She Fought for Freedom – and Lost God

Bethany DuVal suzanne.pearson • Dec 21, 2018

When Christiane saw her chance to escape, she fled like a fugitive. She’d already tried to leave the country, so she went to another island in the Philippines instead. She broke the SIM card in her phone so no one could call her. She cut her hair.

People back home were hounding Christiane for money — far more than she could ever give them.

Her only option was to never be found.

But Christiane’s hard-won freedom was not what she expected. She spent her days alone in a small room, caring for a baby and struggling to survive.

“I knew God was there, but I was too ashamed to communicate with Him,” she says.

Deep in her heart, Christiane wondered, was her old life really all that bad?

A Childhood of Hardship

Christiane had grown up going to church with her mom. But like many Filipinos , she never felt a deep dependence on God. Christiane’s family was desperately poor, so Christiane’s parents taught her to fight for every scrap she could get.

After high school, Christiane got an entry-level job. And for a time, she saw a glimmer of hope.

Christiane’s boss introduced her to TEAM missionaries Kathy and David North , who were leading a local church plant. Christiane started attending and being discipled. She joined the worship team. Two of the Norths’ co-workers even helped her pay for college.

The church was like an oasis from all of Christiane’s hardships. But that oasis couldn’t protect her from the pressures she faced at home.

Family Pressure Drives Christiane Away

As Christiane’s parents got older, they pushed Christiane and her siblings to support the family.

“They kept on telling us that we had to work hard and do whatever it takes to take our family out of poverty,” Christiane says.

By now, Christiane was fresh out of college. There was no way she could get a job to pay for her parents’ demands. But they didn’t care.

So Christiane came up with a plan.

Christiane was already dating a man from Korea, Han-bin*. And though Christiane’s missionary friends had concerns about the relationship, Christiane knew she could earn good money if Han-bin took her back to Korea.

As Christiane thought about the possibilities, her fantasies grew. She could send her younger siblings to school. She could buy her parents a house. She could have everything she wanted.

There was just one problem: Han-bin’s parents didn’t want a poor Filipina for their daughter-in-law. They refused to sign Christiane’s immigration papers.

And just like that, Christiane’s dreams were shattered.

Christiane didn’t know how she could face her concerned missionary friends after this devastating fall. So, when an old boyfriend asked her to visit him on the island of Cebu, she jumped at the chance.

Christiane Escapes to Cebu

Christiane and her old boyfriend, Jonah, moved in together, and Christiane cut off all contact with her old life.

But this new life wasn’t any easier.

Jonah only earned minimum wage, and soon, Christiane became pregnant. She spent her days cooped up in their tiny apartment. No job. No friends.

Christiane and Jonah got married, and then Christiane got pregnant again. All the while, they struggled to survive — just as her parents had.

“All I could think was how much I wished I wasn’t here,” Christiane says. “I wished I could turn back time.”

She longed to go back to her missionary friends. She wanted to kill herself. But she couldn’t do either with two children depending on her.

So, she turned to a life of partying.

Depression Turns to Partying Lifestyle

If Christiane couldn’t have her old life back, she didn’t want any reminders of it.

She got tattoos, dyed her hair and started drinking heavily. She even changed her name — because how could she call herself “Christiane” when she wasn’t living like a Christian?

She started seeing other men — and endured terrible abuse at their hands. She and Jonah split up and got back together.

“The more I turned away from the Lord, the more bad things happened to me,” Christiane says.

Her suicidal feelings grew. She thought, I don’t care if I die. If I go to hell, so be it.

But strangely, something kept her holding on.

“In the deepest part of me, I knew there was a God, and that somehow He could save me. … But I only had this tiny — like a grain of sand — piece of faith,” Christiane says.

It would be enough.

She Finds Hope at the Grocery Store

One day, thirteen years after Christiane left for Cebu, she and Jonah walked through the grocery store — and came face-to-face with David and Kathy North.

Christiane could hardly believe it. The Norths were the missionaries from her old her church. But now, they said they were starting a church plant in her local mall.

They invited her to come!

After years of avoiding church, Christiane can’t fully explain why she decided to go.

Maybe it was the way the Norths met her with love instead of criticism. Maybe it was the longing already in her heart.

That Sunday, the worship songs tore at Christiane’s heart.

“I’m a tough woman, but you can’t say no when God is calling you,” Christiane says.

Christiane asked the Norths for forgiveness. Then she asked for discipleship.

Today, Christiane has rebuilt her relationship with her kids (pictured here) and her husband. They attend church together every Sunday, worshiping their Savior.

Today, Christiane’s whole family attends church together — and God is healing their relationships.

“The life and family that I had before was just godless,” Christiane says, “but now, I’m proud to say that God is the center of our family.”

Thank you for sending missionaries like the Norths to reach people like Christiane. Through your generosity, you have changed not only her life, but the lives of her husband and children. You are a blessing!

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: