Prepare to Launch: Praying for Missionary-Kid Graduates

Suzanne Pearson • Aug 01, 2022

If you’ve ventured into an American WalMart or Target recently, you know that “Back to School” time is upon us here in the U.S. But even in TEAM ministry areas around the world, “missionary” kids are preparing to launch into their next adventure after high school. Some plan to attend college or university in the U.S., Canada or abroad. Others will enter the workforce or begin a new missions journey of their own. Regardless of the chosen path, change is both exciting and challenging.

For this month’s Prayer Focus, we invite you to lift up TEAM’s MK high school graduates and their families as they enter a new chapter. Here are seven ways to pray for our missionary-kids-turned-adults and their families:

1. PRAY for MK graduates who are still discerning their next step.

For many high school graduates, regardless of where they grew up, it can be incredibly daunting to answer the dreaded question everyone is asking them: “What are you doing after high school?” The uncertainty of God’s calling can be compounded for missionary kids who are not sure where “home” is. PRAY for the Holy Spirit to guide and direct the path of graduates still seeking out their calling.


2. PRAY for graduates to use the skills they’ve learned on the mission field.

In many ways, MK’s have an advantage over students born and raised solely in a Western culture. Their familiarity with people of diverse backgrounds makes them well-suited to interact in a new environment. Emily is a TEAM staffer who grew up as an MK in Indonesia and Malaysia . She remembers how her missionary experience helped her when attending college at Carson Newman University in Tennessee. “I learned fast and adapted,” says Emily. “I had a worldview that others didn’t, and I easily worked in different group settings.” Pray that MK graduates can draw on their unique experiences to adjust quickly, interact well with others, and succeed in their new community.

3. PRAY for graduates to appreciate this new season of their lives, especially if it’s a stepping stone to something else.

Some MK’s transitioning into adulthood are anxious to start their career or mission work right away. However, college or a training program must often come first. Mark and Gretchen , TEAM workers in the Czech Republic , have “launched” three adult children and their youngest daughter leaves for university in Ontario, Canada in the fall. “It can be a challenge for some missionary kids to settle into the place where they are for this season of life, knowing there are other places in the world that they would also like to be,” Gretchen shares. PRAY for MK grads to trust God’s timing and the place God has them “for such a time as this.”



4. PRAY for graduates to find Christian community wherever the road takes them next.

Just like any young adult leaving home for the first time, MK’s must separate from the friends and support system they know and love. Peter grew up in Japan where his parents Jon and Tammy serve. “I’ve learned to be comfortable wherever I am and feel like adjusting to new circumstances comes easy for me,” says Peter. On the other hand he adds, ”Moving from place to place made it hard to really build deep friendships. I look forward to building deeper relationships in college.” Pray for God to create divine appointments for MK graduates to meet and meaningfully connect with new friends.

5. PRAY for graduates to have peace and confidence when they feel anxious or homesick .

Emily remembers being excited to start college in the U.S., but also nervous and shy. “I wasn’t up on pop culture and had not experienced all the things kids in the States had during high school,” she shares. “I started my freshman year with no car and still trying to figure out the [U.S.] dollar amounts because they were all the same color instead of being multi-colored!” Pray for MK grads to navigate new cultures and new experiences with a sense of humor and the peace that passes all understanding.

Hugging goodbye to daughter.

Cue the tearful dorm room or airport goodbyes – sending your “baby” off into the world is never easy!


6. PRAY for MK Parents as they “let go” and entrust their new graduates to the Lord.

For many of TEAM’s global worker families, they are sending their graduates to school or work thousands of miles away. While the transition can be bittersweet for moms and dads, Mark and Gretchen are proud and excited for their daughter because they know she’s ready. “As parents, we really appreciate the help and advice we’ve received from TEAM as we’ve raised our kids in another culture,” says Gretchen. Pray for graduates’ parents to have a smooth transition as their kids leave home.

7. PRAY for the siblings of graduating missionary kids.

Several of the TEAM missionary families we spoke with have younger children still at home and mentioned how the upcoming transition may affect them. Most MK’s are very close with their siblings. Many are homeschooled or live at boarding schools with or near their siblings. Thus when an older brother or sister leaves for another adventure and destination, it can be very lonely for the younger kids left behind. Pray for graduates’ siblings to find their new normal without big bro or sis just down the hall.

Thank you to all our TEAM audiences for remembering our TEAM global workers in prayer! And in whatever lies ahead for all our TEAM MK graduates, we wish you and your families many, many blessings! TEAM Member Care is here for you each step of the journey!



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.
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