What Do You Really Think of Us?

AJ Westendorp • Aug 15, 2016

“What do you really think of us, drug-addicts and homeless people?” Angel asked me. I paused.

He, like many of the jovenes de la calle (street kids), has been living in the streets since he was a kid.

Now, at 22, he’s seen it all, lived it all. He’s used drugs as a regular escape. He’s found ways to survive with barely any income. He’s been pushed out of churches and restaurants because he’s asking people for money, because he’s high or just because he doesn’t look presentable. He’s seen ministries come and go, do their good deed, pass out a meal and some clothes, have a conversation and preach the Bible to him. He knows the verses as well as I do.

He’s seen people assaulted in the street. He’s been assaulted in the street. He’s gone without food, without bathing, without shelter. He’s slept on cardboard, plastic or the hard-packed earth. This is Angel’s normal .

A “Homeless,” Homeless Ministry

homeless ministry in guatemala

When a seminary student started building relationships with the jovenes de la calle, he couldn’t ignore the needs he encountered. Photo courtesy of Alaina Westendorp


Sigo Vivo (I’m Still Alive) started in 2013 when a student at SETECA , a seminary in Guatemala City, started building relationships with folks like Angel. They started going to church together, but the jovenes de la calle were often smelly, high and so disruptive that the church eventually asked them not to attend on Sundays.

This prompted Pastor Rudy Hernandez and his family to officially start Sigo Vivo on Saturdays. It was a group just for jovenes de la calle , with a hot meal, a place to shower, an activity to engage the group with the Bible and a group of volunteers to share life with.

Sigo Vivo built relationships with the homeless, pointing them toward Christ and a life of freedom from drugs and the other woes in the street. They connected those who wanted leave the street with rehab houses to get them on the road to recovery.

In 2015, lightning struck Sigo Vivo again. The church elders (against the wishes of many in the church body) asked Pastor Rudy to leave because they didn’t like the Sigo Vivo folks bringing their mess, physical and spiritual, into the space of the church. Sigo Vivo was now a “homeless” homeless ministry, but it carried on, true to the ministry’s name.

For three months, the group met in a small park in front of the National Cemetery, meanwhile looking for a meeting space that could give shelter as the rainy season approached. Rudy was (and still is) without a salary, but he was (and still is) confident in God’s call on his life to preach Christ and preach freedom to those held captive by addiction and by systems of poverty.

Broken Systems, Unbroken Hope

My wife, Alaina, and I started volunteering at Sigo Vivo at the end of 2015. It was (and still is) really hard to be there sometimes. It’s difficult to understand street Spanish, when our Spanish still isn’t the strongest. But it teaches us to listen intently. It teaches us to rely on God, not on our own words. It allows us to learn from them.

It’s hard to see some of our friends walk away after Sigo Vivo and back to their old escapes. It’s hard to see them enabled to live in addiction through handouts from well-meaning, misguided ministries. It’s hard when they hurt and hunger. It’s hard to look at the potential in our friends in the street and then recognize how long the road is to any kind of stability, given the systems in Guatemala.

After rehab, where do they go? How will they receive and pay for education? Who will support them? If they finish their education, will anybody hire them? Will they be able to resist relapse?

Sigo Vivo and some fellow ministry dreamers have hopes for pathways through these deserts — halfway houses and job training — but those things require funds, staff and available property and materials.

It’s hard to look at myself and realize how much more I’ve been given than our friends in the street — opportunities, money, privilege, family, friends, education, resources. It makes honest conversation a challenge as our realities, our normals, are so different.

Despite these challenges, I remember that Jesus said people like the jovenes de la calle would receive the kingdom of heaven. The Bible says God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom. So I have to believe that as God’s already done the heavy lifting, I ought to be around to see the metaphorical clay pots take shape.

However “hard” it may be, however incapable I feel to help, however backward the systems, it gives God more to be glorified for in the end. When someone is awarded their official Sigo Vivo T-shirt for going one year without drugs, it warms us all up and keeps us believing.

Learning How to Be a Family

So, Angel asked me, “What do you really think of us, drug-addicts and homeless people?” I paused. I was glad he felt like he could ask me this question. It felt like we were finally seeing eye-to-eye.

I said in broken Spanish, “It makes me sad. I really believe you all have a lot of potential and a lot of faith, but you’re stuck because of where you were born, who raised you or some decisions that you or someone else made. I want desperately for the gospel and for society to work for you. It’s frustrating when they don’t. Either way, I like being around you guys, for the most part, and I think I have a lot to learn from you.”

homeless ministry in guatemala

Through consistency and intentional conversations, the volunteers and youth at Sigo Vivo are building community. Photo courtesy of Sigo Vivo


Sigo Vivo now has a building to meet in which we can eat around a table together, do crafts, explore a Bible study and share life. It’s not a perfect ministry model, and it can feel pretty disorganized sometimes, but we’re learning how to be a family. On a good day, you might even catch us grooving to a catchy song, learning a choreographed dance (or resorting to circle dance battles).

And on June 5, 2016, Iglesia Sigo Vivo was founded, starting its own Sunday church services — in that same small park in front of a cemetery.




guatemala mission trips




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.
Share by: