Meet Elizabeth Nandakumar - An Indian American Immigrant, Part 1

Episode 44 – Meet Elizabeth Nandakumar – An Indian American Immigrant, Part 2

This episode covers the second half of Liz Nandakumar’s journey as an Immigrant from India to the U.S. If you haven’t listened to part one [https://mabelninan.com/2026/05/26/episode-43-meet-elizabeth-nandakumar-an-indian-american-immigrant-part-1/], I highly recommend you listen to it – . In the previous episode [https://mabelninan.com/2026/05/26/episode-43-meet-elizabeth-nandakumar-an-indian-american-immigrant-part-1/], Liz talked about how God provided for her during the initial years of her life in a new country. In the second part of our conversation, Liz describes how mentors helped her husband and her navigate life as new immigrants by providing practical help. They also discipled the young couple as they took on new opportunities as ministry leaders. Liz shares the inspiration behind her nonprofit, A Good CUP International, Inc. [https://www.agoodcup.org], and how her work aligns with her passion and calling. TAKEAWAYS 1. Mentors can provide practical help to new immigrants as they learn to adjust to a new culture. By showing Christlike love and generosity to immigrants, they bear witness to the power of the gospel. 2. Ministry leaders also need mentors to come alongside them and provide spiritual wisdom, guidance, and encouragement. 3. When God places a particular burden on our hearts and calls us to serve Him, He can trust Him to provide the resources we need and bring the right people into our lives to help us step out in faith. ---------------------------------------- Join our online community [https://www.facebook.com/groups/farfromhomepodcast] to share your thoughts on this episode. ---------------------------------------- LINKS Connect with Liz Learn more about A Good CUP International, Inc. [https://www.agoodcup.org] Connect with Mabel Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/MabelNinan/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mabel_ninan/] Check out Mabel’s book, Far from Home [https://a.co/d/8H5SSsZ] ---------------------------------------- WATCH & SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/PZryQ6OhPE0 ---------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE TO MABEL’S EMAILS ----------------------------------------

Meet Elizabeth Nandakumar - An Indian American Immigrant, Part 1

Liz shares how she experienced God’s provision and help in practical ways when she was new to the U.S., navigating student life, parenthood, and cultural adjustments.

Episode 42 – Migration and the Christian Diaspora (Part 2) with Dr. Sam George

This episode is the second part of my conversation with Indian American theologian, Dr. Sam George. He’s the director of the Global Diaspora Institute at Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, Illinois, and has authored and edited twenty books and numerous journal articles. Sam studies and teaches how the movement of people impacts Christianity. In the previous episode (part 1) [https://mabelninan.com/2026/04/21/episode-41-migration-and-missiology-part-1-with-dr-sam-george/] , Sam talked about his personal immigrant background and shared his insights and wisdom regarding the intersection of theology, global migration, and missiology. In this episode, Sam explains why Christians should welcome and love the foreigner and why it’s important to recognize that God is moving people with a purpose. He helps us understand the meaning of “diaspora” and the impact of diaspora communities on Christianity. Sam also talks about the history and characteristics of the Indian Christian diaspora. TAKEAWAYS 1. Welcoming and befriending immigrants expands our understanding of diverse cultures, increases our appreciation of Christians from other parts of the world, and fuels our desire to share Christ with those who don’t know Him. 2. Migration is the work of a sovereign God who’s moving people for His purposes. We have to see God’s fingerprints in the movement of people. 3. The U.S. is home to Christians from all over the world making American Christianity unique in its diversity of Christian traditions and denominations. ---------------------------------------- Join our online community [https://www.facebook.com/groups/farfromhomepodcast] to share your thoughts on this episode. ---------------------------------------- LINKS Learn more about the Global Diaspora Institute, Wheaton College Billy Graham Center [https://wheatonbillygraham.com/global-diaspora-institute/] Learn more about Parivar International [http://www.ParivarInternational.org] Buy Sam’s books: Sharing Jesus with Hindus by Sam George and Ashok Kumar [https://missionbooks.org/products/sharing-jesus-with-hindus]  – Desi Diaspora by Sam George [https://www.amazon.in/Desi-Diaspora-Sam-George/dp/9386549204/] Journeys of Asian Diaspora: Mapping Originations and Destinations by Sam George [https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/9781506472492/Journeys-of-Asian-Diaspora] Asians in Diaspora and Diasporas in Asia, edited by Sam George, Bulus Galadima, and Jeanne Wu [https://langhamliterature.org/books/asians-in-diaspora-and-diasporas-in-asia] Connect with Mabel on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/MabelNinan/] Connect with Mabel on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mabel_ninan/] Check out Mabel’s book, Far from Home [https://a.co/d/8H5SSsZ] ---------------------------------------- WATCH & SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/v2UWYm_066E ---------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE TO MABEL’S EMAILS ----------------------------------------

Episode 41 – Migration and Missiology (Part 1) with Dr. Sam George

This episode is part one of a two-part conversation with Indian American theologian, Dr. Sam George. He’s the director of the Global Diaspora Institute at Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, Illinois, and has authored and edited twenty books and numerous journal articles. Sam studies and teaches how the movement of people impacts Christianity. In this episode, Sam talks about how his background as an immigrant from the Andaman Islands of India shaped his faith and why he left a successful career in the corporate world to pursue seminary studies. Sam served on the leadership of the Lausanne movement from 2016 to 2025. He witnessed hundreds of refugees come to Christ while he traveled to Europe, Asia, and Africa to study the refugee crisis. Sam explains the important connection between migration and theology, pointing out that the Bible is a story of migrants or displaced people and that Christianity is a moving, missionary faith. TAKEAWAYS 1. No matter where we go or how far we travel, we can find a community of believers. The church is the most active global entity. 2. Migration is the mega theme of the Bible. Almost all major characters of the Bible were migrants who were displaced. 3. Human mobility and migration is an important aspect of the spread and transformation of Christianity. ---------------------------------------- Join our online community [https://www.facebook.com/groups/farfromhomepodcast] to share your thoughts on this episode. ---------------------------------------- LINKS Learn more about the Global Diaspora Institute, Wheaton College Billy Graham Center [https://wheatonbillygraham.com/global-diaspora-institute/] Learn more about Parivar International [http://www.ParivarInternational.org] Buy Sam’s books: Sharing Jesus with Hindus by Sam George and Ashok Kumar [https://missionbooks.org/products/sharing-jesus-with-hindus]  – Desi Diaspora by Sam George [https://www.amazon.in/Desi-Diaspora-Sam-George/dp/9386549204/] Journeys of Asian Diaspora: Mapping Originations and Destinations by Sam George [https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/9781506472492/Journeys-of-Asian-Diaspora] Asians in Diaspora and Diasporas in Asia, edited by Sam George, Bulus Galadima, and Jeanne Wu [https://langhamliterature.org/books/asians-in-diaspora-and-diasporas-in-asia] Connect with Mabel on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/MabelNinan/] Connect with Mabel on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mabel_ninan/] Check out Mabel’s book, Far from Home [https://a.co/d/8H5SSsZ] ---------------------------------------- WATCH & SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/xCo7eL02Hog ---------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE TO MABEL’S EMAILS ----------------------------------------

Episode 40 – Sharing Immigrant Stories with Heidy De La Cruz

In this episode, I talk with Heidy De La Cruz, who is the host of the two-time award-winning podcast, The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants, where immigrants share their journey of coming to the United States. Heidy shares the inspiration behind starting her podcast and the impact of podcasting on her spiritual life. Through podcasting and mentoring other podcasters, she believes she’s fulfilling her God-given purpose. She and I talk about the powerful effect of storytelling both on the person sharing the story as well as those listening to immigrant stories. TAKEAWAYS 1. Storytelling is powerful because it humanizes people’s experiences and can help others adopt a compassionate and empathetic view of immigrants and refugees. 2. We must make an effort to listen to immigrant stories so that we can understand the complex nature of their immigrant journeys. 3. It is important for immigrants and refugees to tell their stories in a safe space. It can be therapeutic for them and also help them see God’s fingerprints throughout their journey. ---------------------------------------- Join our online community [https://www.facebook.com/groups/farfromhomepodcast] to share your thoughts on this episode. ---------------------------------------- LINKS Learn more about Heidy [https://www.heidydelacruz.com/] Connect with Mabel on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/MabelNinan/] Connect with Mabel on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mabel_ninan/] Check out Mabel’s book, Far from Home [https://a.co/d/8H5SSsZ] ---------------------------------------- WATCH & SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/k3cviQ0pGCw ---------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE TO MABEL’S EMAILS ----------------------------------------