Sunrise on a New Beginning

Suzanne Pearson • Jan 17, 2023

For many of us, when we think of Italy, we envision the breathtaking architecture, stunning landscapes, and incredible food. But what we may not know is that Italy is also home to a subculture that can be cruel to the weak and vulnerable.

Prostitution is legal in Italy, and the infrastructure for social services is sparse, even for its own citizens. For these reasons among others, Italy is an epicenter for sex trafficking. The result is a sea of women, many of them foreigners in a country far from their own. They are trapped in the sex industry but looking for the path to a better life. In their hearts, they hold the dream of escape from their current reality, but they know of no one to come alongside them and empower them to find freedom.

“We See You.”

TEAM global workers Jon and Erika have served two terms in Italy for a total of 10 years. Prior to joining TEAM, Erika spearheaded the formation of Alleanza Tesori Raggianti (ATR), which is a national network of Christian anti-trafficking ministries in Italy. When Jon and Erika came on board with TEAM in 2015, TEAM fully supported them in continuing in that same work.

ATR comes alongside existing anti-trafficking ministries in Italy, supporting their work and connecting them in their common goals. ATR’s ministry is comprehensive and addresses the issue of sex trafficking in a number of ways. One aspect of their work is outreach ministry – literally reaching out to women on the streets of Italy. “Workers would give small gifts to the women,” Erika explains. “They’d let them know, ‘We’re here for you. We see you. We care about you. We want to support you however we can.”

The workers began to develop relationships with the women, whom they refer to as “treasures.” But soon, a problem presented itself. “A woman would decide, ‘Yeah, I do want something different. I don’t want to be on the streets. I trust you. Help me get out.’ But there wasn’t really anywhere to send them.”

It was this catalyst, along with a burden that had been laid on Erika’s colleagues years before, that all the pieces began to come together for the formation of Alba Safe House and Recovery Program .

Woman walking with suitcase.

Women looking to escape trafficking need a safe refuge in which to begin a new reality.

All the Pieces to Rebuild a Life

Jon and Erika and their colleagues knew they needed a holistic model for this new initiative. They had seen similar ministries struggle when they only focused on one aspect of women’s lives, such as just housing or just helping them find a job. As Erika says, the program needed to give a survivor “all the pieces she needs to rebuild her life.”

And for these treasures to do that rebuilding process in their lives, that’s a lot of pieces. Surprisingly, many of the trafficked women in Italy are from Nigeria. Lured by the hope of a better life, they find themselves enslaved to their trafficker in a harsh and unfamiliar culture. Many are uneducated, unable to read or write in their own language, let alone Italian. They have no paperwork for legal residency in Italy, and citizens risk prosecution for harboring them.

And in a particularly dark aspect of the trafficking industry, Nigerian women are often manipulated into participating in voodoo rituals which put them in spiritual bondage to their trafficker. If they try to break free, harm may come to them or their families back in Nigeria. If a survivor tries to return to Nigeria, they are ostracized and likely re-trafficked. It is a seemingly hopeless situation.

As one of Erika’s co-workers said about a survivor she is working with, “I feel like I am pulling her out of hell.” Meeting women right at those gates of hell and empowering them to escape the flames is what Alba is all about.

A Globalized Effort

To get the program off the ground, the team tapped into resources across the globe. In 2018, they connected with the SA Foundation , a Canada-based nonprofit organization that serves as a respected model for long-term recovery ministry. The SA Foundation provided a recovery curriculum as well as training for Alba’s staff so that they didn’t have to reinvent the wheel.

God also provided a sizeable grant for the program in April 2021, and with great joy, Alba officially launched in February 2022 with space to house three women. The first survivor arrived soon after but sadly only stayed a short time. The second Alba treasure moved in over the summer and remains on the road to freedom, one day at a time.

Also in the spirit of global collaboration, Alba and the ATR are a part of the European Freedom Network of anti-trafficking initiatives – a group that has connections all over Europe. More locally, Italian churches are slowly beginning to support Alba’s efforts.

Even Alba’s staff itself has multi-cultural, multi-national representation. The program is run by a team of three directors. One is Italian, one is Brazilian, and one is American. Each has lived in Italy for over 20 years. All speak Italian and have a heart to empower survivors in their journey to freedom. Erika and Jon are now back in the U.S., serving in a support role to the Alba team in Italy.

Two ladies sitting on a bed praying together.

Alba Safe House provides a central location where holistic services are available for its residents.

Trusting in the Lord for Transformation

The first of Alba’s core values is to trust in the Lord as “the only One who can truly and fully redeem and restore.” And while Erika and her colleagues of course desire for survivors to experience new life in Christ, they recognize that they cannot force spiritual conversations. Particularly because spirituality has been used to manipulate these women in the past, it is important to let Gospel truth come organically.

“We were adamant from the beginning that Alba would be a place where there are no strings attached,” Erika shares. “The staff doesn’t say, ‘In order to be in our program to receive your basic needs, you have to sit through a devotional every day.’ But the Alba staff are believers. They are completely committed to the Lord and find their strength in Him. They live out the Gospel in the way they love the women. Conversations are infused with that. But it’s important that no one feels controlled or manipulated.”

Hope for the Future

As the Alba team looks ahead, the prayer is for more women to find refuge at Alba. COVID restrictions in Italy have made it more difficult to connect with survivors seeking escape, and yet women continue to pour into Italy through trafficking. Finances are always a concern and additional funding is needed to expand the Alba program – the goal is to house as many as 20 women at a time. (Find more specific ways to pray for Alba Safe House and other anti-trafficking ministries HERE .)

Even as the team waits on the Lord to bring more treasures, they see His loving hand at work. The Director of Operations at Alba shares this: “We have incredibly hard days when chronic trauma can leave [women] feeling as if they could drown in pain. It is our job to remind them that we believe in them and we can see them one day living their own life in autonomy and freedom, inside and out. It is our job to carry this vision of what their life could look like, especially in the hardest moments. Together we have the opportunity to carry the light of Jesus into the darkest corners of life where the treasures we serve no longer have to just survive, now they can thrive!”

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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