Don and Laura Noble join the show to talk about some of the most problematic projects, countries, and situations we’ve had to deal with over the years, and why Maranatha chooses to push through these roadblocks, when it would be easier to just move on. They discuss the difficulties of working in Mozambique after 30 years of war, the socio-economic disparity in Angola that made things problematic, and other brief examples of specific projects that posed issues.

The group then recounts in-depth a specific project in northern Kenya with extreme logistical requirements, bringing churches and water wells to the Daasanach tribe there. It took Maranatha’s in-country crew five days of driving from its homebase near the capital city of Nairobi (Dustin said 3-4 days, but it was five), half the time on roads and half the time through the desert with no roads, to make it up near the Ethiopian border where the Daasanach call home. The team had to bring everything they would need for construction and well drilling, because there was no going back for supplies. They were told to prepare like they were leaving Earth for another planet. Don tells the story of one of the villages where experts said we would not find water, and how a double-miracle that occurred. Beyond that, a number of Maranatha’s crew decided to get baptized in salty Lake Turkana during the trip after witnessing everything they saw.

In the rapid fire question round, Don and Laura share their biggest travel pet peeves, a country they’d like to visit that they’ve never been to, where they’d love to see Maranatha work in the future, and the most unique gift they’ve ever received or been offered on a Maranatha trip.

Don tells the story of his very first Maranatha trip ever in 1983, which involved a small plane crash, changing plans to a commercial flight, circumnavigating the U.S. invasion of Grenada by flying to a another island, taking a boat to an island called Bequia to finally get to their site visit. After the visit, their boat broke down on the way back without any communication, and when they finally made it back late to the Adventist Church headquarters in Barbados to spend the night, they realized the church leaders locked the gate and went home, forcing Don to scale the exterior wall to gain access. Not a bad first trip. Don references our map tool showing our projects around the world, so here it is: https://explore.maranatha.org/map.

The group then shifts its focus to Maranatha’s work in Cuba—how it started, why we chose to work in a communist country in the first place, and some of the challenges in making progress there over the last three decades.

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What started as a one-time translation job for a Maranatha volunteer project turned into a lifelong passion of service, and bringing others along for the ride. Josue got his first introduction to Maranatha on our teens-only mission trip, Ultimate Workout (UW), as a 16-year-old translator in his native Peru. The experience shifted his perspective in transformative ways, and as grew into adulthood, he continued to be involved, eventually as a volunteer staff leader.

Over time, Josue’s commitment to this annual youth project was so strong that when his employer said he couldn’t have the time off one year, he simply quit his job! (He got it back.) He’s also developed life-long friendships on UW, including his wife, who he met on a project. At their wedding, a number of UW volunteer staff attended.

Josue shares examples of how impactful the project has been for youth volunteers over the years, how he’s followed the examples of adult leaders before him, and the support he’s been able to provide to youth participants as an adult himself.

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Maranatha board member and Executive Director of Global Missions at AdventHealth, Monty Jacobs, joins the crew for a conversation about engaging volunteers in meaningful, ethical service. Monty talks about his first Maranatha mission trip experience as a high schooler in 1982, and how that experience set him up for a lifetime of service. As he started his career as an immigration lawyer and got married, Monty continued to go on projects, and was eventually asked to be a Maranatha board member in his early 30’s. He shares how the Maranatha board of directors helps to guide the organization, and discusses what makes an effective board member.

Monty explains how engaging employees in service has connected them more deeply to the mission of Advent Health in a tangible way, and how he’s drawn on his experience there and with Maranatha, to aid each other. He describes how Advent Health approaches mission partnerships with other organizations, donating medical equipment or supplies in a responsible way, and why long term relationships allow for transparency in the communication of needs.

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Our chief operating officer joins the team for the first time in the show’s new format, sharing some of his personal journey to missions after 30 years working for Maranatha. Growing up in a missionary family, there was a certain expectation that Kenneth would do something for missions. But at a certain point he decided he wasn't going to follow suit. His career trajectory was set for high-level federal work in Washington D.C. until Maranatha’s president asked him to consider working for Maranatha. After struggling for weeks with his future, he gave it to God and ended up choosing Maranatha.

The rest of the group shares their paths to working at Maranatha and remarks how God leads each person to the mission at the right time. The panel also discusses how working for Maranatha has impacted their own children, how their international experiences have changed the way they serve in their home churches, and even how the mission has enhanced what it means to be a Seventh-day Adventist Christian for them.

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Our country director for North America and Zambia makes his second appearance on the show, this time with our group of hosts in the new format. He shares stories from his time in Africa that he never told in Episode 1, explaining why he loves the continent so much, and some of the differences in people groups and languages between some of the countries there. The panel talks about what it means to be a missionary, whether you’re serving abroad or at home.

David recounts camping in the African bush, explains how he learned local languages, reflects on how he’s handled periods when the work was hard, and talks about tough decisions to stop drilling for water at certain well-drilling sites. In our rapid fire question round, hear David’s favorite and least favorite African food dish, favorite African safari park, the African animal he’s most scared of, which African animal he thinks he can take down, and his favorite “Inside Missions” host to travel with. He also shares why Maranatha’s work in North America has such an impact on the places we serve, and the volunteers who assist.

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** NEW FORMAT! Going forward our TV producers will be regulars each episode, discussing a wide variety of topics related to missions, and sometimes bringing guests into the conversation.**

What’s it like being a television producer in the mission field? Go behind the scenes with our “Maranatha Mission Stories” producers from the moment they get the assignment, all the way through capturing the images and stories that bring the mission to your screen. What goes into the planning of a media production trip before flights are even booked? What kind of logistics need to be fine-tuned before the team lands on the ground? The group discusses what happens when the best-laid plans don’t materialize, interviewing people who speak a different language, and balancing the need to show challenging conditions while not perpetuating inaccurate stereotypes, and yet still honoring the people and cultures we’re visiting.

We also talk about why we always tell stories through the eyes of individuals, how covering a volunteer project is different from filming an episode on the challenges of a country or region, and how interview subjects have impacted us personally.

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Our country director for Peru and Paraguay returns as the show’s first repeat guest after an abbreviated first appearance in Episode 5. Elmer shares how the work in the Amazon jungle region of Peru progressed since then, and talks about his new responsibility in also overseeing Maranatha’s work in Paraguay, including the anticipation of leading Maranatha’s teens-only mission trip, Ultimate Workout, in summer 2025.

Having established Maranatha’s efforts from scratch in four separate countries, Elmer explains how the organization first enters a country to start the work. He recalls his first years of service as a 20-year-old in Mozambique, including the construction of 1,000 churches, and the lifelong relationships he formed. He opens up about his journey in missions with his family, from spending time away from his new bride as a newlywed for two months in Angola, to his kids living in several countries already in their childhood. He concludes by sharing how Maranatha has impacted his life and what he’s learned about God through his 18 years of service with Maranatha.

TV episode on the work in Iquitos, Peru: https://watch.maranatha.org/videos/the-gospel-in-the-jungle
TV episode on the work in Paraguay: https://watch.maranatha.org/videos/mms11e43-1

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As Youth and Pathfinder Director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Northern California, Eddie has decades of experience taking youth on mission trips around the world. He recounts his first experiences with Maranatha, talks about the importance of doing a pre-trip site visit, and explains how he broke his neck in Costa Rica. He shares how he has grown as a leader, his goal for youth on these projects, and how he’s seen prayer literally influence events on his mission trips. Eddie shares his response when people question why the conference should do mission trips at all, and explains how a short-term mission trip can impact a community well beyond the project.

TV episode on the Kimogoro Adventist School (segment starts at 13:51): https://watch.maranatha.org/videos/mms11e30

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