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

About this episode

Julie Lee and Sidney Needles discuss their experiences in India and the Dominican Republic, focusing on storytelling and the challenges of mission work.

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, g...

People in this episode

Guests: Julie Lee, Sidney Needles

Topics covered

• storytelling
• mission trips
• cultural experiences
• travel challenges
• faith
• community building

Keywords

• storytelling
• mission field
• India
• Dominican Republic
• travel
• faith
• community

Mentioned in this episode

Places: India, Dominican Republic, Mizoram

More episodes of Inside Missions

• Episode 41 - Maranatha Mythbusters - Volunteering - Does Maranatha only use volunteer labor? Do short term missions yield sustainable results? Are there any limits on who can volunteer? Do you have to live in rough conditions for a mission trip to count? · June 5, 2026 · 56 min
• Episode 40 - Miracles in the Mission Field - Skepticism, supernatural stories, and how western minds process the supernatural compared to global counterparts · May 27, 2026 · 1h 9m
• Episode 39 - Maranatha Mythbusters - Is Maranatha an Adventist Church entity or receive funding from the Church? Does Maranatha pick where we work? Do we only work overseas? Do we do disaster relief like ADRA or ACS? · May 13, 2026 · 60 min
• Episode 38 - Mission Trip Leaders’ Playbook - Behind the scenes of short-term mission trip organization. From pre-trip planning, to the daily schedule, to the unseen challenges of a leader, this conversation reveals how mission trip coordinators do their · April 24, 2026 · 1h 8m
• Episode 36 - Don and Laura Noble - Our most difficult projects ever, including a remote desert in Kenya and Communist Cuba, and Don’s first Maranatha project involving a plane crash, circumventing a war, and breaking down in the middle of the ocean. · March 27, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Episode 35 - Teen Transformation on Ultimate Workout - Josue Quispe - Life change for youth, quitting his job for missions, and finding his wife on a mission trip · March 13, 2026 · 56 min