I Would Like To Sing a Hymn

Vicki Reyes • Feb 25, 2015

UPDATE, APRIL 2015: A generous family has offered to donate funds to help rebuild Emmanuel Evangelical Church in Los Cabos! For every $1 given, they will match two and a half times ($2.50) up to $35,000. If this goal is met, this will provide all the funds needed to begin construcion on a new worship center in May. Will you join us in supporting this church and help them meet their goal? Click here to give!

We asked Vicki Reyes, TEAM missionary in Mexico, to provide an update on how their community is rebuilding after Hurricane Odile ravaged the Baja California Peninsula in September 2014.

“I would like to sing a hymn,” eighty-three year old Gilberto spoke out into the candle-lit room. We could hardly hear him over the raging winds of Hurricane Odile. TEAM missionary Art Reyes had driven through the early part of the storm to bring Gilberto and his wife back to our home to wait out the night. At first, they wanted to remain in their borrowed one-room wooden house. As the storm got worse, however, they were glad to move in with the Reyes family for the night.

In a trembling voice, Gilberto began to sing a ranch-style Mexican hymn about the Lord as the potter and us as the clay. It was a beautiful moment. It helped us to resist being like Peter, focusing on the wind and the waves, and focus instead on our protector, our potter.

The next day, we found Gilberto’s home destroyed. He and his wife stayed with our family for several weeks. Thanks to funds sent in to TEAM for hurricane relief, Art and a few other Christians were able to build Gilberto and Maria a much larger one-room wooden house with a full bathroom. They were very grateful! Other relief funds provided members of the community with food, construction material, potable water and more.

Many businesses, homes and churches suffered extensive damage in the storm. Photo courtesy of Vicki Reyes

Thanks to the help of Operation Blessing, several cement block homes have been built, roofs have been replaced, and shoes and food items were distributed during a time of great need. Millions of dollars of damage and looted stores had left the area without many necessary items.

Two of the three TEAM-related churches in San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas were also very damaged. Funds have been coming in to enable the believers to repair or begin to reconstruct the buildings. The re-construction on Emmanuel Evangelical Church of Los Cabos should begin this month.

Beto attends Adonai Evangelical Church of La Playa, a TEAM church plant. His home was destroyed in the hurricane. Photo courtesy of Vicki Reyes

Please continue to pray for the families and churches in Mexico who are still working to rebuild their lives, homes, schools and businesses.

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Hospitality, Help, and the Hope of the Gospel

By Suzanne Pearson • 16 Apr, 2024

TEAM Canada provides warm welcome and trusted friendships for diaspora populations living far from their native countries. As TEAM Canada workers Peter and Ruth (names changed) drive from their home to a nearby community center, they pass numerous apartment buildings and townhouses. Most of the families who live there are immigrants. They’ve left their countries of origin due to political unrest, trauma, and other difficulties. They’ve left family, friends, homes, jobs, and personal wealth behind. They search for peace, justice for the oppressed, and rest from fear and weariness. And as they adjust to a new country and a new language, they are often very isolated from others around them. “The sad reality is most immigrants are never even invited inside a Canadian home,” says Ruth. Peter and Ruth and their team try to change that reality. For the last nine years, the team, which includes workers from partner organizations as well as volunteers, has held English classes at the community center. Three days a week, over 60 students from more than 20 countries come together to learn English as well as to fellowship together and receive practical help in assimilating to a new normal. Meeting Needs and Building Trust That practical help may come in the form of procuring furniture, clothes, or dishes for newcomers, assistance with creating a resume and finding a job, or teaching people how to navigate Canadian laws and the medical system. As these tangible needs are met, relationships are built. “We invite them into our homes for meals and games,” Ruth shares. “We take them on hiking trips, picnics, outings, and out for coffee.” This is particularly important in this type of ministry because most immigrants come to Canada from cultures that value hospitality. Conversely, Canadians do not typically prioritize hospitality and consequently many newcomers feel lonely and isolated. Inviting folks to various gatherings and outings allows the team to spend extended time hearing people’s stories, struggles, hopes, and dreams. When she speaks about building friendships, Ruth’s heart for the people she serves is evident. “Hearing their stories, it’s easy to love them, and many have become close friends,” Ruth says. “We recognize the value of steady one-on-one relationships.”

Meet TEAM’s Next International Director – Part 2: A Vision for the Future

By Suzanne Pearson • 19 Mar, 2024

Previously on the TEAM blog, we sat down with Justin Burkholder (pictured above at left, with TEAM's Executive Director of Communications, Aaron Catlin). Justin will become TEAM’s next International Director on July 1, 2024. Justin shared about his background, family, and the journey that led him to TEAM. Check out that interview here . Today, we pick up the conversation as Justin shares how God called him to the role of International Director, and what he sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church. Q: How and when did you first consider applying for the position of International Director? How did the Lord reveal Himself to you as this opportunity presented itself? A: For some time, I have been evaluating how God wants me to use the gifts He has given me. Jenny and I have had a fruitful ministry in church planting in Guatemala and would happily continue doing so as God leads. However, as God blessed my efforts in TEAM leadership, there were friends and family who expressed that I should consider using my gifts in the International Director role. I don’t believe that everything necessarily rises and falls on leadership, but I do believe that it is a core component in the body of Christ. Using the gifts God has given me is a way that I want to bless the body of Christ in TEAM, making my contribution to the global purposes of God’s mission. Jenny and I spent a lot of time praying about this and decided that I should put my name in for consideration, trusting God’s guidance. We had a tremendous amount of peace throughout the entire process and were blessed by the prayer-filled process that the board undertook. Q: This is a key role in a large and complex organization, and I’m sure this was a big decision for you and your family. What were your fears or concerns? Why did you ultimately decide to accept the position? A: You say “were” like the fears have passed! I still am quite aware of my youth and inexperience - of the responsibility and weight of this role. Mostly, I’m afraid of leading an organization like TEAM in the flesh. Many of the fears that I have faced have been fears rooted in fleshly desires and concerns. I have no desire to succeed in the world’s eyes and fail in the Kingdom of Jesus. Why did I ultimately decide to accept the position? I’m convinced that the Good News about Jesus is true. The tomb is empty, Jesus is King, and the world needs to know, because Jesus is coming back. He will put things in order. He will establish righteousness, peace, and justice for all mankind, and He has commissioned His Church to proclaim and demonstrate His rule and reign. I want to use my gifts to do whatever I can to amplify the proclamation of this message and the multiplication of His Church around the world. Q: What are your goals and vision for the future of TEAM? A: This is something that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. I’m certainly not ready to present a fully-shaped vision and goals for TEAM’s future without the input of other people in different contexts in TEAM. But, I will share a few things that I think are important: First, we need to model God-Dependence . I am hopeful that as leaders in TEAM, we can continue to model God-Dependence. As Hudson Taylor said years ago “…God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supplies.” I am hopeful that we can increase our sense of faith in God, prayer, and seeking direction from the Spirit. Secondly, we must strengthen our relational fabric . Due to the changes that we have experienced by decentralizing our home office functions, and the challenges from the pandemic, we have experienced a loss of relationships. It is imperative that we intentionally prioritize the building of relationships with one another. I plan to visit our workers and staff, and I am expectant that other key leaders and staff will be doing the same. Third, we must pursue the greater presence of the global Church. The Kingdom of Jesus Christ doesn’t look like any single geopolitical, ethnic, or racial culture. If we want to truly see the Kingdom of Jesus come on earth as it is in heaven, then we as citizens of this Kingdom must learn from one another, submit to one another, and grow with one another. The missional potential of the global Church has been unleashed by God’s Spirit since Acts 1, and we have an opportunity to learn from many brothers and sisters in Christ who can help us to better model and proclaim the Kingdom of Jesus to those who have yet to believe. Lastly, we must increase our Gospel boldness . There are still many places of great spiritual blindness and spiritual brokenness around the world. The apostolic impulse of cross-cultural organizations should call us to the to the edges of where the Kingdom of Jesus is not penetrating. Whether spiritual blindness and brokenness exists because of lack of access, idolatry, injustice, or any other myriad of reasons, I prayerfully hope to see more and more TEAM workers continue to move into spaces of great Gospel need.