and expert in Missionary Care shares some of the key distinctives of effective care.   ABOUT DR. LAURA MAE GARDNER:  I have served in WBT and SIL International for 60+ years, most of that time with my husband, Dick. My contributions or roles included: translator, candidate assessment, trainer, counselor, developer and director of International Counseling...

Tammy Sharp gives her perspective as an adult TCK and as an MK care specialist into the needs of young adult missionary kids.   ABOUT TAMMY SHARP:   Tammy was born and raised in Brazil where her parents served as teachers and administrators at Amazon Valley Academy. She attended Wheaton College to become a history teacher at a MK school somewhere in the world. She ended up teaching back...

Scott Shaum from Barnabas International shares about God’s heart for Sabbath rest in our lives today. ABOUT SCOTT SHAUM:  Scott Shaum, along with his wife Beth, have served with Barnabas International for 18 years, where he is currently Associate Director.  They have lived in Asia and Scott has been a pastor at two local churches. They have 3 married sons and two granddaughters. Scott lo...

Rob Lloyd shares from his expertise the impact a Crisis Debrief can make in the life of someone who has experienced a powerful event. ABOUT ROB LLOYD: Rob Lloyd is the founder and CEO of the Responders Resource Center , a senior chaplain and the Lead pastor of Freedom Community Church . He created the vast majority of the courses in our chaplaincy training program and is a certified instructor of...

Dan Abbott, Development Director at Sanctuary Inn, shares what God has taught him on the journey of support raising. ABOUT DAN ABBOTT: Dan Abbott comes from a YWAM ministry background, enjoys teaching and preaching, and graduated from Western Seminary with a Masters in Biblical Studies and Theology. He has been working at Sanctuary Inn for the last five years and currently is the Development Direc...

Rebekah Strangarity shares with us some of the blessings and challenges of life as a single missionary. ABOUT REBEKAH STRANGARITY: Rebekah Strangarity grew up in Lancaster County, PA and attended Lancaster Bible College (B.S., in Bible and TESOL), Western Seminary (M.A. in Ministry Leadership-Pastoral Care to Women), and Tel Aviv University (M.A. in Trauma and Crisis Studies). She has been teachin...

Karen DeGraaf shares from her life experience and perspective as a Counselor and Missionary Care provider in West Africa. ABOUT KAREN DEGRAAF: Karen (M.A., Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (NC), SIL Africa Area Counseling Coordinator) joined Wycliffe Bible Translators when she was 22, and met her husband David as they were both training to do translation and linguistic research in French-...

Dr. Carmen Imes unpacks material from her book “Bearing God’s Name” and helps us understand how our view of God impacts our life in ministry. ABOUT DR. CARMEN IMES: Carmen is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Biola University. A graduate of Wheaton College (PhD), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (MABS), and Multnomah University (BA), Carmen has also taught at Prairie College in Alberta, C...

This interview with seasoned missionaries Dennis Beck and Mark Downing explores how missionaries can prepare for their retirement years. About Dennis Beck: As an international missionary with Campus Crusade for Christ (branded as Cru in the USA) in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) for 38 years, Dennis was asked to move from student ministry to administrative roles as the 20 countries devolved in 1...

Steve Price & Kara Githens discuss the first year of podcasts and highlight some of the episodes that have stood out. We encourage you to go back to any episodes you may have missed. Our podcasts are here to equip you!

Dr. Mark Hedinger, the Director of Culture Bound, shares some tools and skills that help missionaries worldwide to be effective in bridging the cross-cultural gap in order to share the good news of Jesus.   ABOUT MARK HEDINGER:   Mark Hedinger has served in cross cultural ministry and ministry training for over 30 years, with mission experience in Mexico, in the home office of a US sendi...

Dan Sered, COO of Jews for Jesus, and his lovely wife Dinah share about the value and necessity of good care from their own experience in ministry. They also share practical ways in which their organization is striving to grow in effective care for their workers.   ABOUT DAN & DINAH SERED:  Dan Sered was born in Israel to a secular Jewish family and later relocated to the United Stat...

Brian Heerwagen, executive director of Standards of Excellence gives us much to consider on how we can maximize the impact of Short Term Missions. ABOUT BRIAN HEERWAGEN:  Brian’s first short-term mission (STM) was in 1980.  He has been the CEO of Standards of Excellence - SOE (formerly Delta Ministries) since 1985 and has been on countless short-term ministries and partnered with nationa...

Dr. Karen Fancher, a professor at Multnomah University, with graduate degrees in counseling and missions brings a unique perspective on how we engage cross-culturally. Join us for a discussion on how our heart attitude affects our impact. ABOUT KAREN FANCHER: From a young age, Dr. Karen Fancher was fascinated by other cultures and contexts. She has served as a bilingual teacher, professional couns...

Dr. Jolene Erlacher is an author and trainer in mobilizing millennials in missions and ministry. You don’t want to miss out on her wisdom and insights on how to engage and empower the next generation for the Kingdom.   ABOUT JOLENE ERLACHER:  Jolene worked for eight years at North Central University, specializing in leadership training, student development and personnel management. Durin...

Dr. Steve Hardy, a global missions trainer and consultant, talks with us about the challenges, needs, and realities of training missionaries around the world. You may be surprised to hear some of his stories from missions movements around the world. ABOUT DR. STEVE HARDY: Steve has served as SIM International's Advocate for Theological Education as well as a senior advisor to the International Cou...

We’re excited about Season 3 beginning on September 13. Listen to hear what is in store for our next season. Also, in this brief bonus episode Tiana shares with us a little of her story and how Sanctuary Inn has been a part of her journey.

Amy Young of Global Trellis shares from her life as a cross-cultural worker and her experience on how missionaries can take steps to pursue care for themselves to be healthy and thriving despite the challenges of the missionary life. ABOUT AMY YOUNG:   Amy Young, MA, LPC served in China for nearly 20 years, holding various leadership roles, including Member Care Director for 10 years. She co-...

The Innkeepers hosts, Steve Price & Kara Githens, discuss the reality of cross-cultural stress in the lives of missionaries and some tools to identify it and cope in healthy ways.    ADDITIONAL RESOURCE:  • Stress Can Be Managed • Transition Curve by Marion Dicke from Mobile Member Care Team