The Pelican Life: Recent Episodes
Praying Pelican Missions
The Pelican Life, from Praying Pelican Missions, exists to tell the stories of participants, leaders, host pastors and workers that have encountered God's love in the missions field. We're here to share those experiences, and in turn spread light throughout the world!
In this episode we speak with Pastor Kujanga Jackson at Zion Community Church in Tulsa, OK. Pastor KJ has brought mission teams on PPM trips in the past, and has now stepped up to the plate to be a host pastor as PPM launches Tulsa as a new location in 2021! We'll take a look back at his experiences on trips and a look ahead at the work God has in store for Tulsa!
How do junior high kids react differently on a mission trip than adults or high schoolers? How can short-term missions be productive and avoid being harmful? Marko from The Youth Cartel joins us to talk about all that and more on this episode of The Pelican Life!
The United States Capitol, Washington DC, is a constant target of adversaries both spiritual and physical. Whether it be political leaders or civilian citizens, DC is a city that needs love just like any other, if not more so. In this episode we'll talk with Deanna VerSchneider, who will be overseeing PPM's operations in DC as it opens in 2021. She'll tell us what it was like to be in DC in the days after the events at the Capitol building as Congress certified the Presidential election. She'll also tell us about the needs in the city that teams can help address this summer!
In this Christmas episode of The Pelican Life, Adam speaks with Julie Profitt, who has been on multiple mission trips during Christmas time with PPM to Costa Rica! Make sure to stick around until the end when Adam will have a special reading of the Christmas Story straight out of the Bible!
What's the difference between serving in Puerto Rico and Alaska? What's it like when you go behind the curtain and work for PPM instead of leading a team? We'll answer those questions and more with Stephanie Lindsay on this edition of The Pelican Life!
When Hurricane Laura struck southwest Louisiana, Chris and George felt God calling them to build a team and respond, even in the midst of a pandemic. Eventually, they would find a very specific reason that God brought them hundreds of miles to serve in Louisiana. We'll talk about that and more in this edition of The Pelican Life.
What would it be like if you could empower someone in another country to go and serve their community, or another community, or even send them to a NEW country to serve. In this episode, we talk to Adam McLane about PPM's new initiative, PPM Global! It's a new, innovative way to allow the local Church to continue to grow all across the world. For more information, go to ppm.org/global-acces-fund.
What is it like watching your city experience a Category 4 hurricane? What can the local church do in the aftermath? What is PPM doing to help? We'll talk to Nicole Moncrief, a resident of Lake Charles, Louisiana, about her experience with Hurricane Laura and how people can help on this episode of The Pelican Life.
What was PPM like as an organization 10 years ago? How far has God led the organization? What's next? We'll talk to Laura Yoch about these questions and more on this episode of The Pelican Life!
Just after Hurricane Laura hit southwest Louisiana, Jim Noreen, Laura Yoch and Carissa Hildebrandt made a trip down to see how PPM could be of help. Between our fantastic partner churches who sent supplies and the new partnerships established, it was quite a trip. Carissa provides an update on that trip and how mission trips can get underway to Louisiana RIGHT NOW!
What's it like to be a pastor in a post-church city? What's it like to have a mission team stay with members of your congregation? What's it like to bridge the gap of social justice tension during a pandemic? Pastor Andrew Mook of Sanctuary Church answers these questions and more on this edition of The Pelican Life!
In this episode, Adam is joined by Taber Smith, a participant, parent and co-leader at Aldersgate UMC in Wilmington, Delaware. Taber brings great perspective on what it's like to see your child go through the experience of a mission trip and the importance of staying distant enough to allow them to grow, yet close enough to be able to answer questions or talk through feelings. Taber also addresses some of the personal experiences he's had on mission trips and how he's grown as a Christian and a person.
While many trips and summer plans have been changed due to the Coronavirus outbreak, Lonnie Maley has found himself (at least in some ways) right where he thought he'd be! Lonnie gives us an update on how God is moving via mission trips this summer in the Appalachia region.
What do you do with your first summer at home in a decade? That's what Annie and Andy had to learn this summer. See how God is working in their lives and the lives of others in this edition of The Pelican Life!
This is part two of our conversation with pastor Derrick Joyce as we continue our discussion about the Church and race relations in America? What can we do to stand alongside each other in this trying time? Find out here.
This is a trying time in the United States and around the world. In addition to the pandemic, we've seen a rise in tensions around race and police brutality. The only way to continue to grow during this time is to center our discussions and interactions around Christ, and PPM wants to help lead the way. So, this episode is part one of our conversation with pastor Derrick Joyce, PPM's Director of the Board and a host church pastor in Memphis. We hope you'll find the conversation enlightening and encouraging.
In Episode 9, Adam speaks with Tim Medley of FBC Childress. Tim's church has built a long-term relationships with Rock of Ages Church in Belize. From a re-vamped church building, to encouraging Rock of Ages to send out its own missionaries, the partnership has had a profound impact on these churches and the Kingdom.
Randy is a pastor and group leader who has been on both international and domestic trips with PPM. In this episode, Randy speaks to the busy life of a minister, being impacted by God on the missions field, and what it was like to have mission opportunities taken away this year due to COVID-19.
How does one go from rainforest tour guide to full-time ministry work? What happens when the only road to your mission destination gets washed out? Jonathan Alvarez can speak to both of those circumstances, and he joins us on Episode 7 of The Pelican Life!
What's it like to leave your career to dive into a life of ministry? How do you find peace in chaotic times? What happens when your flight home gets delayed and you're in a country where you don't speak the language? We ask Tim Desilets all those questions and more on episode six of The Pelican Life!
In this episode, we speak with PPM President Jim Noreen! Jim details how his heart for missions lines up with PPM's vision and pillars. He also discusses raising kids and working in missions, and how a mission trip to Canada put him on his path to being the President of a missions organization!
Episode 4 features our first trip participant as a guest! Not a leader, not a host pastor, not a staff member, a participant. PPM is blessed to get to play a part in thousands of youth group members and young adults experiencing Christ on the missions field. In this episode, Jenna tells us how she's connected not only with God, but with the people of Providence, RI as well.
Episode 3 marks the first time we speak with someone who works for PPM. Rudy and Caroline met on the missions field and have seen God lead them in more ways than they can count. What was it like working together as a couple for the first time? How did the earthquake affect Haiti and Rudy personally? Listen and find out!
In Episode 2 we hear from the husband and wife pastoral team at St. Andrews UMC in Jamaica Plain, MA! Fernando and Andrea were appointed to their church in a Boston suburb after PPM had already been partnering there, and they've been incredible hosts! Their Brazilian roots and Boston flair make for an energetic duo.
In our first episode, Adam speaks with John Keim. John is with Granger Community Church in Indiana and has led trips to the Bahamas and Puerto Rico in the last two summers.