Missionary Challenges: From Ready to Quit, to No Regrets

Heidi Chupp • Jan 21, 2021

I don’t want to be a missionary anymore , Annie Wilson thought.

She’d followed God’s leading and left her P.E. teaching and coaching job to serve Him overseas. So why did it feel like a dead end?

Exploring Missions

Annie began exploring missions in 2014 when she was asked a question: “What would you be willing to give up for God?”

As Annie wrestled with her answer, she discovered TEAM and saw opportunities for sports ministry. TEAM connected her with a missions coach , Tasha Eckenhoff, who worked with her to find a role that would be a good fit.

One option was starting a sports ministry for girls in Chad . Though it was considered a mid-term assignment (two years maximum), Annie would need an extra year to attend language school in France. It also meant Annie would need to raise additional funds.

But if that’s how God was guiding, Annie was okay with it.

Not What She Expected

Annie had some background in Spanish, so learning French seemed manageable. She could see her mid-term experience transitioning to a long-term missionary career in Chad.

But her first year, spent in France learning French , was grueling. Then it was time to learn Arabic in Chad, along with drastic cultural differences to absorb.

When Annie was ready to begin her actual ministry work — setting up a sports program for girls at a local Christian high school — a general strike delayed her placement for months .

While she waited, she worked in a ministry for vulnerable women.

When she was finally able to start at the high school, cultural restrictions and ethnic tensions hobbled her efforts. Eventually, she stopped trying to make the program work.

Annie takes a selfie with six Chadian girls after a sports game

Annie thrived in discipling girls, but delays and the local culture made it hard to build a sports ministry for them.

Annie had started to help teach PE classes at a nearby missionary kid school, which grew into a larger role. She sought out ways to partner with other missionaries.

Annie kept her heart open to serve, but the constant upheaval was wearing her down . She spent many nights in tears, confused about what God was doing.

A World of Opportunity

In early 2018, as the end of her term approached, Annie was ready to be done.

She felt peace about leaving; she’d fulfilled her commitment and she didn’t see any opportunities for someone with her skill set. She set aside time to fast and pray.

When TEAM’s director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Lorraine Green, learned of Annie’s plans to leave mission work, she reached out.

“You don’t have to stay in Chad,” Lorraine told her. “You can still be a missionary. Why don’t we explore other options?”

That resonated, and Lorraine provided Annie with other sports ministry contacts.

“I just saw a world of opportunity,” Lorraine remembers. “There’s always room for a new vision.”

Taking the Next Step

Mexican children play basketball at Transformados

As Annie explored ministry options, she found a sports outreach in Mexico where kids are discipled as they learn various sports.

Tasha reconnected with Annie as she began a new search for where to serve.

Lorraine’s introductions eventually led Annie to Transformados (“Transformed”), a student ministry in La Paz, Mexico, that focused on basketball but was looking to add other sports.

Since she already knew some Spanish, and Mexico was much closer to her California roots, Annie decided to apply for long-term service with TEAM, with Transformados in mind.

Slowing Down to Relaunch

A few months later, Annie returned to California. Her application for long-term ministry meant extensive evaluations, a thorough medical exam, and connecting with her support team.

Annie was also debriefing her difficult first term. Tasha connected Annie with counseling services available through Annie’s church and with TEAM’s member care department .

Member Care’s goal, says director Steve Maybee, is “to support TEAM’s international workers … so that they can realize all the physical, mental, emotional, relational [and] spiritual health that God has for them.”

Sometimes, he says, that means slowing down for a while.

Yet Another Challenge

In the middle of processing and preparing, Annie’s health screenings revealed breast cancer.

Annie’s church surrounded her with prayer and the finances she needed for treatment and follow-up care. Tasha brought TEAM’s medical department on board. Everyone was grateful to learn that Annie’s cancer was Stage 1 and treatable.

“TEAM was just super, super supportive during that time,” Annie says .


Seeing the Joy

Annie remembers a moment during her term in Chad when her perspective began to shift.

During regular times of prayer with her co-workers, she noticed something about one person that stood out.

“She would always give two praises,” Annie remembers, “always, every single time, no matter what — she would give praises.

“And I was like, Gosh, I don’t say a single praise ever.”

The challenges were easy to see : No running water or electricity. No freedom to go for a run in her neighborhood. The head covering and skirt the culture required her to wear. The ever-present threat of riots and terrorist attacks. The poverty and hardship everywhere she looked.

But Annie began to “see the joy,” as she put it , in places she hadn’t noticed it before: A moment when the women she was working with all laughed together. Or when she was teaching volleyball to a group of kids and they actually hit the ball across the makeshift court — even if it did go under the net.

“The challenge there in Chad was really more than any of us had bargained for,” Lorraine remembers. “Annie’s good attitude was a real lifesaver for her and for those who were trying to help her.”

‘An Amazing Journey’

Eight months after Annie returned from Chad, she was healthy and ready to go to Mexico.

After language school , she began serving with Transformados in early 2020 . Annie says it’s been “a breath of fresh air.”

She’d just started to introduce new sports when COVID-19 interrupted everyone’s life.

Annie pivoted from her original plan.

Annie holds a basketball on the court, shortly before COVID became her next missionary challenge

After Annie finally found her ministry fit, COVID-19. But this time, Annie could see how God had prepared her for the challenge — and she’s seen blessings along the way.

“This is what I can take away from my experience in Chad: I just can’t control things, and what I want things to look like aren’t [sic] always going to turn out,” she says.

She’s now teaching fitness, strength training and nutrition to small groups of students.

“As terrible as COVID has been and limited our ministry, I feel like it’s brought me closer to know our youth,” Annie says . “I think it would have taken a lot more time.”

She is encouraged to see how God has changed her perspective, how she’s grown in profound ways.

“I’m a completely different person from five years ago,” she says. “I can easily fall back on [God’s provision] a lot more.”

So she doesn’t regret those hard years at all. In fact, she says, “It’s been an amazing journey.”

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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