In this episode, hosts Mike Tapia and Cody Hall speak with Alan Shea, a longtime missionary with SIM who serves in Liberia through broadcast engineering, electrical infrastructure, and logistics support. Alan's decades-long ministry has included keeping Christian radio stations running, ensuring hospitals have clean water and reliable electricity, and responding to crises like Ebola and civil war evacuations.
Alan was born at ELWA Hospital in Liberia, where he now serves as a technical advisor, continuing a legacy started by his missionary parents. Through remarkable stories of faith, risk, and obedience, Alan reflects on how God uses people with technical skills in powerful and unexpected ways. This episode is full of wisdom for anyone wrestling with calling, risk, or the quiet but essential roles in missions that make gospel work possible.
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00:00 – Intro: Meet Alan Shea, Missionary Engineer With SIM
01:00 – Technical Missions: Radio, Hospital, and School Support
03:00 – Power and Infrastructure in Liberia
06:00 – Water Treatment and Becoming a “Water Engineer”
08:00 – How Alan Helps Enable Pastors and Church Planters
09:30 – Alan’s Family’s Legacy at ELWA
12:00 – A Technical Call Shaped by Obedience
15:00 – Education, Bible Training, and Radio Experience
18:00 – Why Heart-Language Radio Matters
20:00 – Strategic Power of Radio in Africa Today
22:00 – Shortwave’s Impact During Ebola Outbreaks
24:00 – Broadcasting to 330 Million Across Africa
26:00 – Evangelism Through Media: Local Voices, Local Languages
29:00 – War in Ivory Coast: Evacuations and God’s Provision
32:00 – “What Happens to You Is God’s Problem”
35:00 – Safety vs. Obedience: Trusting God in Hard Places
38:00 – God’s Call, God’s Care—And Meeting His Wife Sherry
41:00 – Family Connections in Missions Across Generations
43:00 – Starting Full-Time Service in Liberia
46:00 – Ebola Response and Medical Ministry
49:00 – SIM Missionaries Contracting Ebola: Survival and Witness
52:00 – Why Healing Isn’t Enough Without the Gospel
54:00 – Long-Term Investment: Mentoring, Building, Equipping
56:00 – Urgent Technical Needs in Liberia Today
58:00 – Who’s Needed? Mechanics, Electricians, Trainers, Engineers
01:00:00 – God Uses What You Have—Even if It’s Not Enough
01:01:00 – Discernment, Community, and Calling Into Missions
01:02:00 – Final Encouragement: God Calls, Equips, and Sends
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