Ruined by Gambling, Redeemed by Christ

Bethany DuVal • Dec 25, 2019

How do you know when your gambling habit’s gotten out of hand? Probably when you stop coming home . . . for three months straight.

Gerald had a mind for greatness. He started his business at a young age and quickly earned millions in pesos, the Philippines’ currency. He had more than enough to support a wife and two sons.

It’s no wonder Gerald thought a little gambling at the casino would be harmless.

However, his great mind didn’t prepare him for how gambling sucks people in and takes over their lives.

Gerald stopped coming home for three months. He lost 150 million pesos. He lost his business. And he might have lost his family — if it weren’t for kind supporters like you.

An Addiction He Couldn’t Shake

Gerald returned to his family in utter ruin. To say those relationships were strained is probably an understatement.

He worked hard to scrape together a living, but his sons still had to drop out of college.

Gerald felt lost and worthless.

Eventually, a friend loaned Gerald money to restart his business. Just like before, Gerald quickly started earning big money. But with all that cash, Gerald couldn’t resist taking another round at the casino.

Gerald knew the consequences of gambling. He knew the humiliation. But the lure of the casino was too strong. He started gambling, and he didn’t know how to stop.

A feeling of emptiness and meaninglessness grew in Gerald’s heart . And finally, Gerald decided to call someone he had been firmly avoiding: Michael.

A Friend with a Testimony

Michael and Gerald used to be good friends. But then Michael had traded atheism for Jesus . And he got serious about his new Christian faith.

Gerald had avoided this Christian version of Michael for a long time. He didn’t see the need for it, and he certainly didn’t want to get involved himself. But as that emptiness grew in Gerald’s heart, he became desperate.

Gerald invited Michael out for a meal. And when Michael began sharing how God had changed his life, Gerald listened.

A Church with the Gospel

Gerald’s friend Michael went to a church planted by TEAM missionaries. After Gerald attended for the first time, he was eager to know more about God.

Thanks to generous friends like you, Michael had an awesome church that had taught him to how to share his faith. Pathway Community church was planted by TEAM missionaries on the Philippines island of Cebu. The church leaders believe every member should actively be discipled and disciple others.

Michael invited Gerald to give church a try — and Gerald did! Then, a TEAM missionary, David North , invited Gerald and Michael to get lunch later that week.

At lunch, David listened intently as Gerald shared his story. Then David pulled out a Gospel tract and began to explain it.

The little booklet was called “ Steps to Peace with God.” As Gerald listened, he knew he had finally found the answer to his problems.

Right there in the restaurant, Gerald gave his life to Jesus!

A Life Changed Forever

The change in Gerald was immediate.

After giving his life to Christ, Gerald lost all desire to gamble. He’s stopped completely.

In June of 2019, Gerald decided to be baptized — and his wife and sons agreed to come to the service.

While sharing his testimony, Gerald asked his entire family for his forgiveness . He told them how grateful he was for each of them, and how grateful he was for Jesus Christ. Emotion filled the room as the whole family cried and hugged each other.

“The family are amazed at the change in Gerald’s life and the joy he has in Christ,” David says.

Today, Gerald is a regular attender at Pathway, and Michael is discipling him in the ways of the Lord. But it wouldn’t be possible without the support of kind friends like you.

If you’ve given to or prayed for TEAM’s ministry, we want to say thank you! Gerald’s life is just one example of the incredible things God does through you every day . Please pray for Gerald’s family so they can be transformed by the light of Jesus, too!

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Bridging Dissonance: Finding Connection in Music and the Gospel

By Emily Sheddan • 18 Jul, 2024

TEAM worker Luke Standridge and his fellow musicians use music to build connections to faith in Japan. In music terms, dissonance creates movement or even suspense in a song. It invites tension. That tension is what helps grab our ear’s attention and the interchanging of these notes with pleasant melodious parts is what makes music such a delight. In a similar way, God is using music to grab people’s attention and catalyze Gospel impact in the largely unreached nation of Japan. TEAM Global Worker, Luke Standridge moved to Japan in 2019 with no clear direction on how he was going to use his passion for composing music while doing ministry. However, after Luke got involved with a local church and began developing deep friendships, the Lord opened unimaginable doors for Luke that in time, coordinating his creative skills with sharing the Word. “People Need to Come to Japan!” Growing up as one of ten kids in a family that was heavily involved in ministry and missions, Luke never considered that it would one day be a part of his own journey. In 2016, via a Japanese language learning class in Indiana, Luke and his brother had the opportunity to travel to Japan. Hearing, learning, and using the language in the context of Japanese culture was the goal. While it was Luke’s first international trip – even his first trip on a plane - it was also his first time hearing about the spiritual condition of the Japanese people. “And just through that, God did a huge 180 change on my heart,” says Luke. “More people should come here as global workers. People need to come to Japan!” The call God was laying on Luke’s heart is echoed when looking at the spiritual landscape of Japan. The nation is home to the second largest unreached people group in the world. It is one of the most difficult places for the Gospel to take hold and grow. Japan is also home to a deep and rich culture that prizes creative arts from pottery to ink to music to anime – a fact that would help Luke find his niche in life and ministry. God’s Guiding Hand In the short three-month timespan of that first trip, Luke found that opportunities came naturally to share about life, and people’s curiosity for Christianity grew. “I left Japan knowing I just had to come back,” Luke shares. “Even if I didn’t get back to the same area, I knew Japan was where God wanted me to be.” The Lord is good all the time and all the time the Lord is good. His plans do not fail. Luke returned to Japan in 2019, and less than a week after arriving, he was put in touch with a renowned composer in Japan. The composer saw some of Luke’s music and invited him to help write the music for a beloved in-country animated show. But God wasn’t finished yet! Fast forward a year, and more connections and opportunities allowed Luke to help with music for Pokémon - a franchise that has brand recognition around the world and was being developed into a TV series in Japan. Luke recalls how the Lord began using these connections in the production world to open doors for Gospel conversations. One night while having dinner in downtown Tokyo with famous artists and composers from all around the country, Luke was asked about his ministry-focused visa. This was a rare opportunity in a setting with people otherwise uninterested in Christianity. Luke shares, “The whole time I could see God’s hand in guiding the entire thing.”

Connecting in a New Kind of “Neighborhood”

By Lorena de la Rosa and Suzanne Pearson • 13 Jun, 2024

Through creative arts and other forms of innovative outreach, “The Neighborhood” is creating connections to the Gospel and the love of Jesus. CONNECTION. It’s a common word with powerful implications. Dictionary.com defines connection as a joining or linking together; a relationship between people or objects that unites or binds them together. God has created each of us with a deep need for connection with Him as well as connection with others. Hebrews 10:24-25 speaks to this, as the writer exhorts, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This God-given need for connection lies at the heart of a creative and innovative ministry in Japan known as “The Neighborhood.” TEAM Japan global worker, Kelly and her family created The Neighborhood as a place where connections are formed through creative arts, educational opportunities, and simply just providing a space for people to be together. A Family Calling The journey to the creation of The Neighborhood began over 5,000 miles away from Tokyo, in California where Kelly, her husband Jeff, and their five children were living. The kids were the first to sense God’s calling to missions, and asked why their family wasn’t serving in this way. How Kelly and her family came to TEAM is a God-story in and of itself. “God placed a TEAM Japan worker at our lunch table the same week that the kids posed that question to us,” Kelly recalls. “We had never heard of TEAM and so we thought, ‘let’s check this out.’ After that, God just kept confirming that we were supposed to be here.” After a period of fundraising and with much excitement, the family of seven moved to Japan in 2014. For the first five years, Kelly and Jeff served as a part of other TEAM ministry initiatives, but they began to sense a stirring for something new. Creating The Neighborhood Kelly and her family truly have a deep gift for hospitality, and regularly opened up their home to others they met in Tokyo. They saw a great need for people to have a place to gather and connect, and they wondered what doors the Lord might be opening for them to meet that need. “About a year before we were to return the States on home assignment, we were just really thinking about our future in Japan,” Kelly says. “We saw a need for people to have a ‘third place’ – a place that’s not home and it’s not work. They didn’t have a church community or any other place where they could meet people and just connect.” Kelly goes on to explain that in Japan, the culture is such that people don’t generally invite each other into their homes, but as her family did so, people embraced that opportunity. “This idea formed in all of our hearts of a student ministry center – a place where we can create community and learning,” says Kelly. “It was born out of what we were already doing in our home, but seeing how we could expand it and have better space.” God’s Provision What happened next is a true testament to God’s provision. Kelly, Jeff, and the kids returned to the States and began sharing their vision for The Neighborhood with their supporters and churches who responded generously. Upon returning to Japan, the search was on for the right space. “We had a Christian realtor that we told our dream to, and he just went looking for it,” Kelly recalls. When the realtor found a 5-story apartment building, he said, “It’s kind of out of your budget but it has what you need and want.” The Lord provided the funds and the family moved into the space in November 2019. They now occupy all but the ground floor, with living space for their family as well as classrooms, areas to study or hang out, and guest rooms for exchange students or others who need a place to stay overnight. The first floor is occupied by a pizza shop – a welcome amenity for the many groups and students who visit The Neighborhood. “It’s very convenient!” Kelly says with a laugh. The Neighborhood began to see lots of activity right away until the pandemic hit in early 2020. During the height of the quarantine, Kelly and Jeff used the time to redecorate the space and plant gardens outside the building. Then as the restrictions eased, they invited individual students or families over for meals and fellowship. It wasn’t until March 2023 that The Neighborhood was able to fully open again as intended. Kelly shares that despite the setbacks of COVID, the Lord continued to provide the funds to pay the rent.