Modern Day Missionaries

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 talked about that single missionaries deal with and think about on a regular basis. Things like: the significant challenge of finding a spouse on the field, assumptions married teammates have that singleness means extra time and extra capacity, and the deep search for “home.”
We also have a ton of fun in this episode, and there are some fantastic wisdom bombs that get dropped by the crew as well that will help you see things in a new light. This episode is a real look at what it takes to build a whole life on the field right now, right where you are at. Listen to the full episode and find links to connect with our guests below.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn
Why singleness on the field often gets read as extra capacity instead of a full life on its own, and how to set healthy boundaries around it.
How three missionaries wrestle with the specific grief of watching the odds of marriage shrink, without losing hope or shutting their hearts down.
What it means to search for home when your address keeps changing, and where lasting groundedness comes from.
 
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Holy Longing by Ronald Rolheiser
Sacred Fire by Ronald Rolheiser
Reaching Out by Henri Nouwen

Hey missionaries—how are your finances on the field? At Modern Day Missions, we make it simple for missionaries to receive donations and for donors to give. Serving 1,100+ missionaries worldwide, we free you to focus on your calling. We also offer resources like our weekly podcast, fundraising coaching, and a resource-packed newsletter. Connect with us at modernday.org

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

Website: https://www.modernday.org/podcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu3ie6N7vXvESqcHrM-SRTC7-XoPEmnv6
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moderndaymissions/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moderndaymissions/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moderndaymissions
X: https://twitter.com/Modern_Day
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moderndaymissions/

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 Culture Brand, gives you the language to finally name what is off, and a simple framework to do something about it. Whether you built your team culture or just inherited it, this episode will change how you show up. This is one of those episodes you will want to send to every person on your team.

In This Episode You'll:
Discover what kind of leader you actually are and why that matters more than you think for the health of every team you will ever be part of.
Learn why missionary teams clash even when everyone loves each other, and the simple three-bucket framework that finally gives you language for what is really going on.
Find out what you can do right now, whether you lead your team or serve on it, to start building something healthier on purpose.

Resources Mentioned:
Culture Brand by Dr. Jay Raines
Your team already has a culture. The question is whether you built it on purpose. In this practical and accessible book, Dr. Jay Raines gives leaders a simple framework for designing the kind of team culture that holds up under pressure, keeps everyone rowing in the same direction, and outlasts any one personality. If you lead a team or serve on one, this book was written for you.
Get your copy here →
 
Free Culture Brand Self-Assessment
Not sure where you land on Results, Teaming, and Character? This free self-assessment by Dr. Jay Raines gives you a clear picture of where you show up strong and where you have room to grow. Take it yourself, and consider doing it with your whole team.
Access the free assessment here →
 
Free Counseling for Missionaries with Dr. Russell Semon
If you need to talk to someone but have been hesitant to reach out, Dr. Russell Semon, LPC, Ph.D., is a licensed counselor who specializes in working with cross-cultural workers and offers counseling to missionaries at no cost, made possible through funding from his church.
Schedule your first session →

Hey missionaries—how are your finances on the field? At Modern Day Missions, we make it simple for missionaries to receive donations and for donors to give. Serving 1,100+ missionaries worldwide, we free you to focus on your calling. We also offer resources like our weekly podcast, fundraising coaching, and a resource-packed newsletter. Connect with us at modernday.org

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

Website: https://www.modernday.org/podcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu3ie6N7vXvESqcHrM-SRTC7-XoPEmnv6
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moderndaymissions/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moderndaymissions/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moderndaymissions
X: https://twitter.com/Modern_Day
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moderndaymissions/

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 conversations we have ever had. This is not about grinding harder or believing bigger. This is about what the decision to stay looks like from the inside, and what faithfulness actually requires when nothing around you is working.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn
What the decision to stay actually costs and why the hardest seasons are often the ones that precede the greatest breakthrough
How to tell the difference between a hard season and a closed door when you genuinely cannot tell which one you are in
Why vulnerability with your supporters does not put your funding at risk and what 28 years on the field teaches you about letting people in

Hey missionaries—how are your finances on the field? At Modern Day Missions, we make it simple for missionaries to receive donations and for donors to give. Serving 1,100+ missionaries worldwide, we free you to focus on your calling. We also offer resources like our weekly podcast, fundraising coaching, and a resource-packed newsletter. Connect with us at modernday.org

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

Website: https://www.modernday.org/podcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu3ie6N7vXvESqcHrM-SRTC7-XoPEmnv6
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moderndaymissions/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moderndaymissions/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moderndaymissions
X: https://twitter.com/Modern_Day
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moderndaymissions/

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 Elias Reyes, President of Modern Day Missions, to talk about secondary streams of income for missionaries. They unpack what these look like in real life, how to know if one fits your calling, and how missionaries throughout history have used their skills and circumstances to stay in the work God called them to.
This conversation might just open a door you haven't tried yet. You’ll be brimming with ideas by the end!

In This Episode, You’ll Learn
Why believing fundraising is your only option might be keeping you stuck when you don't have to be
How to know if a secondary stream of income fits your calling instead of competing with it
What questions to ask yourself to find a secondary income idea that actually fits your skills and your field

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

Website: https://www.modernday.org/podcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu3ie6N7vXvESqcHrM-SRTC7-XoPEmnv6
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moderndaymissions/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moderndaymissions/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moderndaymissions
X: https://twitter.com/Modern_Day
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moderndaymissions/

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 a “soft no” really costs, to the season neither of them saw coming until it was almost over.
If you've ever felt behind on fundraising, or married to someone who fundraises nothing like you do, this is the conversation you needed a few years ago. Listen to the full episode and find more resources for your marriage and your support raising at the link in our show notes.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn
Why dividing fundraising by strength, not gender or tradition, changed everything for one couple's support-raising
What it actually takes to fundraise beyond your needs, not just up to them
How to tell the difference between a real no and a maybe that never resolves
Hey missionaries—how are your finances on the field? At Modern Day Missions, we make it simple for missionaries to receive donations and for donors to give. Serving 1,100+ missionaries worldwide, we free you to focus on your calling. We also offer resources like our weekly podcast, fundraising coaching, and a resource-packed newsletter. Connect with us at modernday.org

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

Website: https://www.modernday.org/podcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu3ie6N7vXvESqcHrM-SRTC7-XoPEmnv6
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moderndaymissions/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moderndaymissions/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moderndaymissions
X: https://twitter.com/Modern_Day
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moderndaymissions/