Freed from Addiction — Through Recycling

Heidi Chupp • Aug 12, 2020

Kurt drove away from the rehab center — and from his friend Zhenya. As the miles went by, he felt a growing relief. For the first time in months, the heavy burden of responsibility that came with helping Zhenya was lifting.

Caring for Creation and Their Community

Kurt and Rochelle zurBurg have served as TEAM missionaries in Odessa, Ukraine , for more than 12 years. Their ministry has included a variety of activities — from apartment building repairs to backpacking to teaching science classes. It is always, “at its core,” Kurt says, “about serving people and sharing Jesus with them in relationship.”

In 2013, the couple started a community recycling project .

About 10 percent of Ukraine’s land mass is covered in trash, making creation care initiatives vital. The project has also helped some of their neighbors in difficult life situations: It’s provided jobs for widows with small pensions and others living from one meal to the next.

And it was through the recycling project that Kurt first met Zhenya.

‘This is Crazy’

One summer day, Kurt and his co-worker were overwhelmed with the amount of recycling work they had to do. On an impulse, Kurt got on his bike and rode off, looking for someone else who could help.

“I had no idea what I was doing, just that I was desperate for help,” Kurt remembers.

Ukraine trash on road

During the communist era taught Ukrainians that trash was the government’s job. Now the streets are covered with trash — creating a huge amount of work for Kurt’s recycling ministry.

As he rode by a small convenience store, Kurt saw a man sitting out in front, in obvious poverty.

“I passed him and then had this weird sense that I needed to go and ask him if he needed work,” Kurt says. “I remember thinking, ‘This is crazy, God. What am I doing?’

“He said ‘yes’ right away. His name was Zhenya, and he became one of our best and hardest workers out of everyone.”

As they began working together, Kurt learned that Zhenya had been heading for a navy career until alcohol, drugs and homelessness sidelined him . He’d been living on the streets for more than a year when Kurt met him.

Not only was Zhenya a great help with the recycling work, but he also provided what Kurt calls “an enormous immersion” into the lives of people experiencing homelessness.

He still remembers something Zhenya told him early on: A handout from someone was okay – but it was demeaning. A job, on the other hand, provided purpose, dignity and respect.

High Hopes for Zhenya

Zhenya’s addictions meant that sometimes when he came to work, he would be drunk or high.

With a desire to help Zhenya break free, Kurt began hunting for a rehab center. He found a Christian program less than two hours away and brought it up to Zhenya, explaining that it had to be his choice.

After some hesitation, Zhenya agreed to try rehab, and Kurt dropped Zhenya off with high hopes .

But that didn’t last very long.

Not Abandoning Their Friendship

Kurt arrived home feeling free from the weight of care for his friend. But there, sitting by the entrance of Kurt’s apartment building, was Zhenya.

“On record, that was the shortest stay ever at the rehab center,” Kurt says .

He was not only surprised, but angry, sad and disappointed too.

But as he thought about it later, Kurt realized that Zhenya was not abandoning their relationship when he abandoned rehab. In fact, Zhenya’s first action was to let Kurt know about his decision.

“I couldn’t see it then, but Zhenya was becoming my friend,” Kurt says, “and I was becoming his friend too.”

Another Chance at Rehab

Zhenya continued to work in the recycling project with Kurt into the fall and winter, all the while living on the streets. But his poor health caught up with him.

“He showed up to work one day, and he did not sound or look good,” Kurt remembers.

Eventually Zhenya’s condition deteriorated so much that Kurt and a friend took Zhenya to the hospital. It took him about two months to recover. As Zhenya’s discharge date neared, Kurt approached him again about rehab.

“We sure didn’t want him to go back to life on the street,” he says. “This time, he seemed readier and more willing to go.”

Ukraine man hauling bottles

Having work to do helped Zhenya stay focused on his recovery, so Kurt started bringing him recyclables to wash and sort.

Rehab was a months-long process for Zhenya. His body needed time to be completely free from his addictions, and Zhenya needed to establish new routines for life.

Having work to do helped immensely, so Kurt brought Zhenya bottle caps from the recycling project to wash and sort. Eventually, Zhenya even started supervising several other residents who worked for the recycling project as well.

A Life-Changing Choice

Zhenya has been drug and alcohol free for nearly two years now. But his choice to stay in rehab the second time around led to an even more life-changing choice: to become a follower of Jesus.

Zhenya grew in his faith at the center, devouring Scripture, taking classes at a local seminary and meeting for Bible study during Kurt’s regular visits .

“God changed this man both inside and out,” Kurt says. “His life is pointed in the direction of Jesus.”

Since leaving rehab, Zhenya has married, and he and his wife have a newborn son. He has been working at a steady job for more than a year.

Even though Kurt and Zhenya no longer work together, Kurt continues to learn from his friend.

“Sometimes I think that this entire story had very little to do with plastic recycling and creation care,” Kurt says, “and much more to do with God redeeming the life of a homeless man whom He loves dearly.

“If that’s true, then we would do it all again . . . gladly.”

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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