Christmas: The Key to Ministering Inside Brothels

Brianna Langley • Dec 11, 2018

Angelika* is cold. Really cold.

She tries to find a spot on the street near the big vans with curtains on the windows. Those clients are regulars, and with any luck, she’ll be able to warm up a bit in the vans when she does what she has to do with the men inside.

She misses her home. She doesn’t even speak the language here. But her husband was abusive and then abandoned her and her two small children in this place. Now she is a single mother of two in a strange country — doing work she hates.

This particular night, Angelika notices a small group coming toward her. She recognizes one of the women as TEAM missionary Rachel Zuch! Rachel has known Angelika since she first started working on the streets. She is always so kind — last time she came, she’d given Angelika her hat to keep warm.

This time, Rachel and her team are bringing Christmas presents and something warm to sip on. They greet Angelika sweetly.

Rachel introduces Angelika to the social worker she’s brought along. As Angelika shares her story with the social worker, she starts to cry.

The social worker assures her there’s a way out, but Angelika is afraid of losing her children if she stops making money. She was raised in a violent, Eastern European orphanage — and she doesn’t want her children to grow up in that kind of hell.

“Call me,” the social worker says, giving Angelika her card. “We know of places that are different than those you have experienced.”

Angelika takes the card.

But as the team moves on to the next girl, Rachel looks back just in time to see a car pull up and call Angelika over. She gets in.

And the car pulls away in the direction of a secluded parking lot.

From Street Outreaches to an Official Ministry

From Street Outreaches to an Official Ministry

Heart Works began with simple street outreaches to sex workers. Today, it’s an official NGO, helping women escape sex work and start fresh.

The team that visited Angelika that night were from a ministry called Heart Works — it’s designed to help victims of sexual exploitation in Vienna, Austria.

Rachel is one of its founders.

“It was born out of a prayer meeting almost 12 years ago, in January 2007,” Rachel says. “God had already been at work in my heart for a number of years at that point, and the amazing thing was that the people who came to that prayer meeting almost all had a similar story … of how God had been preparing their hearts.”

Heart Works began as simple street outreaches.

Eleven months later, Rachel and her team were able to make it an official NGO.

And even though she serves as the organization’s chairwoman, it’s important to Rachel that she also remains as involved as ever in the day-to-day ministry outreaches of the effort.

One of those ministry outreaches happens around this time each year.

Christmas Opens Doors at Brothels

Four years into Heart Works’ birth, Rachel and her team began focusing heavily on what they call “indoor outreaches.” During indoor outreaches, they regularly go inside each of the 350 brothels and clubs in Vienna to visit and pray with the people in prostitution there.

“One of the best ways to begin indoor outreaches is at Christmastime,” Rachel says. “It is a lot easier to gain access when you come to the door with lots of presents in your bags for the people who work there, and that is the way we started.”

Now, Heart Works is able to conduct indoor outreaches all year long. But with so many brothels and clubs, it’s almost impossible to regularly visit every person.

Christmas Opens Doors at Brothels

During the Christmas season, the Heart Works team will visit every brothel and club in Vienna. The gifts they hand out will be the only Christmas gifts many women receive.

“At Christmas and Easter, however, our teams have the goal to make it around to all the clubs and brothels so that each person can receive a gift,” Rachel says.

That’s what makes this Christmas ministry particularly special.

“The people who have been here longer, really anticipate the Christmas visit, and it is a highlight for many,” Rachel says.

During the Christmas outreach, every person in prostitution in Vienna receives a calendar in their own language, a Christmas ornament and a package of Christmas cookies.

This year, the team ordered 1,400 calendars in 19 different languages.

“We are so thankful that we are able to visit the women and men, especially at this time of the year,” Rachel says. “For many, the cookies and calendars they receive from us are the only gifts they will receive.”

Providing Shoulders of Comfort

Fifteen minutes after Rachel saw Angelika crawl into one of her clients’ cars last year, she spotted her walking back through to her claimed area on the street.

Angelika looked up and saw Rachel. She tried to hold back tears by giving a half-hearted smile.

Instantly, Rachel opened her arms and Angelika ran to her. For a few precious moments, Angelika felt like a little girl with her head resting on Rachel’s comforting shoulder.

Then, she gathered her strength and straightened up.

She looked Rachel in the eyes.

“Thank you,” she said.

And she made her way back to her corner through the snow.

*Name changed.

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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