June 2018 - TEAM Christian Missions Blog

TEAM Eats: Recipe for Tres Leches Cake

For Nate Murphy, tres leches cake is more than just a cake — it's a fond memory of family and his years as a missionary kid in Venezuela. Keep reading to get the recipe! Photo by TEAM

Jun 29 2018

Out of all the desserts in the world, cake ranks pretty low on my list, but tres leches isn’t just any cake. When my family moved to Venezuela as missionaries, I tried tres leches for the first time. I loved it so much, that my mom made it for my birthday every year — even after we moved back to the States. My mom would make tres leches for other special occasions as well. I still remember Cultural Awareness Day in middle school, where students brought food from other nations. I brought homemade tres leches. At first, students were hesitant…

How do you live out God's missional call as a waiter, salesperson or cubicle-dweller? Is it even possible? Photo by TEAM

Jun 26 2018

For the last couple of hundred years, the western world has viewed life as “sacred vs. secular.” Since the Enlightenment Age, we’ve emphasized God coming to redeem you (personal profession of faith) over God coming to redeem the world (making all things right when He returns). There is a feeling that the work you do from Monday to Saturday is different from what you do on Sunday. This line of thinking subverts the work of individuals in the workplace as “less than” because it’s considered secular work rather than sacred. But the truth is that God created work. In fact,…

As a single mom to nine kids, Amal knew hardship. But nothing could prepare her for the devastation she'd face when Syria went to war. Photo by TEAM

Jun 20 2018

It had been three days since Amal* lost her son in a bombing outside Aleppo. Not lost as in dead. Lost. Missing. Gone. Kadan was playing in the street with his friends when a plane dropped a bomb on them. It killed two children and shot shrapnel through 11-year-old Kadan’s abdomen. Kadan’s brother ran home to tell the family, but Amal wasn’t home. Rescue workers quickly loaded Kadan into an ambulance. By the time Amal got home and heard the news, her son was gone. Amal rushed to the local hospital, but Kadan had already been transferred somewhere else. In…

Missionaries face so many cultural barriers, have you ever wondered why God even bothers with them? See what one missionary learned during her search for answers. Photo by TEAM

Jun 14 2018

My co-worker and I had everything set to start our mom’s club. The moms were eager, and we’d found a popular American Christian parenting book that’s available in both Chinese and English. But as the weeks went on, I noticed something strange. We enjoyed good fellowship with the moms, but they all seemed to avoid talking about the content of the book — the very thing I’d hoped would lead to deeper spiritual conversation. Finally, I got more pointed with my questions: “In this part, he’s talking about how important it is to cultivate an internal system of self-control…

When the authorities interrupted an underground church service, Milad knew he and his friends would have to flee. But where? Keep reading to find out. Photo by TEAM

Jun 12 2018

As the prison door closed behind Milad, he knew his entire life was about to change. Just being discovered with a Bible was a criminal offense in his Middle Eastern country. But being caught in an underground church meeting? Was there any recovering from that? Milad had only been a Christian for eight short months. And he had tried to do everything right during that time — meeting secretly, being discreet about his faith. But his city was full of spies. Even if Milad got out of prison, they would never stop watching him. If he ever got free, there…

Around the world, refugees are being displaced every day. Read how refugee ministries are addressing this crisis and how you can pray. Photo by TEAM

Jun 05 2018

Fear swept over Farrah* as rebel soldiers pulled her family over to the side of the road. They hadn’t even made it to the Jordanian border yet. She and her family had packed all their money in socks and fled their Iraqi village after rebel forces took over. But now, here they were, face-to-face with the people they were trying to escape. When the soldiers yelled for everyone to get out of the vehicle, Farrah obeyed. Instantly, there was a gun at her head. She knew they wanted the money. Slipping a hand inside one of the socks, she thought,…

Archive - June 2018

TEAM Eats: Recipe for Tres Leches Cake

Does God Care About Your Work?

‘All This Will End’: A Refugee’s Story

Why Does God Use Missionaries?

His Search for Christ Led Him to Prison

Forced to Start Over — with Nothing [June Prayer Focus]