PMPod

In this podcast, the tables get turned, and your host gets interviewed. The guy who interviewed me is one of my best friends, and together we talked about how the Middle East has changed us, and the differences between the church in the ME and in the West. We covered some important topics like the Underground Church, Evangelism, Dealing with conflict, Folk Islam, and even a little bit about Folk Christianity.

Note:
CBB = Christian Background Believer.
MBB = Muslim Background Believer

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Timeline

• 1:00-3:50 What would you be doing if you weren’t a missionary? 
• 3:51-10:20 How has 12 years in the Middle East Changed you? 
• 10:21-18:14 How do Arab believers differ from Western believers? 
• 18:15-23:47 The seen church and the underground church in the Middle East 
• 23:48-27:45 What has surprised you about evangelism or discipling on the field? 
• 27:46-32:50 What does the underground church in the Middle East contribute to the Body of Christ? 
• 32:51-48:50 Dealing with conflict with Arabs 
• 48:51-55:35 What is folk Islam?
• 55:36-62 What folk Christianity looks like?

What I do does not give me my value

In this interview, I sat down with a very dear friend who spoke with amazing insight into what it’s like being a wife and mother on the field. There is not one dull moment in this interview. We covered many topics, including growing up an MK, the value of mentors, taking days off, balancing family life and ministry, getting overwhelmed, and giving money to locals.

Check out more on our website pmpod.org 

Timeline 

• 1:00-2:00 Taking a sabbath year and dealing with COVID-19
• 2:01-5:10 Growing up as an MK 
• 5:11 -7:27 Did you ever think you would end up back in missions? 
• 7:28-10:00 Getting married to a guy who had a different calling 
• 10:01-11:50 Did you ever get a sense of “calling” to the Arab World? 
• 11:51-14:30 What is ministry like for a married woman with kids? 
• 14:31-15:55 Does your role bring you enough purpose? 
• 15:56-17:25 Does having kids make it easier to do ministry? 
• 17:26-18:36 Do you see big differences in Muslims and Christian families? 
• 18:37- 24:35 The importance of mentors on and off the field
• 24:36-25:37 How do you “submit” to the local Arab church? 
• 25:38-28:22 What is the value of attending a local Arab church? 
• 28:23-29:01 What role does the organization play in your need for fellowship? 
• 29:02-32:12 What are common struggles missionary mothers face? 
• 32:13-35:11 What were the challenges moving from single to married on the field? 
• 35:12-41:41 How does the Gospel inform your marriage on the field? 
• 41:42-43:49 What have you learned from local families? 
• 43:50-47:49 Navigating honor and shame with giving to poor local families   
• 47:50-51:00 Dos and don’ts when giving money to locals 
• 51:01-53:05 Do you ever feel overwhelmed?
• 53:06-55:24 What does rest look like for you? 
• 55:25-59:14 What do you do as a family to rest? 

My optimism was not enough to get me through

It’s clear my guest loves the work, loves the people, and loves the region. Every answer he gives is dripping with optimism, passion, and pride for the ministry and what God has enabled him to see and do over his 12 years in the Middle East. We talked about sustainable ministry, black magic, marriage, mentors, the difficulty of calling, time management, and much more.

Check out more on our website pmpod.org 

Timeline 

• 1:00 An insane first six months in the Middle East
• 7:34 What his calling looked like 
• 12:33 How do you maintain a passion for the work over the long term? 
• 18:30 How do you deal with MBBs falling away from the faith? 
• 20:27 What patterns do you see in those that lose faith? 
• 22:11 What as it like going from single to married on the field? 
• 24:35 What do you wish you would have known about being married on the field before you were married? 
• 27:47 What was it like for your wife to move to the Arab World with you? 
• 33:15 How has having three kids on the field changed what ministry looks like? 
• 36:47 How do you balance your time between work, family, ministry, marriage? 
• 39:00 What advice do you have for someone wanting to do missions in the marketplace? 
• 40:57 What Spiritual rhythms do you have in your family? 
• 42:39 Getting time away from the kids with my wife 
• 43:40 Have you ever wanted to quit missions? 

“Let us know if you need anything” is a horrible way to offer help

In this pod, I talk to a very close friend of mine, and we take a deep dive into the realities of re-entry. My guest talks about his frustrations going home, and how he has overcome them, and how he has kept his faith strong. We also cover things like finding good routines, make sure you don’t isolate, getting into community, and the value of member care after you’ve returned home.

Read more on our website pmpod.org 

Timeline 

• 1:00-1:30 What was your role on the field? 
• 1:31-4:25 How did you end up in the Middle East? 
• 4:26-7:00 Starting in the Middle East without an organization. 
• 7:01-8:06 When expectations don’t match reality 
• 8:07-11:49 The power of reaching out for help 
• 11:50-15:11 The value of Member Care and Mentors 
• 15:12-23:00 What frustrations did you have with the home office during re-entry? 
• 23:01-24:25 How can we do re-entry better? 
• 24:26-27:15 Being asked who you are sharing your struggles with
• 27:16-29:05 How do we start a culture of better re-entry?  
• 29:06-38:25 What did the stages of re-entry look like for you over the first year? 
• 38:26-42:00 How are you going to prevent your faith from dying during re-entry? 
• 42:01-45:41 What’s it like going from full-time ministry to not having any ministry? 

After ten years of working in rural villages, the ground isn’t as hard as it used to be

In this Pod, I have a co-pilot hosting with me, and together we talked to a woman who has worked with Beduin in rural villages for nearly a decade. We had a fascinating conversation about Arabic music, Christian Arab hymns, why doing ministry in rural settings has meaning, the struggles of Beduin women, being single on the field, and much, much more.

Read more on our website pmpod.org 

Timeline 

• 1:00-9:38 How an Ethnomusicology degree led to nearly a decade in missions
• 9:37-12:44 What do you love about Arabic music? 
• 12:45-14:58 What is the concept of music in Islam? 
• 14:59-19:57 What characterizes Arabic Christian music? 
• 19:58-25:38 What’s the value of doing ministry in rural settings? 
• 25:39-30:35 Knowing you work in a hard place, how do you measure success? 
• 30:36-40:10 What’s something that Beduin society really struggles with? 
• 40:11-45:59 Where do you find your identity and value? 
• 46:00-52:02 What is something from the Bible that touches the heart of Beduin women?
• 53:03-60:00 What is your experience with folk Islam? 
• 60:01-64:30 What’s one of your favorite things about Beduin dialects? 
• 64:31-68:18 What is the strength of being an unmarried woman on the field? 
• 68:19-73:13 When you feel like you have nothing left to give, what gets you through?

Success on the field is more about character than talent

In this Pod, I talked to a very dear friend of mine who is full of passion and insight. We talked about Arab friendships, sharing the Gospel, the power of mentors, and the difficulties of honor and shame culture. We also talked about the importance of humor, pray, Christian fellowship, and trusting God. If you’ve never been on the field, are new, or have been out for ten years, you will learn something from my guest.

Read more on our website pmpod.org 

Timeline 

• 1:00-7:07 Who or what are you learning from right now? 
• 7:08-9:50 Are people too timid when they share with Muslims? 
• 9:51-12:03 Reading with a seeker vs a new believer? 
• 12:04-14:11 What is the value of being part of a local church in the Arab world? 
• 14:12-16:07 What are some differences between Arab Christians, and Arab Muslims? 
• 16:08-17:47 The minority complex of Christians in the Middle East and will MBBs and CBBs ever get along? 
• 17:48-21:38 What is the secret to having great friendship with Arabs? 
• 21:39-26:32 What have you learned about honor and shame? 
• 26:33-30:48 What are some of hurdles for westerner to share the Gospel in an honor and shame culture?  
• 30:49-33:42 How does somebody start learning a new culture? 
• 33:43-34:30 Are you afraid of anything in ministry? 
• 34:31-35:31 The importance of prayer in our ministries 
• 35:31-38:34 How do you measure success on the field? 
• 38:35-39:40 Have you ever wanted to give up and go home? 
• 39:41-42:02 Have you ever feel like you’re not making an impact? 
• 42:03-46:36 What role does enjoyment play in longevity on the field? 

I don’t want to give a single thought to what I can’t control

In this Pod, I talk to a guy who only spent one year in the Middle East but has incredible insight. He speaks openly and vulnerably about weaknesses, Arab friendships, managing expectations, sharing with supporters, and so much more. If you are looking to join missions in the Arab World or lead someone new to the field, this Pod is for you.

Read more at pmpod.org 

Timeline 

• 1:00 What attracted you to the Middle East? 
• 3:31 What sustains you in the Middle East? 
• 6:02 The relationship between food and motivation levels 
• 7:29 How to be motivated to Study Arabic 
• 10:23 How did your expectations and reality clash when you came to the Middle East? 
• 13:21 What was it like sharing the Gospel in the Middle East? 
• 15:16 Did you have preconceived ideas of how people would receive the Gospel? 
• 16:16 What’s your relationship with your supporters like? 
• 20:43 The unseen, unreported reality of missions. 
• 25:15 How do you know when you’ve done what you’re supposed to? 
• 26:39 What have you learned about yourself since you came to the field?
• 29:28 Is living on the field lonely? 
• 31:00 Was it hard making friends with locals? 
• 37:32 How have you dealt with the reality that there is not much fruit?
• 42:33 What would you say to the person looking to join the field?   

It’s been awesome and rough; I feel the highs more, and I feel the lows more 

In this Pod, we cover many topics from friendships with locals, sharing the Gospel, dealing with stereotypes, the value of language learning, and so much more. We go deep and cover a lot of territory together. My guest is authentic and honest with his thoughts and has a lot to teach us.

Read more at pmpod.org

Timeline 

• 1:00 Friendships in the Middle East 
• 5:32 Telling acceptable lies and Honor and Shame  
• 8:18 Dealing with Arab collectivism   
• 12:08 Dealing with locals putting you into a box 
• 13:00 Using locals assumptions to point back to Christ
• 14:55 Does living outside your home country change your relationship with God? 
• 18:12 The link between your personal time with God and your ministry 
• 19:31 How have you balanced training and doing on the field? 
• 22:09 What are some of the biggest struggles you face on the field?
• 23:22 How do you not let the statistics bother you? 
• 27:05 What data points do you use to gauge success? 
• 30:41 Do you find it hard to find a balance between being lazy and over-productive? 
• 31:57 What is the value of learning the local langue? 
• 34:32 What would you say to the worker who is fine just using English? 
• 35:40 Sharing the Gospel and language issues 
• 37:36 Sharing the Gospel to Arabs takes a shift in how you think
• 40:13 What’s the value of listening as you share the Gospel? 
• 42:02 Are there things from our culture you won’t let go of? 
• 44:48 What is the importance of enjoying the people you minister to? 

In this Pod, I talk to one of the smartest people I know. We have a very interesting conversation about recovering from being a people pleaser, dealing with reentry anxiety, friendships with Arabs, leadership, the importance of coaching, and so much more. My guest is well read, thoughtful, and taught me some very important life lessons. I’m excited for you to listen in on our conversation. "As Christians, we always have a good reason to do more. But we also need to make sure we make it to the end of the marathon."

"I didn’t even want to talk to people about my time in the Middle East unless they were interested because it felt like they were desecrating the memories of my friends and time on the field...I felt like I didn’t want to replace people. I felt like I had empty chairs in my heart, and I didn’t want to replace them with people back home. "

Found out more at pmpod.org 

Timeline 

• 1:00 From Teenstreet to home office to field 
• 3:48 The first two years on the field 
• 8:36 After the field, was it hard to make the transition back to your home country? 
• 10:21  How long did your anxiety last after reentry? 
• 11:56 Dealing with the intense reality of reentry struggles 
• 15:31 How did you relate to Arabs back in your home country? 
• 20:45 Recovering from being a people pleaser 
• 23:45 What kind of boundaries do you have in friendships? 
• 26:06 Going from single to married.
• 30:02 What does ministering as a couple look like? 
• 34:05 What have you learned about rest? 
• 39:06 Being on and off the field, how do you understand calling? 
• 41:03 Was the transition from field to home office difficult? 
• 42:56 How do you help people find their role? 
• 44:20 What is your leadership philosophy? Be a WASTER 
• 51:07 What is coaching, and why is it important?