2016 - TEAM Christian Missions Blog

An Alcoholic and a Missionary Get on a Plane…

When Marti got on a plane to flee his problems, he couldn't have imagined the series of events that would unfold when his seatmate "just happened" to be a missionary. Photo by TEAM

Dec 28 2016

If TEAM missionaries hadn’t seen it themselves, Marti’s* story would almost be too much like a Hallmark movie to believe: A broken marriage. A soul-searching trip to South America. An encounter with a wise, older man. And a fight to rebuild Marti’s life before it’s too late! It’s not just the set-up, though. From beginning to end, the coincidences are absurd, too frequent — and perfect proof of God’s hand. That’s why we had to share it with you. Coincidence 1: Alcoholic Marti Gets a Seat Next to Missionary Steve In 2013, Marti had driven his wife to the edge…

Christmas Traditions From Around the World

Learn 9 ways cultures around the world are celebrating Christmas this season.

Dec 21 2016

From colorful piñatas to 12-course meals, Christians around the world celebrate Christmas in ways as unique as their cultures. Read to discover 9 global Christmas traditions you might not have known about. Midnight Mass in Brazil Tropical temperatures in Brazil mean churchgoers don’t have to bundle up to attend Missa do Galo (“Rooster’s Mass”) at midnight. After services, fireworks illuminate the skylines of large cities, and families hurry home to enjoy a large meal together and exchange gifts. The Yule Cat in Iceland Children and adults alike in Iceland hope to unwrap a new set of clothes for Christmas. Traditional folklore…

Leaving behind beloved Christmas traditions is a true cost of being a missionary. But this sacrifice makes room for new traditions that illuminate the meaning of Christmas.

Dec 12 2016

I love Christmas. My mama always called me her “Christmas girl.” When I was growing up there was nothing like waking up at Grandma’s house on Christmas morning. The Christmas tree twinkling in the early morning hours, holiday smells wafting from the kitchen, stockings filled with treasures. Listening to my dad read the Christmas story from the Bible and thinking about Mary giving birth in the stable to Baby Jesus warmed every inch of my soul. Even crawling half asleep into a freezing cold car to go home felt like a magical part of the whole experience to me. Yes, my…

The holidays are a joyful, yet challenging time for many missionaries. Read 10 unique ways to give a missionary support this Christmas.

Dec 07 2016

For many missionaries, the Christmas season is full of opportunities to share the Gospel with people in their community. While the holidays bring many joyful activities, they can also magnify feelings of homesickness for some missionaries. We’ve put together a list of 10 unique ways to give your missionaries support this Christmas. 1. Add them to your Christmas card list. As you address your Christmas cards, be sure to include the missionary families you know. This keeps them connected with your family and lets them know you are thinking about them this holiday season! TIP: Ask your missionary or their…

Students in a region of Chad are coming alive as they read their language for the first time. But in order to sustain a literacy movement they need books.

Dec 05 2016

Why would you learn to read in your own language when you could learn French or Arabic instead? For generations in Chad, the answer has been that you wouldn’t. Schools push their students toward success by teaching all classes in Arabic or French. Local languages are used for conversations in the village. But when a neighbor girl asked Rivers Camp for help with her homework, the TEAM missionary quickly saw that the plan for success was failing. When Rivers asked the girl to read a French sentence she’d written in her notebook, “she read beautifully,” Rivers says. “The problem was,…

This month, missionaries will be sharing the Christmas story with the people they serve around the world. Some will hear it for the first time. Will you join us in praying for their ministries? Photo by TEAM

Dec 01 2016

Where you the first time you heard the Christmas story? By the fireside with your family? At a church play? Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas? This month, missionaries around the world are sharing about Christ’s birth through carols, parties, gospel tracts, skits and more. For many people, it will be the first time they ever hear that God sent his Son to save us! Will you please pray with us for all the Christmas outreaches and other ministries TEAM missionaries are serving in this month? December 1 – 7 JAPAN | Murray and Kathy Trim write, “Please pray for the many evangelistic…

Member care is the buoy that keeps missionaries afloat, and it requires a joint effort among the sending church, agency and missionary. Photo by TEAM

Nov 30 2016

Member care is the emotional, mental and spiritual support a missionary receives from their church and sending organization throughout the entire missionary journey. When done well, member care contributes to overall missionary success. But a lack of good member care can have detrimental effects on missionaries and their ministries. When pursuing mission work — whether through sending or serving — it is important to prioritize member care before, during and after time spent on the field. TEAM missions coach Stephanie Maher gained a passion for good member care while growing up in a military family and spending three years as…

Having a clear church missions strategy leads to more meaningful and effective ministry. So why don’t 40 percent of churches have one? Photo by TEAM

Nov 23 2016

A recent survey suggested that 40 percent of evangelical churches in America don’t have a written strategy guiding their missions work. The survey also suggested that the 60 percent of churches that do have a written strategy are markedly more engaged in international work than those without a written strategy. This shouldn’t surprise us. A vision doesn’t always spark action, but it’s still true that action nearly always follows vision. If you need help developing a mission strategy, these pointers might be helpful, or you could subscribe to our monthly missions resource for churches. But before you get there, it’s worth…

In a country where Christians are persecuted, a Christian couple is using a prosthetic clinic to tangibly point the community to the wholeness we have in Christ. Photo by TEAM

Nov 17 2016

For as long as Cho can remember, her Asian country has been a nation of landmines. Farmers trigger them while reclaiming fields, women while going to town, children while coming home from school. After decades of ongoing war, rural areas, especially, are teeming with the passive weapons. And the resulting explosions have made missing limbs almost common. When Cho was born missing an arm and both legs, she should have been able to get prosthetics. But like many people in the country, her parents were — and are — still suffering the economic toll of war. They couldn’t afford prosthetics….

A church plant in Guatemala is quickly becoming a refuge for people ready to give up on church. But amidst rapid growth, challenges persist. Photo courtesy of Iglesia Reforma

Nov 15 2016

Tragedy and chaos are familiar to the average Guatemalan. If you fail a class in school, well, that’s not good, but it’s common; hopefully you’ll do better upon repeating it. If you are badly hurt in an accident, well, you can’t count on great care at the public hospital and can’t afford a private one, so hopefully you’ll get better. If your husband drinks too much or hangs around other women, well, you’ll likely separate, and hopefully you’ll make enough to feed your family, even if that means you only see your kids for an hour each night. Chaos. Disorganization….

Archive - 2016

An Alcoholic and a Missionary Get on a Plane…

Yule Cats and 8 Other Global Christmas Traditions

The Truth About Being a Missionary at Christmas

10 Ways to Support a Missionary this Christmas

Why Would You Read in Your Own Language?

How to Pray for Missionaries This Christmas [December Prayer Guide]

Good Member Care is Crucial to Missionary Success

4 Myths That Keep Your Church From Having a Missions Strategy

Prosthetics Lead to First Steps of Faith

A Church For People Who Don’t Trust Church