S3E2: Creative Access: Using Your Skills to Go Where Others Can't | Michael Dubisz

In this episode of The Go and Send Podcast, Cody and Mike sit down with Michael Dubisz, an electrical engineer and recent addition to the SonSet Solutions team. Michael spent five years teaching high school math, physics, and programming at a Christian school in a restricted-access country in South Asia — using his skills as an educator to gain entry into a place where traditional missionaries simply cannot go. He shares what it's really like to live and serve in a closed country and the quiet fruit of God transforming the lives of those around him by his faithful witness. This conversation digs into the concept of Creative Access Ministry — using professional skills like engineering, teaching, or business to open doors in unreached places — and honestly examines both its strengths and its challenges. If you've ever wondered whether your career could take you somewhere the gospel hasn't yet reached, Michael's story is a compelling answer. Contact us at [email protected] Resources & Links: Joshua Project: https://joshuaproject.net Hearing God by Dallas Willard When Helping Hurts by Brian Fickert & Steve Corbett Radical by David Platt Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper Teach Beyond: https://www.teachbeyond.org   00:00 -- Introduction 00:39 -- What Is Creative Access Ministry? 02:06 -- Using Professional Skills to Enter Closed Countries 03:52 -- How Engineers Fit Into This Model 05:31 -- It's Not About Hiding Your Faith 06:33 -- Michael's Family Legacy in Missions 08:17 -- Growing Up Around Missions Without a Specific Calling 09:03 -- Studying Engineering and Taking Faith More Seriously 09:34 -- An Intro to Global Studies Class That Changed Everything 10:24 -- A Short-Term Trip to China: Business as Mission in Action 12:43 -- Impressions of Business as Mission Coming Away From China 14:21 -- Junior Year: Convicted by Global Physical and Spiritual Needs 16:22 -- Seeking Mentors and Interning at SonSet Solutions 18:12 -- The Design Outreach Presentation That Left a Mark 20:19 -- Human-Centered Design and How SonSet Approaches Engineering 21:39 -- Choosing Between SonSet and Teach Beyond After Graduation 23:41 -- Arriving in South Asia in August 2020 — During COVID 25:02 -- What It Feels Like to Start Over in a New Culture 26:03 -- Teaching Students From Families of Other Faiths 27:38 -- A Student Who Came to Faith 30:02 -- Seeds Planted That You May Never See Grow 31:17 -- What Living Among Practicing Muslims Taught Him About the Gospel 33:34 -- The Weight of Asking Someone to Follow Jesus 35:44 -- Government Paperwork and Being Stranded for Eight Months 37:06 -- Even If He Doesn't: Trusting God Through Unanswered Prayer 40:51 -- Finally Returning and Teaching In Person 41:15 -- Sensing the Lord's Leading Toward the Next Chapter 42:36 -- The Vision: Teaching Engineering Overseas as a Platform for Ministry 43:25 -- Joining SonSet and Raising Full Support in Four Months 45:02 -- What Made Support Raising Go So Quickly 48:06 -- Working on the Power Solutions Team at SonSet 49:59 -- The Strengths of Creative Access Ministry 52:03 -- The Challenges: Balancing Vocation and Ministry 54:46 -- The Dream: Teaching Engineering in a Closed Country Someday 55:50 -- Encouragement for Anyone Considering Global Missions 59:05 -- Recommended Resources 01:01:25 -- Closing   To learn more about SonSet Solutions, go to our website or follow us on social media @SonSetSolutions. Website: https://www.sonsetsolutions.org