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When a Muslim Dreams of a Missionary

With crushing debt, a dying mother and a looming prison sentence, Murad was in desperate need of a miracle. Then, he dreamed of a missionary.

Jul 19 2021

Every salvation story is different. Murad began his by hitting a pedestrian with his car. The accident wasn’t necessarily all his fault, but in Murad’s Middle Eastern country, that doesn’t matter. The person at fault is the one who doesn’t get hurt The medical bills stacked up quickly, and Murad was responsible for all of them. Tradition also required Murad to pay a separate amount as an apology to the family. The full amount was 20 times what Murad made in one month. In the midst of that crisis, Murad’s family was hit with another: Murad’s mother, Qismah, was diagnosed…

7 Ways to Pray for Translation and Linguistics Ministries [July Prayer Focus]

Millions of people around the world can't read the Gospel in their own language. Let's pray for translation ministries around the world. Photo by TEAM

Jun 01 2021

It’s a Monday night, and 15 Kwong men eagerly fill a small classroom, waiting for the opportunity of a lifetime. Tonight, they’re going to study the Bible — in their own language. The Kwong tribe first received the Gospel in the 1950s, but getting a Kwong Bible translation has taken much longer. Local pastors struggle to teach from Bible translations in other languages they barely understand. And for most Kwong believers, those sermons are the only biblical teaching they get. But for nearly 30 years, a team of local believers and TEAM missionaries has been painstakingly translating God’s word into…

In the face of sex trafficking, drug culture and a global pandemic, kids greatly need our support. Let’s pray for children’s ministries.

May 02 2021

Childhood is one of the easiest seasons of life to embrace the Gospel. “Kids are not cynical at this age,” says TEAM worker Ellen*, “and they’re open to learning what we have to say. They trust that what an adult is telling them is true.” But in today’s world, the age of innocence doesn’t last long. In Southeast Asia, where Ellen serves, girls are sold into the sex trade before they even reach puberty. In South Africa, kids contend with a drug culture that fills their schools and neighborhoods. In Mexico, missionaries share how COVID-19 restrictions have driven many kids…

Missionaries around the world serve to help the church bloom and grow. Here's how you can pray for church plants this month. Photo by TEAM

Mar 01 2021

Ask a church planter how you can pray for them, and they’ll tell you they need perseverance. Church planters have to learn a whole new culture, while building relationships, organizing services and staying in close connection with God. On top of all that, being a church planter means being available to your new congregation at all hours. “There are times when the people in your young church need you to drop everything and help them,” says Vicki Reyes, a TEAM church planter in Mexico. Vicki shared a few examples: “A woman and her two children show up at the door….

Raising kids on the mission field is full of surprising challenges — even when you think you know what to expect. Let’s pray for missionary parents.

Feb 01 2021

Kacie was going to be a more adventurous mom. Growing up on the mission field, Kacie and her siblings spent many days at home, with their stay-at-home mother. “I assumed … that’s the way my mom wanted it to be.” But, says the missionary to Papua, Indonesia, “I was going to be different, in the community with my kids.” Her plan worked great at first. Out in the community, people doted on Kacie’s foreign babies. But when those babies became toddlers, they started resisting all the attention they were getting from strangers. And as Kacie kept trying to pull her…

Annie Wilson smiling despite missionary challenges she faced

Annie took the missionary assignment of a lifetime in Chad. Then everything went sideways.

Jan 21 2021

I don’t want to be a missionary anymore, Annie Wilson thought. She’d followed God’s leading and left her P.E. teaching and coaching job to serve Him overseas. So why did it feel like a dead end? Exploring Missions Annie began exploring missions in 2014 when she was asked a question: “What would you be willing to give up for God?” As Annie wrestled with her answer, she discovered TEAM and saw opportunities for sports ministry. TEAM connected her with a missions coach, Tasha Eckenhoff, who worked with her to find a role that would be a good fit. One option…

City train. Urban ministries have to compete with the busy lives of city-dwellers.

It’s been a tough season for cities, but missionaries are working hard to bring hope to people in need. Here’s how we can pray.

Jan 03 2021

The last year has ravaged the world’s cities. COVID-19 regulations shut down businesses — many to never recover. Low-income workers struggled to find work, and many went without food for days at a time. Meanwhile, wealthier professionals abandoned cities after realizing they could work from anywhere. And various protests have disrupted what little peace was left. “Unrest is more predominate as people are questioning the authorities of government, religion and the Thai Kingdom,” says TEAM missionary Kennedy Paizs. Yet, despite cities’ failings, missionaries like Kennedy see them as a key part to fulfilling the Great Commission. A year before COVID-19,…

What do you do when your Bible study books arrive in the wrong language? You could send them back — or you could see how God planned to use them.

Dec 10 2020

Heidi’s plan was simple: Teach her favorite Kay Arthur Bible study at church. Watch women grow in Christ. She ordered a dozen copies of the book in English, a common language in the Middle Eastern country where she served. But when the shipment arrived, something was horribly wrong. “There they were, 12 beautiful books, but … they were all in the Russian language!” Heidi says. Heidi’s co-worker said to send the books back. But Heidi realized God must have a plan. “OK, God, … You have brought these books in,” Heidi prayed, “and so we will keep them and give…

COVID-19 is keeping missionaries from returning to their countries of service. Here's how you can pray for them.

Dec 01 2020

Some missionaries take years to raise their support. Most take many months. Iona and Perry* raised their full support in just 102 days. And they did it in the middle of global pandemic. Any other year, people might have seen such success as God rushing the couple to the mission field. But it’s been six months since the couple finished raising their support, and they’re still waiting to go. “We were planning on leaving for Southeast Asia in September 2020, but that ship has sailed, and we are still in the U.S.,” Iona says. “The borders will not open for…

When Imelda’s mom forbade her from going to church, Imelda rebelled. She got baptized — and prayed for her mother’s salvation.

Nov 18 2020

“Are you crazy? What’s wrong with you?” Ten-year-old Imelda had just come home from an evening church service. She’d been growing to love and follow Jesus, and now she was ready to be baptized. But her mom, Vicenta, would have none of it. Their family was supposed to be Catholic, and Imelda’s involvement with a Protestant group raised all kinds of red flags for Vicenta. “She was a minor,” Vicenta says, suspicious that someone was manipulating her daughter. So when Imelda told her mom she wanted to be baptized, that was the deal breaker. Vicenta not only forbade the baptism,…

Tag - prayer

When a Muslim Dreams of a Missionary

3 Ways to Pray for Translation Ministries

How to Pray for Youth and Children’s Ministries

3 Ways to Pray for Church Plants

How to Pray for Missionary Parents

Missionary Challenges: From Ready to Quit, to No Regrets

How to Pray for Urban Ministries

What God Can Do with 12 Books in the Wrong Language

How to Pray for Missionaries in Limbo During COVID-19

A Daughter’s Rebellious Prayer