January 2014 - TEAM Christian Missions Blog

The Choice

Photo by Jimi Allen for TEAM

Jan 28 2014

Every so often, we’re going to post glimpses of the daily life of missionaries at work, in an occasional series we’ll call Field Journals. This is the first post, written for us by a TEAM worker in East Asia who will remain anonymous. Walking home one night from church, I glanced down the street while waiting for the light to change at an intersection and spotted a homeless man digging through a trash can. He was dirty, with long, unkept hair and a scraggly beard. Though the temperature was in the lower 40s, he was wearing almost no clothes. He…

TEAM founder Fredrik Franson (far left) and the first group of TEAM missionaries to head to Swaziland, in southern Africa, circa 1892. TEAM archives photo

Jan 14 2014

Last December, over 3,000 people gathered in a hot stadium in Manzini, Swaziland, to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Evangelical Church. The Swazi denomination — not to be confused with greater Evangelicalism — was founded by TEAM missionaries in the early 1890s and now has hundreds of nationally led churches across southern Africa. They invited TEAM CEO Scott Henson to speak about TEAM’s legacy there, which includes founding schools and hospitals along with building churches. He shared the stage with Sibusiso Dlamini, Swaziland’s prime minister and himself a product of the Evangelical Church. Milestones like this are worth a…

TEAM missionary Craig Querfeld visits a community development project in Arequipa, Peru. Craig shared a video with us that helped bring missions into a fresh perspective. Photo by Andy Olsen / TEAM

Jan 07 2014

Sometimes the language we use to describe missions becomes so familiar that it loses its power to inspire. Craig Querfeld, a TEAM missionary in Peru (that’s him, above), recently put us on to a video that brings into fresh perspective why we do what we do. A couple of years ago, Peru’s agency for promoting its tourism and exports — called PromPerú — sent a film crew and some of the nation’s most famous celebrities to the small town of Peru, Nebraska, population 569. Their mission: To enlighten their fellow “Peruvians” about just what it means to be Peruvian. The…

[VIDEO] Visit Us This Year!

Here’s an easy resolution you could accomplish in this New Year.

If you haven’t visited us yet in one of our Missions Places (or at our main offices in Wheaton), this year may be your chance. But if your travels aren’t taking you near our storefronts in Wheaton, Ill., or Maryville, Tenn., we’ve made it easier than ever to come see us. You can take a video tour of both our Missions Places online, hosted by our very own and talented Melissa Barber. Watch the video here.

If you’re not familiar with all this Missions Place talk or just how excited we are about it, you can read the backstory here in the latest issue of TEAMHorizons magazine. There are lots of exciting things coming down the pipe this year for our Missions Places and Hubs, advancing collaboration among missions organizations and churches. So stay tuned!

Locate our missions places here.

Jan 02 2014

Archive - January 2014

The Choice

Do Missions Work?

Why We Do What We Do

[VIDEO] Visit Us This Year!