The Advancing Native Missions Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Advancing Native Missions Podcast
Meseret did everything a committed Christian should do — pray, fast, go to church — but something was missing. In this episode, she and her husband, Tilahun, talk about growing up in Ethiopia and coming to personal faith in Jesus in a place where the institutional church often opposed evangelical believers.
ANM President Oliver Asher looks back on the year no one saw coming, and he refocuses our attention on the Lord as we enter 2021.
What is the state of missions today? ANM's International President P.R. Misra and his wife, Anju, talk about —
- ministry during the pandemic
- how "business as mission" is revolutionizing global outreach
- their recent trip to India, extended by COVID-19 lockdowns
- and more about global missions today
"God knows each one of us ... and He used that event to stir me up and wake me up and set me on a journey I never would have dreamed of taking."
Marlou Barredo grew up in the Philippines, then left her career and her homeland to follow the Lord's call to the United States with her husband, ANM co-founder Bo Barredo, and their young family.
This is her story of faith, courage, and how God leads each one of us personally.
"I just lost control of everything ... My lack of discipline was killing me." Warren Stewart shares his testimony in this inspiring bonus conversation about God redeeming a life.
More than 70 million people live in Central Asia, a vast and often forgotten region that includes countries like Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. In this episode, Warren Stewart talks about what makes this region unique and how God is working there today.
Michael Holder says, "I was just a boy from the bush," but God opened the door for him to become the chaplain of the Liberian Senate. Hear how his passion and humility combined to make Michael a powerful worker in God's kingdom.
Alex and Lena saw so much hopelessness in the young people around them, so they decided to do something about it. God is using their ministry to bring hope, opportunity, and new life to the country's neglected young people. This story will inspire you as you see God at work in the midst of life's challenges.
Sokhon and Esther didn't want to just talk about Jesus with those who were already Christian. Instead, they answered God's call to show the love of Christ to anyone who hadn't yet experienced it. Through their expansive church-planting network in Cambodia, they are making a difference in the lives of the poor and the lost. Here's the story of how they came to Christ themselves and started living for the Lord.
Malliga wasn't serious about the Christian faith she grew up in until her arranged marriage to a Hindu man. Then she realized that she needed to re-orient her life. In this episode she shares her journey of faith through economic hardship, moving overseas to find work, ministry, and a calling to help at-risk children in her native India.
Ministry leader Stephen and his co-worker Paco share stories about their work in parts of Mexico where the drug cartels dominate.
Slavko and Sanja Hadzic share their story of growing up in Bosnia and answering the Lord's call to bring hope to that country's people.
Timothy Kinyua leads Cornerstone Evangelistic Ministry in Kenya, with hundreds of missionaries preaching the gospel and starting churches among the country's rural tribes. On this episode, he and his wife, Yvonne, talk about ministry, their journey together, the threats of Somalia's Islamic militants, and God's enduring faithfulness to His people.
A ministry in Myanmar (Burma) started with a death-bed conversion and for decades has served people no one else was paying any attention to. Be inspired by their vision for the lost in this episode, and hear live performances from the artist known as the Jimi Hendrix of Southeast Asia (he's also one of the ministry's leaders).
Israel has a long history of pro-abortion culture. Sandy Shoshani leads an organization that supports young mothers as they choose life and care for their children.
The government of Cuba does everything it can to restrict the actions of Christians, but churches continue to grow and reach out in boldness and faith. One church leader speaks about what it takes to embody God's kingdom in Cuba.
For many people, "Vietnam" means war, hardship, communism, and political and social turmoil. Here's a story you've probably never heard. Experts estimate that the church in Vietnam grew 600% in the last ten years. Our guest, a rising leader in the national Christian movement, shares the story of revival in this communist country. If the mention of Vietnam takes you back to the 1960s and '70s, get the good news from this episode.
Sister Baigalmaa is a leader in the Mongolian church-planting movement that has taken Christianity in that country from fewer than 10 in 1990 to more than 50,000 today. She discusses that amazing growth, her personal story of coming to faith and beginning a lifetime of ministry, and what the future holds for Christianity in this corner of Asia.
Kodjo Bossou doesn't know a stranger. In this episode I interview Kodjo, his wife Abla, and Ron and Carla Thompson, who've traveled with Kodjo on the mission field in West Africa. We talk about missions, relationships, and reaching children with the love of Christ.
Author and speaker Terence “Terry” Kim (A Letter to the Korean American Church) joins us on the podcast to talk about culture, worldview, and the lessons about faith and life he learned as he grew up and served in the Korean American church. You can purchase Terry’s book on Amazon here.
The Apostle Paul begins his second letter to the Corinthians by praising “the God of all comfort,” and explaining that God comforts us in our sufferings so that we may, in turn, be a comfort to others in their suffering. I had the opportunity to interview Sikha Pandagade, a woman who has lived out that […]
Johnson Devakumar has devoted much of his life to sharing the good news of Jesus with people in India who have not heard the gospel. The ministry of Reach and Build that he and his wife began almost 12 years ago is dedicated to both outreach and discipleship. Johnson recently visited the U.S., and had […]
The apostle Paul urged Christians that “prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions.” Marino Mojtić has a passion to share the gospel and pray for some of Europe’s most influential citizens—the members of the European Parliament. He’s seen God open doors and provide an expanding […]
My two guest for this episode are from Asia: George and James live in neighboring countries where Islam permeates the culture. Both of them are passionate to train disciples of Christ, whether they are villagers living in rural areas, or highly educated professionals located in the larger urban centers. We talked about their callings, their […]
Philip Tolman is the president of Seedtime and Harvest Ministries. He and his wife serve on the west coast of Mexico, living out the gospel in the city of Tepic. I invited him into the studio for an interview this fall. We talked about his faith, the journey that led him to serve in missions […]
Do you know the feeling when you have a conversation with someone, and then, as you walk away, you find yourself smiling just because it was so enjoyable to be with them? That’s how I felt after I finished recording this interview. Two young Brazilian couples have chosen to live in a remote village. They […]
North Korea is a very dangerous place to be a Christian. And yet there are believers there. Even more astounding, though, is the fact that some who escape from North Korea choose to return, knowing the extreme price they might pay. Dan Reichard and I talked about this country, nicknamed “the Hermit Kingdom.” We discussed […]
The persecuted church—what does that phrase make you think of? Images of beaten men and women? Burned-out church buildings? People on foot with belongings piled on their backs, fleeing their homeland? Brother K was eager to sit down and talk with me about his journey of suffering and hope as a follower of Jesus. He […]
Jonathan and Karin Constant took a trip to the Middle East that has affected them in many ways. In this final episode of a 3-part series, they share both difficult and inspiring stories of believers living out their faith in Jordan, as well as how life back here in the U.S. is different after taking […]
Jonathan and Karin Constant have first-hand knowledge of the refugee population in Jordan. They met them face-to-face. They listened to their stories. I spoke with them about their trip to the Middle East, and in Part 2 of this 3-part series, they talk about being motivated to act on behalf of Iraqi refugees who have […]
Jonathan Constant, warehouse director at ANM, and his wife, Karin, had several “aha” moments this summer on their trip to the Middle East to visit local ministries that ANM partners with. They learned first-hand about the enormous refugee population in Jordan. They met them face-to-face. They listened to their stories. I spoke with them about […]
Thirty years ago Bong Barredo was a young woman living in Chicago when she felt God calling her back to her family’s native land, the Philippines. There she started several youth centers, and her ministry has since grown into a multi-faceted outreach including a residential camp, a traveling one-day camp, discipleship training programs, and several […]
Can you identify what these people probably have in common? Freshman college roommates A newly married couple A new unit of army recruits If your answer was something like, “they are living together with someone new 24/7 for the first time,” then you were thinking what I was thinking. And if you are like me, […]
Mark Sartain, a football coach from Longview, Texas, was looking for a way to widen his college team’s view of what God was doing around the world. Then he found ANM’s short-term mission trip program. I talked with Mark about his story, and how God used traveling overseas to help both him and his players […]
Oliver Asher, ANM’s President, and Mike Twitchell, a staff member here, recently traveled to the British Isles. They visited two of our ministry partners: the Irish Bible Institute in Dublin, and Elam Ministries near London. Here’s our conversation about Christianity in Ireland and more.
Michael Riley was supporting the work of native missionaries before ANM was formed, having found a faithful friend in co-founder Carl Gordon almost four decades ago. And he is still involved today, believing strongly that investing in overseas ministries has resulted in 1) lives transformed for Christ, as well as 2) many blessings for himself […]
In this episode, ANM South Asia director Kishor Pandagade shares how he grew up as a sojourner — a displaced person — in India because of his family’s social status, and later, because of their Christian faith. For more resources on God’s heart for refugees, visit our Refugee page.
Deuteronomy 10:18 says, “God loves the foreigner,” a word also translated as “stranger,” “sojourner,” or even “refugee.” In this episode of the ANM Podcast, I sat down with Tony Weedor and learned about his difficult experience as a refugee in Liberia, and how it still affects him today. For more stories about refugees and downloads […]
This month at ANM we are focusing on refugees. Deuteronomy 10:18 says, “God loves the foreigner,” a word also translated as “stranger,” “sojourner,” or even “refugee.” In this special podcast episode, Victor Morris, a chaplain here at ANM, presents a teaching called, “A Biblical Perspective on Refugees.” God has a heart for refugees, and we […]
With the new year came some significant changes in the leadership team at ANM. Oliver Asher is now President, and Bo Barredo has assumed a new role as Global Ambassador. I sat down with them recently (actually, in front of a video camera—watch it below) to discuss how this transition came about, and how the […]