Modern Day Missionaries

Do you feel a pang of guilt or worry every time you spend a dollar your supporters gave? Is it wrong to save for retirement or dream about owning a home when you’re surrounded by need? In this episode, Modern Day Missions president Elias Reyes joins us to unpack what a healthy relationship with money looks like for missionaries.
Drawing on Scripture, a few unforgettable stories, and years of walking alongside global workers, Elias explains why money is a tool and never your master, why the Bible never treats poverty as a spiritual reward, and how to practice generosity in every season without becoming someone else’s provider in place of God.
Whether you serve with more resources than your neighbors or fewer, you’ll find freedom to stop living in fear and start stewarding with joy. Press play, explore Elias’s resources in the show notes, and remember that wherever God gives a vision, He brings the provision.
 
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
Discover how viewing money through a stewardship lens can loosen the grip of anxiety and shame around your support and your spending.
Learn to give with an open hand in lean seasons and full ones without creating unhealthy dependence.
Find peace with financial goals like saving for a home while living respectfully among the people you serve.
We can all agree, just hearing “end of year support campaign” feels weighty and overwhelming. That’s why I created this comprehensive guide to help you approach your EOY campaign feeling lighter. 
Get your free digital download, walk the plan out step by step, and I believe you will see your fundraising efforts thrive this year! - Coach Ben
EOY Giving Campaign Field Guide 🗺️

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/

In this encore episode, we ask the question, how can missionaries make the most of end-of-the-year giving trends? People are looking for places to sow seed, and you want them to know you are good soil!
Get ready for some game-changing stats and financial advice in this week’s episode!
“Modern Day Missions” Executive Director, Marvin Slaton II, shares some shocking statistics on how end-of-the-year giving really works. And he gives timely advice—that when put into practice, could make a dramatic impact on your financial support this December!
We can all agree, just hearing “end of year support campaign” feels weighty and overwhelming. That’s why I created this comprehensive guide to help you approach your EOY campaign feeling lighter. 
Get your free digital download, walk the plan out step by step, and I believe you will see your fundraising efforts thrive this year! - Coach Ben
EOY Giving Campaign Field Guide 🗺️

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 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 about a different approach to year-end fundraising—one that starts earlier, focuses on relationships, and gives your supporters a compelling vision to partner with.
Mary and Mike break down a practical 4-step strategy you can use to build a year-end campaign without scrambling at the last minute.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why waiting until December to start your year-end campaign is already too late
How to shift from funding your current needs to casting vision for what’s ahead
The 4 steps to building an effective year-end fundraising campaign
How to communicate with supporters without making every interaction feel like an ask
Why relationships are at the center of sustainable fundraising
Practical steps you can start taking right now to prepare for year-end giving

Year-end fundraising doesn’t have to feel desperate or overwhelming. With a clear plan, a compelling vision, and intentional communication, it can become one of the best opportunities of the year to deepen relationships with your partners and invite them into what God is doing through your ministry.
What vision are you inviting your supporters to help make possible in 2027?
Subscribe for more practical conversations and resources designed to help missionaries get fully funded, stay on the field, and thrive in ministry for the long haul.

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 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!).
Rob shares personal stories about his own governance structures that have protected him as he leads for the long haul, and the daily practice of staying self-aware before it's too late. Who's actually checking in on you––not your ministry output, but you? This episode might be the wake-up call that keeps you standing.
 
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
Why isolation doesn't always look like being alone, and how it quietly puts even the most passionate leaders at risk
What overlapping accountability actually looks like in practice, and why one accountability partner isn't enough
The daily habit of self-awareness Rob credits for protecting his leadership and marriage over decades in ministry
 
Resources Mentioned:
OneHope website
Rob's video on collaborative missiology
Change Your World: How Anyone, Anywhere Can Make A Difference by Rob Hoskins and John Maxwell
Who Are Today’s Missionary Kids? Previous MDM episode with Rob Hoskins

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/

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

We can all agree, just hearing “end of year support campaign” feels weighty and overwhelming. That’s why I created this comprehensive guide to help you approach your EOY campaign feeling lighter. 
Get your free digital download, walk the plan out step by step, and I believe you will see your fundraising efforts thrive this year! - Coach Ben
EOY Giving Campaign Field Guide 🗺️

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/