SO THAT Missions Podcast | FBC Boerne

Episode 91: Burleson Family Interview: A Family Mission Trip To Yucatan That Changed Their Perspective

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2179826/fan_mail/new] A family mission trip sounds simple until you actually try to do it: take time off work, travel with kids, step into a new culture, and serve where you cannot rely on comfort or clear communication. Brittany sits down with Justin Burleson plus Luke, Hope, and Abigail to share what pulled them back to Yucatan, Mexico near Cancun and what they brought home with them that no souvenir could match.  We talk about practical ministry moments that made the week unforgettable, from installing ceiling fans at Kingdom Academy to walking through Milagros to invite families to a church event and mini VBS. Luke shares what it feels like to enter homes in the jungle and how “pizza” and Google Translate can open doors when you do not speak Spanish. Hope reflects on helping in the English area at the school and watching young students work hard to learn, plus what it taught her about perseverance and gratitude. Abigail brings the heart of it all with a story about friendship, hospitality, and visiting a classmate’s home with small gifts that turned into lasting connection.  Justin ties the experience to James 1 and the call to be doers, not just listeners, and we unpack a theme that keeps surfacing: love is a universal language. The conversation also turns outward to the Great Commission and a challenge we all need, serving does not require a passport because there are opportunities every day in our own neighborhoods. If you’ve wondered whether mission trips are worth it for families or kids, press play and join the conversation, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review to help more people find these stories. Visit our website at www.fbcboerne.org for more stories, information, and service times.

Episode 90: James Smith Interview: A Broken Plan In Cancun Becomes A Rescue Mission

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2179826/fan_mail/new] A mission trip can feel like a one-week event until the plan falls apart and you find out what you really believe. Britney sits down with James Smith to tell the behind-the-scenes story of how First Baptist Church built a long-term missions partnership in Cancun, Mexico, and why bringing families along changes everything. What starts as construction and service work becomes something deeper: a new way of seeing people, a new tenderness toward poverty, and a shared family memory of God’s faithfulness.  James walks us through the early days, from taking his own kids on their first mission trip to watching youth ministry trips grow into today’s family mission trips. We talk about what teams actually do in Cancun with Vita Life and Kingdom Academy, including painting, installing fans, encouraging moms, playing with kids, practicing Spanish and English together, and visiting homes far from the tourist beaches. Along the way, James explains how missions helps young people discover gifts they didn’t know they had because they are forced out of their normal environment and into real dependence on God.  The most gripping moment comes when a key missionary leader quits mid-trip and most supporters leave but the local pastors stay and our church stays too. James shares how that crisis became a “we didn’t come to fail” turning point, and how relationships later connected ministries across Mexico and Peru through YWAM, DTS training, Starfish medical work, and Casa del Aguila. We close with a surprising story about an accidental introduction that helped confirm a 62 year old man’s call into ministry. If you’re considering a Christian family mission trip, a youth missions experience, or you want a clearer picture of church missions in Cancun, this conversation will give you both the heart and the practical realities. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a push to go, and leave a review with the line that challenged you most. Visit our website at www.fbcboerne.org for more stories, information, and service times.

Episode 89: Knocking On Doors In A Missionary Graveyard: One Missionary's Hope for Japan!

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2179826/fan_mail/new] Japan gets labeled “hard soil” so often that many Christians quietly assume spiritual breakthrough there is rare, slow, and maybe impossible. Sitting down with our friend James, a young missionary serving in Japan, challenges that assumption with both honesty and hope. We talk about his winding story from a childhood of constant moving in a military family to watching God rebuild his parents’ marriage and bring his whole home to faith, shaping the way he trusts God to change what feels unchangeable. From there, we zoom out to missions strategy and the Bible. Romans 15 becomes our roadmap as we unpack Paul’s ambition to preach where Christ is not known and the idea of “no place left” in a region because the gospel has been fully proclaimed and local churches can carry the work. We connect that to No Place Left training, gospel conversations, disciple making, and the kind of apprenticeship approach that helps ordinary believers move from fear to faithful witness. Then we get specific about Japan missions and why the barriers are real: Shinto and Buddhism, deep family identity, ancestor veneration, and the weight of honor-shame culture where becoming Christian can feel like betraying your people. And yet, James shares encouraging on-the-ground fruit, including gospel conversation trainings with Japanese churches and 49 baptisms in roughly six months in Okinawa, plus growing boldness to share publicly and even go door to door. If you care about unreached people groups, Japan missionary work, church planting in Osaka, and gospel saturation that multiplies disciples, you’ll find plenty to pray about and act on here. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves missions, and leave a review, then tell us: what part of Japan’s story surprised you most? Visit our website at www.fbcboerne.org for more stories, information, and service times.

Episode 88: From Malawi to the Middle East: Kelly Shares her Heart!

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2179826/fan_mail/new] Saying yes to God can feel simple in theory and brutal in real life, especially when the assignment changes. I sit down with Kelly, a longtime missionary connected to Divine Mission Ministry in Malawi, and we talk honestly about what happened when God nudged her toward a Middle East missions trip instead. The pushback was real: safety concerns, financial questions, and the quiet fear of disappointing the people she loves. Under all of it was a deeper question many Christians carry: “Did I really mean it when I said I’d go wherever You send me?” Kelly shares what it felt like to arrive and realize she would be teaching foundations discipleship training in front of leaders who were already experts. That old insecurity hit hard: why would God use me when someone else is more prepared? The turning point is a powerful “donkey” vision that reframes her role. In Malawi she felt like the donkey carrying others into ministry; in the Middle East she understood she was called to tend the donkeys, to encourage and strengthen believers who will carry the gospel into dark places. We also get practical about spiritual warfare and staying steady: journaling, lamenting like the Psalms, confessing fear, sitting in silence, and letting Scripture answer anxiety. Along the way, Kelly tells stories that spotlight the urgency of global missions right now, including believers traveling for hours to get trained, the reality of persecution, and an unforgettable testimony of an Uber driver who helped someone choose Jesus. If you care about Christian missions, disciple making, spiritual gifts, and learning how to hear God’s voice in uncertainty, this conversation will meet you where you are and call you forward. Subscribe for more missions stories, share this with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s one “yes” you feel God asking from you right now? Visit our website at www.fbcboerne.org for more stories, information, and service times.

Episode 87: Heather's SE Asia Report: Snake, Sewing Machines, and a Church in a Slum

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2179826/fan_mail/new] India can feel like a world away until you hear what it’s really like on the ground: a roadside slum made of tarps, families surviving on a few dollars a day, and a small hut with a cross that still functions as a church. Brittany Holland sits down with Heather to unpack Heather’s recent SE Asia missions trip and the two realities that kept showing up side by side: heartbreak over poverty and spiritual need, and deep hope as God keeps moving through everyday obedience. We talk about why India is central to global missions strategy, including unreached people groups, the 10/40 window, and what you see when you look at Joshua Project maps. Heather also introduces Leena, First Baptist Church’s longtime partner in Southeast Asia, and shares what three decades of faithful presence can look like: sewing training that restores dignity, food support for vulnerable communities, education help for children, and Spirit-led moments where one invitation or one unexpected return visit becomes a turning point. The conversation widens to church planting and a growing house church movement using Discovery Bible Study, where Scripture leads to simple questions and one catalytic challenge: who will you share this story with? If you’ve wondered how the gospel spreads in places where believers are a tiny minority, or how Christian humanitarian aid and gospel witness can walk together with integrity, you’ll find clear stories and practical perspective here. Subscribe for more stories of God at work among the nations, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. Who will you share this with? Visit our website at www.fbcboerne.org for more stories, information, and service times.