There's no denying that western money in Global South countries has a profound impact, for better or worse. We might assume that spending money on volunteering and caring for orphans would be a net positive in the majority world. That however is not the case. As we dive back into the conversation around orphan care and volunteering, we're joined by filmmaker Barak Laub whose new documentary Volunteers Needed delves into this very dynamic in Nepal. He talks with Brandon Stiver about the film, his travels and the effort to advocate for government policies in the US that would mitigate harm in global orphan care.

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Podcast Sponsors

The M.A. in Global Development and Justice program at Jessup University prepares students to work across the nexus of justice, community development, and peacebuilding.

Learn More About The MAGDJ Online Program

Alliance for Children Everywhere is on mission to bring vulnerable children into secure families, schools, and communities.

Visit Alliance for Children Everywhere Online

Resources and Links from the show

Volunteers Needed Film Online

The Westerner Abuse and Child Protection Conversation (Think Orphan Podcast)

Conversation Notes

• The connection of volunteering to care for wild animals and canned hunting
• The importance of bringing and teaching skills when volunteering abroad
• The country conflict that led to the proliferation of orphanages in Nepal
• The relationship between corruption, poverty and caste in certain Asian countries
• The experience of kids that grow up in care in Nepal
• Misinformation told to volunteers that leads to exploitation
• Spending money in a way that reflects your values

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

Hope is a bit of a buzzword, but at the same time it is a lifeline for those that are experiencing humanitarian crises. What does it look like to experience hope in the midst of forcible displacement or losing your home in a natural disaster? Is it possible to have hope that is disconnected from the truth of Christ? Heath Adamson joins the show to help us think through these big questions. He talks with Brandon Stiver about his new book Hope Breaks Through and the work that Convoy of Hope is doing throughout the globe. Heath brings a wealth of biblical knowledge and on the ground experience that points to the God of hope and how we can partner with Him in bringing His promises to bear on the earth.

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Podcast Sponsors

The M.A. in Global Development and Justice program at Jessup University prepares students to work across the nexus of justice, community development, and peacebuilding.

Learn More About The MAGDJ Online Program

Join Camino Quest for a spiritual pilgrimage with other pilgrims on the ancient and amazing Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Visit Camino Quest Online

Resources and Links from the show

Hope Breaks Through by Heath Adamson (Amazon)

Convoy of Hope Online

To Transform a City by Eric Swanson and Sam Williams

Conversation Notes

• The work of Convoy of Hope and their four pillars of development
• Having hope in the midst of dire situations throughout the world
• What is hope and how it relates to the story of Rahab in Joshua 2
• The centrality of Christ in having true hope
• Understanding spiritual poverty and the difference between poverty in the Sermon on the Mount and the letter to the church in Laodicea in Revelation
• Having hope in the midst of current humanitarian crises right now through tornadoes in Missouri, flooding in Africa and typhoons in Asia
• The opportunity that we have to "turn aside" and join God's redemptive work

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

It's impossible to ignore the interconnectedness of global justice issues and the complexity of systems that affect societies. Sometimes a system enables people to thrive and other times the system puts people at risk. A clear example of this is looking at food systems and malnutrition in Central America. To help us dive deeper, we have Curt Bowen of Semilla Nueva on the show today. With work that addresses malnutrition through economic development and government partnerships, Curt and his team have turned the region's stable of corn into a driver for social change.

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Podcast Sponsors

The M.A. in Global Development and Justice program at Jessup University prepares students to work across the nexus of justice, community development, and peacebuilding.

Learn More About The MAGDJ Online Program

Join Camino Quest for a spiritual pilgrimage with other pilgrims on the ancient and amazing Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Visit Camino Quest Online

Resources and Links from the show

Semilla Nueva Online

Conversation Notes

• Understanding malnutrition and food insecurity in Central America
• The importance of taking a systems approach when addressing malnutrition
• Navigating public policy and legislation in a libertarian environment
• The intersections of economic development, climate change, forced displacement and malnutrition
• The difference between biofortified crops and GMOs
• Are GMOs always bad or do they just get a bad rap?
• Earned income is not always possible and doesn't fit every nonprofit operation

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

James 1:27 has long been a central biblical text from which our podcast community has drawn from. But to what extent have we delved into the depths of the Jewish context in which James wrote? To help us go deeper on this text and the social implications of true religion, we've invited Dr. Andrea Siegel to the show. Dr. Siegel has years of experience in humanitarian work, Hebrew studies and counseling and brings that to the text as the curriculum writer on Helping Children Worldwide's most recent orphan care resource. If you want to hear some things about James 1:27 that you've never heard before, this is a podcast to check out.

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Podcast Sponsors

The M.A. in Global Development and Justice program at Jessup University prepares students to work across the nexus of justice, community development, and peacebuilding.

Learn More About The MAGDJ Online Program

Alliance for Children Everywhere is on mission to bring vulnerable children into secure families, schools, and communities.

Visit Alliance for Children Everywhere Online

Resources and Links from the show

One Twenty-Seven by Dr. Andrea Siegel and Helping Children Worldwide

Conversation Notes

• The Old Testament backdrop of caring for orphans and widows
• The collective nature of James 1:27 and what it means to be guarantors of one another in caring for the vulnerable in society
• The connection with Exodus 22:21-23 and parsing out singular and plural pronouns for collective responsibility
• Not forgetting what we look like in the mirror and how that keeps us aware of our Genesis-selves
• A number of different Hebrew words and applications that enrich the understanding of the passage

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

War. Famine. Poverty. Violence. Natural Disasters. Working in humanitarian spaces puts us up close and personal with some of the worst kinds of evil and suffering. In the face of it all, we follow a God who is both all good and all powerful. How do those two realities compute? It's a quandary that has been around a long time and we've invited Southeastern University's Dr. Chris Palmer onto the show to help us think biblically and theologically when we're faced with the problem of evil. From the killing fields in Polpot's Cambodia to earthquakes in the Middle East, we wrestle the reality of pain while clinging to God's goodness and embracing the mystery.

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Podcast Sponsors

The M.A. in Global Development and Justice program at Jessup University prepares students to work across the nexus of justice, community development, and peacebuilding.

Learn More About The MAGDJ Online Program

Join Camino Quest for a spiritual pilgrimage with other pilgrims on the ancient and amazing Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Visit Camino Quest Online

Resources and Links from the show

Dr. Palmer's Bio at Southeastern University Online

Conversation Notes

• Chris being confronted with the evil of the killing fields in Cambodia
• How do we describe and define what evil is substantively
• Juxtaposing suffering that takes place in the natural world with the suffering caused by human agency
• The differing theodicies in seeking to understand God's justice
• The imperative of prayer to have our hearts conformed to God's heart

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

The most effective approaches to doing justice will acknowledge nuance and there is wisdom in maintaining tensions in the work God has called us to. Central to the work of global development is how we work among at risk children and youth and there are a lot of principles to balance in that space. In this solo episode of the podcast, Brandon Stiver breaks down a number of paradigms that children's rights advocates and practitioners operate within as we hope to find the right balance that will allow children to flourish and be fully who God created them to be.

Support the Show Through Venmo - @canopyintl

Podcast Sponsors

The M.A. in Global Development and Justice program at Jessup University prepares students to work across the nexus of justice, community development, and peacebuilding.

Learn More About The MAGDJ Online Program

Alliance for Children Everywhere is on mission to bring vulnerable children into secure families, schools, and communities.

Visit Alliance for Children Everywhere Online

Resources and Links from the show

Childhood in a Global Perspective by Karen Wells

Freeing Congregational Mission by B. Hunter Farrell and S. Balajiedlang Khyllep

Conversation Notes

• Understanding the paradigms of child saving and child's rights
• Child sponsorship as a child saving approach to raising funds
• The irony of supporting child rights while also promoting war that takes life
• Maintaining the balance between child protection and family preservation
• The role of child participation in decision making and advocacy

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

There is no doubt that the international development sector has changed drastically and permanently over the last couple of months. Starting with the closure of the vast majority of USAID programming, other donor countries have also withdrawn support from the global poor. Joining the show to guide us through what it looks like for Christians to stay engaged and advocate in this spaces is the Managing Director at Bread for the World, Heather Taylor. She walks us through specific policies that are being advocated for and how Christian practitioners and organizations are collaborating and linking arms during these unprecedented times.

Support the Show Through Venmo - @canopyintl

Podcast Sponsors

The M.A. in Global Development and Justice program at Jessup University prepares students to work across the nexus of justice, community development, and peacebuilding.

Learn More About The MAGDJ Online Program

Join Camino Quest for a spiritual pilgrimage with other pilgrims on the ancient and amazing Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Visit Camino Quest Online

Resources and Links from the show

Link to Bread for the World's Website

Advocate on Behalf of the Global Poor and Urge Congress to Restore Life-Saving Aid

Conversation Notes

• The effectiveness of SNAP and Medicaid in the United States
• The human fallout from the closure of the majority of USAID programming
• What wrapping remaining USAID functions into the State Department would look like
• How changes are affecting Christians called into the global development field to serve the global poor and those hurting
• The importance of persistence in advocacy when it appears that government isn't listening

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

Developing local solutions to complex issues is foundational to global change. When it comes to food insecurity and health services, we recognize the need for local solutions at scale. Joining the show today from Rwanda is Isabelle Kamariza who is the Founder and President at Solid'Africa. She comes on the show to share with us who Solid'Africa works alongside the Rwandan government to improve nutritional outcomes for hospital patients, students and others in the community. We cover a lot of ground in this episode and learn what it looks like actually achieve sustainability when doing work in challenging contexts.

Support the Show Through Venmo - @canopyintl

Podcast Sponsors

The M.A. in Global Development and Justice program at Jessup University prepares students to work across the nexus of justice, community development, and peacebuilding.

Learn More About The MAGDJ Online Program

Join Camino Quest for a spiritual pilgrimage with other pilgrims on the ancient and amazing Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Visit Camino Quest Online

Resources and Links from the show

Solid'Africa Online

Rwanda Inc. by Patricia Crisafulli and Andrea Redmond

Conversation Notes

• Isabelle's journey from feeding the homeless in Belgium to feeding the masses in Rwanda
• The influence of Matthew 25 and how it compels us into action
• The power of prayer in starting a ministry to the sick
• The intersection of healthcare and nutrition insecurity in Rwanda
• Going from farm to fork (and eventually on to fertilizer!) in making sustainable change
• The role of social enterprise in building sustainability
• The value of government regulation and partnership in establishing a nonprofit in Rwanda (it's harder than starting a business!)
• Social change through community education
• The Rwandan trajectory from tragedy to case study in development

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

It's March and the madness extends far beyond college basketball. In this episode, we look at the ramifications of losing Ukrainian child data through recent federal budget cuts and why upholding these children's humans right should matter to American Christians. Then we look at a new city development in Kenya that has some unique aspects that give both promise and pause. Lastly, Brandon Stiver shares a book recommendation on cross-cultural leadership that can help equip us for the ministries that God has led us into.

Support the Show Through Venmo - @canopyintl

Podcast Sponsors

The M.A. in Global Development and Justice program at Jessup University prepares students to work across the nexus of justice, community development, and peacebuilding.

Learn More About The MAGDJ Online Program

Join Camino Quest for a spiritual pilgrimage with other pilgrims on the ancient and amazing Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Visit Camino Quest Online

Resources and Links from the show

NPR : Trump Administration Cuts Funding for Program that Tracked Ukrainian Children Abducted by Russia

Associated Press : A startup city in Kenya tries to tackle Africa's problem of urbanizing while poor

Amazon : Leading Across Cultures - Effective Ministry and Mission in the Global Church by James E. Plueddamann

Conversation Notes

• 1:36 - The loss of data on Ukrainian children that have been forcibly removed from their country and taken to Russia. What human rights are being violated and what role do recent changes by the US put these children at greater risk.
• 14:50 - Steve Kariithi joins the show from Nairobi to discuss Tatu City - a privately funded city with thousands of people and a lot of appeal. We discuss the pro's and con's of this approach to urban development
• 29:50 - Brandon shares a recommendation for those that are working and leading in cross-cultural environments.

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License

We talk a lot about global action on behalf of the vulnerable, but what about global engagement that looks like deepening our discipleship and spiritual formation? We've welcomed Randy Gonzales from Camino Quest on the show today to share with us how pilgrims travel (or even travail) the Camino de Santiago in Spain and what it looks like to connect with God through Christian pilgrimage. In a world that seems a bit wild, this is a reminder of the opportunities that God provides for us to slow down, connect and get in touch with what He's doing in our lives.

Podcast Sponsors

The M.A. in Global Development and Justice program at Jessup University prepares students to work across the nexus of justice, community development, and peacebuilding.

Learn More About The MAGDJ Online Program

Alliance for Children Everywhere is on mission to bring vulnerable children into secure families, schools, and communities.

Visit Alliance for Children Everywhere Online

Resources and Links from the show

Camino Quest Online

Conversation Notes

• Randy's journey from MK to not wanting to be a missionary, to becoming a missionary!
• Defining pilgrimage to a Christian population that hasn't historically been involved in pilgrimages
• The value of leaving your context and traveling to another part of the globe to carry to take a pilgrimage
• The three traditional Christian pilgrimages
• The story of St. James and his legacy on the Iberian peninsula
• What happens on a pilgrimage and the spiritual value of the journey
• Balancing lives of action with slowing down and going deep internally
• The logistics of going on pilgrimage and how to prepare for such a journey

Support the Show Through Venmo - @canopyintl

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License