Be the Difference

Anna Valdez is the Director of Programs at Fostering Hope in Austin, Texas. Anna trains and coordinates trauma informed efforts for volunteers, churches, foster parents, caregivers, and institutions, both locally and internationally. She served for five years with Back2Back Ministries in Monterrey, Mexico as a full time caregiver to teenage girls. Drawing from this learning and experience, Anna has successfully implemented programming as a Texas Christian University Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) Practitioner and a Trauma Competent Caregiver Affiliate Trainer for Back2Back Ministries.

In this week’s episode, Anna shares how God called a shy girl from southern Texas into a journey that would lift the veil on the emotional pain of the world and shift her perspective on hope and healing forever.

Hear stories of her first night as a caregiver in a children’s home, the way God changed her view of success, and why she is passionate about training and equipping caregivers today.

Links to learn more:

Follow Anna on instagram @understanding.trauma

Learn more about the work Anna is doing through Fostering Hope.

Special thanks to COhatch Mason for providing podcast studio space.

Learn more about Back2Back Ministries.

Follow Back2Back Ministries on Social Media:

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(This episode was originally published on May 25th, 2021)

Mashawn Rigmaiden is the co-founder of Strip Church Dayton and co-owner of Bangs Salon and Spa. She is convinced Jesus loves every person and the church can be a place that welcomes hard stories. Strip Church Dayton’s goal is to offer hope, healing, forgiveness, and freedom to the women and men in the adult entertainment industry.

In this week’s episode, Mashawn shares how God intentionally uses her “rebellious wiring” to be the difference in unexpected places like strip club dressing rooms. She has learned there is a story behind every face and a cross shaped void in every heart.

Hear stories of how Jesus is redeeming her past, teaching her to share His love without judgement, and transforming lives in the process.

Links to learn more:

For more information about Live Free Community, a community focused resource helping men struggling with porn and lust, visit: www.livefreecommunity.org

Learn about the work of Strip Church Dayton.

Follow Strip Church Dayton on Social Media:

Instagram | Facebook

Special thanks to COhatch Mason for providing podcast studio space.

Learn more about Back2Back Ministries.

Follow Back2Back Ministries on Social Media:

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(This episode was originally published on Mar 2nd, 2021)

Todd and Beth Guckenberger live with their family in Cincinnati and serve as the co-executive directors of Back2Back Ministries. After college graduation, the Guckenbergers packed up an Isuzu trooper and moved to Monterrey, Mexico where they lived for 15 years. Between biological, foster, and adopted children, they have raised eleven children.

In this week’s episode, Todd and Beth share some of the experiences that led them to realize they had something to offer, the emotions they were feeling as they crossed the Mexican border for the first time, and how their dream of being the difference has grown and changed in the past 25 years.

Hear why they still say people are worth the work, 25 years, 5 countries, 8 ministry sites, and thousands of co-laborers later.

Links to Learn More:

To learn more about Back2Back Ministries, check out Back2Back.org.

To hear more from Beth, go to recklessfaith.com.

Find Beth Guckenberger on Instagram.

Follow Back2Back Ministries on Social Media:

Instagram | Facebook

(This episode was originally posted on October 26th, 2021).

For 13 years, Chuck has served as a teaching pastor at Crossroads Church. Prior to being a pastor, Chuck spent nine years in the corporate world at Procter & Gamble. Today, he is the founder of Courageous Love, a nonprofit organization built to unite and ignite people for racial justice through programming and intensives that take participants through life-changing moments of racial healing.

In this episode, Chuck shares why he walked away from a successful corporate career to become a pastor in his local community. Hear how one brave step at a time launched him into a journey he never imagined for himself and why courageous love has and always will be the fuel that keeps him moving forward.

Links to learn more:

Learn more about Chuck & Courageous Love

For more information on LivingUNDIVIDED

Follow Chuck on Social Media:

Instagram | Facebook

Special thanks to COhatch Mason for providing podcast studio space.

Learn more about Back2Back Ministries.

Follow Back2Back Ministries on Social Media:

Instagram | Facebook

This week, we announce the end of season 1, and the plans for season 2! Take a listen to hear some of the things we have in store, and all about our plans for the summer. Thanks for being the difference with us! 

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Learn more about Back2Back Ministries

Follow Back2Back Ministries on Social Media:

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In this week's episode you’ll hear from 20 children and teens who regularly spend time with the Back2Back Cincinnati team. Hear their thoughts on what’s great about the world, what problems they see that need to be solved, and how they hope to be the difference in the world.

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Learn more about Back2Back Ministries

Follow Back2Back Ministries

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Rick and Lisa Bursey are husband and wife, mom and dad to two boys, and officially the new Site Directors for Back2Back’s ninth global site in Linares, Mexico! Originally from Ontario, Canada, the Burseys have long served children and said yes to every big and small moment God has extended an invitation. In 2008, they quit their jobs, sold their belongings, and moved two hours south of Monterrey, Mexico to a small town called Linares. Today, they are excited for the future of the Linares site and all it will provide for the children they serve.

In this episode, Rick and Lisa share the three words they’d use to describe their life in Canada, how saying yes was like building muscle over time, and why they believe comfort can breed discomfort. Hear how Lisa responded when God put hungry, sad, or withdrawn people in front of her, how one of Rick’s worst moments led to the opening of Possibilities House, and why patience and perseverance are words, and attitudes, they live by.

Links to learn more:

Learn about Possibilities House

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Learn more about Back2Back Ministries

Special thanks to COhatch Mason for providing podcast studio space.

Follow Back2Back Ministries

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Dynette Clark is a wife, a mother to three, and sees the best in everyone she meets. She is also the Executive Director of Building Blocks for Kids (BB4K), a Cincinnati-based organization with a vision to create community for all children, regardless of challenges, through support, resources, and scholarships. As a child, Dynette always wanted to babysit and long considered being a teacher before getting her degree in business. After having her first son, and attempting to return to work, she realized she wanted to be with her child and started an in-home daycare service. She later received certification for Montessori education and taught while her own children were in school. She and her husband were blessed with a third child, and shortly after he arrived, everything changed.

In this episode, Dynette shares about a baby girl named Sydney who was born in 1998, and how her story was the foundation for Building Blocks for Kids. Hear how Dynette believes our stories are changed when people are beside us, why community is the foundation of what Building Blocks for Kids does, and the one thing every child served through BB4K gives back.

Links to learn more:

www.bb4k.org

Follow Building Blocks for Kids Facebook

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Learn more about Back2Back Ministries

Special thanks to COhatch Mason for providing podcast studio space.

Follow Back2Back Ministries

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Welcome to Be the Difference: Clips from the Cutting Room Floor! In these bonus episodes, we turn the reins over to our amazing producer Mikeyy, to share with you some of his favorite conversations from previous episodes that didn't quite make the final cut.

In this episode, Mikeyy shares a clip from Episode 30 with Kevin Schwieger. In this clip, Kevin shares a story about two brothers who found connection through nature, play, and God shining through the darkness.

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Links to Learn More:

Listen to Kevin's Episode

Learn more about Luke 5 Adventures

Follow Luke5Adventures on Social Media:

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Kevin Schwieger was born on the mission field and has served within ministry for over 30 years, from serving as a missionary to Marketplace Pastor at Grace Chapel. Two and a half years ago, Kevin discovered a new hiking trail and in his excitement to share about it, the vision for of Luke5Adventures was born. Luke5Adventures makes the impossible possible by gathering dedicated volunteers and special equipment to give outdoor experiences to people with disabilities. From Ohio to Colorado, Kevin and his team bring Luke 5 to life by helping everyone experience Jesus through nature, no matter their abilities.

In this episode, Kevin shares about how a conversation that never happened sparked curiosity and, ultimately, the founding of Luke5Adventures. He talks about “target versus tool,” how it applies to this work, and how God convicted him. Hear how God focused Kevin’s attention on a population of people that had before been “out of sight, out of mind,” and why he considers it “soul-quenching work” whenever they help provide a way to nature that was previously inaccessible.

Links to learn more:

Learn more about Luke 5 Adventures

Follow Luke5Adventures on Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram

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Learn more about Back2Back Ministries

Special thanks to COhatch Mason for providing podcast studio space.

Follow Back2Back Ministries

Instagram | Facebook