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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Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.

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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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Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.

Text us! Let us know what you thought of this episode and the show in general!