refugee ministry Archives - TEAM Christian Missions Blog

Prayer Needs Abound for War Refugees and Workers

Ukraine refugees getting supplies from a resource tent.

Traumatized and spiritually hungry people in and around Ukraine as well as those helping them desperately need our prayers.

May 02 2022

Nearly 5 million Ukrainian war refugees have crossed borders into other countries, and an additional 6-8 million internally displaced people have migrated west within Ukraine. This month’s Prayer Focus is on relief and ministry efforts for these refugees, also known as the diaspora. Just before the Russian invasion, TEAM evacuated its two workers from Ukraine. (You can read their stories here.) But TEAM’s ministry work both inside and outside of Ukraine was only beginning. Within days of the first bombings, TEAM workers in the Czech Republic began receiving refugees, and other TEAM ministry areas were soon to follow. Global workers…

As a refugee himself, Ebi knew the challenges other refugees faced. Sharing from God's provision was a natural outflow of his faith. TEAM Stock Photo

Nov 14 2019

In 2016, Ebi lost his country. In 2017, he lost his family — and hope for his future. Alone in a foreign country, Ebi felt devastated, angry and directionless. But God had a plan no one could have predicted. This lonely refugee was about to become a force for the Gospel among Muslim refugees. A Broken Life Leads to Christ Ebi and his family illegally immigrated from Iran to Greece in 2016. By the next year, Ebi’s life was in such disarray that his wife decided she couldn’t remain with him. She took the kids and left. But through the…

Anne Ingram became a missionary to plant churches. But in the height of the refugee crisis, she discovered in a new ministry.

Nov 05 2019

When TEAM missionary Anne Ingram went looking for a way to connect with her German community, she didn’t expect to find it among a group of refugees. Anne and her husband, Jeff, moved to Dresden in late 2013 to plant a church. She would walk the streets near their home, asking God how she could reach out to their new neighbors. Right around the same time, the German government decided to open the nation’s borders to people displaced by war, poverty and violence in their own countries. The refugees poured in by the tens of thousands, from places like Eritrea,…

Several refugee children stand in the middle of a refugee camp

This month, we are praying for refugees — people who have been forced to leave their homes because of dangerous situations.

Nov 01 2019

Serena knew her family was different, but she didn’t know why. Her family celebrated Christmas, even though no one else did. And they seemed to live by a different set of rules than everyone else. As Serena grew up, she realized her parents were different because they were Christians in a Muslim society. She accepted Christ when she was 15 years old and started attending her parents’ underground church. But then the unthinkable happened — their church was discovered. Serena’s parents were able to escape to Austria, but Serena had to stay behind. For nine months she was in hiding,…

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…

As a single mom to nine kids, Amal knew hardship. But nothing could prepare her for the devastation she'd face when Syria went to war. Photo by TEAM

Jun 20 2018

It had been three days since Amal* lost her son in a bombing outside Aleppo. Not lost as in dead. Lost. Missing. Gone. Kadan was playing in the street with his friends when a plane dropped a bomb on them. It killed two children and shot shrapnel through 11-year-old Kadan’s abdomen. Kadan’s brother ran home to tell the family, but Amal wasn’t home. Rescue workers quickly loaded Kadan into an ambulance. By the time Amal got home and heard the news, her son was gone. Amal rushed to the local hospital, but Kadan had already been transferred somewhere else. In…

When the authorities interrupted an underground church service, Milad knew he and his friends would have to flee. But where? Keep reading to find out. Photo by TEAM

Jun 12 2018

As the prison door closed behind Milad, he knew his entire life was about to change. Just being discovered with a Bible was a criminal offense in his Middle Eastern country. But being caught in an underground church meeting? Was there any recovering from that? Milad had only been a Christian for eight short months. And he had tried to do everything right during that time — meeting secretly, being discreet about his faith. But his city was full of spies. Even if Milad got out of prison, they would never stop watching him. If he ever got free, there…

Around the world, refugees are being displaced every day. Read how refugee ministries are addressing this crisis and how you can pray. Photo by TEAM

Jun 05 2018

Fear swept over Farrah* as rebel soldiers pulled her family over to the side of the road. They hadn’t even made it to the Jordanian border yet. She and her family had packed all their money in socks and fled their Iraqi village after rebel forces took over. But now, here they were, face-to-face with the people they were trying to escape. When the soldiers yelled for everyone to get out of the vehicle, Farrah obeyed. Instantly, there was a gun at her head. She knew they wanted the money. Slipping a hand inside one of the socks, she thought,…

Lent is a season rich in remembrance. This year, join us as we reflect on the refugee crisis and our ultimate hope of salvation through Christ. Photo by TEAM

Feb 13 2018

Lent is a season rich in imagery. As we reflect on the life and ministry of Christ, and remember His suffering and resurrection, we are reminded of the darkness that pervades our world, as well as the hope of new creation. We remember what we have lost to a world broken because of sin. We remember how, before Jesus made a way, we were foreigners to the family of Christ. We remember how in the most broken of circumstances, God continues to move in and through His people. As we reflect on all this, may another picture come to mind:…

TEAM missionary Tillie Tiller has worked with the people in the Dar Sila region for three years now. She's seen the need for the Gospel — and how much work there is left to do. Will you join her?

Jan 18 2018

One of the most unreached people groups in the world — and eight others — has suddenly been made reachable. And you’ve probably never heard of the place these people call home. The Setting Traditionally closed-off and isolated, Dar Sila, Chad, was forced to open its doors when civil war broke out in neighboring Sudan. Suddenly, the region was flooded with a mass of Sudanese refugees trying to escape the atrocities of war, as well as well-meaning aid workers. But most aid organizations only helped the refugees, while the host population watched their already-sparse supply of natural resources dwindle. The…

Tag - refugee ministry

Prayer Needs Abound for War Refugees and Workers

The Refugee Who Built a Gospel Shelter for Refugees

When God Calls a Church Planter to Reach Refugees

Fleeing Home, Finding Hope [November Prayer Focus]

Christmas: The Key to Ministering Inside Brothels

‘All This Will End’: A Refugee’s Story

His Search for Christ Led Him to Prison

Forced to Start Over — with Nothing [June Prayer Focus]

Refugees in Christ: A Lent Guide

When an Unreached People Lets Down Its Walls