S1E9: Nothing Left but the Call | Lowell Wertz

In the Season 1 finale of The Go and Send Podcast, hosts Mike Tapia and Cody Hall sit down with Lowell Wertz, a career missionary whose story spans decades of service in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. From building ham radios in his bedroom as a teenager to coordinating a medical response to a cholera outbreak and launching a network of radio stations in East Africa, Lowell’s life is a powerful testimony of enduring obedience—even in the face of danger, loss, and uncertainty.Lowell recounts dramatic moments: evacuating his family under gunfire, leading crisis relief efforts, repairing X-ray machines and radio towers, and founding Joy in the Harvest, a ministry that now employs dozens and impacts thousands through radio, feeding programs, and leadership training. Through it all, Lowell has clung to one thing: the call of God.This conversation is for anyone wondering what long-term faithfulness looks like, how technical skills can serve the Kingdom, and why the call of God is always worth it.Subscribe now to stay up to date on The Go and Send Podcast!Contact us at [email protected] & Links:Joy in the Harvest: https://joyintheharvest.org/Urbana Missions Conference: https://www.urbana.org/Asbury Theological Seminary: https://asburyseminary.edu/ 00:00 – Intro to Lowell Wertz: Missions, Radio, and Decades of Service02:00 – Growing Up in a Christian Home and Early Exposure to Missions04:00 – Building a Ham Radio Station as a Teen06:00 – Talking With Missionaries From the Jungle as a Kid08:00 – When God Called Lowell to Go10:00 – Raising Money and Going to the Congo at 1912:00 – Culture Shock and Promising His Shoes for an Antelope14:00 – Wrestling With Calling After Returning From Congo16:00 – Meeting His Wife Claudia and Preparing for the Field18:00 – How God Confirmed Her Call Through a Bible Note20:00 – Ten Years of Preparation and Biblical Training22:00 – Returning to Fix Congo’s Radio Network After a Missionary’s Death24:00 – Getting His Pilot’s License and Unexpected Flight Assignments26:00 – Claudia’s Rough Arrival and the Hardest Part of Missions28:00 – Near Starvation, Hidden Generosity, and Culture Clash30:00 – Fixing a 75-Year-Old X-Ray Machine—God Shows Up33:00 – Cholera Outbreak, Government Pressure, and Staying Faithful36:00 – Flying IV Fluids to Save Villages39:00 – “This Is Evangelism”: A Village Opens to the Gospel After Relief41:00 – The Evacuation of Missionaries During Armed Conflict44:00 – Escape by Plane Under Gunfire—and God’s Protection47:00 – Starting Over in the U.S. and Questioning What Comes Next49:00 – One Final Missionary Letter and Six Months Later, Back in Africa51:00 – The Birth of Joy in the Harvest52:00 – Feeding Programs, AIDS Education, and a Homemade Radio Tower54:00 – Training Pastors and Building Unity in the Local Church55:00 – SonSet Solutions’ Crucial Support for Radio Joy56:00 – Advice to Future Missionaries: Treasure and Protect Your Call57:00 – Final Encouragement: If You’re Called, Go—And Don’t Look Back To learn more about SonSet Solutions, go to our website or follow us on social media @SonSetSolutions.Website: https://www.sonsetsolutions.org