A People Highly Prized by God

Suzanne Pearson • Aug 18, 2022

James didn’t mince words in his epistle to the early Church. “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food,” says James. “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 2:15-16 NIV )

The effort to address both physical and spiritual needs is often referred to as “holistic ministry.” When these principles impact an entire community, the result is holistic community development or “ transformational development .”

Michael Cochran, his wife Susan, and their four young children know first-hand that transformational community development changes lives. Serving the Meyah people in Papua, Indonesia since 2009, the Cochrans work in partnership with local churches to address a variety of holistic community development issues.

“A lot of people think that if you address the material need, then the problem is solved,” says Michael. “Transformational development says the problem isn’t just material lack. There’s a whole slew of interconnecting issues. And at the heart of it is really humanity’s fall into sin that has cascaded down.”

As the church takes on community development projects, spiritual discussions flow naturally. “The conversations are very organic,” he adds. “God cares about these issues that have a major impact on the lives of the Meyah community…What would He want us to live like?”

Landslide Stabilization Leads to a Deeper Need

The Cochrans’ first community development project addressed a significant problem in the Meyah community. Heavy rains often led to landslides along roadways, cutting people off from essential supplies and markets where they made their living. The Cochrans came alongside the church in implementing an erosion control system to stabilize landslide areas, providing safe passage for people traveling to and from their homes.

Consequently, the project became a catalyst for a much bigger idea. Men from the community grew the vetiver grass used in the erosion control process. One day in a community meeting, one of the men asked, “Is this something we could use to earn an income?”

“Instantly, the place got really quiet,” Michael remembers. “Everybody was super interested in what I was going to say about that. It was at that moment that I realized there’s a whole other aspect of this that people have in the back of their minds. That was the beginning of the realization that economic development was a huge felt need of the community.”

Divine Intervention for Clean Water and New Income

From that point forward, the Cochrans’ work picked up speed. The church began addressing the need for clean water. Deaths from dysentery were common and water filtration was desperately needed. Most filtration systems are expensive or require electricity which is not readily available in remote villages.

In a divine appointment, the Cochrans connected with a Dutch company that produces a gravity-based filtration system. The equipment is inexpensive and requires no chemicals or electricity. Not only did this device solve the Meyah tribe’s water problem, but local church pastors became local distributors of the product throughout their region, reaching other mountain people groups as well! Once again, God provided a solution to a critical, physical need of the people as well as a new source of income.

Papuan man getting clean drinking water.

Clean water and a new source of income are both flowing into the Meyah community.


A Highly Prized Product from People Highly Prized by God

With two major successes under their belt, the Meyah church might have thought God was done surprising them. Little did they know their most widespread impact was yet to come. Remember the vetiver grass that aids in erosion control? The Cochrans connected with a specialist in Hawaii who developed a method to distill the vetiver roots into an essential oil. And not just any essential oil, but one of the few in the world that can’t be reproduced synthetically.

Suddenly, the Meyah people had a rare commodity on their hands. They rallied several local churches together to raise $9,000 to purchase the necessary equipment to produce the oil. Soon after, Cenderawasih Aromatics was born. This humble Papuan people group now fills orders for their highly prized oil from buyers in the US, Canada, China, Japan, and Europe!

The effect this enterprise had on the hearts of the Meyah people cannot be quantified. Often Papuan people are looked down on by those of other ethnic groups and it is difficult for them not to internalize that message. “But now they have this amazing product they’re making that people from all over the world want to buy,” says Susan. “That just does something for your identity, realizing that God created you as an image-bearer of God with a specific role to meaningfully contribute to this world.”

Michael agrees. “We have a lot of discussions about how God works through His people. It’s not because of our intellect that He prizes us. He prizes us because we are his beloved creation, His adopted sons and daughters.”

Looking to the Future: A Place to Learn, Produce, and Grow

The future trajectory for the Meyah church and community is exciting. The Cochrans now turn their attention to building what they call an Appropriate Technology Center. Appropriate Technology refers to technology and equipment that are appropriate for a given location. In simple terms, the training center will facilitate hands-on ministries, serve as a place for equipping individuals to minister to the felt needs of their communities in a holistic way, and be a place where equipment for various projects can be constructed.

The Lord provided a location for the center on the campus of Erikson-Tritt Theological College . ETTC was founded by TEAM missionaries in 1959 and is now run by local leaders. The actual build site is on the foundation of a structure used for many years by TEAM as a storage facility. As of this writing, just under $9,000 of the total cost to outfit the Appropriate Technology Center remains to be funded.

Papuan workers building a Technology Center.

Once completed, the Appropriate Technology Center will further engage the local church in addressing holistic development needs.


The Cochrans and the Meyah church faithfully pray and trust God for the remaining funds, despite setbacks related to inflation in the global economy. Another big prayer is that God will raise up others to help with teach and training. “That’s a prayer as we begin,” says Susan. “That we can identify people that have skills [in the needed areas] and a heart for that type of ministry.”

Whatever lies ahead, the Cochran family and Meyah church pastors know that God works through active partnerships in His global Church. “The process of involving the community in the decision-making process is in itself transformative,” says Michael. “It helps them come to a better understanding that God has created them as intelligent, beautiful beings. He’s given them skills to impact the world for His Kingdom.”

By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
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