From an early age, Jane had felt a call to missions. Life got in the way, however, and she married and had two children. Grief hit their family in 2011, and Jane’s desire to serve overseas was reawakened. Now, she serves in Southeast Asia among a Muslim minority group, and her loss has given Jane a unique perspective on ministry and empathy for those who have suffered as she has.

What does ministry look like when you only have a few months, weeks or even days to build relationships and share the gospel refugees from war-torn countries, before they are moved to their next destination? Eileen and her family are doing just that in strategic location in Southern Europe. Join us to hear some of the creative ways they are serving people in desperate circumstances—and unexpected lessons they are learning along the way.

With a background in community health, it’s easy for Kelly to find ways to integrate sharing the gospel with caring for the many needs of people in her host country in Southeast Asia. In this episode, Kelly shares some of the many ways God is already at work in the place he called her and what she has learned from her team’s local partners.

When Dusty Thompson planted Redeemer Lubbock 17 years ago, the church made missions part of its DNA. In this episode of the podcast, Dusty explains how the church balances global and local outreach, the joy (and pain) of sending people to the nations and what churches should look for in people who are discerning God’s calling to the unreached.

Elyse is a medical practitioner and runs a business in South Asia that employs vulnerable women. She also has some of the craziest stories we’ve heard on the podcast. This episode includes a miraculous healing, a glass of holy water and a talking Hindu shrine.

Drew and his family were forced to leave the country where they were serving in the Middle East. Taking a new role as pastor of an international church in a neighboring country, Drew wondered whether he was still on the cutting edge of what God was doing among the unreached. Then an unexpected DM popped up in the church’s Facebook inbox which led to an encounter with a spiritual seeker in real life (aka IRL).

Iceland is ranked #3 in the United Nations’ HDI (Human Development Index), behind Switzerland and Norway. In other words, from the standpoint of life expectancy, education and standard of living, it’s at the top of the pack. But is there more to the story? In this episode we talk to Elliot and Hildur, who are part of a multicultural church-planting ministry in Iceland. They share the unique challenges and opportunities of making disciples in “the land of fire and ice.”

There’s a lot of talk around the importance of “building relationships” when it comes to taking the gospel to unreached people and places. But what does that look like? For Chris, who leads a team in the UK focused on serving immigrants and refugees, building relationships is about sharing his interest in cycling, surfing, hiking, camping and all manner of outdoor activities.

Bonnie and her husband had been on the field for five years, and they were expecting her second child. When prenatal testing revealed their daughter would be born with Down syndrome, Bonnie’s theology was shaken. After all, she and her family had given their lives to missions. Why did this feel like a death sentence for their calling? Listen in to find out how God used their daughter’s diagnosis to transform their lives and ministry in Southeast Asia.

With only about 1,000 words, the Book of Jonah is one of the shortest books in the Bible. Its account of a wayward prophet chased down by a merciful God can seem outlandish to modern ears. In this episode of the podcast, we talk with Pioneers president Steve Richardson about how Jonah’s world wasn’t too far removed from ours and what his story teaches us about God’s love for the unreached.

Josh was detained by authorities in his host country, and he had no idea if and when he would be released. Josh shares his harrowing experience—and the unexpected lessons it taught him about the importance of Scripture memory. He’s back on the field now, and he’s also building a community of people who share his passion for memorizing the Bible.

What happens when the gospel first comes to an isolated tribe whose culture in which violence and treachery are considered virtues? In this bonus episode, produced by our friends at the Compelled Podcast, Pioneers president Steve Richardson tells the story of being raised by missionary parents in the jungles of Papua, Indonesia (formerly Irian Jaya) and seeing firsthand how the gospel transformed the Sawi culture. Be sure to check out other episodes of Compelled for more stories of transformation.

Do you have to take a test? Should you be fluent in a foreign language? Are you too old? Too young? In a nutshell, what does it look like to join Pioneers? In this bonus episode of the podcast, we talk with Kim, one of our Mission Mentors, about the process of joining a mission organization. Kim shares a bit about her personal story of being a “high maintenance” missionary serving refugees in Western Europe—as well as a bit about her current role, as she helps people discern whether God is calling them to serve among the unreached.

The Arabian Peninsula is a land of contrasts. Starbucks coffee shops may be ubiquitous, but ancient traditions are hard to overcome. Still, God is at work, and local gatherings of believers are growing. Our guest in this episode has loads of encouraging stories about discipling Arab seekers, and he gives us a glimpse of what church planting looks like in this challenging but rewarding part of the world.

If you were a missionary starting ministry in a new community, how would you identify people open to spiritual conversations? In the past, it may have taken years to find and cultivate such relationships. In this episode we talk with Amber, who leads a team that coaches missionaries on using social media and the web to engage with people in unreached parts of the world who are using these same tools to find answers to their spiritual questions.

We’re living in a time at which the nations are coming to our doorstep as immigrants, refugees and international students—an unprecedented opportunity for people from unreached parts of the world to be exposed to the gospel. It also means we can partner with Christians from other cultures who have come to make the United States their new home. In this episode, we talk to Paul, a leader in Pioneers’ “diaspora” ministry who served for many years in East Asia and is now working in Austin, Texas. Paul opens our eyes to the amazing new ways anyone can get involved in engaging the unreached, whether you live in a big city or in small-town America.

Cynthia didn’t fit the “missions mold”—if there is one anymore. She was single, in her 40s and had worked in the business world. But God had given her a vision of helping young girls in South Asian villages avoid being trafficked. And she was convinced that making disciples and planting churches in their communities was at the heart of the solution. Now, ten years later, she has seen God bring her vision to reality.

Some things are just meant to go together. Salted caramel and chocolate. Peanut butter and jelly. Agriculture and church planting. Maybe you didn’t see the last one coming, but this episode may change your mind.

A native of the secular Pacific Northwest, Lindsey moved to France more than a decade ago with eyes wide open to the reality of Europe’s spiritual need. Since then, God has given her unique opportunities to build relationships and share the gospel—often through the unlikely connection of a baking class she teaches.

Rafik is a Pioneers area leader who is responsible for teams in the Middle East and North Africa, one of the most challenging and volatile parts of the world. On this episode of the podcast, Rafik regales us with amazing stories of Muslim seekers coming to faith—stories that sound like they were pulled from the Book of Acts.