S3E7: Faith, Fear, and God's Timing | Doug Weber

S3E8: Christ-like Innovation: What Missions Can Learn From Business | Ted Esler

In this episode of The Go and Send Podcast, Cody and Mike sit down with Ted Esler, President of Missio Nexus. Ted traded a thriving computer consultancy for the mission field after a single Sunday morning blew his world open — and that was just the beginning. He spent a decade with Pioneers in the Balkans, planting a church in post-war Bosnia among Serbs, Croats, and Bosnian Muslims, and has spent the years since leading one of North America's largest mission networks. Along the way, he's picked up a PhD, published a book on why mission agencies struggle to innovate, and never stopped coding. This conversation covers a lot of ground: why a third of the world still has no access to the gospel, how AI is about to close the Bible translation gap and simultaneously challenge our understanding of what it means to be human, and the story of a man named Milenko — a Serb wounded in the siege of Sarajevo — whose path to Jesus had nothing to do with programs or strategy. If you've ever wondered what it looks like to bring your skills, your career, and your curiosity into the Great Commission, Ted's story is a compelling place to start. Contact us at goandsend@sonsetsolutions.org [goandsend@sonsetsolutions.org] Resources & Links: * Missio Nexus: https://www.missionexus.org [https://www.missionexus.org] * A Third of Us (International Day of Prayer for the Unreached): https://www.athirdofus.org [https://www.athirdofus.org] * The Innovation Crisis by Ted Esler * Missiology for Mission Pastors, co-edited by Ted Esler and Bradley Bell (Upstream Collective) * Joshua Project (Unreached People Groups): https://joshuaproject.net [https://joshuaproject.net] * Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: https://www.perspectives.org [https://www.perspectives.org]   00:00 -- Introduction 01:09 -- What Gives You the Greatest Urgency in Global Missions? 01:33 -- A Third of the Planet Has No Reasonable Access to the Gospel 02:18 -- Worlds A, B, and C: A Framework for the Unreached 04:17 -- Where Did the Joshua Project's 2% Threshold Come From? 05:58 -- Ted's Background: MIS Degree, Fortune 500, and Starting a Consultancy Overnight 07:34 -- A Retired Missionary, a Weekly Breakfast, and a Mind Blown Open 08:22 -- The Perspectives Course and Hearing John Piper for the First Time 10:04 -- If You Really Believe the Gospel, It Changes How You Spend Your Life 12:18 -- The Hardest Part of Leaving: Trading a High Income to Take His Kids Into a War Zone 13:53 -- Counsel for Anyone Facing Opposition to a Missions Call 16:14 -- Heading to the Balkans With Pioneers 16:28 -- Stuck in No Man's Land Between Croatia and Serbia 18:19 -- Language Immersion: Six Kids, Two Families, One Three-Bedroom Apartment 20:03 -- Church Planting in Croatia While Waiting for the Siege of Sarajevo to Lift 21:27 -- Into Bosnia After the Dayton Peace Accords 22:05 -- Obstacles to the Gospel in a War Fought With Religious Language 24:00 -- Planting a Church for Serbs, Croats, and Bosnian Muslims 26:00 -- The Story of Milenko: A Mortar Shell, a Bus Ride, and a Closed Door 29:05 -- A Year of Watching — and a Letter of Introduction 31:42 -- Moving to Canada, Seminary, and 13 Years Leading Pioneers USA 34:21 -- How Pioneers Grew From 125 to 3,500 People 36:07 -- An Email Ted Almost Deleted — and the Job That Described Him to a T 38:58 -- What Is Missio Nexus? 43:35 -- Ted's Book: The Innovation Crisis 46:55 -- Jesus Is the Innovator of All 50:33 -- A Concrete Example: An Ovulation App and the Gospel in India 54:10 -- AI Is Already Closing the Bible Translation Gap 54:48 -- AI, Human Identity, and the Imago Dei 59:06 -- Tower of Babel, Pentecost, and Real-Time AI Translation 01:03:07 -- UBI, the Protestant Work Ethic, and the Threat to Human Dignity 01:05:05 -- A Third of Us: The International Day of Prayer for the Unreached 01:07:00 -- Recommended Resources 01:08:17 -- How to Connect With Missio Nexus 01:08:46 -- Closing   To learn more about SonSet Solutions, go to our website or follow us on social media @SonSetSolutions. Website: https://www.sonsetsolutions.org

S3E7: Faith, Fear, and God's Timing | Doug Weber

In this episode of The Go and Send Podcast, Cody and Mike sit down with Doug Weber, the Communications Team Leader at SonSet Solutions. Doug spent over two decades serving as a missionary with HCJB World Radio in Ecuador — using his electrical engineering background to keep shortwave transmitters on the air while he and his wife Ruth planted churches in the mountains outside of Quito. One of those nights, an angry mob threatened to burn them out. Only an unbelieving husband stood between them and the crowd — and that moment became a spiritual anchor Doug returned to through every hard season that followed.  He also shares two remarkable stories from his time at SonSet Solutions: A Christian radio station director in Africa who let Muslim imams advertise on his station and saw it lead people to Jesus, and 3,600 solar-powered radios held up for seven months by COVID, arriving in a Ugandan refugee camp at exactly the right moment. If you've ever wrestled with leaving a good career for ministry, waited on the Lord longer than felt comfortable, or wondered whether stories can really change anything — this one is for you.  Contact us at goandsend@sonsetsolutions.org [goandsend@sonsetsolutions.org] Resources & Links: *     SonSet Solutions Newsletter: https://www.sonsetsolutions.org/subscribe [https://www.sonsetsolutions.org/subscribe] *     Mountain Rain by Eileen Crossman (missionary biography recommended by Doug)  *     Urbana Student Missions Conference: https://urbana.org [https://urbana.org]   00:00 -- Introduction  00:39 -- Why Storytelling Is So Important in Missions  02:29 -- How Communications People Can Plug Into Ministry  03:00 -- God's Preparation: Looking Back at the Seeds He Plants  03:40 -- 6th Grade: A Broken X-Ray Machine and a Story That Stuck  04:35 -- High School: Friends Coming to Christ Through Evangelistic Musicals  06:03 -- Mexico Mission Trip: Preaching His First Sermon and Meeting His Wife  08:21 -- Engineering at Hughes Aircraft and Sharing the Gospel at Work  09:09 -- His Wife Ruth's Prayers and the Gradual Turn Toward Missions  11:01 -- The Hesitancy: Being a Pastors Kid and Seeing the Backside of Ministry  12:49 -- Leaving a Fast-Tracked Career for the Unknown  14:56 -- How the Decision Came Together: Mission Conferences and the Tug of the Lord  16:02 -- Urbana 87: Exploring Every Kind of Mission Opportunity  18:11 -- Why They Felt Called to HCJB and Skills-Based Ministry  19:49 -- Visiting Ecuador and Seeing the Ministry Firsthand  20:15 -- What HCJB Was: Radio, Hospitals, and Shortwave Broadcasting Around the World  22:08 -- Getting to Work: Doug in the Audio Department, Ruth Editing Reel-to-Reel Tapes  25:20 -- Flexibility in Ministry: Using Your Skills and Adapting as Needs Change  25:58 -- Getting Into Church Planting in Quito  27:12 -- How Teresa Started a Church From a Kids Club in the Park  28:09 -- Parents Ask to Be Taught the Bible Too: The First Church Is Born  29:00 -- Moving to PIFO and Joining the Church Planting Network  31:05 -- El Teblon: The Community the Church Had Tried to Reach for a Decade  34:00 -- The Night the Threat Came: "They're Coming to Burn Us"  38:57 -- Staying When Every Instinct Said Run  40:21 -- What Actually Happened That Night: An Unbeliever Who Stood Up for Them  44:17 -- God Using an Unrighteous Man to Protect His People  45:53 -- The Takeaway: Using El Teblon as a Faith Anchor Through Every Hard Season  47:44 -- Leading HCJB Through Financial Crisis: Layoffs, Fundraising, and Hard Decisions  48:03 -- Returning to the US: Family Needs and Sensing the Lord's Release  50:20 -- Coming to SonSet Solutions and a Role That Took a Curve  51:31 -- The Role of Storytelling and Communications in Missions  52:09 -- Story From Africa: Muslim Imams, a Christian Radio Station, and Unexpected Fruit  55:42 -- Story From COVID: 3,600 Radios, Seven Months of Waiting, and God's Perfect Timing  59:14 -- What the Lord Was Doing All Along in Uganda  01:00:26 -- Encouragement for Anyone Sensing a Call to Ministry  01:01:48 -- What to Do While You Wait: Prayer, Fellowship, and Active Ministry  01:03:43 -- Recommended Resources: Missionary Biographies and Mountain Rain  01:05:27 -- How to Get Connected With SonSet Solutions  01:06:34 -- Closing    To learn more about SonSet Solutions, go to our website or follow us on social media @SonSetSolutions. Website: https://www.sonsetsolutions.org [https://www.sonsetsolutions.org]

S3E6: How Technology Is Unlocking the Last Unreached Places on Earth | Yvonne Carlson

In this episode of The Go and Send Podcast, Cody and Mike sit down with Yvonne Carlson, a tech leader and digital missions pioneer who serves at the intersection of artificial intelligence, digital discipleship, and global evangelism. Yvonne grew up as a third culture kid and spent years climbing the corporate ladder — until God tapped her on the shoulder at the Moody Church in Chicago and made clear she'd been trading kingdom work for the American dream. From launching a digital church at First Baptist Dallas, to doing investment work in the Middle East and North Africa, to now serving as a key leader at Global Media Outreach — Yvonne's journey is a masterclass in following God's leading one step at a time. She shares how GMO uses digital advertising to reach people in closed countries who Google "how do I know Jesus?", what it looks like to disciple someone across a language barrier in Iran, and why she believes scripture will be available in every language by 2033. She also offers a compelling, grounded perspective on AI — not as a runaway train, but as a tool God is already redeeming through believers he's strategically placed inside the world's biggest tech companies. If you work in tech, wonder how your skills could serve the gospel, or simply want to hear how God prepares someone for a mission they never saw coming, this episode is for you. Contact us at goandsend@sonsetsolutions.org [goandsend@sonsetsolutions.org] Resources & Links: * Global Media Outreach (volunteer as an online missionary): https://www.globalmediaoutreach.com [https://www.globalmediaoutreach.com] * Missional AI: https://www.missional.ai [https://www.missional.ai] * Faith Tech: https://www.faithtech.com [https://www.faithtech.com] * Practical AI Podcast * This Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleiman * The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel   00:00 -- Introduction 00:49 -- What Is Digital Discipleship? 02:49 -- Growing Up as a Third Culture Kid With Mixed Faith Backgrounds 05:06 -- A Curiosity That Started With Fixing Things Around the House 07:07 -- Seventh Grade, an Apple IIe, and the Software Bug 08:10 -- The Moment Technology and Missions Clicked Together 09:07 -- Destined for Corporate America — or So She Thought 10:06 -- The Moody Church: Trading the American Dream for the Kingdom Dream 11:37 -- Career vs. Life's Work: How God Reframed Success 13:00 -- Facing Pushback When You Walk Away From a Promising Career 14:44 -- Obedience as Witness: How Others Saw God's Hand Over Time 16:03 -- First Baptist Dallas: Launching a Digital Church 17:25 -- Working in the Middle East and North Africa: Eyes Opened to the Persecuted Church 18:50 -- Unite Life, Digital Ministry, and Getting Recruited to GMO 20:40 -- "God, If Yvonne Can Do This Job, I Don't Want It" 22:15 -- Ministry That Requires Faith: Living by Sight vs. Living by Faith 23:08 -- What Is Global Media Outreach? 24:39 -- From Tracts to Targeted Ads: Reaching People Who Would Never Meet a Missionary 26:15 -- Discipleship Beyond the Front Door: Walking People Through Transformation 27:45 -- Challenges: Internet Shutdowns, Cultural Barriers, and Keeping the Conversation Going 29:37 -- How the Language and Advertising Strategy Works Across Cultures 31:20 -- A Former Terrorist Who Read the Bible to Argue Against It 32:18 -- A Refugee From Yemen Who Googled "How Do I Know Jesus?" 33:47 -- A Migrant Worker Who Found GMO After a Life-Altering Injury 35:19 -- What Is Missional AI? 37:08 -- Language Is No Longer a Barrier: AI and Bible Translation by 2033 40:26 -- How AI Is Already Being Used in Evangelism, Discipleship, and Translation 42:31 -- A Biblical Framework for AI: God Is Not Caught Unaware 44:50 -- Believers Shaping AI From the Inside at Meta, Google, and Amazon 46:32 -- What Is Faith Tech? 48:15 -- The 4D Model: Building Redemptively Like Nehemiah 50:42 -- Labs: Real Problems, Real Solutions for Ministries Like Mission Aviation Fellowship 52:57 -- Being Your Full Self at the Intersection of Faith and Technology 53:44 -- Nehemiah as a Model for Tech Leaders: Pray First, Then Plan 56:41 -- Opposition Is a Sign You're Doing Something Worthy 58:44 -- Anytime You Do Something Worthy of God's Honor, There Will Be Opposition 01:01:04 -- Encouragement for Anyone Sensing a Call to Ministry 01:02:50 -- Sign the Bottom of a Blank Page and Let God Fill In the Story 01:03:28 -- Recommended Resources 01:06:08 -- How to Get Involved With Global Media Outreach   To learn more about SonSet Solutions, go to our website or follow us on social media @SonSetSolutions. Website: https://www.sonsetsolutions.org [https://www.sonsetsolutions.org]

S3E5: Angels, Cannibals, Obedience | The Story of John Paton

In this episode of The Go and Send Podcast, Cody and Mike dig into the remarkable story of John Paton, a 19th century Scottish missionary who sailed to the New Hebrides Islands — a chain of South Pacific islands so dangerous that sailors refused to go near them. The inhabitants were hostile to outsiders, steeped in witchcraft and tribal warfare, and known cannibals. Two missionaries had already been killed and eaten there just a decade before. John Paton went anyway. What followed was a life of staggering loss, constant danger, and undeniable divine protection — including a threat on his life and a supernatural deliverance. His faithfulness over decades helped transform an island nation that today is 91% Christian — more evangelical per capita than the United States. Cody and Mike also wrestle with the hard question this story raises alongside S3E1: why did God protect John Paton and allow John Allen Chau to die? And what does John Paton's life say to a Western church that has largely made peace with comfort? If you want your view of God stretched and your priorities challenged, this episode will do both. Contact us at goandsend@sonsetsolutions.org [goandsend@sonsetsolutions.org] Resources & Links: * John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides (autobiography, Banner of Truth) * Hudson Taylor biography * Joshua Project: https://joshuaproject.net [https://joshuaproject.net]   00:00 -- Introduction 00:43 -- Who Were the People of the New Hebrides Islands and Why Were They So Dangerous? 02:33 -- John Paton's Background: Born Poor, Shaped by a Praying Father 04:44 -- Ministry in Glasgow and a Question That Changed Everything 05:49 -- The Elder Who Said You'll Be Eaten by Cannibals 06:38 -- Paton's Famous Response: Cannibals or Worms 07:23 -- Arriving at the New Hebrides: Beauty, Darkness, and Cannibalism 08:55 -- Early Ministry and the Loss of His Wife and Infant Son 09:43 -- Years of Constant Threats and Perseverance 10:12 -- The Night an Armed Tribe Surrounded His Home 11:23 -- The Tribal Chief's Question: Who Were Those Men in Shining Garments? 12:19 -- Many Come to Christ, Cannibalism Stops, Scripture Is Translated 12:51 -- Vanuatu Today: 91% Christian, More Evangelical Than the US 14:04 -- What Drives Someone to Take That Kind of Risk? 15:15 -- Spirit-Filled Audacity and a Life Already Toughened by Hard Ministry 17:06 -- Paul, Shipwrecks, Stonings, and "To Live Is Christ, to Die Is Gain" 19:58 -- Angels, Spiritual Warfare, and Daniel 10 21:39 -- Elisha, Chariots of Fire, and the Curtain Pulled Back 22:16 -- Ephesians 6: The Armor of God Is for Here Too 23:53 -- Why Spiritual Warfare Looks Different in the West 27:53 -- Paton and Chau: Why Did One Survive and the Other Die? 29:03 -- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: Obedience With Open Hands 31:00 -- Daniel in the Lion's Den and Stephen's Stoning: Two Outcomes, Both Purposeful 34:26 -- How Do You Persevere Through That Level of Suffering? 37:20 -- To Whom Much Is Given: What Are We Doing With Our Blessings? 38:34 -- What Would John Paton Say to the American Church? 39:54 -- The Real Issue Behind Comfort: Too Small a View of God 41:27 -- Seeking the Lord Deeply Is Where It All Starts 43:08 -- He's Worth It: Closing Thoughts 44:38 -- Recommended Resources   To learn more about SonSet Solutions, go to our website or follow us on social media @SonSetSolutions. Website: https://www.sonsetsolutions.org [https://www.sonsetsolutions.org]

S3E4: From Selling Shampoo to Multiplying Churches | Michael Gutierrez

In this episode of The Go and Send Podcast, Cody and Mike sit down with Michael Gutierrez, VP of Finance at Multiplication Network. Michael's journey took him from a Catholic upbringing he walked away from, through a successful 16-year online business he built from scratch after 9/11, to a slow reconnection with Christ through his wife Jane — and eventually a call to leave it all behind for full-time ministry. It’s a remarkable story about surrender to God’s plans.  Michael shares how Multiplication Network is training national church planters across 70 countries — and why partnering with leaders already inside their cultures is one of the most effective and cost-efficient strategies in global missions today. He also shares the powerful story of woman whose miraculous healing, family rejection, and unwavering faith had a huge impact on her family. If you're asking the Lord what He wants from your career, your finances, or your future, Michael's story is a compelling reminder to hold your plans with an open hand. Contact us at goandsend@sonsetsolutions.org [goandsend@sonsetsolutions.org] Resources & Links: * Multiplication Network: https://www.multiplicationnetwork.org [https://www.multiplicationnetwork.org] * Christian Leadership Alliance: https://www.christianleadershipalliance.org [https://www.christianleadershipalliance.org] * Missio Nexus: https://www.missionexus.org [https://www.missionexus.org]   00:00 -- Introduction 00:39 -- Why National Leaders Are So Effective in Missions 02:12 -- The Advantages of Supporting National Church Planters 05:03 -- How Western Christians Can Best Come Alongside National Leaders 07:03 -- Michael's Background: Growing Up Catholic and Falling Away from Faith 08:57 -- Getting His Pilot's License at 16 and Changing Majors 09:34 -- Finding Finance and His First Jobs Out of College 10:54 -- After 9/11: Starting a Hair and Beauty Business from Scratch 11:54 -- Meeting Jane and a Slow Reconnection With Christ 13:44 -- Finding Faith Church and Going Through The Journey 16:01 -- Meeting John Wagenveld and Discovering Multiplication Network 17:33 -- Helping Multiplication Network as a Volunteer 19:39 -- God Closes the E-Commerce Door and Opens Another 22:27 -- Accepting the Fundraising Role and Understanding Ministry Development 24:12 -- Growing His Territory From $100K to $700K 26:03 -- The Website Crash That Changed Everything: John 15 and Pruning 31:28 -- Releasing the Business and Committing Full-Time to Multiplication Network 33:40 -- What Is Multiplication Network? 35:12 -- The 12-Module Church Planting Curriculum 36:46 -- Verifiable Ministries: Tracking Real Results 38:20 -- How the Hub System Works Across 70+ Countries 40:01 -- Different Denominations Praying for Each Other 40:46 -- The Story of Hadijah: Healing, Family Rejection, and Unwavering Faith 49:24 -- Her Entire Household Comes to Christ 50:37 -- Pastor Ronald's Church Between Two Mosques in Uganda 52:58 -- How the Solar Ministry Toolkit Became a Mobile Classroom 55:37 -- 23 Workshops and 300 Church Planter Profiles in Zimbabwe 56:41 -- Multiplication Network's 2030 Vision: 20,000 Church Planters in Training 58:34 -- The Cost Per Church Plant Is Now $415 01:00:00 -- A Global Staff Conference in Zanzibar 01:02:37 -- The Figure Eight: Stronger Churches and More Churches 01:06:21 -- Encouragement for Anyone Asking Lord, What Do You Have for Me? 01:07:56 -- Stepping In to Help His CFO Tim Through Brain Cancer 01:09:41 -- Carrying On Tim's Legacy as VP of Finance 01:14:15 -- How to Get Connected With Multiplication Network 01:18:12 -- Installing the Solar Ministry Toolkit With the Waorani Tribe in Ecuador 01:20:25 -- Dayuma's Great-Great-Grandson: A Story Decades in the Making 01:21:15 -- Closing   To learn more about SonSet Solutions, go to our website or follow us on social media @SonSetSolutions. Website: https://www.sonsetsolutions.org [https://www.sonsetsolutions.org]