Inside Missions

Are short-term missions genuinely helping host communities, or could they be causing unintentional harm? Maranatha’s VP of Marketing, Julie Lee, leads a transparent discussion that addresses the most pressing ethical debates surrounding modern missionary service. Joined by Maranatha country director Elmer Barbosa, VP of Volunteer Services Lisandro Staut, and veteran mission leader Dr. Steve Case, this episode traces the roots of short term missions from their post-WWII idealistic origins to today's global travel landscape

The panel examines common critiques, including savior complexes, spiritual tourism, local economic disruption, and community dependency. Is sending short-term volunteers a misdirection of...

What is it really like to go on a mission trip for high schoolers? Hear from teens Audrey Welty, Ezri Emmanuel, and Jonah Cicle as they give an unfiltered look at Ultimate Workout 36 in the Dominican Republic. From travel mishaps and initial culture shock to making lifelong friends and experiencing powerful spiritual breakthroughs, hear how service transformed their faith and perspective.

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We reflect on Maranatha’s 28-year history in India as we prepare to close our effort there. Since opening a field office in 1998, Maranatha has completed approximately 3,600 projects across the country, including constructing more than 2,000 churches, 1,200 water wells, and 700 school structures. These extensive development efforts contributed directly to tremendous church growth, helping increase Seventh-day Adventist membership in India from around 200,000 to more than one million today, representing 40 percent of all Adventist church buildings nationwide. In this episode, the team shares personal memories, discuss key initiatives like the India 2000 campaign and large-scale water projects, and address the challenging decision to co...

Maranatha’s re-launched mission project designed specifically for young adults aged 18–28 landed in the high-altitude landscape of southern Peru in July 2026, where 40 volunteers faced the physical challenges of working at 12,500 feet, and the bitter cold to build a new church for the congregation in Calapuja. Two young adult participants, Maranatha’s new communications coordinator, Victoria Smith Alvarez, and project co-leader Corbin Weiss, share personal insights on why this age demographic is at a unique crossroads in life and how a mission experience can help navigate those transitions.

From the hands-on reality of laying block walls for the first...

We dive into the heart of Ultimate Workout (UW), Maranatha’s mission project for teens, fresh off the 36th iteration of the longstanding project. For more than three decades, UW has been a defining experience for high school volunteers. In this episode, UW leaders go behind the scenes to discuss the intricate logistics, the challenges of orchestrating such a massive project, and the unique spiritual atmosphere that makes these trips so transformative. Beyond the construction stats and travel stories, we explore the heart of the mission: the worship, the Bible studies, and the profound questions teens wrestle with today. Di...

Explore Maranatha’s profound, decades-long history in the Dominican Republic. Tracing the journey from early post-Hurricane David relief in the 1980s to the pivotal "Santo Domingo ’92" project, the team discusses how a landmark mission involving 1,200 volunteers building 25 churches in 70 days transformed Maranatha’s approach to global service. The conversation delves into the organization’s significant footprint in the region, featuring over 500 structures—including 238 churches—and examines why this specific partnership has remained a cornerstone of their work.

Listeners will gain insights into the "ripple effect" of these projects, where a single structure often serves as a catalyst for exponent...

In this episode we uncover the origin story of one of Maranatha’s most iconic mission trips: our annual high school project, Ultimate Workout (UW). Long-time UW leader Steve Case and the visionary for the project, Chris Blake, join our VP of volunteer services, Lisandro Staut, to share how this idea came to Chris in the late 1980’s, and how the program evolved from a bold experiment into a life-changing tradition spanning four decades. The guys track the program from the initial project in Brazil in 1990 with 14 kids, to the program growing quickly after tragedy inspired a wave of new...

Join us for a special episode of Inside Missions as we celebrate a significant milestone: 10 years of Maranatha Volunteers International’s work in Kenya. With more than 1,200 structures built, including churches and classrooms, and more than 2,000 volunteers deployed, the impact on the ground has been immense. Our panel dives into the unique challenges and blessings of working in Kenya—a country defined by its incredible geographic diversity, strong tribal traditions, and a deeply welcoming culture.

We explore the philosophical and ethical questions that arise when our work intersects with remote, nomadic communities, and discuss why volunteers consistently repo...

Staff from our volunteer department dismantle common misconceptions about volunteering with Maranatha, including four major myths. Does Maranatha only use volunteer labor? Do short term missions yield sustainable results? Are there any limits on who can volunteer? Do you have to live in rough conditions for a mission trip to count?

The panel discusses how our in-country construction crews around the world support the mission, and they bust the notion that only the retired or the wealthy can serve, affirming that Maranatha projects are open to a wide variety of people, regardless of age, financial background, or...

Long-time Maranatha leader and adjunct professor at Andrews University, Dr. Steve Case, joins the show for a discussion on one of the most compelling and confounding topics about the mission field: miracles. The discussion is sparked by Maranatha’s vice president of marketing, Julie Lee, and her recent media trip to India, where story after story confirmed that churches were being established after healings of the sick and lame, often in remote areas with no access to modern healthcare. This episode explores the "who, what, when, why, and how" of divine intervention, and what it means for those serving on...

Four vice presidents of Maranatha get together to talk about some of the most common myths they hear about the organization. They tackle some common general questions like “Is Maranatha an Adventist Church entity?” “Does Maranatha receive funding from the Adventist Church?” “Does Maranatha pick where we work?” “Does Maranatha only work overseas?” “Does Maranatha do evangelism?” The crew also discusses who is doing the actual construction work, and whether Maranatha gets involved in disaster relief. 

If you think you know Maranatha, get ready to go behind the scenes to learn a lot of details about how we work—something tha...

Volunteer leader Jennifer Trujillo joins the crew to share her experience leading short-term mission trips with Maranatha, fresh off a project in India. They talk about what drives their motivation to lead this time-consuming and challenging endeavor, the transformation they see in volunteers, and the positive impact on home churches that send volunteers. The group analyzes how mission trip leaders prepare their volunteers for the project, how crucial the first few hours after arrival are in setting the tone for the trip, and how volunteers can be culturally sensitive to the place they’re visiting. The panel reflects on th...

Julie Lee and Sidney Needles share details of their recent trips to India and the Dominican Republic, and the stories they were sent to capture. Julie describes what travel is like in the northeast Indian state of Mizoram, including the exciting traffic, harrowing mountain roads, varying religions, and getting mistaken as a local resident. The group discusses how they approach changes when it’s a follow-up to a previous trip, how they battle jet lag when they have to push through full days, great meals they’ve enjoyed in India, and how they stay connected to family and other work...

Don and Laura Noble join the show to talk about some of the most problematic projects, countries, and situations we’ve had to deal with over the years, and why Maranatha chooses to push through these roadblocks, when it would be easier to just move on. They discuss the difficulties of working in Mozambique after 30 years of war, the socio-economic disparity in Angola that made things problematic, and other brief examples of specific projects that posed issues. 

The group then recounts in-depth a specific project in northern Kenya with extreme logistical requirements, bringing churches and water wells to...

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...

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 wh...

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 c...

Our country director for North America and Zambia makes his second appearance on the show, this time with our group of hosts in the new format. He shares stories from his time in Africa that he never told in Episode 1, explaining why he loves the continent so much, and some of the differences in people groups and languages between some of the countries there. The panel talks about what it means to be a missionary, whether you’re serving abroad or at home. 

David recounts camping in the African bush, explains how he learned local languages, reflects on...

** NEW FORMAT! Going forward our TV producers will be regulars each episode, discussing a wide variety of topics related to missions, and sometimes bringing guests into the conversation.** 

What’s it like being a television producer in the mission field? Go behind the scenes with our “Maranatha Mission Stories” producers from the moment they get the assignment, all the way through capturing the images and stories that bring the mission to your screen. What goes into the planning of a media production trip before flights are even booked? What kind of logistics need to be fine-tuned before the tea...

President of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Erton Köhler joins us in-studio in one of his first long-form interviews since being elected during the General Conference Session in July 2025. Pastor Köhler talks about his journey to pastoral leadership, the growth of missions in his home country of Brazil, and the importance of Adventist media to connect the global Church. He also discusses his passion for missions, his experience serving on Maranatha mission trips, and how Maranatha is helping the Adventist Church to hasten the return of Jesus.

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Our country director for Peru and Paraguay returns as the show’s first repeat guest after an abbreviated first appearance in Episode 5. Elmer shares how the work in the Amazon jungle region of Peru progressed since then, and talks about his new responsibility in also overseeing Maranatha’s work in Paraguay, including the anticipation of leading Maranatha’s teens-only mission trip, Ultimate Workout, in summer 2025. 

Having established Maranatha’s efforts from scratch in four separate countries, Elmer explains how the organization first enters a country to start the work. He recalls his first years of service as a 20-year...

As Youth and Pathfinder Director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Northern California, Eddie has decades of experience taking youth on mission trips around the world. He recounts his first experiences with Maranatha, talks about the importance of doing a pre-trip site visit, and explains how he broke his neck in Costa Rica. He shares how he has grown as a leader, his goal for youth on these projects, and how he’s seen prayer literally influence events on his mission trips. Eddie shares his response when people question why the conference should do mission trips at all, and ex...

As Adventist Review’s senior news correspondent, Marcos has traveled the world covering stories for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and has the unique experience of coming to the mission of Maranatha via journalism. Early in his time at Adventist Review, he was asked to cover the dedication of a Maranatha-built sanctuary in Cuba. He went, and was impressed with the dedication of Maranatha volunteers, donors, and staff. Since then, he’s been on more assignments involving Maranatha, and talks about the excitement of gathering unexpected stories in the mission field, and how God brings specific people into his path to h...

What is it like to produce a television program in another country? Maranatha’s media production manager Leo Macias and communication specialist Sidney Needles debrief their recent trip to India. Come behind the scenes and learn how TV is produced in the field, and hear about specific challenges these two faced while filming across multiple states in India. Sidney describes her role as a field producer, and Leo explains how professional camera equipment makes a difference in filming.

The two talk about their first stop in the state of Andhra Pradesh where they filmed a water well st...

Maranatha’s chief operating officer talks about his earliest impressions of Cuba from the mid-90’s, how Maranatha got involved, some of the challenges of the Seventh-day Adventist Church there back then, and how Maranatha worked to construct or renovate more than 200 churches on the island over the years. He shares what it’s been like to build rapport and work with Cuba’s Minister of Religion long-term, the challenges of having periods of abundant government project approval, followed by seasons of restriction, and why Maranatha chose to stay committed to the country through it all.

Kenneth talks ab...

Long-time Maranatha mission trip leader, Loretta Spivey, shares her journey to the mission field, from becoming the first Seventh-day Adventist in her family as a result of a visit from a literature evangelist, to a year-long missionary assignment in Indonesia. She’s been heavily involved with Maranatha’s mission trip for high schoolers, Ultimate Workout, initially as a correspondent for Insight Magazine, a publication for Adventist youth, and later as a project leader. She explains why this project is so impactful for teens and talks about her goals for volunteers. She reflects on how she prepares the mission trip expe...

After serving as a Maranatha volunteer for years, Danny now works for Maranatha to ensure our buildings are constructed soundly. But his journey to Maranatha starts as a child in the former Yugoslavia, the son of a Seventh-day Adventist Church pastor there. He remembers international Church leaders passing through, talking about what God was doing around the world. As a kid, Danny wondered if he could travel and serve around the world one day too. 

As a young man, Danny fulfilled mandatory military service where he learned explosives and demolition, an ironic job, as he’d spend the...

Maranatha’s medical services coordinator grew up as a missionary kid in Asia, and later took her own family into the mission field to serve in several countries around the globe. Over her lifetime she’s experienced a wide range of danger and harrowing situations, from wartime air raids to local violence, and even attempted break-ins and muggings. But she’s also seen how God has been faithful to her and her family as they have worked to expand God’s kingdom. There are three themes she’s found to be true in her life of service, and in this episo...

Maranatha’s vice president for volunteers explains his unlikely path to missions, from his reputation as a teen troublemaker to pursuing ministry—much to the surprise of those around him. He reflects on the labels others put on him, and a crucial moment where he tested God with his future. Lisandro went on to study theology and journalism in Brazil, working in marketing for his academy alma mater, his university alma mater, a local conference, and eventually, Adventist media giant Novo Tempo. His career trajectory was set to the highest levels of the Seventh-day Adventist World Church, but Lisandro chos...

Long-time Maranatha volunteer turned staff member talks about her transition from serving with the organization to working for it. She recounts how she first got into short term missions, how it has impacted herself and her family, and why she has a passion for using service to reach youth. She describes Maranatha’s 2024 high school mission trip to the Andes mountains of Peru, Ultimate Workout, including an extraordinary story of answered prayer. You can watch Ultimate Workout volunteer, Mary Arrick, tell her testimony that Dina references here: https://watch.maranatha.org/videos/cv24b-arrick

Dina talks about ho...

Three of Maranatha’s volunteer support staff join us for our first-ever panel! Maria Molleda from Peru, Alice Danla in India, and Kotesh Rao in Kenya, talk about the other side of the mission trip from what volunteers see. From booking hotels and excursions, to orchestrating outreach opportunities like medical clinics or Vacation Bible School, these people go to great lengths to make sure everything is ready for our volunteers when they arrive. 

They talk about the lack of sleep during projects, the importance of prayer, back-up plans, and the ways they try to influence a project spi...

Maranatha’s president since the early 80’s, Don tells the story of how God called him to a small, fledgling organization called “Maranatha Flights International,” the original name for Maranatha. He shares how he listened for God’s leading in that initial decision, and how he has stayed attuned to God’s direction in every decision for Maranatha since. He explains how Maranatha interacts with the Adventist World Church, from the division level down, to respond to official requests for help through the construction of churches, schools, and water wells.

Don describes one of the most dicey non-voluntee...

Maranatha’s vice president of projects describes his first day visiting the Kajiado Adventist School and Rescue Center in Kenya, in what would become a six-year project he oversaw. He recalls his initial reactions to the plight of these Maasai girls who ran away from their homes to escape female genital mutilation and child marriage. The guys discuss what it’s like for these girls as they escape, not knowing where they’re going, and somehow end up at the Kajiado center. It becomes their new home as they are not welcome back in their village. 

Kyle explain...

This audio story is about the Kajiado Adventist School and Rescue Center in Kenya. It’s a haven for Maasai girls, sometimes as young as six years old, who are escaping child marriage and a dangerous ritual called female genital mutilation (FGM). Maranatha dedicated the campus in July 2024 after six years of completely transforming the property, but in this story you'll hear what life was like at Kajiado closer to the beginning of Maranatha’s involvement. You'll also take in the depth of the connections formed between Maranatha volunteers and Kajiado students—a microcosm of the hundreds of volunteers that w...

Jason is the Executive Director of Clinic Operations at Loma Linda University Health in California, but talks about life as a missionary kid in Malawi, and his subsequent return in adulthood as the CEO of the Malamulo Adventist Hospital. He describes his journey in-between and how volunteering on short-term mission trips ignited a passion to help facilitate medical care for others as a career. He reflects on his first Maranatha project in Zimbabwe and the second in Malawi, where God confirmed his path back “home.” 

Jason talks about his family’s transition to living in Malawi, including his kid...

A long-time Maranatha volunteer and leader, Greg explains how he first got into missions, influenced by his parents and uncle, Maranatha board member, Roger Hatch. He reflects on the first mission trip he led solo, how he’s improved in handling interpersonal conflicts on a project, how he’s become more efficient in anticipating needs on the construction site, and how he delegates leadership tasks amongst his team. Greg shares how crucial the pre-mission trip site visits are, why it’s important for volunteers to understand who they’re serving on a project, and how he prepares them to return t...

At the age of 11, Nancy’s family moved to Bangkok, Thailand, to serve as missionaries. She reflects on what it was like to grow up as a missionary kid, how her identity came to be more Thai than American, and how she struggled to assimilate into American culture as a young adult in the United States. Thinking she was more Asian than American, she signed up to be a student missionary in Hong Kong, only to realize that she didn’t really fit into Asia how she thought she could either. This started a decade-long process of coming to term...

Currently the coordinator for the Ending Homelessness Initiative for the Northern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Joelle previously served as the Director of Disaster Recovery & Development for the Paradise Seventh-day Adventist Church in California. She worked closely with Maranatha after the Camp Fire of 2018, which at the time was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history, and the most expensive natural disaster in the world in 2018 as far as insured losses. Over the course of several projects in Paradise, Maranatha constructed 452 storage sheds for survivors of the fire, who were living on their burnt properties with no...

Since 1992 Steve has run his own ministry, “Involve Youth,” speaking for youth events, conducting training seminars for youth leaders, creating youth ministry resources, and teaching youth ministry professionals. He’s an author of many books and coordinates the Intergenerational Church cohort for Andrews University’s Doctor of Ministry program. He’s been instrumental in helping to craft the experience for Maranatha’s annual mission trip for high schoolers, Ultimate Workout (UW), and helped to start Maranatha’s collegiate and annual Family Projects.

Steve reflects on how he first got into youth ministry, how much he and his youth changed...

How do you curate a volunteer experience that makes people want to come back time after time? Our VP of Advancement shares how Maranatha has worked to provide mission trips that make a difference in the lives of project recipients, as well as the volunteers doing the work. Karen’s journey with Maranatha started in 1989 in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and in this episode she shares what projects were like in those early days and how they’ve evolved. She recounts the first large-scale project for Maranatha in 1992, when they recruited 1,200 volunteers in just five months to construct 25 churches over 70 days...