Episode 37 - The Art of Storytelling in the Mission Field - Having a detailed plan but staying open to God’s lead, building rapport with interview subjects, how pre-trip preparation pays off, and one woman’s tearful reaction to visualizing her new church

Julie Lee and Sidney Needles share details of their recent trips to India and the Dominican Republic, and the stories they were sent to capture. Julie describes what travel is like in the northeast Indian state of Mizoram, including the exciting traffic, harrowing mountain roads, varying religions, and getting mistaken as a local resident. The group discusses how they approach changes when it’s a follow-up to a previous trip, how they battle jet lag when they have to push through full days, great meals they’ve enjoyed in India, and how they stay connected to family and other work projects when they’re trying to put their full focus into the stories in front of them. Julie talks about her visits to Pine Hill Adventist Academy for the dedication of a large Elementary Education Center, the Graceland Adventist School where Maranatha is adding infrastructure like dorms and bathrooms, and the Irvine Adventist School where Maranatha is constructing new dorms.Sidney reflects on how her pre-trip preparation has become more detailed over her three years working in marketing for Maranatha, and the crew speaks to how that preparation pays off on a media trip in allowing more time to capture better stories. The team discusses how important it is to stay open to God’s leading while visiting these sites to see what characters and stories present themselves that we weren’t planning on, and just how the people we meet become characters in the stories we tell. Sidney reports on the four churches she visited in the DR and their stories of need. Each one is unique, but they share a similar theme with many of the congregations we encounter there: members are passionate about evangelism, leading to growing membership and new churches that need to be planted. Sidney tells of one woman’s tearful moment that our TV camera captured while standing on the new concrete foundation of what will become the church she’s dreamt about for years. The panel talks about building rapport with volunteers during a project for potential interview subjects, how more time with characters before the sit-down interview helps makes for a better interview, and what they would miss most about media trips if they couldn’t do them anymore.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/