Archive - February 2017

1
What It’s Like to Be a Single Missionary
2
How a Water Bottling Factory is Reaching Orphans
3
What Does a Missions Coach Do? [Photo Journal]
4
How to Choose a Short-Term Mission Trip
5
7 Ways to Pray for Social Justice Ministries [February Prayer Focus]

What It’s Like to Be a Single Missionary

single missionary
The fear of staying single keeps some potential missionaries off the field. Read what six workers say it's really like to be single and serve. Photo by TEAM

She’s known as the MacGyver of missionaries. She spent 15 years traveling with nomadic cattle-herders, single-handedly wired her desert home with solar panels and still has her water delivered by donkeys. But Tillie Tiller’s adventurous life in Chad slammed into a wall when she turned 39. That’s when she realized she wasn’t getting married. “In so many missionary biographies, in the middle of nowhere, a single guy shows up, and it is a perfect pairing. … Up until age 38, I thought it was going to happen,” Tillie says. “At age 39, I was pretty sure it wouldn’t happen, so…

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How a Water Bottling Factory is Reaching Orphans

reaching orphans
In South Africa, an HIV epidemic has orphaned over 2 million children. Read how two missionaries are using their skills in engineering and marketing to help these children flourish. Photo courtesy of Brett and Kara Richstone

“Why don’t you have HIV?” “Why do we have HIV if we haven’t had sex?” “Why don’t we see our parents on holidays?” These aren’t questions a typical engineer deals with during work. But for Brett Richstone, a TEAM missionary and water bottling plant manager, nothing about the last few years has been typical. He starts his day with factory maintenance, applying for licenses or filling orders for fresh spring water. But by the afternoon, he’s leading a Bible study, buying groceries for an entire village and having heart-to-heart conversations with children affected by HIV and AIDS. It all began…

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What Does a Missions Coach Do? [Photo Journal]

missions coach
A missions coach helps people connect their talents and passions with an opportunity to serve on the mission field. Learn more about their ministry of mobilization below. Photos by Leslie Lesher

Deciding to become a missionary is a complex, faith-stretching and, sometimes, lengthy process. Questions like “How do I know if I’m really called?” or “What will I actually do overseas?” are not always easy to answer. To help, every potential missionary with TEAM journeys with a missions coach. Coaches answer questions, make ministry connections and, most importantly, pray with every person in the process. Leslie Lesher has been serving as a TEAM missions coach since 2016. Scroll through her photo journal below to learn what a missions coach does and how she can help you find the right missions opportunity….

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How to Choose a Short-Term Mission Trip

choose a mission trip
With thousands of mission trip opportunities available to you, how do you find the best fit? Here's some practical advice to help you choose a mission trip with confidence. Photo by TEAM

A new interest in missions is often accompanied with an urgent desire to just go. But choosing a mission trip isn’t always easy. Where will you go? To do what ministry? And when? As you process through the thousands of opportunities available to you, here’s some practical advice on how to choose a mission trip. Pray About Three Topics It sounds like a Christian platitude, but really, the first thing you should do is pray. Prayer can help you discern your direction, but more importantly, prayer centers you on God’s direction. Here are three prayer topics to pursue as you…

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7 Ways to Pray for Social Justice Ministries [February Prayer Focus]

social justice ministries
Our hope in Christ surpasses all physical need, yet Jesus commands us to care for the poor and hurting. Here are seven ways you can pray for Christ’s love to shine in social justice ministries. Photo by TEAM

“If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” James 2:16 (NIV) Jesus came to give us hope that surpasses all physical need. Yet over and over, his word tells us to care for the poor, to seek justice for the oppressed and to love others as ourselves. Around the world, missionaries are obeying these commands by providing physical aid while sharing about the love of Jesus Christ. This February, will you pray with us for social justice ministries around the world? Click…

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