Bitter Enemies Reunited in Christ

Bethany DuVal • Aug 21, 2019

On Sunday mornings, Libia and Julio don’t look like anything special. Just two close friends worshiping God, maybe imagining their future together.

You would never guess that this time last year, they wouldn’t speak to each other — much less be in the same room together. Or that they were bitter enemies for five long years.

The fact that they happily sit together at church now? TEAM missionary Dawn Moore says it’s nothing short of a miracle.

Peruvian Couple Seeks Better Life in States

Libia and Julio’s relationship was complicated from the beginning.

They both grew up in Peru as Catholics, but neither had a personal relationship with God. When they started dating, they also started sleeping together. And within a year, Libia was pregnant.

Wanting to be good Catholics, the couple got married.

A few years later, they immigrated to Charlotte, North Carolina to build a better life.

Julio and Libia were ideal immigrants. Julio worked long hours to provide for his family, while Libia cared for their son. But they rarely had time together — and it began to hurt their relationship.

“We used to argue over everything and over nothing,” Julio says.

Libia was eager to fix her marriage. So, when an acquaintance invited her to church , she decided to start going.

But then Libia was hit with an unexpected blow.

Sickness, Overworking Drive Couple Apart

Libia started having strange symptoms. She was constantly fainting but her doctors didn’t know why.

In her fear, Libia started praying and reading Scripture more. Julio kept working.

Libia sits to tell her story.

As Libia tried to save her marriage, she started experiencing strange fainting spells. After two years, she found out she had a brain tumor.

After two years, the doctors figured out that Libia had a brain tumor.

Julio was horrified at the news, but he had no time to slow down. Libia’s medical bills were growing. It was far more than they could afford.

Julio began working up to 20 hours a day. The couple’s fighting got worse.

Eventually, Julio decided to go to church with Libia. And eventually, Libia was healed of her cancer. But by then, the marriage was so far gone, Libia and Julio didn’t know how to save it.

One day, Julio decided he just didn’t care anymore. He left and married someone else.

Julio looking out a window.

After years of fighting, Julio gave up on his marriage. He left Libia, and the couple stopped speaking entirely.

Both Julio and Libia stopped going to church. They were so consumed by anger, they refused to speak to each other. Their only news of each other came from their adult son.

But as the years past, Libia longed for God. In 2018, she let people know she was looking for a church. Word spread through the local Latin American community, and someone told her about a Spanish-speaking church plant: Impacto Charlotte.

Spanish-Speaking Church Leads Ex-Wife to Healing

The first time Libia went, she sneaked into the back, trying not to be noticed. But she loved the music. And the whole service was in Spanish, letting Libia relax as she listened to the sermon.

“The teaching [at Impacto] is profound, and at the same time, simple, so you can understand it,” Libia says. “It fills my heart.”

When she met the TEAM missionaries leading the church, Dawn and Keith Moore, she found out they had planted churches in Colombia and Honduras. They already knew and loved the Latin American culture!

The Moores could see that Libia was still traumatized by her marriage. But they welcomed her with kindness, patiently sharing the Gospel and studying Scripture with her.

Slowly, Libia’s heart began to heal.

Meanwhile, Julio’s life was falling apart — again.

Ex-Husband Amazed by Spiritual Transformation

Julio thought starting over with someone new was all he needed. But he kept working so many hours, he didn’t have time for his new wife either.

Soon, the marriage fell apart. This time, though, Julio took it as a wakeup call. He knew he needed to change.

Shortly after Julio’s revelation, Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina.

Julio and Libia hadn’t talked in five years, but Julio decided to check on Libia anyway. When Julio arrived at the house, he was shocked at how Libia received him .

Julio and Keith Moore sit at a table and study the Bible together.

When Julio saw the change in Libia, he wanted to go to church for himself. He soon started studying the Bible with TEAM missionary Keith Moore.

“There was no grudge, there was no pain, … because God healed me,” Libia says.

Libia and Julio started texting, and Julio quickly realized that Libia was a different person.

“I was amazed to know that she had forgiven me after everything that had happened between us,” Julio says.

Julio asked if he could go to church with Libia, and Libia agreed.

Just as they had with Libia, the Moores were eager to study Scripture with Julio. And when Keith shared the Gospel, Julio thought, Why not receive Christ in my heart? … Why not fill that emptiness that I have been feeling for years?

Former Couple Grows in Christ Together

After Julio received Christ, he began to change, too. He’s eager to study Scripture and to treat others with Christ’s love.

“God works in incredible ways that we really do not understand,” Libia says. “He is amazing.”

Julio and Libia sit together in church at Impacto Charlotte

After years of animosity, Julio and Libia now attend Impacto Charlotte together! Thanks to friends like you, they are living new lives in Christ.

And for everyone who supports TEAM missionaries like Dawn and Keith, Julio has one simple message: “I was so far away from God, and now I have returned. … I want to thank you with all my heart for all you do.”

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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