Keeping Kids from Drugs — through Basketball and Jesus

Bethany DuVal • Sep 14, 2020

“[If] my brother wouldn’t have invited me to Transformados, then I wouldn’t have known anything about God. … I would probably be on drugs, alcohol and sex,” Chuy says.

Chuy’s alternate life isn’t hard to guess at because many of his friends are already living it . In the sprawling city of La Paz, Mexico , drugs are widely available. Some kids start using them as early as 13 years old.

But in recent years, more and more children have found an alternative through a program called Transformados. Five days a week, they gather on a basketball court, eager to learn new athletic skills from a trio of TEAM missionaries.

Basketball is the draw, but the missionaries’ dream is something much bigger. They want to see these kids transformed by the powerful love of Jesus Christ.

Meeting Kids Where They Are

The philosophy behind Transformados (or “Transformed”) is simple: Jesus met people where they were — in the marketplace, on the beach, in their homes — so we need to do the same.

“Our vision is to use creative initiatives like basketball and other sports … to reach kids and their families for the Lord,” TEAM missionary Phil Eager says .

Kids ranging from elementary school to university come to Transformados for training. Before and after practice, the staff invites kids back to a community center for mentoring, Bible study and worship services.

‘I Hated Basketball’

The first time he came to Transformados, Chuy had no interest in actually playing.

“I hated basketball,” Chuy says.

But his brother invited him, and Chuy wanted to make friends. Early on, Chuy saw that there was something unique about the people at Transformados. If you asked for help, they offered it on the spot. They treated you like family.

Photo of Chuy, a player at the Transformados sports ministry

Chuy didn’t care about basketball, but he was drawn into Transformados by the kindness he saw in the people there. He had to know what made them so different.

It made Chuy think, “Why am I not like this? What is changing in them?”

When he asked Phil and his co-workers, they said it was because they had God in their hearts.

A Kindness He Had to Know

Chuy grew up Catholic. He knew about God. But it had been years since Chuy had gone to mass. And what Chuy saw at Transformados was different than anything he’d seen before .

The Transformados staff invited him to share his heart with them after each practice. When his grandfather died, they cancelled practice so everyone could go to the wake. Then, they invited him to Easter camp at Rancho el Camino , a partner ministry.

“It’s just like, you enter the camp, and God is waiting for you,” Chuy says.

Chuy was overwhelmed by the camp staff’s kindness. They were just like the staff at Transformados — loving, without any thought of being repaid . A short-term mission team handed out Bibles, and Chuy started looking to God’s word for direction in life.

When Chuy told his friends he wanted to be a Christian, they said it was “weird.” But Chuy wasn’t fazed by their judgments.

“As long as you are with God,” Chuy says, “everything is good.”

Praying Instead of Partying

Many kids start at Transformados, simply seeing it as a safe place to go after school and homework. Parents like it because it gets their kids outside, spending time with wholesome friends. But gradually, kids learn about the life God gives — a life far greater than anyone else can offer.

“The government can do all these programs … to try to keep kids from doing drugs, but really, the thing that’s gonna change their lives is Christ transforming their lives,” says Pattie Eager, Phil’s wife and co-worker.

When friends invite Chuy to parties, he’s started praying, “to be a different boy, and not just being into parties, drugs and things like that. … I ask God to help me make good decisions.”

Teens sing at Transformados worship service

Since giving his life to Christ, Chuy has sought out ways to share his faith with others. He helps train younger kids and lead worship at Transformados meetings.

One of those good decisions has been finding his own ways to serve others. Chuy helps lead worship at his church, as well as Transformados’ weekly youth service. He also started coming early to Transformados so he can help train younger kids.

Over the years, Chuy has grown to love basketball and become one of the group’s best players. Still, his focus remains on living for Christ.

“More than anything, what I want to show them is that God is in me. … I want to show that being kind is not a bad thing and that God can be with you,” Chuy says.

A Dream to Transform More Lives

As more kids like Chuy find life in Christ, Transformados is running out of room in its building. To keep up, the staff are raising funds to buy a piece of land .

“This place gets packed,” says Phil’s wife and co-worker Pattie Eager. “It’s very loud and noisy, and it’s exciting, but we’ve outgrown it.”

Transformados staff pray with teens after practice

The Transformados building has opened the door for many spiritual conversations. But the staff are praying for a larger location where they can serve more kids.

With a plot of land, Transformados could build a basketball court and community center with room for everyone. Owning a basketball court would also let the staff expand programming — and it would eliminate the restrictions on sharing their faith.

Until then, the Transformados team celebrates how God is already using them in the community .

“What has impacted our neighborhood is that it really is like an external family for the neighborhood,” Chuy says.

Another student called Transformados a beacon. And as that beacon draws in and shapes each child, La Paz is experiencing a transforming power no darkness can overcome.

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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