How to Pray for Missionaries in Limbo During COVID-19

TEAM – The Evangelical Alliance Mission • Dec 01, 2020

Some missionaries take years to raise their support. Most take many months. Iona and Perry* raised their full support in just 102 days.

And they did it in the middle of global pandemic.

Any other year, people might have seen such success as God rushing the couple to the mission field. But it’s been six months since the couple finished raising their support, and they’re still waiting to go .

“We were planning on leaving for Southeast Asia in September 2020, but that ship has sailed, and we are still in the U.S.,” Iona says. “The borders will not open for international travel this year.”

The couple isn’t alone. Around the world, nations are keeping tight regulations on who crosses their borders.

TEAM has 11 new missionaries waiting to go abroad, as well as seasoned missionaries who are serving remotely in the U.S. or Canada. Missionaries from other agencies are facing similar struggles.

“We are kind of living in the ‘neither here nor there,’” Perry says. “We have quit our jobs and sold our homes. … This is an uncharted area for most of us.”

This month, will you pray with us for missionaries in limbo during COVID-19? Let’s ask God to calm missionaries’ fears and show them how they can use this time for His glory!

Sign up here to get the new Prayer Focus in your inbox every month!

1. Pray for peace, wisdom and contentment while missionaries wait.

COVID-19 restrictions forced Ron and Amy Barber to leave Manila in March. They thought they’d be back by summer, so they only packed a few bags. Now, their apartment lease in Manila is about to run out. If they don’t renew their lease, they’ll have to have their things moved from afar and find a new home when they return.

The transient nature of missionary life creates unique challenges for missionaries on hold. They need lodging, but because borders could reopen at any time, they can’t settle into anything . Reverse culture shock is always an obstacle, but it’s stronger this year due to political unrest.

Learn more about what returning missionaries experience in our piece 8 Ways to Serve Missionaries Coming Home .

“This has been the hardest year of my life,” says Stephen Langley, a TEAM missionary to South Africa. “Being stuck between worlds is nothing short of heart-wrenching.”

Ask God to calm the hearts of missionaries in limbo during COVID-19 and give them wisdom as they make hard decisions . Pray that God will give them His mind and heart in this season.

2. Pray for opportunities to glorify God where they are.

Zoom meeting with a coffee cup. Zoom meetings like this one are giving missionaries the chance to keep serving during COVID-19.

Some teaching ministries can be transferred online, but that can be difficult for missionaries serving rural areas. Ask God to direct these workers’ steps so they can find the best ways to serve Him during this time.

While missionaries are stuck in their home countries, many are finding ways to keep serving and growing.

Bible professor Deb Prentice is using this time to study and prepare for her next semester in eSwatini. Iona and Perry are serving Somali refugees with tutoring, language learning and spiritual outreach . Ron is training Christian leaders online. Many are also brushing up on their language skills and finding ways to speak to church groups and supporters.

Pray for strong internet connections for those ministering online, and ask God to direct missionaries’ steps as they seek ways to serve. “Pray for daily reminders that we aren’t stuck, but we are, as always, in His plan,” Iona says .

3. Pray that missionaries can safely go to their host countries soon.

God is graciously working during this unsteady season. Missionaries are growing Him, serving others in their home countries and finding space for physical rest and healing. Still, the command to make disciples of all nations cannot be forgotten .

Zoom is a great technology, but it limits workers in making deep connections. And internet ministry is impossible for underdeveloped areas where internet signals are extremely weak. Other ministries, such as medical care and community development can only be done in person.

Pray for nations to find safe ways to live with the virus and safely invite missionaries back. And in the meantime, ask God to strengthen local believers as they continue His work.

*Names changed for security.

Click here to download a printable copy of this month’s Prayer Focus, with additional prayer requests from the field!

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: