Episode 22 - Susan Woods - Air raids, riding a refugee train, mission field pregnancies/raising kids

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 episode she talks about them. 1) “God keeps you safe wherever you are.” 2) “The mission is wherever God puts you.” 3) God equips you for what he calls you for.”  Susan shares her life journey through childhood living in Asia, having her first baby in Africa, losing a baby to a rare heart defect, and having two more kids that spent time in the mission field. She also reflects on how God gave her family the desires of their hearts when things didn’t make sense initially, and how she processed difficult moments over the years. She explains her current work for Maranatha as a medical services coordinator, and how a request for a medical clinic turned into a memorial to their late daughter.“Rachelle’s Place of Healing” segment: https://watch.maranatha.org/videos/mms11e39-1 (go to 15:00 to watch that segment only)Thanks for listening! Please subscribe, leave a review, and share the show.Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.Text us! Let us know what you thought of this episode and the show in general!On September 19, 2026, join us in Sacramento, California, for our annual convention, Mission: Maranatha. You’ll be inspired by volunteer testimonies, stories from the mission field, and updates from Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders around the globe. Plus, be blessed by Oakwood University's award-winning choir, The Aeolians.Learn more at https://maranatha.org/media-events/maranatha-convention/