We're back with a new format and new hosts! Join Dory & Jon for a "mind picnic" as they share & discuss some of what they've been thinking about regarding discipleship & church multiplication.

In this episode, Dory & Jon chat about lent, Jon's trip to the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL, and TMS Global's Who is My Neighbor small group curriculum. For more information on Who is My Neighbor, a sample lesson, or to purchase it for your crew, click on the "Who Is My Neighbor" button here.

Join the conversation. When you sign up to give monthly at TMS Global, you get the opportunity to engage with our online community via our Discord server. Give monthly, and you won't just be supporting the work, but getting to know the community around it. Click here to join.

A group of cross-cultural witnesses serving in the Balkans regions of Europe have been using the beauty of the countryside as a tool for ministry. Originally, they began taking weekend hikes to have fun with their neighbors but these excursions gradually took on a deeper purpose as spiritual matters came up in conversation. This evolved into an outdoors program aimed to equip young people with leadership skills and teach valuable life lessons. In this feature, you'll also hear about the common ground they have been able to find with their Muslim neighbors over the beauty of creation, the hope and excitement young people have discovered through these hiking trips, and the opportunities for discipleship that emerged from these adventures. 

In this edition of Stories from the Field, Jenifer talks to Amanda Davis (pseudonym), a cross-cultural worker who is learning South Asian language and music in preparation for overseas ministry. Davis is very passionate about worship, music, and the South Asian culture, and is combining these passions to help South Asian people worship God in their own language and cultural background.  

Jenifer Jones talks to Tyler Foster, a TMS Global cross-cultural worker in Ecuador. Tyler and his wife, Kaylan, lead Jungle Kids for Christ, a ministry empowering children who live in the Ecuadorian jungle so that they can break the cycle of poverty and abuse and share a message of transformation with their family, community, country, and world.

Since the invasion of Ukraine began four months ago, international partners of TMS Global have been on the ground in Eastern Europe tending to the needs of refugees. Hindrek Taavet Taimla is one such partner in Estonia. Taimla is a pastor, a school teacher, a seminary teacher, and (since the invasion of Ukraine) has been partnering with others to help provide relief to refugees. While visiting the states back in May, pastor Taimla came to one of our staff meetings and shared how churches in Eastern Europe have banded together despite internal differences to respond o the crisis. It’s an incredible perspective on current events most of us have only witnessed through the news, and also a great insight in how members of the global church have faithfully been the hands and feet of Jesus.

Jenifer Jones talks with cross-cultural workers in Europe who are providing aid to Ukrainian refugees. 

NEWS: we are introducing a new segment to our podcast! It's called "Stories From the Field" and will feature the interviews and testimonies of cross-cultural workers within our organization. Jenifer Jones lends her storytelling gifts to bring you this new segment so we decided to chat with her to get to know her story better. 

In this episode, we’re shaping our conversation around this one question: is following Jesus safe? At TMS Global, It’s a question we’re asked quite often. In this conversation, we discuss some of the real dangers that exist in other parts of the world, but we’ll also talk about what dangers we often ignore back home in the United States. We’ll give our thoughts on what a Christ-centered response to danger can look like, and we’ll also discuss a tragic and controversial event that happened a few years ago in the world of cross-cultural ministry.

Recently, we had the privilege of having a cross-cultural worker from TMS Global on our show! Our guest in this episode is Richard Coleman. Richard used to work in missions mobilization, helping others enter cross-cultural ministry, until several years ago when an opportunity came for him and his wife, Amanda to enter the field themselves. Since then, they have been living in Ethiopia with their five children. In the conversation, Richard talks about his introduction to the global church through the Lausanne Movement, parenting in the mission field, how food helps us connect with a culture, how to help and lead in a way that doesn’t hurt others, and his hope for the nation of Ethiopia.

Last week on the show, we dove into the polarizing topic of mask wearing. And even though we tried to steer clear of taking a stance, we still saw some discord over the episode take place on our social media. Truthfully, we sort of expected that sort of reaction, but it was still eye opening. So this week we’re taking a closer look at the human phenomenon of tribalization. Why do we look for identity among groups of people? Is the instinct to find our own tribe inherently bad? How does God redeem this aspect of humanity within His kingdom? Sonji also talks about the Christian television series "the Chosen" and how it gives us a look into what it might have looked like for Jesus' disciples to navigate their own tribal differences.