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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected]

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 →

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 [email protected]

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

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 [email protected]

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
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Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at [email protected]

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

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 [email protected]

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 does your body already know that your mind hasn't caught up to yet? What if the thing most burning you out on the mission field is not the workload, the culture shock, or the lack of support, but something else? And what if the very traits that made you say yes to the field are the same ones slowly wearing you down?

In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Steve and Lisa Cuss, founders of Capable Life, to talk about the Big Five false needs and what happens when the missionary calling supercharges them. Steve is a former pastor and chaplain who hosts the Being Human podcast for Christianity Today, and Lisa is a trauma therapist who brings a clinical lens to everything they teach.

Together, they unpack why your body reacts before your brain does, how false needs and false beliefs are connected, and what it looks like to begin living from the gift underneath the need rather than the need itself. By the end, you will have language for something you have been carrying for a long time, and the tools to take the next right step.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• What the Big Five false needs are and how to locate yourself in them, including the physical signal that tells you which one is running the show.
• Why your body and your head can believe completely different things about your faith, your calling, and your capacity, and what to do when they do.
• How to move from living out of a false need to operating from the real gift underneath it, with practical tools you can start using this week.

Resources Mentioned:

Capable Life Free Resources

Being Human Podcast with Steve Cuss (Christianity Today)

SIFT by Dr. Dan Siegel

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 [email protected]

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/