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TEAM Eats: Recipe for Savory Thai Peanut Noodles

Growing up in Southeast Asia gave missionary kid Emily Sheddan a long-lasting love for all things noodles and rice. She shares her recipe for delicious Savory Thai Peanut Noodles to share with your family, too.

Jun 09 2016

If it’s anything noodles or rice, count me in. From the age of six, I’ve been told I can amazingly put away the food like a large Asian man. I love all of it and all of the strong flavors that come along with it like sesame, curries, ginger and garlic. Memories flood my mind of hawker stall delicacies from growing up in Southeast Asia. It wouldn’t matter if these were some of the dirtiest places to grab a plate of food either. What mattered and made people always come back was all the delicious choices from fried rice (nasi goreng)…

In cultures where the group is more highly valued than the individual, envy can occur when the status quo is threatened. Missionaries from an individualistic culture need to be mindful of these differences and how they affect their ministry. Photo by TEAM

May 18 2016

Have you ever thought about how envy plays out in culture? In Western capitalistic societies we do not usually think about envy, though it is a universal human emotion. Many people in the Majority World take steps to avoid becoming the target of envy. Being envied (or perceived as envious) carries significant social, and sometimes material cost. Envy is a feeling of disappointment or ill-will at the advancement of another person in happiness, success, reputation or the possession of anything desirable. It can be characterized by “I wish I had what you have,” or more intensely by “I wish you did not have what…

From bad t-shirts to wild gestures, watch this video for tips on how to avoid common mission trip blunders.

May 05 2016

Whether you’re going on a mission trip to Thailand or Guatemala, there are a few universal best practices you should know. Watch the video below for a comical look at the blunders short-term missionaries have been known to make. Then, read on for practical tips that will help you avoid these common mission trip mistakes. 1. Don’t be loud and obnoxious. Going to a new place you’ve only seen in photos is exciting. With each novel experience, you might feel like snapping a few selfies and voicing great delight. It’s important to remember that while this is an experience for you, it’s another Monday for the people…

Cultural preparation is critical to a short-mission trip. Jumpstart your cultural learning with these 20 questions. Photo by TEAM

Apr 21 2016

Preparing for a short-term mission trip doesn’t stop when your funds are raised and your flight is booked. Before jetting off on your short-term mission trip, it’s critical to have an understanding of the culture in which you will be living and serving. Having knowledge of your host country’s unique customs will engender the respect you need from locals to be successful in ministry. It also might save you from a cultural blunder or two! To build a foundation of cultural competency, spend time answering the following diagnostic questions. You can download a printable version with space to record your findings here. Questions to Help…

Short-term missionary, Hanna Smith travelled through Thailand to document the work of ministry leaders there.

Jan 29 2016

Hanna Smith traveled from New Orleans to Thailand to serve on a short-term mission trip. She used her gifts as a photographer to document workers in the field. Scroll through to catch a glimpse of missions in Thailand along with commentary from Hanna. Want to go and experience Thai culture for yourself? Join TEAM on a vision trip to Thailand and Southeast Asia this summer. Learn more about ministry opportunities and see firsthand the need for the gospel to be spread throughout this region.

Italy in the fall. Photo by TEAM

Nov 10 2015

Have you ever had a ripe persimmon on a crisp day in October? I’m sad to say, despite priding myself on a broad palate and a love of eating locally and seasonally, it’s something I’ve only recently discovered. This is my seventh autumn in Italy, and every year, right around this time, I see the cachi start to show up in the markets. Every year, I think I should buy a few and figure out what to do with them, and every year I let the fall pass without actually following through. A few weeks ago, the missions pastor from…

Photo by Robert Johnson/TEAM

Dec 22 2014

Christmastime is an incredible opportunity to share the love of Christ and the miracle of his birth with others. Christmas traditions are a special way of preparing for this time of year, and they can vary between every family, community and country. All across the globe, Christmas traditions are as unique as the people who live there. Sometimes they involve big, elaborate celebrations, and other times it is the small and simple traditions that make Christmas so special. Here are a few interesting traditions that can be found in different countries all over the world. In Venezuela, instead of driving…

TEAM videographer Joel Hager builds relationships with children in a neighborhood near Arequipa, Peru, while working on a story about their community. Photo by Andy Olsen / TEAM

Apr 08 2014

Everyone loves a good story. Except, sometimes, when it’s about them. Like most missions agencies, TEAM has a dedicated group of professionals who work to tell the stories of what God is doing around the world. Our storytelling team (in my opinion) has one of the best jobs around, getting to know our amazing workers on the field and inviting people half a world away to experience their work through words, images and videos. Our goal is to tell the most accurate, compelling and authentic stories we can. But that goal sometimes conflicts with the desires of our story subjects,…

Men pray at a shrine in Japan. For Japanese Christians, choosing not to pray to the dead at a funeral can be a defining moment. Photo by Robert Johnson / TEAM

Oct 10 2013

In Japan, the moment of truth for a Christian often comes during a funeral. At Buddhist funerals — which constitute around 90 percent of them in Japan — the custom is for mourners to pay their respects by bowing before the deceased and offering up a prayer to the dead, often along with some incense. When it comes to Christianity in Japan, that practice poses a big problem. Most Japanese Christians stop praying to the dead and other spirits when they start following Jesus. According to Stella Cox, a longtime TEAM missionary in Japan, funerals are often big social events…

Tag - Culture

TEAM Eats: Recipe for Savory Thai Peanut Noodles

Why the Missionary Must Consider Envy

7 Things to Never Do on a Mission Trip [Video]

20 Questions to Help You Prepare for a Mission Trip

Photo Journal: Thailand

Taste and See That God Is Good

Christmas Traditions

Storytelling and Respecting Subjects

Christianity in Japan: Take A Bow? Believers Say No Thanks