Christmas Archives - TEAM Christian Missions Blog

Silent Night: A Guatemalan Christmas Story

TEAM missionary Joe Dorris learned that the familiar story of Christ’s birth isn’t so familiar in Guatemala — even for those raised in church.

Dec 22 2020

It was a cozy December night in 2017. Outside the apartment window, a resounding chorus of stray dogs and feral cats raised their voices in inharmonious unity. Inside, the cheerful sounds of laughter and hearty conversation combined with the warm smell of Guatemalan tamales and sweet ponche drink to bring about the cozy feeling that is known as Christmastime. “Ok everyone,” I announced. “To the living room. Study time.” The roughly ten guys rose sloth-like from the dinner table and migrated their full stomachs towards living room, where the sofa and chairs hungrily awaited, ready to swallow them whole. I…

Finished cookies surrounded by Christmas decor

Check out this recipe for traditional Czech cookies! Then, take some time to pray for the Czech people.

Dec 10 2019

Today’s recipe was originally published by The Hungry Bluebird. Merry Christmas! These cookies come all the way from the Czech Republic and they are delicious! These light and sweet cookies are easy to make and will add some cultural diversity to your upcoming Christmas parties and family dinners. Even though there isn’t sugar in the cookie dough itself, the cookies get just the right amount of sweetness from the jam or cream cheese filling in the middle. In that way, these buttery, flaky cookies are similar to American pastries Try them out for yourself because they are super yummy and…

Two women hand a Christmas wreath on a door.

Christmas is coming up and for missionaries, that means outreach opportunities. Keep reading to see how you can pray for outreaches this month!

Dec 01 2019

The Christmas season is here — and that means great outreach opportunities for missionaries. In many cultures, Christmas opens people up to the idea of faith in God. The decorations, the music and the events are all constant reminders that something important is going on. It makes people curious. With this in mind, missionaries around the world will host Christmas parties at their churches and homes. They’ll hold choir concerts where unsaved neighbors can hear the Gospel. They may even invite friends to celebrate the actual holiday together. Even if Christmas isn’t celebrated in a culture, missionaries can share about…

How Missionaries Around the World Celebrate Christmas

Serving in a new country often means adopting new Christmas traditions. Keep reading to see some of our missionaries' favorite traditions from their host countries!

Dec 20 2018

Hallmark movies, cut-out cookies and letters to Santa are all pretty typical Christmas traditions — for those of us in the United States. But around the world, there are hundreds of different customs surrounding the holiday season. So what happens when our missionaries immerse themselves in their host cultures? How do they celebrate Christmastime? To find out, we’ve asked a few of them about their holiday traditions. And here are some of our favorites: Christmas Trick-or-Treating Ryan Kennedy is a second-generation missionary serving in Papua, Indonesia. He was a missionary kid there — and now he’s raising his own kids…

Women across Europe will spend this Christmas season in brothels. But friends like you are giving them hope!

Dec 11 2018

Angelika* is cold. Really cold. She tries to find a spot on the street near the big vans with curtains on the windows. Those clients are regulars, and with any luck, she’ll be able to warm up a bit in the vans when she does what she has to do with the men inside. She misses her home. She doesn’t even speak the language here. But her husband was abusive and then abandoned her and her two small children in this place. Now she is a single mother of two in a strange country — doing work she hates. This…

Missionaries around the world will hold Christmas parties and outreaches this month. Will you pray for them?

Dec 03 2018

When Haruto* went with his son to a Christmas event in their home city of Tokyo, he didn’t expect it to be life-changing. The event was actually a kids’ Christmas outreach hosted by TEAM missionaries at Christian Academy in Japan every year. The evening usually starts with a craft, a fun activity and some caroling. Then, the kids and their accompanying parents get to listen to the story of Jesus’ birth story. It was during the storytelling that Haruto became especially intrigued. He approached a TEAM missionary afterward and asked, “Is that in the Bible — that Jesus was born…

Christmas Traditions From Around the World

Learn 9 ways cultures around the world are celebrating Christmas this season.

Dec 21 2016

From colorful piñatas to 12-course meals, Christians around the world celebrate Christmas in ways as unique as their cultures. Read to discover 9 global Christmas traditions you might not have known about. Midnight Mass in Brazil Tropical temperatures in Brazil mean churchgoers don’t have to bundle up to attend Missa do Galo (“Rooster’s Mass”) at midnight. After services, fireworks illuminate the skylines of large cities, and families hurry home to enjoy a large meal together and exchange gifts. The Yule Cat in Iceland Children and adults alike in Iceland hope to unwrap a new set of clothes for Christmas. Traditional folklore…

Leaving behind beloved Christmas traditions is a true cost of being a missionary. But this sacrifice makes room for new traditions that illuminate the meaning of Christmas.

Dec 12 2016

I love Christmas. My mama always called me her “Christmas girl.” When I was growing up there was nothing like waking up at Grandma’s house on Christmas morning. The Christmas tree twinkling in the early morning hours, holiday smells wafting from the kitchen, stockings filled with treasures. Listening to my dad read the Christmas story from the Bible and thinking about Mary giving birth in the stable to Baby Jesus warmed every inch of my soul. Even crawling half asleep into a freezing cold car to go home felt like a magical part of the whole experience to me. Yes, my…

The holidays are a joyful, yet challenging time for many missionaries. Read 10 unique ways to give a missionary support this Christmas.

Dec 07 2016

For many missionaries, the Christmas season is full of opportunities to share the Gospel with people in their community. While the holidays bring many joyful activities, they can also magnify feelings of homesickness for some missionaries. We’ve put together a list of 10 unique ways to give your missionaries support this Christmas. 1. Add them to your Christmas card list. As you address your Christmas cards, be sure to include the missionary families you know. This keeps them connected with your family and lets them know you are thinking about them this holiday season! TIP: Ask your missionary or their…

This month, missionaries will be sharing the Christmas story with the people they serve around the world. Some will hear it for the first time. Will you join us in praying for their ministries? Photo by TEAM

Dec 01 2016

Where you the first time you heard the Christmas story? By the fireside with your family? At a church play? Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas? This month, missionaries around the world are sharing about Christ’s birth through carols, parties, gospel tracts, skits and more. For many people, it will be the first time they ever hear that God sent his Son to save us! Will you please pray with us for all the Christmas outreaches and other ministries TEAM missionaries are serving in this month? December 1 – 7 JAPAN | Murray and Kathy Trim write, “Please pray for the many evangelistic…

Tag - Christmas

Silent Night: A Guatemalan Christmas Story

TEAM Eats: Kolachkes

What’s Happening at Christmas (December Prayer Focus)

How Missionaries Around the World Celebrate Christmas

Christmas: The Key to Ministering Inside Brothels

Christmas Parties that Change Lives [December Prayer Focus]

Yule Cats and 8 Other Global Christmas Traditions

The Truth About Being a Missionary at Christmas

10 Ways to Support a Missionary this Christmas

How to Pray for Missionaries This Christmas [December Prayer Guide]