Laura has worked for Maranatha in Donor Relations for years, but there was a time when she never thought she’d work for such a ministry. Her early career in software sales was lucrative, allowing her to rub shoulders with California's rich and famous. Yet, she wasn’t happy. Her job lacked purpose, she couldn’t find meaningful connections in her relationships, and the faith of her youth was a faded memory. In a low point, she was reminded of an influential figure from earlier in life, Don Noble (Maranatha’s President). She reached out, in what would be the start of a transformational journey that would see her travel around the globe with Maranatha, find love, renew her faith, and connect with countless people also changed by the mission.

Laura talks about her journey outside the church and how a trip to Cuba started the process of bringing her back. She shares what it’s been like to visit potential project sites Maranatha is considering, including when we have to say “no” to a project request. She reflects on some of the unique settings, people, and places she’s experienced over the years. The conversation closes with her recent mission trip to the Dominican Republic to help construct a large school building in the neighborhood of “Ciudad del Cielo.”

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Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.

Our VP of marketing shares her journey in telling the story of Maranatha through print, TV, and more. What’s it like to capture the essence of people in need halfway around the world? What goes through the mind of a field producer as they’re curating a story for television? Julie shares her experience in navigating delicate topics and intentionally writing to help broaden her readers’ worldview, as well as some of the most impactful stories she’s worked on and how all of these experiences have shaped her as a person.

Julie’s storytelling extends beyond traditional communication mediums, to a large convention she plans each year called “Mission: Maranatha,” which attracts up to 2,000 attendees or more. She explains what goes on behind the scenes to pull off a successful and meaningful event of this size.

Julie also describes how she was touched on a recent trip to India at the Binjipali Adventist School, where the living conditions for students are horrid. She relates that knowing just how different things will be once Maranatha is finished on a project like this gives her a sense of anticipatory joy.

Read Julie’s magazine story about Karl Schwinn and Maranatha’s work in Afghanistan here: https://maranatha.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/The-Mission-Pilot-Karl-Schwinn-CORRECT.pdf

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Visit maranatha.org for more info on the work of Maranatha Volunteers International.

Go behind the camera with our director of television, who breaks down how we produce a TV program in the mission field. It’s a balance of logistics, planning, and keeping your eye open for just the right story. Christina has been filming and producing programming for Maranatha since the early 2000’s and has experienced it all, from embedding with a well-drilling crew in the bush of Mozambique, to rescuing a Maasai girl in Kenya from female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage.

She shares how important the producer’s role is in creating a story from scratch, knitting the components of visual footage, character interviews, and overall story arc into a final product. Christina also explains the other types of media she collects on a trip outside of the episode she’s producing, the post-production process for TV after the trip is over, and how being a part of these stories has impacted her life.

Here’s the two TV episodes of “Maranatha Mission Stories” that highlight the Kajiado Adventist School and Rescue Center in Kenya:
https://watch.maranatha.org/videos/mms910
https://watch.maranatha.org/videos/mms907

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