Brewing Better Marriages
Advice for better marriages, answering questions concerning marriages, homes, relationships, and child rearing.
Brewing Better Marriages
McDaniel Interview-3
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Interview with Shawn and Reitha McDaniel
I've been looking for a child. Been looking for a truth. I guess I've been looking for you. I guess I've been looking for you.
SPEAKER_04Welcome to Brewing Better Marriages from T South Dakota with Philip and Debbie Sanders. If these podcasts have been a blessing to you, pass it on to others and let us know with an email and also include any questions you might have on the subjects we cover. The last couple of podcasts we have done has been with Brother Sean, Sister Retha McDaniel, who is here in T South Dakota helping us in the ministry. We appreciate so much their labors and what they have given to the uh ministry that is here. And we'll say uh again this morning, welcome, brother Sean. Thank you. Welcome, Sister Retha. Thank you. Welcome, Sister Debbie.
SPEAKER_00Hello.
SPEAKER_04And uh we've talked about their their early life and what led them to the Lord and what led them the second podcast with them was about what led them to each other. And by doing that, we was hoping that it would help some who have got um possibly later in life and thinking that possibly God wasn't in their life and in their relationships. And uh if you know somebody, pass it on to them. Uh it can be such an encouragement. That uh interview was very, very good. Both of those are very good. But today we're gonna step a little bit further ahead and we're gonna talk about where God has taken them since they have married. Um if you'll remember, Brother Sean, you both of you had had some missions background before you did get married. And uh take us from that point on, will you?
SPEAKER_02Yes. Um I think I mentioned in a previous uh podcast that when I was 19 years old, I was on a mission trip down in Mexico, and uh that's when the uh the Lord uh first started dealing with me about missions. I was uh uh we had uh visited a church uh one uh evening uh for service and uh Spirit started speaking to my heart about missions and and I uh I resisted that call. I was uh painfully shy, uh teenager. Uh being up in front of people was the last thing in the world that I would uh have chosen. Uh but the Lord, you know, kept dealing with me, and uh I wrestled for about two years before I surrendered to that call to missions. And uh so uh I finally uh surrendered to that call. And of course I was still single at that point, and but all those years, you know, I I felt that God had called me to full-time missions. And so uh after uh me and Rita had gotten married, I uh, you know, felt the Lord had called us to that, but we did not know where uh he wanted us to go or what he wanted us to do. And so uh seeking the Lord for direction, the Lord laid uh radio uh on my heart as a ministry. And uh so then uh we were still seeking the Lord for direction on where to go. Uh you know.
SPEAKER_04Can I interrupt you just a minute there, Brother Sean, and and ask you, did you know of anybody who had uh radio ministry or associated with anything that would lead that?
SPEAKER_02No, I mean I I know, you know, if a few missionaries that had maybe a broadcast, you know, on the radio station or something like that, but I didn't know of any uh missionaries that had a radio station. Yes, I believe so. And and so uh we had that, you know, had had that uh uh desire to do that, but we did not know where. And so we were seeking the Lord for direction on where uh he wanted us to go. And so uh the Lord led us to sell our home uh there in Oklahoma and to move to Neosho, Missouri is that first step towards uh full-time missions. And so we moved to Neosho and uh we were there for uh a while, uh maybe a year or so, uh still seeking for direction. And one night in uh back to school revival, I was down at the altar praying, and the Lord spoke Auckland, New Zealand to my heart. And uh in in my mind I saw a picture of a radio station on the side of a mountain. And so that's uh crazy uh started taking steps towards New Zealand. Yeah, good.
SPEAKER_01How about you, Sister Ethan? Well, I just you know, when he told me that, I may have even said, Where's New Zealand? How crazy is that? But um anyway, uh we just started taking steps toward that way and uh God just opened up doors for us and I mean it's not easy leaving family and friends, you know. I mean, that's just something every missionary has to deal with, but um, it's always um important to follow your husband where he feels like God is leading him and uh follow the Lord.
SPEAKER_04That's very good, uh a very good point. There's several things that's come to my mind while you talk. Number one is it's it's a little difficult to go someplace that you've never been before and you didn't know what you what to expect.
SPEAKER_01And didn't know anybody.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. The unknown has probably affected more for doing the will of God than anything else, than any financial difficulties, than any sickness, uh being able to just do the unknown. You know, Deb and I uh here again, uh I applaud you. You mentioned this, and it was that is so important is submission uh to your husband and God speaking to him, because uh Deb and I, uh, of course, you know, over the years, she hasn't always been raised that uh we just jump out and do something uh by faith. And I think I mentioned, I don't remember if it was it was in one of the earlier podcasts, faith is not the absence of doubt, but it is the confidence in God during doubt. And uh us coming to tea was even uh I mean we wouldn't go halfway around the world or maybe all the way around the world uh to start a radio station on the side of a mountain. You know, that wasn't it. But the no matter what you do, you're going to have those those doubts and fears. I've always said the companion of faith is fear. And we just have to keep going in what we know as God's direction. Uh I'm gonna go back again to Sister Ethan talking about uh submission to the will of God with your husband, and that's that's something I want to applaud my wife for right here, is uh she's never stuck her heels in, said, I can't do that. Uh she might have said, Are you sure? Okay, and that's fine.
SPEAKER_00Well, you know, all along the way, uh even when it's something that you're not it's not your comfort zone, you m don't feel secure in, you're uncertain about, it seems like when you s once you step out and you make that uh effort or you take that step of faith, God always brings confirmations by what he has for us. Even though it was uncertain, it was just me and him for the first uh service that we even had here, but all along the way, even weekly, sometimes daily, God has brought people to us. And I think if if you want to do something for God, there's plenty to do. It's just taking that step.
SPEAKER_01It's important that you marry someone that will be willing to go. And whatever your spouse feels like he needs to do, you need to go. Because if you marry somebody that will not go, you're gonna be out of God's will. And miserable, miss missing God's will.
SPEAKER_04Can you imagine uh what Sarah went through when Abraham said, Okay, hon, pack her up. Let's get out of here. Well, where are we going? Uh I don't know. But here we go.
SPEAKER_01And they may never have seen their family again. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Brother Sean, how about you? Did you have doubts or fears or was you concerned?
SPEAKER_02No, I mean, as far as knowing, going to New Zealand, and and you know, I I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that's what God had called us to, and so there that was never a doubt. But, you know, there's there's along the way, there's, you know, uh, you know, there were times we've been to New Zealand, our first uh trip was to uh for three weeks and then three months, and then this pastime we were there uh two and a half years, and you know, there were times when finances got low and and different things, and and I didn't in that I didn't question that God sent us, but you know, there was times of uh you know praying and and you know go out, God, you know, probably Retha more than me, God, what are you doing here? But you know, it's you know, that it's a walk of faith, you know, as the Bible says. And back to, you know, marrying the right one, you know, I when Retha said that, you know, I thought of, you know, how many uh men, you know, have been, you know, called to the ministry, but because the one they chose to marry was not willing to do that, you know, they're they're uh they're not fulfilling the calling that God has for the life or or even for women, you know, that have a calling to the ministry, but because of who they chose to marry, they're not fulfilling that call.
SPEAKER_04It's so so important that we I know this I know there's a quite a topic of discussion among the ministry, but Paul said that you may prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. Um This is my personal feelings. I think there are the three. I think there's a good and what you just mentioned is some of those men have been sidelined from doing that perfect and they have done the acceptable, but they just haven't done the perfect. You can and I know this is all gonna come out in the judgment and et cetera. But man, you just hit the nail on the head right there whenever you said it's very important to find the perfect person in God's will. Um it just you just need no matter how long it takes. Right. Right. Right, right. And uh how soon it takes. Yeah, how soon it takes well, darling, tomorrow is the day. Yeah, tomorrow's the day. Forty-nine years we have been married. Right. And I've been a happy camper, and I think she has most of the time. Sure. Is there any time you wasn't?
SPEAKER_00Um, that's not our discussion today.
SPEAKER_04Hey, Brother Sean, uh go ahead. Just say what's on your heart now.
SPEAKER_02Well, uh just maybe talk about uh, you know, New Zealand a little bit. As we said, you know, we were uh stepping out in faith. We didn't know anyone uh there. We didn't know there was no established work or anything there. We just knew that's got where God had called us, and so we, as I said, we went three weeks and three months and then two and a half years, and and as you said earlier uh about the confirmations, or maybe it was Sister Sanders said, you know, we we've seen that over and over again, you know, where God was directing our steps and he was confirming things. We uh this last uh time with the two and a half years we uh finally rented a house uh you know, long term. We uh moved in, and uh New Zealand uh uh Auckland is a very uh dense uh uh population, and so there were seven houses on our driveway. And uh the uh house that was right across from us, our front door to their front door was maybe 25, 30 feet. And uh Maretha uh started out with a uh Bible study uh for the kids, our Bible class for the kids there on our deck. And and uh the lady that lived right across from us, she later told us she's an answer to prayer. She said, uh I've been uh looking for someone to teach my my girls uh about the Bible, and and then the the house next to them, uh two little kids there or three. Uh the one was a baby when we first started, and then uh across the street a couple more girls, and we started out with six uh six kids uh in the Bible class, and God moved and blessed, and uh we started doing that, and then uh after a few months we started doing a Bible study with their parents, and then uh later on we started doing a uh youth night with the older ones and uh then a church service from our home uh once a month, and it was just uh, you know, step by step. We saw God leading and God opening doors and uh confirming you know and and moving and we saw uh you know lives change, we saw uh those that were saved. We were able to baptize uh some of them, and it's just been amazing, you know, from stepping out and nothing with nothing, you know, and to see how God has moved and how he's uh transformed lives and how he's working in us. We know we're nothing, we can't do anything, but God is faithful. If we'll if we'll follow him, he will work in us and through us.
SPEAKER_01And some of those Saturdays that we had for the kids, some of the adults would come too, and we had over 20 sometimes. Yeah, praise God. Um it was just really good. And we and our girls got involved as well, and they helped us.
SPEAKER_02So we would have every year at Christmas, we'd have the the kids put on a little skid, uh Christmas skid, and we had uh I think one Sat over one Christmas we had, I think, around thirty-five there in our home, you know, and several raised their hand for salvation at that.
SPEAKER_04Isn't that amazing that God would take somebody from three-fourths of the way around the world, put it in their heart, uh, and uh go through, take you through what you've gone through in order to reach even just children. In order to reach like you said, baptizing people, um I mean not in the name of Jesus, but uh, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. There you go. All right. I'd like to maybe in the next uh podcast, we'll see how it goes. But uh my question is I'm kind of walking this into uh how old were your children when you went?
SPEAKER_02Okay, yeah, when we uh went to New Zealand, uh this last time, uh trying to think now, it's been about uh Cherie would have been eight and Rihanna would have been about ten when we went. Our our first mission trip as a family, uh Cherie, our youngest, was seven months old. We were uh going and we went to Panama with Brother Chuck Akers, and uh she was seven months old in a uh in a dugout canoe going down the river uh into the jungle, and and Retha had That was quite an experience for me. Yeah. Had a pack, you know, to carry her on her back is about a ten-minute walk up the cliff side to get up to the village.
SPEAKER_04And you know, it's so important to get your children involved in the ministry of the Lord, even at that age. Um, though they may not remember some of those, there will be things that God will bring them back to their memory. It puts it in them, and uh when they're old, they'll not depart.
SPEAKER_02You know, that's you know, talking about uh surrendering to the call or answering the call, you know. Sometimes, you know, well, I've got children, you know, and the school and or you know, whatever, you know, can be a uh a barrier or a hindrance. And and you know, but you we have to realize that if we're following God's will, yes, there's gonna be difficulties, there's gonna be hardships, but being in the center of God's will is the safest place we can be. Amen. We you know, we had uh people in our lives, you know, what kind of life is that for a uh a child to be in a in a traveling in a in a travel trailer or around you know the United States, you know, as we itinerated, you know. Uh in but we said there is sacrifices, but it's worth it. Amen. Somebody, you know, said or we said, you know, if if a if a family said we're gonna take off for a year and travel the world in a in a yacht, uh people would have said, Oh, that's a great experience, a learning experience for those children. You know, but but uh to be, you know, following God's will and and i it's it's the best place. And and yes, I said, you know, there are sacrifices, but but God He sees and He knows.
SPEAKER_04And He it may not be immediate, but He does reward for that. Yes, yes And I know some men I know He talked about sins, but some men's uh uh rewards come now and some will come later. Yes, and uh that's a benefit. Brother Sean, share with people how that they can send support or uh find out about your ministry um and kind of give them a little address here.
SPEAKER_02Okay, yes. Uh we have a website, it's liferadio missions.org. Uh that's again life radio missions all one word dot org. And uh on there we we try to update uh from time to time with pictures and things about uh the ministry, and we uh uh there's a page on there for support. You can support us uh through PayPal, a Cash App on there, and then there's our address. Uh there in Neoshow, Missouri, you can uh uh send. And then uh the radio station uh we have a website as well, uh graceradio nz.com. You can go on there and listen 24-7, the radio is broadcasting, and we have uh uh music and preaching and uh a lot of different programming there to praise the Lord be an encouragement to you. Yeah, I like unshackled.
SPEAKER_04Yes, I've always liked unshackled. Yes. And uh so hey, listen, our time's about up, but we wanted to say thank you for tuning in and uh get back on, uh listen to us again. Appreciate that. Uh send us uh uh an email or a comment. Our website is sanders-ministries.org. Sanders Ministries.org.
SPEAKER_00Or email us at sandersministries at gmail.com with any questions or comments. Thank you.
SPEAKER_04Okay, that about does it for this one. We'll uh check in on the next one. We'll see what's going on. God bless you.