Hi Friends, it's been a while since our last podcast episode - thanks for sticking with us. Taking a short break from JDS I am recording this episode in Chiang Mai. Tune in and get caught up on all that we've been learning and experiencing so far at JDS and they ways we've been learning God. He's been good to us and has been depositing mail into our mailboxes - wanna know what that means? tune in. 

Aside from the JDS update and just some rambling thoughts - there is a little surprise in this episode, but that's all I'm going to say about that. 

Thanks for being with us. 

JDS relies on your generousity to keep producing this podcast and feeding all 50 students each week. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to JDS today. www.JDS.Asia

What does real community look like? In this episode, we dive into the value of walking through life with “a few” close companions—just like Jesus did. From friendship and accountability to the power of belonging, we explore why community matters more than ever.

We also share exciting news about our brand-new student sponsorship campaign—your chance to make a lasting impact, support education in a war zone, and personally connect with a student through a private online forum.

Plus, for the very first time, we give a sneak peek into an upcoming new book project currently in the works.

If you’ve been looking for encouragement, purpose, and a way to make a difference, this episode is for you.

Please consider supporting the Jungle Discipleship School through prayer or a financial gift. 

Visit our easier to remember web address to stay up to date: www.JDS.asia 

What are the giants you are facing in your life today? We all have them. It might do us well to sit for a moment with that question. 

JDS-2 is underway. Camp is abuzz and there is lots of things happening. In this episode we're going to chat about some of the giants we're facing, and some that we're holding back from our Giant Killing God. We're also going to take a dive into what our second year students are up to and how the first few days of JDS-2 are unfolding. 

We're so thankful that you're with us. Please subscribe to our podcast, leave us a review, and share it with a friend - that helps us get out message out. 

Please consider signing up to become a JDS donor. You can visit our new website www.JDS.asia and look at our Top 20 Needs List, featuring our most current needs. 

Welcome back to part two of our conversation with Leanne Davidson, author of Tattered Hearts and Hopeful Souls. 

If you missed part one, please go back and listen to the first part of this incredible story as Leanne shares about finding out that her son had died. 

In part two we pick thing back up and cover some Holy ground as we get deeper into the topic of grief and loss. 

Please send Leanne a note if you've enjoyed this episode, she writes and can be contacted at her blog: www.amothersgriefjourney.com 

Also, please pick up a copy of her books, A Beautiful Pain, and Tattered Hearts and Hopeful Souls. 

If you are greiving, don't do it alone, find a church like Lakeside Baptist, near you that offeres Grief Share and walk through the program with others. Lakeside will be running a Grief Share program this fall if you're in the Kenora area. 

Thanks for being with us! 

Wherever this finds you this summer—on the lake, on a road trip, out for a walk, or just puttering around the house—thank you for being here. Whether you're a longtime listener or joining us for the first time, welcome.

On November 27, 2022, Leanne Davidson received a phone call that shattered her world: her son Mikael had died from an accidental overdose involving fentanyl.

How does a parent go on after something like that? How do you breathe when grief crushes the very air from your lungs? If you’ve ever faced loss—or are walking alongside someone who has—this episode is for you.

Today in part one of this conversation, Leanne shares her raw, courageous journey through unimaginable sorrow and into the arms of a faithful God. Her honesty will move you. Her hope will stir you. 

Leanne writes at www.amothersgriefjourney.com and is the author of A Beautiful Pain and her latest, Tattered Hearts and Hopeful Souls: A 30-Day Christian Devotional for Grieving Hearts. I can’t recommend these books enough—whether for yourself or someone you love who’s grieving.

Part two of this conversation airs next week. Make sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss it.

JDS relies on your generous donations to keep going. We are significantly under-funded. Please consider becoming a monthly partner to help us continue to operate our school in the war-zone of Burma and these podcasts. You can give by following the instructions here: www.junglediscipleshipschool.com/give 

Join us for part 2 in my interview with Mike Riley. After getting kicked out of Central Asia for his work with the Uyghurs, Mike took a job as a youth pastor in Thailand and then started serving in the conflict zones in the Middle East. The danger ramped up as he entered war zones in Syria, with a young family, he had to reckon with the dangers associated with bringing the gospel into places where he could easily die. 

Mike is a humble servant of God - the kind that they usually don't write missionary biographies about, but that make a difference in the world because they simply love and follow Jesus, love and serve their family, and spend their time trying to help the poor and oppressed. Join us for this exciting end to the interview with Mike. 

Please consider giving to support Mike's son, Will's scholarship to go to university. Let's bless Mike and his family by helping to support the financial burden of sending your kid to school. After a lifetime serving Jesus, it's beautiful if we can bless Mike and his family. You can make a donation for this here. 

Thanks for tuning in. 

Wow wow wow what an exciting episode we have for you this week. Join us as we transition from the war zone of Burma into an interview with my dear friend Mike Riley. Mike served as a missionary to the Uyghur people in central Asia and has spent his life fighting for the poor and oppressed people in the world. He and his young family were kicked out of the country they were working in because of their support and missions work to the Uyghur people, but that didn't stop Mike from serving God. This interview is a raw look at discipleship and God's calling on your life to serve in overseas missions and live a life dedicated to God. This is part 1 of the interview and join us again next week for part 2. 

We are trying to reach our goal of 100 monthly donors to JDS. Would you consider signing up (big or small) as a monthly partner to the Jungle Discipleship School? Help us build a stable foundation to build the school on. Sign up to give here. 

Spiders, snake, pets, it's all fair game when it comes to eating in Burma. Join me on the Jungle Discipleship School Podcast this week as we talk about food, food security, and nutrition in the war zone of Burma. There is actually something much deeper going on in our minds and lives when we don't know where tomorrow's food will come from. Food security is a huge part of trauma healing. 

We're thankful for your donations to the Jungle Discipleship School that keep our trainings and school well fed. We currently have around 30 monthly donors and we have a goal of reaching 100 people signing up to become a monthly partner to JDS. Would you prayerfully consider it? You can sign up to give at www.JungleDiscipleshipSchool.com/give 

Please like, subscribe, give us a rating, and share us with a friend to help us get the word out about JDS. Thanks for being with us. 

Sit with me as I have a glass of wine and watch for the police out my window. 

It's been a long past 24 hours, stressful and full of anxiety, but God is still with me. In this episode I share some missionary tales from the war zone of Burma and ask two important questions (you'll have to listen to the episode to find out what the questions are... if you think I was just going to post the questions in this blurb, think again!) Also, you can hear a bit about JDS graduation and the final moments on the JDS campus. This is an exciting, story filled discipleship school episode. 

Want us to pray for you? submit a prayer request here. 

We rely soley on your generous heart. If your heart says give, give. 
www.JungleDiscipleshipSchool.com/give
(tax free giving is now available in USA, Canada and Germany!) 

Sign up to the 5 Bullet Newsletter to see my summer schedule. 

You're awesome. I hope you have a great day. Thanks for listening and thanks for being with us. 

Episode 31 - Savour Your Blessings - Join us in this exciting episode of the Jungle Discipleship School Podcast as we dive deep into some of the way you have been a blessing to us, and we have been able to be a blessing here in Burma. We are more than just a school - we've quietly been able to help with a number of projects and opportunities here in Burma, thanks to your support. In this episode we celebrate you as we savour some of our blessings. 

We also look forward to Celebration Week next week as we come to the end of our first ever JDS class and a chance to celebrate them. We also come back to the vision of JDS and some of the opportunities to grow and bring the gospel into Burma. 

The JDS Podcast aims to live out discipleship in real and raw stories from the front line war zone of Burma. 

JDS relies soley on your generousity. Would you consider making a tax deductible donation to JDS today (even in the 'off-season' there are still many projects we're trying to fund!) Tax receipts can be issued in Canada, USA and Germany. Please prayfully consider becoming a JDS partner today. 

Website - www.JungleDiscipleshipSchool.com
JDS-TV - www.YouTube.com/JungleDiscipleshipSchool
Instagram - www.Instagram.com/JungleDiscipleshipSchool
Facebook - www.facebook.com/JungleDiscipleshipSchool

Sign up for our 5 Bullet Newsletter or Prayer Warriors, or Podcast newsletter lists. 

Have you exiled grief in your life? Have you even paused to consider that you've exiled anything? Good grief, we need to pause and give grief time in our lives.

Join us in this episode of the JDS Podcast as we talk through the stages of grief and how we learned it here at JDS last week. We'll also talk about the Love of God and our upcoming graduation ceremony. There is lots happening at JDS and we're so thankful you're tuning in, following along, and sharing JDS media with your friends and family. 

Note: Dave is heading to Canada/USA this summer and travel is expensive. If you want Dave to come share at your church or if you're able to help support some of his travel expenses, or want to contribue to JDS graudatiuon or JDS-2 - please consider tax-deductible giving - we rely on your generousity to bring the gospel into Burma and around the world. www.JungleDiscipleshipSchool.com/give 

Follow us on Socials: 
Dave Small is on X: www.x.com/davidsmallx
JDS on Facebook: www.facebook.com/junglediscipleshipschool
Instagram: www.instagram.com/junglediscipleshipschool
Sign up to be a prayer warrior: www.junglediscipleshipschool.com/prayer
Sign up to the 5 Bullet Newsletter: www.junglediscipleshipschool.com (bottom of each page)

Thanks!

How do you handle setbacks in your life? Recently at JDS we've faced a few setbacks that have taken the wind out of my sails - hense, no podcast episodes for a while - sorry about that. But, we're back! Are you still with us? 

Come along for a drive with me in my truck. One of my favourite times to chat and catch up with an old friend is on a long drive - so I invite you guys to into my podcast studio this week in the JDS truck. 

Listen as I discuss some of the setbacks we're facing, learning how to ask Jesus to help reveal the tactics being used against us, and to pray against them. We live in a world at war. 

Also - hear about summer schedule/plans and JDS Coffee! 

We hope you're still with us. We still love you. 

Follow us on socials: Facebook, Insta, X, Youtube
We rely on your generousity to keep all this going. Consider becoming a monthly giving partner (Canada and USA tax-deductible) www.JungleDiscipleshipSchool.com/give

We have job opportunities for discipleship teachers, worship leaders, art teachers, BJJ teachers, and more! Check out our job listings here and read some of the descriptions on our blog. 

As you step into your talents and voice, do you look up in the balcony or bleachers of life and see a host of spiritual parents cheering you on? Hmmm...I wonder where they are? Catch up with us at JDS here in this episode of the podcast where we unpack this concept of spiritual parenting. We never stop watching our parents, how they handle different situations, and I think its important that someone says that - so that's what this episode is about. Please share it. 

We also discuss the concept of a non-Burmese student joining JDS-2 next year - and our need for staff/Bible teachers at JDS next year. 

We're thankful that you're with us. Send us an email and let us know what responds inside of you as you listen to this episode. 

This podcast - and the Jungle Discipleship School - relies on your donations. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to JDS --> www.JungleDiscipleshipSchool.com/give

Find us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Vimeo. 

The Jungle Discipleship School is a ten month Bible based program in the jungle war zone of Burma. 

OK, this might surprise some of you amazing podcast listeners, but I actually don't know everything in the world... BUT....in this episode I take some liberal guesses at some of the "we're the only discipleship school in the world..." type topics. Come have a listen and let me know if I'm right or not. In other news... there are some big announcements in this episode, but you'll have to stick with us to the end of the episode to find out. 

It's hard to sound genuine on the internet, but I'm genuinely thankful that you're listening and with us. 

Check out JDS TV to get some visuals of what were talking about on the podcast. 

JDS runs on coffee and your generous donations. Please prayerfully consider becoming a financial supporter of the Jungle Discipleship School. Click Here for tax-deductible giving. 

We're on Facebook and Insta (our students have taken over our social media, so go check out some of their Reels) 

You know how the King of England gives royal speech every Christmas? And the President of the United States gives the State of Union every year? Well, this is nothing like that. Those things are professionally done and this, well, this is like everything else JDS, scattered and beautiful. But, I really genuinely hope this episode doesn't get lost in the shuffle of New Years and holidays because I really feel like there is some goodness here for all of us. In this episode we unpack the semester 1 staff and student survey of JDS and there is some interesting things to consider. 

As we close out 2024, I just want to say thank you for being with us. For journeying with us. For partnering with us. I don't talk into a mini micorphone so it feels like I'm not talking to myself, but I pretend I'm talking to you. Because I am excited about what we're trying to do here, and I want to share my excitement with you - because I love you. 

Happy New Year, friend. 
Dave and JDS. 

www.junglediscipleshipschool.com
www.instagram.com/junglediscipleshipschool 

This episode starts off with a prayer, gets into our mission plans and some of whats been going on here at JDS, but then it deteriorates quickly into burps and laughter... This is not your normal podcast, JDS is not a normal school - AND - in excited news, we are not having a normal Black Friday sale on JDS swag! 

This is just a quick pre-mission update from JDS. Thank you so much for being with us. We love you and we value your time. 

If you're considering end of year giving, we'd be so thankful if you considered giving to JDS. Pray about it. We have huge needs. visit www.JungleDiscipleshipSchool.com/give for tax-deductible giving options 

"Does Jesus have more personality than our JDS pig?" It’s a question no one’s dared to ask—until now. In this episode, we dive into the personality of Jesus, comparing Him to our famously sassy swine, while also bringing you some exciting updates from the Jungle Discipleship School. Stick around for a sneak peek at our students’ incredible recordings that are helping spread the gospel across Burma and hear about our upcoming mission! 

Hi friends, it's been a while since we last uploaded an episode. So here is a cool little update. This started out just being a short update but ended up having a few little nuggets of gold in it - if I do say so myself...I think you'll be encouraged by some of the answers to prayer and God stories in this. 

Thanks so much for being with us. 

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This week join Dave as he takes a deep dive into the happenings of JDS, some of the back story, struggles and challenges, and whats going on as JDS prepares for their first ever Opening Ceremony. Dave also walks through how JDS is doing, and building, "church"... 

We are excited where the JDS Podcast is heading, it feels like we're just getting warmed up. 

It helps us when you share these podcast episodes with a friend, so please take a moment and share an episode with someone. 

It also helps us when you Like/Follow our Facebook Page

We ask you to prayerfully consider becoming a financial supporter of this podcat and the Jungle Discipleship School. 

We're honoured you're with us. 

Jeremy was drinking at the bar one night and took a girl home. They ended up having a one night stand that led to her getting pregnant. But when he found out she was pregnant, he went and knocked on her door and said "we better get to know each other because we're going to be having a kid together." They've now been married for twelve years. God redeemed Jeremy's story, and continues to redeem his story. 

For many of us, alcohol is a slippery slope and something we have to face in our lives. Jeremy honestly and bluntly shares about his personal journey with alcohol and anxiety. He doesn't have it all figured out, but he boldly shares what God is leading him into in the frontier of marriage, work, fatherhood, and drinking beer. 

Jeremy is one of the most Canadian guys I know. You'll hear small-town Canada in this episode. I think some of it is funny, I hope you do too. 

Also - get an update from JDS week 3 as it's happening. This is a packed and exciting episode. It's an honour to have Jer share his story with us.  Thanks so much for being with us. We love you. 

www.JungleDiscipleshipSchool.com
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