The Birth of Open Schools Worldwide | Calling Story Part 2 with Alan McIlhenny (Ep. 205)
Transformed & Transformational
Release Date: 01/23/2026
A Third of Us: What It Takes to Reach the Unreached | Zoom In with Dr. Marvin Newell (Ep. 219)
Transformed & Transformational
About three billion people — a third of everyone alive today — still don't have access to the gospel. Dr. Marvin Newell unpacks five Great Commission passages and how we can take the gospel to those who still haven't heard the good news. Listen in to learn about the 10/40 Window, the International Day for the Unreached, and more! “There are about 9.2 billion people in the world today, and of those, about a third of them have yet to have access to the gospel.” “A third of humanity has yet to have a clear presentation of the gospel.” Matthew 28:18-20 “The core of what we’re to...
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The Myth of Doing for God | Spiritual Formation with Brian Delamont (Ep. 218)
Transformed & Transformational
Does God want me to do things 'for' Him? In this Spiritual Formation conversation, Brian Delamont unpacks the myth that our service somehow benefits God or earns His approval. More than acts of service or obligation, it's about the heart. Brian offers a question to guide our reflection this month as we consider our motivations and perspectives of God. Isaiah 41:10 Deuteronomy 11:18-21 John 10:27 “When I’m doing something ‘for,’ do I picture that as I’m doing God a favor or I’m actually bringing something to God that maybe He can’t do without me?” Jeremiah 31:3 “The thought...
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Changed at Camp, Changing Portugal | Calling Story with Duarte Casmarrinha (Ep. 217)
Transformed & Transformational
What does it look like to fully embrace the local church and global missions -- not as competing callings, but as one? Duarte Casmarrinha, National Director of TeachBeyond Portugal and local church pastor, has spent his life finding out. In this conversation, Duarte shares how camps became a thread woven through his entire ministry life, why he sees education as the greatest open door for the gospel, and how his involvement with TeachBeyond has allowed him to extend his gifts in ways he never expected. “The brethren churches in Portugal were basically founded by British missionaries in the...
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Neuroscience and Transformational Education | Teacher’s Desk with Paulo Jobim (Ep. 216)
Transformed & Transformational
Paulo Jobim returns to explore what neuroscience reveals about transformational education and why it affirms what Christian educators have always believed — from the way teachers' and students' brains synchronize during genuine connection, to the role of emotional intelligence and novelty in learning. This conversation will give teachers both a richer vocabulary for what they already practice and fresh encouragement that the work of Christian education is written into the way God made us. If you want to see your classroom through the lens of both Scripture and science, this is the episode...
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Reaching the Nations through Education | Zoom in with David Durance (Ep. 215)
Transformed & Transformational
In this important conversation, David Durance shares what it means to reach the nations through education. He shares why this moment in history calls for fresh obedience, renewed imagination, and a deeper awareness of how God is already at work around the world. As more people than ever remain unreached, this episode explores why education is not secondary to mission, but one of the most powerful ways the gospel is being lived out and heard today. If you want to better understand the heart behind TeachBeyond’s calling, this episode is a great place to begin. “As we see different cultures...
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The Myth of the Main Character | Spiritual Formation with Brian Delamont (Ep. 214)
Transformed & Transformational
As Brian Delamont returns for the monthly Spiritual Formation episode, Heather introduces the colloquial term “main character energy” as a cultural myth to unpack. Brian, Heather, and Keane walk through Scripture from Jonah to Jesus to Peter, exploring the importance of keeping a Kingdom perspective. Jonah 4:9-11 “He gives us agency, and yet He also offers us a much better story.” Matthew 11:28-30 “Being the protagonist, being the main character, is exhausting because you have to fight the fight [...] and yet, God is saying, ‘I have a path for you that is lighter and easier than...
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Study Abroad and Missions | Calling Story with Nichole DeBruin, Kylie Stancliffe, and Abby and Zeke Esteban (Ep. 213)
Transformed & Transformational
Studying abroad and serving missionally can go hand in hand! From the vibrancy of Ecuadorian dancing to the incense of Buddhist temples, TeachBeyond members share how their study abroad experiences exposed them to missions and helped them discern a calling to pursue teaching overseas. Zeke and Abby studied abroad with Nichole student taught abroad with “It gave me ‘family’ in another culture and another location, and I think people are [...] what you hold onto the most with study abroad.” - Zeke “That’s the difference [from] if you are just going on vacation or if you do a...
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Study Abroad and Missions | Calling Story with Nichole DeBruin, Kylie Stancliffe, and Abby and Zeke Esteban (Ep. 213)
Transformed & Transformational
Studying abroad and serving missionally can go hand in hand! From the vibrancy of Ecuadorian dancing to the incense of Buddhist temples, TeachBeyond members share how their study abroad experiences exposed them to missions and helped them discern a calling to pursue teaching overseas. Zeke and Abby studied abroad with Nichole student taught abroad with “It gave me ‘family’ in another culture and another location, and I think people are [...] what you hold onto the most with study abroad.” - Zeke “That’s the difference [from] if you are just going on vacation or if you do a...
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Stories That Shape Identity | Teacher’s Desk with Chris O'Shaughnessy (Ep. 212)
Transformed & Transformational
Hear from global storyteller Christopher O’Shaughnessy about the power of storytelling to build connection, shape identity, and help people navigate life across cultures. From the role of humor in bringing people together to the deeper work of putting words to our internal experiences, Chris shares practical insights into how stories create bridges between people. “Whether you’re intentionally saying it or whether people are unintentionally hearing it, there’s always some story in context.” “The more of your story you can refine, the more you’re opening up points of...
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Global Christian Database | Zoom In with Dr. Gina Zurlo (Ep. 211)
Transformed & Transformational
From the process of data collection to the impact of women in the church to stories of conversions in West Asia, hear from social scientist Dr. Gina Zurlo about the current state and important trends in world Christianity. Whether you love numbers or are brand new to demography, there is something to learn from this conversation about the World Christian Database, and Dr. Zurlo’s passion is contagious! “I’m really committed to producing the highest quality, most comprehensive, reliable data that I possibly can because I know that people are using these data to help inform...
info_outlineThis week, hear the rest of the story from Alan McIlhenny, one of the co-founders of Open Schools Worldwide, with the mission to design and deliver life-changing learning to bring hope to marginalized children in developing countries worldwide.
- Listen to Part 1 of the story here: Episode 204
- Four legs of the table of education are vision, people, materials, methods, with Christ at the center
- “[One of the biggest challenges] was finding the right people who understood the children that we were going to be working with.”
- “We need to take care of our volunteer tutors and help them because they’re being faced with awful situations that children should never have to face.”
- “When we are teaching the letter f, we talk about father, friends, and you can bring up discussions about friendship and the lack of fathers, which is common for so many of the kids.”
- “We play a lot of games and try to make the lessons fun.”
- “We called it Open Schools Worldwide because the need was worldwide.”
- “The need is worldwide, and God is good [...] We were dreaming big.”
- “We didn’t have to seek out growth. People came to us. The story spread.”
- “When Angie, our director [...] tells me that we have 14,800 kids enrolled now, it just brings tears to my eyes. It’s brilliant.”
- “Pray about it and ask the Lord to open the doors.”
- “I’ve always prayed that the Lord would open a door for something, and that if it was wrong, He would close the door and that I would accept the door closing. It’s easy to jump after things; it’s not so easy to say, ‘Well, maybe that’s not quite right.’”
- “I can’t do something on my own, but praying for the right people to join me has been a way to move forward.”
- “I was a very shy, retiring, quiet person, and if someone had said to me what was going to happen, I would not have in any way believed them.”
What’s changing our lives:
- Keane: Color-coded calendar to notice trends
- Heather: Road tripping with her brother’s family
- Alan: Worshiping in a thousand-year-old building
Weekly Spotlight: Open Schools Worldwide
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Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast
Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/