00:00:24Introduction to the Guests
00:06:08Transition to Mission Work
00:08:21A Turning Point in Mission Work
00:17:56Missions with Mandy: Preparing for the Mission Field
00:27:40Navigating the Mission Field: Supporting Loved Ones
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
The hosts engage with Amanda Humphries in this insightful episode, who articulates her profound journey as a videographer and missionary. The narrative commences with Amanda's childhood memories that sparked her interest in photography, eventually leading her to embrace videography as storytelling. The discussion reveals the intricate relationship between AAmanda's artistic endeavors and her mission work, illustrating how each facet of her life informs and enriches the other. Amanda candidly shares her initial hesitations about participating in mission trips, which were overcome by a powerful call to action during her first experience in South Africa. This pivotal moment led to a deeper exploration of her faith and purpose as she recounts the transformative power of witnessing the impact of service on communities in need. The episode further delves into AAmanda's creative process, particularly how she approaches storytelling through her camera lens, emphasizing the significance of spiritual guidance in her work. As the conversation draws close, Amanda offers key insights that resonate with listeners, encouraging them to embrace their unique journeys while remaining open to divine direction. This episode is a rich tapestry of personal narrative, artistic exploration, and a heartfelt call to service.
Takeaways:
- The podcast features Amanda Humphries, a videographer, missionary, and mother who shares her diverse experiences.
- Amanda discusses her reluctance to join her sister on a mission trip, ultimately transforming her perspective on life and faith.
- Amanda aims to capture and share the stories of individuals impacted by missions worldwide through her videography work.
- The conversation emphasizes the importance of preparation for mission trips, including spiritual, emotional, and financial readiness.
- Amanda recounts a powerful story from her mission work in El Salvador, illustrating the profound impact of sharing personal experiences.
- The podcast concludes with Amanda encouraging listeners to pursue their passions while remaining open to divine guidance.
Links referenced in this episode:
podcast episode, videography tips, missionary stories, motherhood and videography, balancing work and family, faith-based storytelling, how to prepare for mission trips, Godfident Next Generation, behind the camera, Amanda Humphries videographer, mission work experiences, capturing life stories, spiritual preparation for missions, storytelling in videography, mission trip advice, videographer interviews, personal testimonies, GGod'swork in missions, creative storytelling, community building through missions
English
United States
SHOW NOTES 🔗
TRANSCRIPT 🔗
Speaker A
00:00:22
Welcome to another episode of Keys to your best life.
Speaker A
00:00:24
I am your host, Maggie Kavanaugh, joined by my co host Michelle Lindsay, and our special guest today, Amanda Humphries.
Speaker A
00:00:31
Amanda, welcome to the broadcast.
Speaker A
00:00:33
Hi.
Speaker A
00:00:34
I'm so glad you're here.
Speaker A
00:00:35
This is so much fun.
Speaker A
00:00:36
So for those of you who do not know, she is a videographer.
Speaker A
00:00:39
So she's on the other side of the camera all the time.
Speaker A
00:00:42
So we're gonna stretch her a little bit because we wanna talk about some of the cool things that's been going on in your life as a missionary, as a mom, and as a videographer.
Speaker A
00:00:52
Yeah, those are a lot of hats to wear.
Speaker B
00:00:54
Yes.
Speaker B
00:00:55
Yes, it is.
Speaker C
00:00:55
Yeah.
Speaker A
00:00:56
A lot of transition.
Speaker A
00:00:57
So tell us how old your baby is now.
Speaker B
00:00:59
He.
Speaker B
00:01:00
Tomorrow he will be 10 months.
Speaker A
00:01:02
Oh, my goodness.
Speaker A
00:01:03
Already?
Speaker B
00:01:03
Yeah.
Speaker A
00:01:04
Time flies.
Speaker B
00:01:05
Feels like he was just born.
Speaker A
00:01:06
I know it does.
Speaker A
00:01:08
Do not blink because he'll be going off to college before you know it.
Speaker A
00:01:11
And I don't say that to scare you.
Speaker A
00:01:13
It just really happens that fast for any of you that have children.
Speaker A
00:01:16
So we are so blessed because Amanda has done some work for us for our godfident next generation conferences.
Speaker A
00:01:22
So if you see those great little videos, that's the work that she's doing.
Speaker A
00:01:26
So tell me, what called you in to videography?
Speaker A
00:01:30
Have you, like, when you were little, were you the one running around with the camera behind the scenes?
Speaker B
00:01:34
Yes and no.
Speaker B
00:01:35
Okay, so some of my earliest memories, like I was three and this is the 90s, you know, it's like 1995.
Speaker B
00:01:43
I'm, you know, a tiny baby.
Speaker B
00:01:45
And my mom for Christmas one year gave me like a little point and shoot Barbie camera at the time, but it had film, so it was like more photography than anything.
Speaker B
00:01:55
And of course I loved it because I loved all things Barbie at the time.
Speaker B
00:01:58
So I think that's like kind of one of the first times that I really like was like, oh, this is fun.
Speaker B
00:02:02
But I was always more of a performer.
Speaker B
00:02:05
I always loved acting.
Speaker B
00:02:07
I loved dancing and singing and doing musicals.
Speaker B
00:02:09
That was what I loved to do.
Speaker B
00:02:11
And I still love, like, being on a stage.
Speaker B
00:02:14
If I were to do like a performance.
Speaker B
00:02:15
This kind of thing is a little bit weird because I'm talking about me and I'm not playing a character, but playing a character I do enjoy doing.
Speaker B
00:02:22
And as I got older, I always thought I was gonna be an actress.
Speaker B
00:02:26
That was like my dream.
Speaker B
00:02:28
I was like, I'm gonna be an actress.
Speaker B
00:02:29
I'm gon in Hollywood.
Speaker B
00:02:30
I'm gonna be a movie star.
Speaker B
00:02:32
And then when I was 14, I got put into a production class at my high school.
Speaker B
00:02:37
And it was like a brand new state of the art class.
Speaker B
00:02:39
It was like they had three cameras set up, a crane, a studio very similar to this one.
Speaker B
00:02:45
Like, it was like a whole thing in a high school.
Speaker B
00:02:47
Like, that's not what you'd expect.
Speaker B
00:02:49
Yeah.
Speaker B
00:02:49
And freshmen were not supposed to be in that class.
Speaker B
00:02:52
But for some reason I got put in that class and I fell just in love with being behind the camera.
Speaker B
00:02:58
I loved the idea of being able to tell the story from the back end as opposed to being just the performer.
Speaker B
00:03:04
And so I kind of started leaning into that.
Speaker B
00:03:06
And I knew at that point that I was gonna do something with film, with videography, with cameras.
Speaker B
00:03:11
Didn't know exactly at the time because it was, you know, 2005, 2006, and all of this was still changing and YouTube was just being released.
Speaker B
00:03:19
And I didn't know what it looked like for me moving forward.
Speaker B
00:03:23
But it was definitely like around that time is when the big, like, oh, this is what I want to do kind of came in.
Speaker B
00:03:28
And I stuck with that.
Speaker B
00:03:30
And I don't know, I had a couple of mind shifts here and there.
Speaker B
00:03:32
Like, I can't do.
Speaker B
00:03:33
Be a nurse.
Speaker B
00:03:33
Oh, I can't do this.
Speaker B
00:03:34
I'm going to be a teacher.
Speaker B
00:03:35
I can't do this.
Speaker B
00:03:36
But I've always kind of gone back to it because it's just the most thrilling thing when you get to see that final product and see the story that you were able to tell.
Speaker B
00:03:44
So it was a lot of fun back then.
Speaker B
00:03:46
That's kind of how I got into it.
Speaker B
00:03:48
And I feel like I can also relate to actors because I have worked with that and I've done theater growing up and I did a lot of musical theater.
Speaker B
00:03:56
And so I'm able to, like, talk to my talent and be like, hey, this is how I want you to portray it.
Speaker B
00:04:02
Whereas a lot of.
Speaker B
00:04:02
I feel like people behind the camera, they don't get that as much.
Speaker B
00:04:06
So it's been really cool to like be able to have kind of both sides of that coin because I double minored and one of my minors was theater, so I could relate to my actors more.
Speaker A
00:04:16
So what was your favorite production you were ever part of?
Speaker A
00:04:19
In theater?
Speaker B
00:04:20
In theater?
Speaker B
00:04:21
Well, I think I kind of like, I have two that I really loved.
Speaker B
00:04:25
The first one was when I was 12.
Speaker B
00:04:29
I auditioned for Tom Sawyer, like the Tom Sawyer play.
Speaker B
00:04:34
And I was auditioning for like the aunt in that show or the mom or whoever she was.
Speaker B
00:04:40
This like, older female character because I was 12 and it was a kids production, so all the kids were younger than me.
Speaker B
00:04:44
And then they asked me to read for Huckleberry Finn and I was like, but I'm a girl.
Speaker B
00:04:50
And they're like, just read for that character.
Speaker B
00:04:52
And so I ended up getting this, like, really big role playing Huckleberry Finn, this like, little boy character.
Speaker B
00:04:59
It was really fun.
Speaker B
00:05:00
I really enjoyed that.
Speaker B
00:05:02
And then another one that I really, really enjoyed was I was in guys and dolls junior when I was 14.
Speaker B
00:05:07
That was one of the last big productions I did.
Speaker B
00:05:10
And I was just ensemble, but I loved being on that stage because I got to be in a lot of scenes, even though I wasn't a main character.
Speaker B
00:05:18
And that just let me perform even more.
Speaker B
00:05:20
So I just appreciated all of that.
Speaker B
00:05:21
So Guys and Dolls Jr.
Speaker B
00:05:22
Is probably one of the other ones I really, really loved.
Speaker A
00:05:25
A lot of fun.
Speaker A
00:05:26
I think that you're right.
Speaker A
00:05:27
I think a lot of times, unless you've been on that other side, you don't really know.
Speaker A
00:05:30
Like, for example, the way this show came to be, it wasn, oh, I'm gonna be a talk show host, or anything like that.
Speaker A
00:05:37
And Michelle, she can tell you, do you like, in front of the camera or behind the camera?
Speaker C
00:05:40
Behind the camera.
Speaker B
00:05:41
Yeah, right there with you.
Speaker A
00:05:43
And it's funny because we produce another show which you're familiar with, the Godfit Next Generation.
Speaker A
00:05:47
And I have found I like being behind the camera too.
Speaker A
00:05:50
And so I think that it just really all depends on what the ultimate goal is.
Speaker A
00:05:54
Because you get to see things you would not see if you're a part of it.
Speaker A
00:05:58
And it allows you to be flexible.
Speaker B
00:06:01
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A
00:06:01
So that's super huge.
Speaker C
00:06:03
And I think telling the whole story, I can see why that called you to mission work.
Speaker C
00:06:08
Yes, to tell the story.
Speaker C
00:06:09
So how were you called into mission work, being that you were a videographer and what.
Speaker C
00:06:14
What were the steps in that?
Speaker B
00:06:16
So I was a videographer first, but when I went to my first, like, international mission trip, it was just graduated college.
Speaker B
00:06:25
Like, I had three months, two months prior.
Speaker B
00:06:28
And for years, my sister, who is a full time missionary.
Speaker B
00:06:32
Yeah.
Speaker B
00:06:32
So she's a full time missionary in South Africa.
Speaker B
00:06:34
And for years she would ask me to come to South Africa.
Speaker B
00:06:37
And I kept telling her no.
Speaker B
00:06:38
I gave all these excuses.
Speaker B
00:06:40
I was like, I can't go, I can't go, I can't go.
Speaker B
00:06:42
And one day I was like, you know what?
Speaker B
00:06:44
I'm just gonna do it, but I'm not gonna tell anyone.
Speaker B
00:06:45
I'm gonna do it.
Speaker B
00:06:46
I'm just gonna show up.
Speaker B
00:06:47
Like, I'm not gonna raise money.
Speaker B
00:06:49
I'm just gonna go.
Speaker B
00:06:50
And if God wants me to go, I'll go.
Speaker B
00:06:51
And this was in 2018, so about six years ago.
Speaker B
00:06:55
And I ended up going.
Speaker B
00:06:56
And my now husband, we were just dating at the time, he went with me.
Speaker B
00:07:00
And it kind of opened up the world of mission work.
Speaker B
00:07:03
But the videography part didn't follow yet.
Speaker B
00:07:06
So I was there as a missionary, and it really just kind of transformed how I looked at life in general, especially, like, how I looked at doing work for God.
Speaker B
00:07:17
And so that began to open up my heart to the possibilities of what God could do.
Speaker B
00:07:22
Because I saw God heal people.
Speaker B
00:07:23
I saw God restore people.
Speaker B
00:07:25
I saw people who were.
Speaker B
00:07:27
They literally had nothing, and they were still saying that they were blessed because we gave them a small excerpt of the Bible in a language they understood.
Speaker B
00:07:36
And so that, like, transformed how I looked at doing God's work.
Speaker B
00:07:40
Because I was very fortunate that I lived a fairly sheltered life when it came to stuff like that.
Speaker B
00:07:45
I've always kind of been a Christian and things, so I never really saw the big things that God could do.
Speaker B
00:07:51
It was always just, like, I had a very, like, mundane life in a lot of ways.
Speaker B
00:07:55
And seeing this extremism and seeing how God answers prayers in a very extreme way, kind of like, put me on fire.
Speaker B
00:08:01
And I was like, I want to go back.
Speaker B
00:08:03
So I went back the next year with my at the time fiance because he had proposed to me two weeks before we went.
Speaker B
00:08:10
And while we were there, the last day, the founder, his name is Rich, he challenged all of us before we had our, like, fun day, before we left to go home, to take time to ask God, like, how do I continue this work?
Speaker B
00:08:26
What do I do now?
Speaker B
00:08:27
Am I supposed to just go home and volunteer, in a sense, at my church?
Speaker B
00:08:32
Do I need to do something with my community?
Speaker B
00:08:34
Do I need to build a business?
Speaker B
00:08:35
Do I need to come back here?
Speaker B
00:08:36
Do I need to be a missionary?
Speaker B
00:08:37
Like, the possibilities are endless.
Speaker B
00:08:40
And we spend about 10 minutes.
Speaker B
00:08:42
My husband's on the other side of the room.
Speaker B
00:08:44
I'm on a different side of the room, and I'm just writing down everything that pops into my head.
Speaker B
00:08:48
And, you know, 10 minutes is not a long time, but it felt like forever as I was sitting there with all these thoughts pulling into my head.
Speaker B
00:08:54
And then after it was done, my husband and I went for a walk, as we did every night, because, you know, we're young and in love.
Speaker B
00:09:01
And we went for a Walk.
Speaker B
00:09:02
And we were just kind of talking about things, and I asked my husband.
Speaker B
00:09:04
I was like, hey, did God speak to you?
Speaker B
00:09:06
And he's like, yeah, did God speak to you?
Speaker B
00:09:09
I was like, I'm pretty sure he spoke to me.
Speaker B
00:09:11
And he's like, okay, well, what did God say to you?
Speaker B
00:09:12
And I was like, I don't want to answer first, because if it's not the same thing, then, like, our marriage that hasn't even happened yet is not going to happen.
Speaker B
00:09:19
Like, I was so scared, but he made me go first, and I basically told him.
Speaker B
00:09:23
It's like, I felt that God was telling me that I need to use this talent because I still didn't know what I was doing at the time.
Speaker B
00:09:28
This is a year and a half post graduation, and I didn't know what I wanted to do with this degree.
Speaker B
00:09:34
And I felt like I was saying, you need to find these stories, like, the stories that you are experiencing, take them back to America and show people how they can get involved.
Speaker B
00:09:44
Like, show them what I'm doing, because America is so blind to what I'm doing.
Speaker B
00:09:48
And I was like, I told my husband that, and he was like, oh, interesting.
Speaker B
00:09:51
I was like, oh, no, we're breaking up.
Speaker B
00:09:53
I was freaking out.
Speaker B
00:09:54
And he said, well, God kind of told me the same thing.
Speaker B
00:09:57
And so that kind of led into this idea of, like, I need to go on mission trips.
Speaker B
00:10:01
I need to bring my camera, and I need to find these stories and tell them.
Speaker B
00:10:05
But not just finding the stories from my own trips.
Speaker B
00:10:07
It's also talking to other missionaries who've gone on trips and talk about their experiences and the ways they've seen God move.
Speaker B
00:10:13
So that's, like, where the connection happened.
Speaker B
00:10:15
And then 2020 happened.
Speaker B
00:10:17
So I didn't get to go on another mission trip for another, like, two years.
Speaker B
00:10:20
But it was kind of that for a couple years, just kind of thinking on this idea of, like, how am I going to do this?
Speaker B
00:10:26
What am I going to do?
Speaker B
00:10:27
So, yeah, that's kind of where it started, was that one mission trip in 2019.
Speaker C
00:10:31
It's amazing how the Lord talks to us and tells us what he wants.
Speaker C
00:10:34
But can you tell us a phenomenal story, a testimony.
Speaker B
00:10:38
Oh, my goodness.
Speaker C
00:10:38
Oh, something very phenomenal that happened.
Speaker C
00:10:40
One of the stories that you have focused on.
Speaker B
00:10:42
Yes.
Speaker B
00:10:43
So I have.
Speaker B
00:10:44
This is probably one of my favorite stories to tell.
Speaker B
00:10:46
There's so many that I can tell.
Speaker B
00:10:47
There's like a bajillion, and I could talk for hours, but we don't have hours.
Speaker B
00:10:52
So I'll tell One, there was one story that I was in Central America, we were in El Salvador and we had a very small team at the time.
Speaker B
00:11:02
And so what we did in that location is we would go to these schools and the parks and we would do these programs where we would sing and dance with the kids and the locals.
Speaker B
00:11:12
Then we would have play a game, tell them a funny like Bible story about Jesus.
Speaker B
00:11:16
Then we'd do the drama.
Speaker B
00:11:18
And the drama was always like this little like dramatic skit.
Speaker B
00:11:21
And these kids in Central America, they've been through a thousand times worse than what you can imagine.
Speaker B
00:11:27
Like they're like destroyed.
Speaker B
00:11:29
Their lives are destroyed every day, but they still move forward.
Speaker B
00:11:32
And so when you think about like, oh, this is too inappropriate for a kid, it's not inappropriate for them.
Speaker B
00:11:38
And the skit that we were doing, all five foot nothing of me played the devil every single time.
Speaker B
00:11:43
I don't know why, but I was always the devil character.
Speaker B
00:11:47
But to help the kids to kind of stay into the story of Jesus saving, I would leave after my character was defeated and I would go back and I would pray just so that God would open the hearts of the children that we were talking to.
Speaker B
00:11:59
And so I remember going back, we were at a school of like about 200 kids.
Speaker B
00:12:03
And I remember praying, just God, open the hearts, whatever you need to do.
Speaker B
00:12:07
Do my normal prayer.
Speaker B
00:12:08
And then I felt really strongly the spirit say pray specifically for a little girl.
Speaker B
00:12:12
She's about nine years old, she's dealing with self harm.
Speaker B
00:12:16
And that's part of my story.
Speaker B
00:12:18
And so I just prayed and I was like, okay, God, like, I'm just gonna pray for this little girl.
Speaker B
00:12:21
I don't know what's going on in her life, but I'm just going to pray for her.
Speaker B
00:12:25
When we, after we do the skit, they also do the testimony where the people tell the actual gospel to the children.
Speaker B
00:12:31
It's all in Spanish, so I don't know what's being said, but they do that.
Speaker B
00:12:34
And then we break up into small groups and ask the kids to pray.
Speaker B
00:12:36
And then the locals that live there get them connected to their church and kind of make sure that they're always there.
Speaker B
00:12:43
And yeah, so it gives them an opportunity to find community when they make the choice to follow Jesus type of thing.
Speaker B
00:12:51
So I was broken up into a room and I had our intern with us, who, his name is Jonathan.
Speaker B
00:12:56
He's a sweet, wonderful man of God and he's like very good at switching from English to Spanish, like just phenomenal.
Speaker B
00:13:04
And so I was with him And I would just as he's given the spiel, as they do on a little bit smaller scale for these kids.
Speaker B
00:13:11
I looked around the room and there's.
Speaker B
00:13:13
It's probably about 9, 10 year olds in this classroom.
Speaker B
00:13:16
I was like, okay, that's a little weird that I just prayed for a nine year old girl, but I'm just gonna keep praying.
Speaker B
00:13:20
And I felt the spirit say, you need to, you need to tell your story.
Speaker B
00:13:26
You need to talk about how I redeemed you from when you hurt yourself because of, you know, the things from your past.
Speaker B
00:13:34
So I asked Jonathan, I was like, hey, I don't want, you mean to interrupt, but can I tell this story?
Speaker B
00:13:38
And he's like, yes, do it.
Speaker B
00:13:40
The spirit's telling you, do it, do it.
Speaker B
00:13:41
So he translated everything.
Speaker B
00:13:43
And as I was talking about the self harm and how I used to hurt myself and things like that, this little girl turned around and looked at her friend who put her head down.
Speaker B
00:13:51
And I was like, that's a little spooky, but okay, I'm just gonna keep, I'm just gonna keep praying, blah, blah, blah, and keeps doing my thing.
Speaker B
00:13:59
And later we found out because our leader was a girl on the trip and she ended up talking to the girl.
Speaker B
00:14:06
The little girl's family had fallen on hard times and her dad was actually abusing her mom and she thought it was her faul.
Speaker B
00:14:13
She couldn't protect her mom, plus her heart.
Speaker B
00:14:16
Yeah.
Speaker B
00:14:16
So it was really, really heartbreaking to hear that.
Speaker B
00:14:19
And she had started hurting herself in order to kind of deal with the pain.
Speaker B
00:14:24
And I remember being that young and doing similar things when my own family was falling apart at the time.
Speaker B
00:14:29
And I just remember just praying for her and praying for, praying for her.
Speaker B
00:14:33
And the cool part of the story is that the next year I got to go back, we went to the same school.
Speaker B
00:14:38
And she actually came up to me and said, do you remember me?
Speaker B
00:14:41
And I was like, of course I remember you.
Speaker B
00:14:42
Like, like I spoke to you and all that.
Speaker B
00:14:45
And turns out that her, because of me just being vulnerable and open about my own story and what I went through.
Speaker B
00:14:53
Her family got to get into a church and her dad found a job.
Speaker B
00:14:57
And it just, it just spiraled into like this really cool thing of like how God just used one act of obedience.
Speaker A
00:15:04
Yes.
Speaker B
00:15:04
To further his kingdom in a way that I couldn't even imagine.
Speaker B
00:15:08
I don't speak Spanish.
Speaker B
00:15:09
I never spoke to the girl directly, sure.
Speaker B
00:15:11
But she had her life and her family's life and their community's life changed because of that, so it's one of the coolest stories I like to tell because A, I was directly a part of it, but B, it's like this is like you don't always get a chance to see the work that you do.
Speaker B
00:15:26
Like it says God's gonna make everything grow, we just kind of plant the seeds.
Speaker B
00:15:30
But the fact that God allowed me to see what I did was really cool and very encouraging at the time.
Speaker A
00:15:35
I love that.
Speaker A
00:15:36
I absolutely love that.
Speaker A
00:15:38
And I love the fact that your sister Ashley is the one that got you into this because she, she has been a die hard evangelist missionary right out of high school.
Speaker A
00:15:48
Yeah, she hit the ground running.
Speaker A
00:15:50
So what's your favorite place you've been so far?
Speaker B
00:15:53
Oh, I don't know if I could choose a favorite.
Speaker B
00:15:56
They all are like beautiful in their own ways.
Speaker B
00:15:59
The place that I've returned to the most has been El Salvador, but I think that that is because I built relationships down there and I talked to the missionaries that are on the ground there all the time.
Speaker B
00:16:09
Like one of my friends, his name is Billy, he's a missionary down there and he just proposed to his girlfriend.
Speaker B
00:16:16
So he sent me a message, said, hey, I proposed to my girlfriend.
Speaker B
00:16:18
She said yes, with a cute little picture.
Speaker B
00:16:21
Another friend, Onise, I met her my very first time I was there a couple years ago and she actually got married to a guy that another missionary that was on our trip.
Speaker B
00:16:30
And so when he proposed to her, he sent me the message and it's just like we're living life with these people and it's just really cool.
Speaker B
00:16:38
Like as far as like the place I've gone to the most is definitely El Salvador.
Speaker B
00:16:42
I love Central America, but I also absolutely loved going to Africa.
Speaker B
00:16:46
I've been to Togo, Africa and South Africa and the culture there is just so warm and loving and inviting and it's just so different than what you see here.
Speaker B
00:16:53
We're very closed off in America, very like individual, but there everything is community.
Speaker B
00:16:58
So they both have like different spaces in my heart.
Speaker A
00:17:02
Have you and your husband prior to having the baby able to go together?
Speaker A
00:17:05
Because I know you both go on mission trips.
Speaker A
00:17:07
So where have you guys been together?
Speaker B
00:17:10
We've been to South Africa twice together and we've gone to El Salvador twice together.
Speaker B
00:17:16
The Honduras trips I did on my own and the Togo Africa trip I did on my own and he actually just recently went to El Salvador again.
Speaker B
00:17:23
I stayed home with the baby, but he went there recently.
Speaker B
00:17:26
So yeah, El Salvador and South Africa, kind of the two places that are important to me, are also very important to him.
Speaker B
00:17:32
He loves South Africa with, like, his whole heart.
Speaker B
00:17:35
He loves it.
Speaker A
00:17:36
That's awesome.
Speaker A
00:17:37
So you started a new YouTube channel.
Speaker B
00:17:39
I did.
Speaker A
00:17:40
Let's talk about it.
Speaker B
00:17:41
Okay.
Speaker B
00:17:43
Yes.
Speaker B
00:17:43
So I have.
Speaker B
00:17:44
The thing that God put on my heart about taking these stories wasn't just make stories and give them to churches and just, like, do it that way, because that only affects, like, a certain group of people.
Speaker B
00:17:57
He very much wanted me to show people not only the stories in the mission field, but how can you get prepared to be on the mission field?
Speaker B
00:18:04
Because when I was going on my very first international trip, I didn't know what I was doing, and I was lost, and I was confused, and I was like, how do I spiritually prepare for this?
Speaker B
00:18:12
What do I do about making sure I can financially afford this?
Speaker B
00:18:15
What do I do?
Speaker B
00:18:16
So the series that I've started, it's called Missions with Mandy, because Missions with Amanda doesn't sound as cool.
Speaker B
00:18:23
But it's a series where I not only share my own stories for the mission field, I'm also partnering with other missionaries to talk about their stories.
Speaker B
00:18:33
And I'm also giving advice on, like, different ways to prepare for mission trips, whether that's spiritually or financially or, like, how do you even pack for a trip?
Speaker B
00:18:42
Like, how do you know what to do?
Speaker B
00:18:45
So that's kind of like, this idea is that I am helping people feel confident in going on a trip and also know that these are the cool things that happen when you go on a trip, just to get people excited.
Speaker A
00:18:56
Yeah, I love it.
Speaker A
00:18:57
I love it.
Speaker A
00:18:58
I think it's important to have an equipping channel like that, because I wouldn't have a clue.
Speaker A
00:19:04
And just physically, you know, One of our girls from the Godfident team recently went on a trip, and they had to physically trained because of the terrain that they were going to be walking on and so forth like that.
Speaker A
00:19:15
And so people really need to count the cost, and they need to be prepared spiritually, physically, emotionally.
Speaker A
00:19:21
You know, financially.
Speaker A
00:19:22
I mean, there's so many aspects to it.
Speaker A
00:19:25
So where.
Speaker A
00:19:26
If money was not an option and God said, okay, Amanda, you could go anywhere, where would you want that ideal type mission trip to be?
Speaker A
00:19:35
People that you want to minister to.
Speaker B
00:19:38
I.
Speaker B
00:19:41
That's really hard because there's so many places I haven't been yet that I would love to go to.
Speaker B
00:19:46
I've always wanted to go to Southeast Asia.
Speaker B
00:19:50
I've never had an opportunity to go there, and I don't know if I ever will.
Speaker B
00:19:54
And I'll Be okay if God never calls me there.
Speaker B
00:19:56
But I would love to go to someplace in Southeast Asia because I think that they have a very similar, similar, like, familial culture as a lot of Africa and Central America, where they're very, very close, like, familial, like, with their families.
Speaker B
00:20:13
They're very close with families.
Speaker B
00:20:14
They're very close in community.
Speaker B
00:20:16
And I feel like I would feel comfortable there.
Speaker B
00:20:18
But also it would put me out of, like, my comfort zone a little bit.
Speaker B
00:20:21
Cause I've never been to Asia.
Speaker B
00:20:23
I've never traveled there.
Speaker B
00:20:24
At least when I go to Central America, I know some Spanish.
Speaker A
00:20:26
Sure.
Speaker B
00:20:27
And when I'm in Africa, I know my sister.
Speaker B
00:20:29
So it'd be something that's completely out of, like, my comfort zone.
Speaker B
00:20:32
So I'd love to go to Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe.
Speaker B
00:20:35
Would also be really cool.
Speaker B
00:20:37
I know that would be really scary right now with everything going on in, like, Ukraine and all of that area.
Speaker B
00:20:44
It would be really hard to go there.
Speaker B
00:20:46
But if God was like, yes, I want you to go to somewhere in Eastern Europe and work with a missionary company down there, I'd be like, okay, let's do it.
Speaker B
00:20:54
Because I also really love the culture of Eastern Europe, so I think it would be really cool to visit there as well.
Speaker A
00:20:59
Nice.
Speaker A
00:21:00
Tell us the name of your YouTube channel again, in case anyone's wanting to follow you.
Speaker B
00:21:04
So the actual name of the channel is Amanda X.
Speaker B
00:21:07
Like the letter X, Bob.
Speaker B
00:21:10
Because I've not changed it over to Missions with Mandy, but that is kind of the channel that I've been working on for years now, so I've just kind of kept it where it is.
Speaker B
00:21:18
But if you search Missions with Mandy with an I, not a Y, then you'll also find me.
Speaker A
00:21:24
Is it linked on your website?
Speaker A
00:21:26
Tell us your website.
Speaker B
00:21:28
Yes.
Speaker B
00:21:28
So you can go to my website.
Speaker B
00:21:29
It's amandahmedia.com and when you go there, there is a links page, and if you click that, it'll take you to my newest video.
Speaker B
00:21:38
So you can just click that link.
Speaker B
00:21:40
It'll take you automatically to the channel, and you can subscribe from there, check out other videos and things like that.
Speaker A
00:21:44
I love it.
Speaker A
00:21:45
I think that it's so important to have not only just your stories, but capturing others and telling the story.
Speaker A
00:21:52
And I know that you've done work for us where you've captured the moment and taking all the little bits and pieces from the entire day and putting it into one minute.
Speaker A
00:22:01
You know, I mean, it's like, wow, that's a gift.
Speaker B
00:22:05
Yeah, it's hard.
Speaker B
00:22:06
It's hard because if you have so many good shots and so many good moments you want to highlight, you have to know, like, okay, God, what is the story that I need to tell?
Speaker B
00:22:14
And you have to really rely on the Holy Spirit to kind of guide those moments.
Speaker B
00:22:17
Because with something like Godfident, there is a huge, like, long day of really good stuff to pull from.
Speaker B
00:22:26
And you have to decide, do I want to tell the story of the girls being ministered to?
Speaker B
00:22:32
Do I want to tell the stories of the moms being ministered to?
Speaker B
00:22:34
Do I want to somehow make it both of them if I can?
Speaker B
00:22:37
It's very hard to choose that.
Speaker B
00:22:39
And so you have to be really in tune with what story does the Spirit need you to tell?
Speaker B
00:22:43
Which is why it does take me longer to get my videos out when it's something like this, because it's like, I need to make sure that I'm telling the best story that I have.
Speaker A
00:22:50
Yeah.
Speaker A
00:22:50
Well, we certainly appreciate all the work that you do, especially the ones that pull on the heartstrings and then the ones that are fun, you know, so there's that double whammy of good stuff.
Speaker A
00:23:01
So, oh, my goodness, we could talk to you forever.
Speaker A
00:23:03
So.
Speaker A
00:23:04
But if you could leave the audience with a key, and that key can be anything.
Speaker A
00:23:08
It can be in regards to being balancing a business and being a mom and a missionary or a key to life or something that you've learned.
Speaker A
00:23:17
You alluded a little bit to your past, and we don't have time to go into your testimony, but it's a beautiful thing, what God has done.
Speaker B
00:23:23
Yes.
Speaker A
00:23:23
And so how would you encourage the audience?
Speaker B
00:23:27
I would say, like, the thing is kind of twofold.
Speaker B
00:23:31
So it's like, there's my favorite scripture, which is Colossians 3:23.
Speaker B
00:23:37
Do everything as if you're doing it for the Lord, not for man.
Speaker B
00:23:40
Because that does take the pressure off of it.
Speaker B
00:23:43
Because all you're trying to do is impress God, and he's already impressed by you.
Speaker B
00:23:46
So it makes it a lot easier to, like, just do it, because he's like, as long as God's happy, then it doesn't matter.
Speaker B
00:23:52
But the other thing is, with that is not being constrained.
Speaker B
00:23:56
And this is kind of silly because it is a secular quote, but it's a quote from Ms.
Speaker B
00:24:00
Frizzle from the Magic School Bus.
Speaker B
00:24:02
My favorite quote, and I think about it a lot, is where she says, take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.
Speaker B
00:24:09
That's how life is.
Speaker B
00:24:10
They're gonna, like, you're gonna Hear God.
Speaker B
00:24:13
And you'll be like, wait, God, how do I do that?
Speaker B
00:24:15
I want the step by step guide.
Speaker B
00:24:16
And God's like, I don't.
Speaker B
00:24:17
I'm not gonna give you the step by step guide.
Speaker B
00:24:19
I'm not gonna tell you what any of the steps are.
Speaker B
00:24:22
I just can tell you where you need to go, and then you need to try out some things, and if it doesn't work out, that's okay.
Speaker B
00:24:26
Try something else.
Speaker B
00:24:27
And so it's like twofold.
Speaker B
00:24:28
It's like, make sure you're doing it for God, but also, don't be afraid to mess up, because God has already taken into account your mistakes when he's called you to do something.
Speaker B
00:24:37
So it's kind of that idea of, like, do both.
Speaker B
00:24:40
Like, make choices, get messy, do a little bit of work, but also make sure you're doing it for God and not for others.
Speaker A
00:24:48
Wow.
Speaker A
00:24:49
So good.
Speaker A
00:24:49
Shel, do you have any final questions for her?
Speaker C
00:24:51
No.
Speaker B
00:24:52
No.
Speaker C
00:24:53
You've covered it well.
Speaker B
00:24:54
Thank you.
Speaker A
00:24:55
I love that you quoted the better school bus.
Speaker A
00:24:57
And so it just reminded me how old I am, because my kids, when they were little, we would watch that, and I forgot all about her.
Speaker A
00:25:05
And that is a great quote.
Speaker A
00:25:06
It is a great quote because we really do, you know.
Speaker A
00:25:09
So if you are watching this and you've got messiness going on in your life and it doesn't look the way that you planned it to look, it's okay.
Speaker A
00:25:15
We are on this journey in life, and we just have to take it one day at a time, sometimes one minute at a time, and just lean into the Holy Spirit to find the thing that you're called to do.
Speaker A
00:25:26
Obviously, you're called to create.
Speaker B
00:25:28
Yes.
Speaker A
00:25:28
And to take the creation, to bring illumination to other people of what God does with his handiwork.
Speaker A
00:25:35
When we say yes.
Speaker B
00:25:36
Yes.
Speaker A
00:25:37
So have you had.
Speaker A
00:25:38
And we don't have a lot of time, but I just want to ask this question real quick.
Speaker A
00:25:41
Have you had an opportunity to document some of the stuff your sister's done out in the field when you've gone?
Speaker A
00:25:46
Is that how you kind of went along?
Speaker A
00:25:47
And you went and said, ashley, I'll shoot this for you and stuff?
Speaker B
00:25:50
Yeah.
Speaker B
00:25:51
So just over the years that I've gone with her and she's come home to visit us, I've done interviews with her all the time.
Speaker B
00:25:58
I have lots of footage from that time of us just filming, just not with any goal in mind.
Speaker B
00:26:03
Just like we have our camera.
Speaker B
00:26:05
We're just gonna film us on the mission field, and whatever happens, happens.
Speaker B
00:26:09
So I have a lot of interviews and stories throughout the years of her talking about what she's done and when she comes home.
Speaker B
00:26:17
This time, I plan on doing another interview, and eventually I hope to compile all of those to show, like, her story through the years as she's been a missionary.
Speaker B
00:26:26
So that's so cool.
Speaker A
00:26:27
That's what I was kind of visualizing is from the start to later on in life.
Speaker A
00:26:31
And so because I just.
Speaker A
00:26:32
I have so much respect for you all because it is a sacrifice, and when you get there, it's a different culture and so many other things going on.
Speaker A
00:26:40
So the fact that you and your husband are both aligned, doing that is such a beautiful thing, because sometimes it's one or the other, you know.
Speaker A
00:26:47
But the fact that God called you both together and now that you have the baby, will the baby be going on the mission field?
Speaker B
00:26:52
I hope so.
Speaker B
00:26:53
Not right away, just, you know, it's just a little bit harder when he's so young.
Speaker B
00:26:58
But I hope to eventually bring him there.
Speaker B
00:27:00
We definitely want him to know that he is welcome on the mission field.
Speaker B
00:27:04
And we're trying to teach him.
Speaker B
00:27:05
He's only 10 months now, but we're trying to teach him now is like, this is your mission field now.
Speaker B
00:27:10
Like, you know, being here is what you need to be doing.
Speaker B
00:27:12
This is what you need to be pouring into.
Speaker B
00:27:14
And then we have an opportunity.
Speaker B
00:27:15
We will bring him.
Speaker B
00:27:16
But I will say, I know we're almost out of time, but I will say one thing when you said about sometimes it's one or the other, not both aligned.
Speaker B
00:27:25
Even if you don't feel like God has called you to go on a foreign mission trip, the way that, you know, my husband and I have been blessed to be able to go together on, you can still support your spouse if that is.
Speaker A
00:27:35
That's right.
Speaker B
00:27:36
If they are called by God.
Speaker B
00:27:37
It does not.
Speaker B
00:27:39
It does not mean you have to go.
Speaker B
00:27:40
But there are so many ways, which is a video that I'm actually working on right now, ways that you can help from your hometown and calling it, like the hometown hero.
Speaker B
00:27:47
Like, how do you help someone in your life who wants to be a missionary?
Speaker B
00:27:51
Especially someone that you're super close to, like a spouse or a sibling or whatever.
Speaker A
00:27:55
Yeah.
Speaker A
00:27:56
Because they need support from all areas.
Speaker A
00:27:58
All areas.
Speaker A
00:27:58
So listen, if you're thinking about going on the mission field or you have someone that you know and love that goes out there, make sure you check out our YouTube channel because you want to be equipped and ready to be able to gather all of your stuff.
Speaker A
00:28:10
And know what you're doing.
Speaker A
00:28:11
Stepping into it.
Speaker A
00:28:12
It's a big role.
Speaker A
00:28:12
So whatever you're called to do, do it unto the lord.
Speaker A
00:28:15
We want to thank you for being here with us.
Speaker A
00:28:16
Thank you for being here, Amanda.
Speaker B
00:28:18
Thank you for having me.
Speaker A
00:28:18
Shell, thank you for sitting in again.
Speaker C
00:28:20
Happy to.
Speaker A
00:28:21
So I drag her in every once in a while.
Speaker A
00:28:22
God bless you guys.
Speaker A
00:28:23
We see you here.
Speaker A
00:28:25
Next time on Keys to your best life.
Speaker A
00:28:27
God.
00:00:22
Welcome to another episode of Keys to your best life.
Speaker A
00:00:24
I am your host, Maggie Kavanaugh, joined by my co host Michelle Lindsay, and our special guest today, Amanda Humphries.
Speaker A
00:00:31
Amanda, welcome to the broadcast.
Speaker A
00:00:33
Hi.
Speaker A
00:00:34
I'm so glad you're here.
Speaker A
00:00:35
This is so much fun.
Speaker A
00:00:36
So for those of you who do not know, she is a videographer.
Speaker A
00:00:39
So she's on the other side of the camera all the time.
Speaker A
00:00:42
So we're gonna stretch her a little bit because we wanna talk about some of the cool things that's been going on in your life as a missionary, as a mom, and as a videographer.
Speaker A
00:00:52
Yeah, those are a lot of hats to wear.
Speaker B
00:00:54
Yes.
Speaker B
00:00:55
Yes, it is.
Speaker C
00:00:55
Yeah.
Speaker A
00:00:56
A lot of transition.
Speaker A
00:00:57
So tell us how old your baby is now.
Speaker B
00:00:59
He.
Speaker B
00:01:00
Tomorrow he will be 10 months.
Speaker A
00:01:02
Oh, my goodness.
Speaker A
00:01:03
Already?
Speaker B
00:01:03
Yeah.
Speaker A
00:01:04
Time flies.
Speaker B
00:01:05
Feels like he was just born.
Speaker A
00:01:06
I know it does.
Speaker A
00:01:08
Do not blink because he'll be going off to college before you know it.
Speaker A
00:01:11
And I don't say that to scare you.
Speaker A
00:01:13
It just really happens that fast for any of you that have children.
Speaker A
00:01:16
So we are so blessed because Amanda has done some work for us for our godfident next generation conferences.
Speaker A
00:01:22
So if you see those great little videos, that's the work that she's doing.
Speaker A
00:01:26
So tell me, what called you in to videography?
Speaker A
00:01:30
Have you, like, when you were little, were you the one running around with the camera behind the scenes?
Speaker B
00:01:34
Yes and no.
Speaker B
00:01:35
Okay, so some of my earliest memories, like I was three and this is the 90s, you know, it's like 1995.
Speaker B
00:01:43
I'm, you know, a tiny baby.
Speaker B
00:01:45
And my mom for Christmas one year gave me like a little point and shoot Barbie camera at the time, but it had film, so it was like more photography than anything.
Speaker B
00:01:55
And of course I loved it because I loved all things Barbie at the time.
Speaker B
00:01:58
So I think that's like kind of one of the first times that I really like was like, oh, this is fun.
Speaker B
00:02:02
But I was always more of a performer.
Speaker B
00:02:05
I always loved acting.
Speaker B
00:02:07
I loved dancing and singing and doing musicals.
Speaker B
00:02:09
That was what I loved to do.
Speaker B
00:02:11
And I still love, like, being on a stage.
Speaker B
00:02:14
If I were to do like a performance.
Speaker B
00:02:15
This kind of thing is a little bit weird because I'm talking about me and I'm not playing a character, but playing a character I do enjoy doing.
Speaker B
00:02:22
And as I got older, I always thought I was gonna be an actress.
Speaker B
00:02:26
That was like my dream.
Speaker B
00:02:28
I was like, I'm gonna be an actress.
Speaker B
00:02:29
I'm gon in Hollywood.
Speaker B
00:02:30
I'm gonna be a movie star.
Speaker B
00:02:32
And then when I was 14, I got put into a production class at my high school.
Speaker B
00:02:37
And it was like a brand new state of the art class.
Speaker B
00:02:39
It was like they had three cameras set up, a crane, a studio very similar to this one.
Speaker B
00:02:45
Like, it was like a whole thing in a high school.
Speaker B
00:02:47
Like, that's not what you'd expect.
Speaker B
00:02:49
Yeah.
Speaker B
00:02:49
And freshmen were not supposed to be in that class.
Speaker B
00:02:52
But for some reason I got put in that class and I fell just in love with being behind the camera.
Speaker B
00:02:58
I loved the idea of being able to tell the story from the back end as opposed to being just the performer.
Speaker B
00:03:04
And so I kind of started leaning into that.
Speaker B
00:03:06
And I knew at that point that I was gonna do something with film, with videography, with cameras.
Speaker B
00:03:11
Didn't know exactly at the time because it was, you know, 2005, 2006, and all of this was still changing and YouTube was just being released.
Speaker B
00:03:19
And I didn't know what it looked like for me moving forward.
Speaker B
00:03:23
But it was definitely like around that time is when the big, like, oh, this is what I want to do kind of came in.
Speaker B
00:03:28
And I stuck with that.
Speaker B
00:03:30
And I don't know, I had a couple of mind shifts here and there.
Speaker B
00:03:32
Like, I can't do.
Speaker B
00:03:33
Be a nurse.
Speaker B
00:03:33
Oh, I can't do this.
Speaker B
00:03:34
I'm going to be a teacher.
Speaker B
00:03:35
I can't do this.
Speaker B
00:03:36
But I've always kind of gone back to it because it's just the most thrilling thing when you get to see that final product and see the story that you were able to tell.
Speaker B
00:03:44
So it was a lot of fun back then.
Speaker B
00:03:46
That's kind of how I got into it.
Speaker B
00:03:48
And I feel like I can also relate to actors because I have worked with that and I've done theater growing up and I did a lot of musical theater.
Speaker B
00:03:56
And so I'm able to, like, talk to my talent and be like, hey, this is how I want you to portray it.
Speaker B
00:04:02
Whereas a lot of.
Speaker B
00:04:02
I feel like people behind the camera, they don't get that as much.
Speaker B
00:04:06
So it's been really cool to like be able to have kind of both sides of that coin because I double minored and one of my minors was theater, so I could relate to my actors more.
Speaker A
00:04:16
So what was your favorite production you were ever part of?
Speaker A
00:04:19
In theater?
Speaker B
00:04:20
In theater?
Speaker B
00:04:21
Well, I think I kind of like, I have two that I really loved.
Speaker B
00:04:25
The first one was when I was 12.
Speaker B
00:04:29
I auditioned for Tom Sawyer, like the Tom Sawyer play.
Speaker B
00:04:34
And I was auditioning for like the aunt in that show or the mom or whoever she was.
Speaker B
00:04:40
This like, older female character because I was 12 and it was a kids production, so all the kids were younger than me.
Speaker B
00:04:44
And then they asked me to read for Huckleberry Finn and I was like, but I'm a girl.
Speaker B
00:04:50
And they're like, just read for that character.
Speaker B
00:04:52
And so I ended up getting this, like, really big role playing Huckleberry Finn, this like, little boy character.
Speaker B
00:04:59
It was really fun.
Speaker B
00:05:00
I really enjoyed that.
Speaker B
00:05:02
And then another one that I really, really enjoyed was I was in guys and dolls junior when I was 14.
Speaker B
00:05:07
That was one of the last big productions I did.
Speaker B
00:05:10
And I was just ensemble, but I loved being on that stage because I got to be in a lot of scenes, even though I wasn't a main character.
Speaker B
00:05:18
And that just let me perform even more.
Speaker B
00:05:20
So I just appreciated all of that.
Speaker B
00:05:21
So Guys and Dolls Jr.
Speaker B
00:05:22
Is probably one of the other ones I really, really loved.
Speaker A
00:05:25
A lot of fun.
Speaker A
00:05:26
I think that you're right.
Speaker A
00:05:27
I think a lot of times, unless you've been on that other side, you don't really know.
Speaker A
00:05:30
Like, for example, the way this show came to be, it wasn, oh, I'm gonna be a talk show host, or anything like that.
Speaker A
00:05:37
And Michelle, she can tell you, do you like, in front of the camera or behind the camera?
Speaker C
00:05:40
Behind the camera.
Speaker B
00:05:41
Yeah, right there with you.
Speaker A
00:05:43
And it's funny because we produce another show which you're familiar with, the Godfit Next Generation.
Speaker A
00:05:47
And I have found I like being behind the camera too.
Speaker A
00:05:50
And so I think that it just really all depends on what the ultimate goal is.
Speaker A
00:05:54
Because you get to see things you would not see if you're a part of it.
Speaker A
00:05:58
And it allows you to be flexible.
Speaker B
00:06:01
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A
00:06:01
So that's super huge.
Speaker C
00:06:03
And I think telling the whole story, I can see why that called you to mission work.
Speaker C
00:06:08
Yes, to tell the story.
Speaker C
00:06:09
So how were you called into mission work, being that you were a videographer and what.
Speaker C
00:06:14
What were the steps in that?
Speaker B
00:06:16
So I was a videographer first, but when I went to my first, like, international mission trip, it was just graduated college.
Speaker B
00:06:25
Like, I had three months, two months prior.
Speaker B
00:06:28
And for years, my sister, who is a full time missionary.
Speaker B
00:06:32
Yeah.
Speaker B
00:06:32
So she's a full time missionary in South Africa.
Speaker B
00:06:34
And for years she would ask me to come to South Africa.
Speaker B
00:06:37
And I kept telling her no.
Speaker B
00:06:38
I gave all these excuses.
Speaker B
00:06:40
I was like, I can't go, I can't go, I can't go.
Speaker B
00:06:42
And one day I was like, you know what?
Speaker B
00:06:44
I'm just gonna do it, but I'm not gonna tell anyone.
Speaker B
00:06:45
I'm gonna do it.
Speaker B
00:06:46
I'm just gonna show up.
Speaker B
00:06:47
Like, I'm not gonna raise money.
Speaker B
00:06:49
I'm just gonna go.
Speaker B
00:06:50
And if God wants me to go, I'll go.
Speaker B
00:06:51
And this was in 2018, so about six years ago.
Speaker B
00:06:55
And I ended up going.
Speaker B
00:06:56
And my now husband, we were just dating at the time, he went with me.
Speaker B
00:07:00
And it kind of opened up the world of mission work.
Speaker B
00:07:03
But the videography part didn't follow yet.
Speaker B
00:07:06
So I was there as a missionary, and it really just kind of transformed how I looked at life in general, especially, like, how I looked at doing work for God.
Speaker B
00:07:17
And so that began to open up my heart to the possibilities of what God could do.
Speaker B
00:07:22
Because I saw God heal people.
Speaker B
00:07:23
I saw God restore people.
Speaker B
00:07:25
I saw people who were.
Speaker B
00:07:27
They literally had nothing, and they were still saying that they were blessed because we gave them a small excerpt of the Bible in a language they understood.
Speaker B
00:07:36
And so that, like, transformed how I looked at doing God's work.
Speaker B
00:07:40
Because I was very fortunate that I lived a fairly sheltered life when it came to stuff like that.
Speaker B
00:07:45
I've always kind of been a Christian and things, so I never really saw the big things that God could do.
Speaker B
00:07:51
It was always just, like, I had a very, like, mundane life in a lot of ways.
Speaker B
00:07:55
And seeing this extremism and seeing how God answers prayers in a very extreme way, kind of like, put me on fire.
Speaker B
00:08:01
And I was like, I want to go back.
Speaker B
00:08:03
So I went back the next year with my at the time fiance because he had proposed to me two weeks before we went.
Speaker B
00:08:10
And while we were there, the last day, the founder, his name is Rich, he challenged all of us before we had our, like, fun day, before we left to go home, to take time to ask God, like, how do I continue this work?
Speaker B
00:08:26
What do I do now?
Speaker B
00:08:27
Am I supposed to just go home and volunteer, in a sense, at my church?
Speaker B
00:08:32
Do I need to do something with my community?
Speaker B
00:08:34
Do I need to build a business?
Speaker B
00:08:35
Do I need to come back here?
Speaker B
00:08:36
Do I need to be a missionary?
Speaker B
00:08:37
Like, the possibilities are endless.
Speaker B
00:08:40
And we spend about 10 minutes.
Speaker B
00:08:42
My husband's on the other side of the room.
Speaker B
00:08:44
I'm on a different side of the room, and I'm just writing down everything that pops into my head.
Speaker B
00:08:48
And, you know, 10 minutes is not a long time, but it felt like forever as I was sitting there with all these thoughts pulling into my head.
Speaker B
00:08:54
And then after it was done, my husband and I went for a walk, as we did every night, because, you know, we're young and in love.
Speaker B
00:09:01
And we went for a Walk.
Speaker B
00:09:02
And we were just kind of talking about things, and I asked my husband.
Speaker B
00:09:04
I was like, hey, did God speak to you?
Speaker B
00:09:06
And he's like, yeah, did God speak to you?
Speaker B
00:09:09
I was like, I'm pretty sure he spoke to me.
Speaker B
00:09:11
And he's like, okay, well, what did God say to you?
Speaker B
00:09:12
And I was like, I don't want to answer first, because if it's not the same thing, then, like, our marriage that hasn't even happened yet is not going to happen.
Speaker B
00:09:19
Like, I was so scared, but he made me go first, and I basically told him.
Speaker B
00:09:23
It's like, I felt that God was telling me that I need to use this talent because I still didn't know what I was doing at the time.
Speaker B
00:09:28
This is a year and a half post graduation, and I didn't know what I wanted to do with this degree.
Speaker B
00:09:34
And I felt like I was saying, you need to find these stories, like, the stories that you are experiencing, take them back to America and show people how they can get involved.
Speaker B
00:09:44
Like, show them what I'm doing, because America is so blind to what I'm doing.
Speaker B
00:09:48
And I was like, I told my husband that, and he was like, oh, interesting.
Speaker B
00:09:51
I was like, oh, no, we're breaking up.
Speaker B
00:09:53
I was freaking out.
Speaker B
00:09:54
And he said, well, God kind of told me the same thing.
Speaker B
00:09:57
And so that kind of led into this idea of, like, I need to go on mission trips.
Speaker B
00:10:01
I need to bring my camera, and I need to find these stories and tell them.
Speaker B
00:10:05
But not just finding the stories from my own trips.
Speaker B
00:10:07
It's also talking to other missionaries who've gone on trips and talk about their experiences and the ways they've seen God move.
Speaker B
00:10:13
So that's, like, where the connection happened.
Speaker B
00:10:15
And then 2020 happened.
Speaker B
00:10:17
So I didn't get to go on another mission trip for another, like, two years.
Speaker B
00:10:20
But it was kind of that for a couple years, just kind of thinking on this idea of, like, how am I going to do this?
Speaker B
00:10:26
What am I going to do?
Speaker B
00:10:27
So, yeah, that's kind of where it started, was that one mission trip in 2019.
Speaker C
00:10:31
It's amazing how the Lord talks to us and tells us what he wants.
Speaker C
00:10:34
But can you tell us a phenomenal story, a testimony.
Speaker B
00:10:38
Oh, my goodness.
Speaker C
00:10:38
Oh, something very phenomenal that happened.
Speaker C
00:10:40
One of the stories that you have focused on.
Speaker B
00:10:42
Yes.
Speaker B
00:10:43
So I have.
Speaker B
00:10:44
This is probably one of my favorite stories to tell.
Speaker B
00:10:46
There's so many that I can tell.
Speaker B
00:10:47
There's like a bajillion, and I could talk for hours, but we don't have hours.
Speaker B
00:10:52
So I'll tell One, there was one story that I was in Central America, we were in El Salvador and we had a very small team at the time.
Speaker B
00:11:02
And so what we did in that location is we would go to these schools and the parks and we would do these programs where we would sing and dance with the kids and the locals.
Speaker B
00:11:12
Then we would have play a game, tell them a funny like Bible story about Jesus.
Speaker B
00:11:16
Then we'd do the drama.
Speaker B
00:11:18
And the drama was always like this little like dramatic skit.
Speaker B
00:11:21
And these kids in Central America, they've been through a thousand times worse than what you can imagine.
Speaker B
00:11:27
Like they're like destroyed.
Speaker B
00:11:29
Their lives are destroyed every day, but they still move forward.
Speaker B
00:11:32
And so when you think about like, oh, this is too inappropriate for a kid, it's not inappropriate for them.
Speaker B
00:11:38
And the skit that we were doing, all five foot nothing of me played the devil every single time.
Speaker B
00:11:43
I don't know why, but I was always the devil character.
Speaker B
00:11:47
But to help the kids to kind of stay into the story of Jesus saving, I would leave after my character was defeated and I would go back and I would pray just so that God would open the hearts of the children that we were talking to.
Speaker B
00:11:59
And so I remember going back, we were at a school of like about 200 kids.
Speaker B
00:12:03
And I remember praying, just God, open the hearts, whatever you need to do.
Speaker B
00:12:07
Do my normal prayer.
Speaker B
00:12:08
And then I felt really strongly the spirit say pray specifically for a little girl.
Speaker B
00:12:12
She's about nine years old, she's dealing with self harm.
Speaker B
00:12:16
And that's part of my story.
Speaker B
00:12:18
And so I just prayed and I was like, okay, God, like, I'm just gonna pray for this little girl.
Speaker B
00:12:21
I don't know what's going on in her life, but I'm just going to pray for her.
Speaker B
00:12:25
When we, after we do the skit, they also do the testimony where the people tell the actual gospel to the children.
Speaker B
00:12:31
It's all in Spanish, so I don't know what's being said, but they do that.
Speaker B
00:12:34
And then we break up into small groups and ask the kids to pray.
Speaker B
00:12:36
And then the locals that live there get them connected to their church and kind of make sure that they're always there.
Speaker B
00:12:43
And yeah, so it gives them an opportunity to find community when they make the choice to follow Jesus type of thing.
Speaker B
00:12:51
So I was broken up into a room and I had our intern with us, who, his name is Jonathan.
Speaker B
00:12:56
He's a sweet, wonderful man of God and he's like very good at switching from English to Spanish, like just phenomenal.
Speaker B
00:13:04
And so I was with him And I would just as he's given the spiel, as they do on a little bit smaller scale for these kids.
Speaker B
00:13:11
I looked around the room and there's.
Speaker B
00:13:13
It's probably about 9, 10 year olds in this classroom.
Speaker B
00:13:16
I was like, okay, that's a little weird that I just prayed for a nine year old girl, but I'm just gonna keep praying.
Speaker B
00:13:20
And I felt the spirit say, you need to, you need to tell your story.
Speaker B
00:13:26
You need to talk about how I redeemed you from when you hurt yourself because of, you know, the things from your past.
Speaker B
00:13:34
So I asked Jonathan, I was like, hey, I don't want, you mean to interrupt, but can I tell this story?
Speaker B
00:13:38
And he's like, yes, do it.
Speaker B
00:13:40
The spirit's telling you, do it, do it.
Speaker B
00:13:41
So he translated everything.
Speaker B
00:13:43
And as I was talking about the self harm and how I used to hurt myself and things like that, this little girl turned around and looked at her friend who put her head down.
Speaker B
00:13:51
And I was like, that's a little spooky, but okay, I'm just gonna keep, I'm just gonna keep praying, blah, blah, blah, and keeps doing my thing.
Speaker B
00:13:59
And later we found out because our leader was a girl on the trip and she ended up talking to the girl.
Speaker B
00:14:06
The little girl's family had fallen on hard times and her dad was actually abusing her mom and she thought it was her faul.
Speaker B
00:14:13
She couldn't protect her mom, plus her heart.
Speaker B
00:14:16
Yeah.
Speaker B
00:14:16
So it was really, really heartbreaking to hear that.
Speaker B
00:14:19
And she had started hurting herself in order to kind of deal with the pain.
Speaker B
00:14:24
And I remember being that young and doing similar things when my own family was falling apart at the time.
Speaker B
00:14:29
And I just remember just praying for her and praying for, praying for her.
Speaker B
00:14:33
And the cool part of the story is that the next year I got to go back, we went to the same school.
Speaker B
00:14:38
And she actually came up to me and said, do you remember me?
Speaker B
00:14:41
And I was like, of course I remember you.
Speaker B
00:14:42
Like, like I spoke to you and all that.
Speaker B
00:14:45
And turns out that her, because of me just being vulnerable and open about my own story and what I went through.
Speaker B
00:14:53
Her family got to get into a church and her dad found a job.
Speaker B
00:14:57
And it just, it just spiraled into like this really cool thing of like how God just used one act of obedience.
Speaker A
00:15:04
Yes.
Speaker B
00:15:04
To further his kingdom in a way that I couldn't even imagine.
Speaker B
00:15:08
I don't speak Spanish.
Speaker B
00:15:09
I never spoke to the girl directly, sure.
Speaker B
00:15:11
But she had her life and her family's life and their community's life changed because of that, so it's one of the coolest stories I like to tell because A, I was directly a part of it, but B, it's like this is like you don't always get a chance to see the work that you do.
Speaker B
00:15:26
Like it says God's gonna make everything grow, we just kind of plant the seeds.
Speaker B
00:15:30
But the fact that God allowed me to see what I did was really cool and very encouraging at the time.
Speaker A
00:15:35
I love that.
Speaker A
00:15:36
I absolutely love that.
Speaker A
00:15:38
And I love the fact that your sister Ashley is the one that got you into this because she, she has been a die hard evangelist missionary right out of high school.
Speaker A
00:15:48
Yeah, she hit the ground running.
Speaker A
00:15:50
So what's your favorite place you've been so far?
Speaker B
00:15:53
Oh, I don't know if I could choose a favorite.
Speaker B
00:15:56
They all are like beautiful in their own ways.
Speaker B
00:15:59
The place that I've returned to the most has been El Salvador, but I think that that is because I built relationships down there and I talked to the missionaries that are on the ground there all the time.
Speaker B
00:16:09
Like one of my friends, his name is Billy, he's a missionary down there and he just proposed to his girlfriend.
Speaker B
00:16:16
So he sent me a message, said, hey, I proposed to my girlfriend.
Speaker B
00:16:18
She said yes, with a cute little picture.
Speaker B
00:16:21
Another friend, Onise, I met her my very first time I was there a couple years ago and she actually got married to a guy that another missionary that was on our trip.
Speaker B
00:16:30
And so when he proposed to her, he sent me the message and it's just like we're living life with these people and it's just really cool.
Speaker B
00:16:38
Like as far as like the place I've gone to the most is definitely El Salvador.
Speaker B
00:16:42
I love Central America, but I also absolutely loved going to Africa.
Speaker B
00:16:46
I've been to Togo, Africa and South Africa and the culture there is just so warm and loving and inviting and it's just so different than what you see here.
Speaker B
00:16:53
We're very closed off in America, very like individual, but there everything is community.
Speaker B
00:16:58
So they both have like different spaces in my heart.
Speaker A
00:17:02
Have you and your husband prior to having the baby able to go together?
Speaker A
00:17:05
Because I know you both go on mission trips.
Speaker A
00:17:07
So where have you guys been together?
Speaker B
00:17:10
We've been to South Africa twice together and we've gone to El Salvador twice together.
Speaker B
00:17:16
The Honduras trips I did on my own and the Togo Africa trip I did on my own and he actually just recently went to El Salvador again.
Speaker B
00:17:23
I stayed home with the baby, but he went there recently.
Speaker B
00:17:26
So yeah, El Salvador and South Africa, kind of the two places that are important to me, are also very important to him.
Speaker B
00:17:32
He loves South Africa with, like, his whole heart.
Speaker B
00:17:35
He loves it.
Speaker A
00:17:36
That's awesome.
Speaker A
00:17:37
So you started a new YouTube channel.
Speaker B
00:17:39
I did.
Speaker A
00:17:40
Let's talk about it.
Speaker B
00:17:41
Okay.
Speaker B
00:17:43
Yes.
Speaker B
00:17:43
So I have.
Speaker B
00:17:44
The thing that God put on my heart about taking these stories wasn't just make stories and give them to churches and just, like, do it that way, because that only affects, like, a certain group of people.
Speaker B
00:17:57
He very much wanted me to show people not only the stories in the mission field, but how can you get prepared to be on the mission field?
Speaker B
00:18:04
Because when I was going on my very first international trip, I didn't know what I was doing, and I was lost, and I was confused, and I was like, how do I spiritually prepare for this?
Speaker B
00:18:12
What do I do about making sure I can financially afford this?
Speaker B
00:18:15
What do I do?
Speaker B
00:18:16
So the series that I've started, it's called Missions with Mandy, because Missions with Amanda doesn't sound as cool.
Speaker B
00:18:23
But it's a series where I not only share my own stories for the mission field, I'm also partnering with other missionaries to talk about their stories.
Speaker B
00:18:33
And I'm also giving advice on, like, different ways to prepare for mission trips, whether that's spiritually or financially or, like, how do you even pack for a trip?
Speaker B
00:18:42
Like, how do you know what to do?
Speaker B
00:18:45
So that's kind of like, this idea is that I am helping people feel confident in going on a trip and also know that these are the cool things that happen when you go on a trip, just to get people excited.
Speaker A
00:18:56
Yeah, I love it.
Speaker A
00:18:57
I love it.
Speaker A
00:18:58
I think it's important to have an equipping channel like that, because I wouldn't have a clue.
Speaker A
00:19:04
And just physically, you know, One of our girls from the Godfident team recently went on a trip, and they had to physically trained because of the terrain that they were going to be walking on and so forth like that.
Speaker A
00:19:15
And so people really need to count the cost, and they need to be prepared spiritually, physically, emotionally.
Speaker A
00:19:21
You know, financially.
Speaker A
00:19:22
I mean, there's so many aspects to it.
Speaker A
00:19:25
So where.
Speaker A
00:19:26
If money was not an option and God said, okay, Amanda, you could go anywhere, where would you want that ideal type mission trip to be?
Speaker A
00:19:35
People that you want to minister to.
Speaker B
00:19:38
I.
Speaker B
00:19:41
That's really hard because there's so many places I haven't been yet that I would love to go to.
Speaker B
00:19:46
I've always wanted to go to Southeast Asia.
Speaker B
00:19:50
I've never had an opportunity to go there, and I don't know if I ever will.
Speaker B
00:19:54
And I'll Be okay if God never calls me there.
Speaker B
00:19:56
But I would love to go to someplace in Southeast Asia because I think that they have a very similar, similar, like, familial culture as a lot of Africa and Central America, where they're very, very close, like, familial, like, with their families.
Speaker B
00:20:13
They're very close with families.
Speaker B
00:20:14
They're very close in community.
Speaker B
00:20:16
And I feel like I would feel comfortable there.
Speaker B
00:20:18
But also it would put me out of, like, my comfort zone a little bit.
Speaker B
00:20:21
Cause I've never been to Asia.
Speaker B
00:20:23
I've never traveled there.
Speaker B
00:20:24
At least when I go to Central America, I know some Spanish.
Speaker A
00:20:26
Sure.
Speaker B
00:20:27
And when I'm in Africa, I know my sister.
Speaker B
00:20:29
So it'd be something that's completely out of, like, my comfort zone.
Speaker B
00:20:32
So I'd love to go to Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe.
Speaker B
00:20:35
Would also be really cool.
Speaker B
00:20:37
I know that would be really scary right now with everything going on in, like, Ukraine and all of that area.
Speaker B
00:20:44
It would be really hard to go there.
Speaker B
00:20:46
But if God was like, yes, I want you to go to somewhere in Eastern Europe and work with a missionary company down there, I'd be like, okay, let's do it.
Speaker B
00:20:54
Because I also really love the culture of Eastern Europe, so I think it would be really cool to visit there as well.
Speaker A
00:20:59
Nice.
Speaker A
00:21:00
Tell us the name of your YouTube channel again, in case anyone's wanting to follow you.
Speaker B
00:21:04
So the actual name of the channel is Amanda X.
Speaker B
00:21:07
Like the letter X, Bob.
Speaker B
00:21:10
Because I've not changed it over to Missions with Mandy, but that is kind of the channel that I've been working on for years now, so I've just kind of kept it where it is.
Speaker B
00:21:18
But if you search Missions with Mandy with an I, not a Y, then you'll also find me.
Speaker A
00:21:24
Is it linked on your website?
Speaker A
00:21:26
Tell us your website.
Speaker B
00:21:28
Yes.
Speaker B
00:21:28
So you can go to my website.
Speaker B
00:21:29
It's amandahmedia.com and when you go there, there is a links page, and if you click that, it'll take you to my newest video.
Speaker B
00:21:38
So you can just click that link.
Speaker B
00:21:40
It'll take you automatically to the channel, and you can subscribe from there, check out other videos and things like that.
Speaker A
00:21:44
I love it.
Speaker A
00:21:45
I think that it's so important to have not only just your stories, but capturing others and telling the story.
Speaker A
00:21:52
And I know that you've done work for us where you've captured the moment and taking all the little bits and pieces from the entire day and putting it into one minute.
Speaker A
00:22:01
You know, I mean, it's like, wow, that's a gift.
Speaker B
00:22:05
Yeah, it's hard.
Speaker B
00:22:06
It's hard because if you have so many good shots and so many good moments you want to highlight, you have to know, like, okay, God, what is the story that I need to tell?
Speaker B
00:22:14
And you have to really rely on the Holy Spirit to kind of guide those moments.
Speaker B
00:22:17
Because with something like Godfident, there is a huge, like, long day of really good stuff to pull from.
Speaker B
00:22:26
And you have to decide, do I want to tell the story of the girls being ministered to?
Speaker B
00:22:32
Do I want to tell the stories of the moms being ministered to?
Speaker B
00:22:34
Do I want to somehow make it both of them if I can?
Speaker B
00:22:37
It's very hard to choose that.
Speaker B
00:22:39
And so you have to be really in tune with what story does the Spirit need you to tell?
Speaker B
00:22:43
Which is why it does take me longer to get my videos out when it's something like this, because it's like, I need to make sure that I'm telling the best story that I have.
Speaker A
00:22:50
Yeah.
Speaker A
00:22:50
Well, we certainly appreciate all the work that you do, especially the ones that pull on the heartstrings and then the ones that are fun, you know, so there's that double whammy of good stuff.
Speaker A
00:23:01
So, oh, my goodness, we could talk to you forever.
Speaker A
00:23:03
So.
Speaker A
00:23:04
But if you could leave the audience with a key, and that key can be anything.
Speaker A
00:23:08
It can be in regards to being balancing a business and being a mom and a missionary or a key to life or something that you've learned.
Speaker A
00:23:17
You alluded a little bit to your past, and we don't have time to go into your testimony, but it's a beautiful thing, what God has done.
Speaker B
00:23:23
Yes.
Speaker A
00:23:23
And so how would you encourage the audience?
Speaker B
00:23:27
I would say, like, the thing is kind of twofold.
Speaker B
00:23:31
So it's like, there's my favorite scripture, which is Colossians 3:23.
Speaker B
00:23:37
Do everything as if you're doing it for the Lord, not for man.
Speaker B
00:23:40
Because that does take the pressure off of it.
Speaker B
00:23:43
Because all you're trying to do is impress God, and he's already impressed by you.
Speaker B
00:23:46
So it makes it a lot easier to, like, just do it, because he's like, as long as God's happy, then it doesn't matter.
Speaker B
00:23:52
But the other thing is, with that is not being constrained.
Speaker B
00:23:56
And this is kind of silly because it is a secular quote, but it's a quote from Ms.
Speaker B
00:24:00
Frizzle from the Magic School Bus.
Speaker B
00:24:02
My favorite quote, and I think about it a lot, is where she says, take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.
Speaker B
00:24:09
That's how life is.
Speaker B
00:24:10
They're gonna, like, you're gonna Hear God.
Speaker B
00:24:13
And you'll be like, wait, God, how do I do that?
Speaker B
00:24:15
I want the step by step guide.
Speaker B
00:24:16
And God's like, I don't.
Speaker B
00:24:17
I'm not gonna give you the step by step guide.
Speaker B
00:24:19
I'm not gonna tell you what any of the steps are.
Speaker B
00:24:22
I just can tell you where you need to go, and then you need to try out some things, and if it doesn't work out, that's okay.
Speaker B
00:24:26
Try something else.
Speaker B
00:24:27
And so it's like twofold.
Speaker B
00:24:28
It's like, make sure you're doing it for God, but also, don't be afraid to mess up, because God has already taken into account your mistakes when he's called you to do something.
Speaker B
00:24:37
So it's kind of that idea of, like, do both.
Speaker B
00:24:40
Like, make choices, get messy, do a little bit of work, but also make sure you're doing it for God and not for others.
Speaker A
00:24:48
Wow.
Speaker A
00:24:49
So good.
Speaker A
00:24:49
Shel, do you have any final questions for her?
Speaker C
00:24:51
No.
Speaker B
00:24:52
No.
Speaker C
00:24:53
You've covered it well.
Speaker B
00:24:54
Thank you.
Speaker A
00:24:55
I love that you quoted the better school bus.
Speaker A
00:24:57
And so it just reminded me how old I am, because my kids, when they were little, we would watch that, and I forgot all about her.
Speaker A
00:25:05
And that is a great quote.
Speaker A
00:25:06
It is a great quote because we really do, you know.
Speaker A
00:25:09
So if you are watching this and you've got messiness going on in your life and it doesn't look the way that you planned it to look, it's okay.
Speaker A
00:25:15
We are on this journey in life, and we just have to take it one day at a time, sometimes one minute at a time, and just lean into the Holy Spirit to find the thing that you're called to do.
Speaker A
00:25:26
Obviously, you're called to create.
Speaker B
00:25:28
Yes.
Speaker A
00:25:28
And to take the creation, to bring illumination to other people of what God does with his handiwork.
Speaker A
00:25:35
When we say yes.
Speaker B
00:25:36
Yes.
Speaker A
00:25:37
So have you had.
Speaker A
00:25:38
And we don't have a lot of time, but I just want to ask this question real quick.
Speaker A
00:25:41
Have you had an opportunity to document some of the stuff your sister's done out in the field when you've gone?
Speaker A
00:25:46
Is that how you kind of went along?
Speaker A
00:25:47
And you went and said, ashley, I'll shoot this for you and stuff?
Speaker B
00:25:50
Yeah.
Speaker B
00:25:51
So just over the years that I've gone with her and she's come home to visit us, I've done interviews with her all the time.
Speaker B
00:25:58
I have lots of footage from that time of us just filming, just not with any goal in mind.
Speaker B
00:26:03
Just like we have our camera.
Speaker B
00:26:05
We're just gonna film us on the mission field, and whatever happens, happens.
Speaker B
00:26:09
So I have a lot of interviews and stories throughout the years of her talking about what she's done and when she comes home.
Speaker B
00:26:17
This time, I plan on doing another interview, and eventually I hope to compile all of those to show, like, her story through the years as she's been a missionary.
Speaker B
00:26:26
So that's so cool.
Speaker A
00:26:27
That's what I was kind of visualizing is from the start to later on in life.
Speaker A
00:26:31
And so because I just.
Speaker A
00:26:32
I have so much respect for you all because it is a sacrifice, and when you get there, it's a different culture and so many other things going on.
Speaker A
00:26:40
So the fact that you and your husband are both aligned, doing that is such a beautiful thing, because sometimes it's one or the other, you know.
Speaker A
00:26:47
But the fact that God called you both together and now that you have the baby, will the baby be going on the mission field?
Speaker B
00:26:52
I hope so.
Speaker B
00:26:53
Not right away, just, you know, it's just a little bit harder when he's so young.
Speaker B
00:26:58
But I hope to eventually bring him there.
Speaker B
00:27:00
We definitely want him to know that he is welcome on the mission field.
Speaker B
00:27:04
And we're trying to teach him.
Speaker B
00:27:05
He's only 10 months now, but we're trying to teach him now is like, this is your mission field now.
Speaker B
00:27:10
Like, you know, being here is what you need to be doing.
Speaker B
00:27:12
This is what you need to be pouring into.
Speaker B
00:27:14
And then we have an opportunity.
Speaker B
00:27:15
We will bring him.
Speaker B
00:27:16
But I will say, I know we're almost out of time, but I will say one thing when you said about sometimes it's one or the other, not both aligned.
Speaker B
00:27:25
Even if you don't feel like God has called you to go on a foreign mission trip, the way that, you know, my husband and I have been blessed to be able to go together on, you can still support your spouse if that is.
Speaker A
00:27:35
That's right.
Speaker B
00:27:36
If they are called by God.
Speaker B
00:27:37
It does not.
Speaker B
00:27:39
It does not mean you have to go.
Speaker B
00:27:40
But there are so many ways, which is a video that I'm actually working on right now, ways that you can help from your hometown and calling it, like the hometown hero.
Speaker B
00:27:47
Like, how do you help someone in your life who wants to be a missionary?
Speaker B
00:27:51
Especially someone that you're super close to, like a spouse or a sibling or whatever.
Speaker A
00:27:55
Yeah.
Speaker A
00:27:56
Because they need support from all areas.
Speaker A
00:27:58
All areas.
Speaker A
00:27:58
So listen, if you're thinking about going on the mission field or you have someone that you know and love that goes out there, make sure you check out our YouTube channel because you want to be equipped and ready to be able to gather all of your stuff.
Speaker A
00:28:10
And know what you're doing.
Speaker A
00:28:11
Stepping into it.
Speaker A
00:28:12
It's a big role.
Speaker A
00:28:12
So whatever you're called to do, do it unto the lord.
Speaker A
00:28:15
We want to thank you for being here with us.
Speaker A
00:28:16
Thank you for being here, Amanda.
Speaker B
00:28:18
Thank you for having me.
Speaker A
00:28:18
Shell, thank you for sitting in again.
Speaker C
00:28:20
Happy to.
Speaker A
00:28:21
So I drag her in every once in a while.
Speaker A
00:28:22
God bless you guys.
Speaker A
00:28:23
We see you here.
Speaker A
00:28:25
Next time on Keys to your best life.
Speaker A
00:28:27
God.
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