Shonna Ingram is a missionary care specialist with over 17 years of experience supporting cross-cultural workers through transitions and trauma recovery. She serves as a Trauma Care and Career Transition Specialist with Pioneer Bible Translators and is the founder of Re-entry Experts, an organization offering coaching, resources, and community cohorts for global workers navigating re-entry. Shonna is also the creator of the Renewed Hope Approach, a faith-based, trauma-informed framework designed to guide individuals through healing and restoration. Her books include Beyond Broken: A Church’s Guide to Trauma and Growth and Navigating Life in Transition: A Global Worker's Guide to Discovering the Root of Stress, Loss and Anxiety.

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

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Ever felt misunderstood, sidelined, or frustrated by a teammate who just sees things differently?

Serving on a cross-cultural team on the field can be one of the most rewarding—and challenging—parts of missionary life.

In this episode, cross-cultural leadership expert I’Ching Thomas shares practical wisdom and real-life stories to help long-term teams build trust, work through cultural tension, and grow together in unity.

Whether your team is brand new or you’ve been navigating these dynamics for years, this is one conversation you’ll want to share with your whole team.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• How we can navigate cultural differences with grace and clarity
• The simple (but powerful) shift that helps us build trust on diverse teams
• Why indirect and direct communication can cause confusion—and what to do about it
• How team leadership styles vary across cultures (and why it matters!)
• Tips for creating a team culture that’s unified without losing uniqueness

Questions to Ponder as You Listen:

• Do I tend to assume someone’s personality… when it might actually be their cultural norm?
• How well do I understand my own communication style and how it impacts my team?
• Am I creating space for quieter voices to be heard on our team?
• Have I been more focused on tasks or people in how I engage my team lately?
• What’s one small step I could take to be more culturally curious and honoring this week?

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

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Are you trying to hold it all together while quietly falling apart inside? Do you ever feel like you can’t afford to be honest about your struggles—especially as a missionary leader?

In this powerful conversation with Ian Morgan Cron, author of The Fix, we dive into the hidden world of addiction among missionaries—and not just the obvious kinds.

From people-pleasing and approval addiction to secret compulsions and burnout, Ian shares a compassionate, gospel-centered invitation to freedom, healing, and transformation. Whether you’re leading a ministry or simply trying to keep your head above water, this episode offers hope, truth, and practical steps toward becoming whole in Christ.

📌 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What addiction looks like beyond substances—and why missionaries are especially vulnerable
• Why willpower and ministry pressure aren’t enough to overcome our internal struggles
• How the 12 Steps can lead to spiritual transformation (even if you don’t consider yourself an addict)
• What to do when you’re leading while secretly falling apart
• How grace—not grit—is the real path forward

💭 Questions to Ponder as You Listen:

• What am I turning to for comfort, control, or a sense of worth?
• Where do I feel unmanageable inside—even if everything looks fine on the outside?
• Have I been trying to fix myself, or have I given God full permission to transform me?
• What’s one ‘sneaky’ compulsion in my life that I’ve been excusing or hiding?
• Who are the safe people I can process this with—and what’s keeping me from reaching out?

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

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Feel like your finances are always playing catch-up? Wondering how to plan for the future when you're just trying to make it through the month?

In this financial masterclass for missionaries, Dr. Keith Webb brings both wisdom and lived experience to the table. After two decades on the field and years training missionary coaches, Keith shares the top financial mistakes missionaries make—and what to do instead.

From emergency funds to long-term planning, he offers a better way to think about support, sustainability, and staying on the field for the long haul. If money stress is wearing you down, this episode is your next step toward freedom.

📌 In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why trimming your support budget too low can actually cut your ministry short
• What a healthy missionary budget really looks like—including future expenses most people forget
• How to build a margin mindset instead of living donation to donation
• Why emergency funds are essential—and how to start one
• What it takes to prepare for the future without sacrificing present ministry

💭 Questions to Ponder as You Listen:

• Am I building my finances based on vision—or just survival?
• What beliefs about money might be shaping how I raise and use support?
• Do I have a plan for unexpected expenses—or am I just hoping nothing breaks?
• How would I approach money differently if I saw it as a tool for ministry, not a burden?
• What small change could I make this month to move toward financial sustainability?

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

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Marriage on the mission field can be one of your greatest sources of strength—or one of your biggest stressors.

In this powerful conversation with Danny and Stephanie Gutierrez, hosted by Amy Young, we get real about the challenges missionary couples face and the hope available even when things feel messy. Whether you’re in crisis or just need to reconnect, this episode is packed with honest stories, laughs, and practical ways to strengthen your marriage starting today.

From crisis moments to everyday connection, this episode will leave you feeling seen, encouraged, and equipped to move toward each other again.


📌 In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• How to recognize when your marriage needs attention before it hits a crisis point
• What to do if you and your spouse are growing apart on the field
• Why practical needs (like rest or privacy) really do affect connection
• The power of intentional curiosity and how to rediscover each other again
• Where to start if you feel stuck, disconnected, or just plain tired

💭 Questions to Ponder as You Listen:

• Where are we right now? Are we thriving, surviving, or slowly drifting apart?
• Am I making my marriage a priority over ministry or just assuming it will "be fine"?
• What kind of small connection moment do we need more of right now?
• How open am I to really listening to my spouse's experience?
• What is one intentional step I can take this week to move us closer?

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

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Have you ever been asked, “How did you know you were called to be a missionary?” Or maybe you’re the one wrestling with that question right now. This episode with Marvin Slaton is more than a conversation—it’s a practical resource you can share with friends, family, or future missionaries to help them discern their calling.

Marvin and Stephanie break down the three key ways God speaks, how to recognize the difference between a calling and a burden, and how to move forward in a way that’s wise, healthy, and God-honoring.

If someone’s asking you about missions, this is a tool you can send them—and a thoughtful way to walk with them through it.

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

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What if your child can’t “just push through” like the other MKs? What if loud music, long travel days, or even sticky hands after a meal in community send them into sensory overload? And what if… God still called your family, with all its unique challenges, to the mission field?

In this very honest and beautifully grounded episode, Jenilee Goodwin—former missionary, mom of three daughters on the autism spectrum, and certified life coach—shares her story of raising neurodivergent kids overseas. From navigating diagnoses on the field to creating stabilizing rhythms in unpredictable places, Jenilee offers insight, empathy, and hard-won wisdom for families serving in complex realities.

This conversation is a wake-up call to rethink resilience, ditch the guilt, and embrace a vision where your kids—just as they are—can thrive and be used mightily by God.

📌 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How to spot the hidden signs of neurodivergence in your kids—especially when you're overseas and in constant transition
• What it looks like to set boundaries for your family when the ministry pace doesn't slow down
• Why giving your kids the right language to advocate for themselves can transform your home life
• How to build rhythms of stability in an unpredictable, cross-cultural world
• What happens when you finally release the pressure to conform—and embrace how God uniquely wired your child

💭 Questions to Ponder as You Listen:

• Where have you seen your child struggle in ways that others might miss or misunderstand?
• Are there any expectations—yours or others'—that need to be re-examined in light of your child’s unique wiring?
• How do you typically respond to your child’s sensory overload moments—and what might compassionate advocacy look like instead?
• What are some small ways you could bring stability or predictability into your family’s current season?
• How might God be using your child’s differences to bless others in unexpected ways?

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

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What if humility is the key to real leadership influence—and not a weakness to overcome? How do you lead with confidence while fully owning your flaws and limits?

In this powerful conversation with Dr. Josh Wymore, executive coach and author of Humbler Leadership, we explore why missionaries who lead with humility don’t just serve better—they last longer. Josh unpacks practical ways to grow self-awareness, release the pressure to have all the answers and build leadership rhythms that last.

If you’ve ever wrestled with insecurity, pride, or imposter syndrome, this episode will show you how to lead from a place of greater health, grounded in faith and humility.

📌 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why humility helps you lead longer and healthier
• The 4 key traits of humble, grounded leadership
• How to invite feedback and lower pressure in leadership
• What it looks like to build trust without needing to prove yourself
• Simple habits to grow humility without losing confidence
  
  

💭 Questions to Ponder as You Listen:

• Am I carrying the pressure to always have the answers?
• Where am I leading from ego instead of greater purpose?
• What’s my relationship with feedback—do I seek it or avoid it?
• Do I see humility as a strength—or as a weakness?
• What’s one way I could lead more like Jesus this week?

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

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