Can compassion ministry and gospel proclamation work together?

In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott sit down with Dave Phillips, founder and president of Children's Hunger Fund (CHF), to explore the relationship between gospel proclamation, mercy ministry, and the local church. Dave shares the remarkable story behind CHF’s founding, beginning with a life-changing visit to a pediatric cancer ward in Honduras and culminating in a providential donation of life-saving medicine that confirmed God’s call to launch the ministry. What started as a small step of faith has grown into a global ministry serving suffering children and families through partnerships with local churches in more than 30 countries.

The conversation also tackles some of the most important debates in modern missions: the balance between word and deed ministry, the dangers of prosperity theology, the role of parachurch organizations, and how churches can engage in poverty alleviation without undermining local congregations.

• Dave Phillips’ testimony and the founding story of Children’s Hunger Fund
• How God used a providential donation of cancer medication to confirm CHF’s mission
• The relationship between gospel proclamation and mercy ministry
• Why addressing spiritual poverty must remain central to poverty alleviation efforts
• The biblical role of the local church versus parachurch organizations in missions
• Lessons from When Helping Hurts, short-term missions, and serving the poor with sound theology

Do you love The Missions Show? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber!

Premium Subscribers get access to:

• Exclusive bonus content
• A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts
• Invite-only webinars
• A free gift!

Support The Missions Show and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionsshow.com/premium

The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionsshow.com.

Is Peru as reached as we think?

In this episode of The Missions Show, Alex and Scott talk with veteran ABWE missionary Stephen Douglas to explore more than four decades of gospel ministry in Peru. Stephen shares how God led him and his wife Debbie to the city of Arequipa—a historic Roman Catholic stronghold known as the “Little Rome of Peru”—and how a small church-planting team, where no evangelical churches existed before, grew into a network of dozens of churches throughout the region.

Stephen also recounts powerful stories of lives changed through discipleship, leadership development, and church planting, including Peruvian believers who have become pastors and missionaries serving around the world. While Peru and South America still have significant gospel needs, Stephen casts a compelling vision for the future: strengthening local churches, training national leaders, and equipping Latin American believers to become a launching force for global missions.

• Stephen Douglas’s call to missions and journey to Peru
• Church planting in Arequipa, Peru’s historic Catholic stronghold
• The growth from a pioneering work to a regional church-planting movement
• Stories of Peruvian pastors and missionaries impacting the nations
• Challenges and opportunities in reaching modern Peruvian culture
• A vision for Peru and Latin America as a launching pad for global missions

Support the work of Steve and Debbie Douglas as they continue to plant churches, train leaders, and send out Peruvian missionaries to the world - https://give.abwe.org/worker/stephen-and-debi-douglas

Are you feeling called to the mission field, but don't know where to start? ABWE's 24-Hour DEMO is for those that are seeking opportunities and direction on how they can help fulfill the Great Commission. Find your role in global missions at demo.abwe.org.

Do you love The Missions Show? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber!

Premium Subscribers get access to:

• Exclusive bonus content
• A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts
• Invite-only webinars
• A free gift!

Support The Missions Show and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionsshow.com/premium

The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionsshow.com.

This week, Alex and Scott tackle a difficult question from a missionary wife who, after experiencing significant trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, family challenges, and cultural stress during overseas service, no longer feels able to return to the mission field while her husband remains convinced they should continue. They explore the realities of missionary hardship, the emotional and spiritual toll of cross-cultural ministry, and the tension that can arise when spouses find themselves at odds over what they believe God is calling them to do.

The conversation examines biblical concepts of calling, marriage, submission, family priorities, and the role of the local church in affirming missionary service. Alex and Scott encourage listeners to distinguish between personal desires, genuine calling, and God’s providential limitations, while emphasizing that husbands and wives must seek unity, wise counsel, and pastoral guidance when navigating major ministry decisions.

• The emotional, relational, and spiritual impact of missionary trauma and culture shock.
• How to distinguish between personal desires, ministry ambitions, and biblical calling.
• The local church’s role in affirming, evaluating, and guiding missionary service.
• Biblical perspectives on marital leadership, submission, and decision-making during disagreement.
• Balancing ministry commitments with responsibilities to spouse, children, and family health.
• Practical counsel for couples seeking unity when one spouse wants to continue missions and the other does not.

Here's the conversation from Scott Dunford and his wife about missions.

Do you love The Missions Show? Have you been blessed by the show? Then become a Premium Subscriber!

Premium Subscribers get access to:

• Exclusive bonus content
• A community Signal thread with other listeners and the hosts
• Invite-only webinars
• A free gift!

Support The Missions Show and sign up to be a Premium Subscriber at missionsshow.com/premium

The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionsshow.com.