What started as a one-time translation job for a Maranatha volunteer project turned into a lifelong passion of service, and bringing others along for the ride. Josue got his first introduction to Maranatha on our teens-only mission trip, Ultimate Workout (UW), as a 16-year-old translator in his native Peru. The experience shifted his perspective in transformative ways, and as grew into adulthood, he continued to be involved, eventually as a volunteer staff leader.

Over time, Josue’s commitment to this annual youth project was so strong that when his employer said he couldn’t have the time off one year, he simply quit his job! (He got it back.) He’s also developed life-long friendships on UW, including his wife, who he met on a project. At their wedding, a number of UW volunteer staff attended.

Josue shares examples of how impactful the project has been for youth volunteers over the years, how he’s followed the examples of adult leaders before him, and the support he’s been able to provide to youth participants as an adult himself.

Thanks for listening! Please subscribe, leave a review, and share the show.

Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.

Text us! Let us know what you thought of this episode and the show in general!

Maranatha board member and Executive Director of Global Missions at AdventHealth, Monty Jacobs, joins the crew for a conversation about engaging volunteers in meaningful, ethical service. Monty talks about his first Maranatha mission trip experience as a high schooler in 1982, and how that experience set him up for a lifetime of service. As he started his career as an immigration lawyer and got married, Monty continued to go on projects, and was eventually asked to be a Maranatha board member in his early 30’s. He shares how the Maranatha board of directors helps to guide the organization, and discusses what makes an effective board member.

Monty explains how engaging employees in service has connected them more deeply to the mission of Advent Health in a tangible way, and how he’s drawn on his experience there and with Maranatha, to aid each other. He describes how Advent Health approaches mission partnerships with other organizations, donating medical equipment or supplies in a responsible way, and why long term relationships allow for transparency in the communication of needs.

Thanks for listening! Please subscribe, leave a review, and share the show.

Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.

Text us! Let us know what you thought of this episode and the show in general!

Our chief operating officer joins the team for the first time in the show’s new format, sharing some of his personal journey to missions after 30 years working for Maranatha. Growing up in a missionary family, there was a certain expectation that Kenneth would do something for missions. But at a certain point he decided he wasn't going to follow suit. His career trajectory was set for high-level federal work in Washington D.C. until Maranatha’s president asked him to consider working for Maranatha. After struggling for weeks with his future, he gave it to God and ended up choosing Maranatha.

The rest of the group shares their paths to working at Maranatha and remarks how God leads each person to the mission at the right time. The panel also discusses how working for Maranatha has impacted their own children, how their international experiences have changed the way they serve in their home churches, and even how the mission has enhanced what it means to be a Seventh-day Adventist Christian for them.

Thanks for listening! Please subscribe, leave a review, and share the show.

Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.

Text us! Let us know what you thought of this episode and the show in general!