Reaching the Lost in North America [August Prayer Focus]

TEAM – The Evangelical Alliance Mission • Aug 01, 2019

It’s the news no parent ever wants to hear: “Your child is sick.”

Joram and Ousa were living in a foriegn country — the violence in Syria forced them to flee as refugees to Jordan . They were just starting to settle into life there when they got the diagnosis.

Their son, Adnan, had leukoencephalopathy , a disease that affects white matter in the brain.

By the time they were able to get asylum in the U.S., Adnan’s illness had advanced to the point that he was bedridden and unable to communicate.

That’s when Joram and Ousa met TEAM missionaries Miles and Ava Douglas. The Douglases work with refugees in North America. One day they were meeting with a group of their Syrian friends at a park, and Joram and Ousa happened to be a part of this group. Joram and Ousa welcomed the Douglases to come and sit with them and their relationship quickly grew from casual acquaintances to deep friendship.

Even though Joram and Ousa are Muslims and the Douglases are Christians, Joram and Ousa welcome the Douglases into the hospital to pray for their son . The Douglases pray that God will use this friendship to reveal Himself to Joram, Ousa and Adnan .

Please join us this month in praying for missionaries like the Douglases working in North America. Missionaries in North America serve through a wide variety of ministries including ESL , refugee ministries , creation care ministries , and many more.

Pray that God will use these missionaries to further His Kingdom in North America and the rest of the world. Keep reading for specific ways you can pray.

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1. Pray that missionaries will engage in cross-cultural ministry opportunities across the U.S. and Canada.

Over 360 different people groups have members living in the United States and Canada. That’s more than there ever has been before. TEAM missionary Mark Crooks says, The tremendous impact of migration is being felt everywhere as we see the faces of people from all corners of the world arriving with specific needs and settling into the homes and neighborhoods next door to us in our cities and towns.”

An American missionary and a Hispanic member of the church walk together carrying Bibles.

People from all over the world live in the United States and Canada, so missionaries in these areas have ample opportunities to engage in cross-cultural ministry.

This means that North American Christians have an opportunity like never before to spread Christ’s love to the nations in their own backyards . And that’s what missionaries in North America are working to do. They serve through a wide variety of ministries including ESL, refugee ministries, creation care ministries and many more. Right now TEAM has 12 families working in the U.S. and Canada, and three more missionaries are coming this year.

Pray that all of these missionaries will have the courage to embrace new opportunities and strength to endure through the hard times. Pray that they will form strong relationships with people and show the love of Christ.

2. Ask God to use missionaries’ previous cross-cultural experiences to build relationships.

Cultural differences are one major barrier to building relationships with immigrants and refugees. When people come from their home culture into a North American culture, it can take them some time to acclimate and feel comfortable in the new culture. It helps to have something familiar. Sometimes that can mean befriending people who are already familiar with their home culture.

A lot of TEAM missionaries serving in the U.S. and Canada have cross-cultural experience. Maybe they lived overseas themselves or they had a personal connection with a specific culture or people group. Either way, these unique experiences help them build cross-cultural relationships where they are now. Building relationships is much easier once there is no cultural barrier to overcome.

Pray that God will point missionaries to people with similar cultural experiences. Pray that the missionaries will be able to use their experiences to minister to others.

3. Pray that supporters will recognize the importance of missionaries in North America.

Many missionaries who serve in North America have to build financial support teams, just like overseas missionaries . When we think of supporting missionaries, North American missionaries might not be the first to come to mind. This may be because we think missionaries should have a full-time job and go to church or help with some type of ministry in their off time. Or it may be because we don’t generally think of North America as a mission field.

A missionary in North America gives a fundraising presentation.

North American missionaries rely on supporters just like international missionaries do, but sometimes fundraising can be even harder for missionaries serving in North America.

Regardless of the reason, it often makes it harder for North American missionaries to raise funds than it is for their overseas counterparts . Not only do these missionaries face the same fundraising challenges that overseas missionaries face, but they also have to work harder to prove to supporters why their work is important. This can be a very discouraging process.

Pray that North American missionaries will receive full funding for their ministries . Ask God to send supporters who will encourage missionaries in their work.

Thank you for partnering with us in prayer! Click here to get a print-out of this month’s Prayer Focus requests and praise reports”

*The names of the people you’ve helped may be changed to protect their privacy.

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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