social justice Archives - TEAM Christian Missions Blog

When You Think Selling Yourself Is Your Only Option

At the young age of 13, Sandra became a child bride. After years of abuse, childbirths, abortions and rape, read about how she came to find life in Jesus. Stock photo by TEAM

Apr 12 2018

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The bleeding just wouldn’t stop. Sandra was in the middle of her most recent in-home abortion. And this time, she could feel the life draining from her like the blood pooling up around her body. How had it come to this? How had she ended up lying here, dying in her own home? When she thought back to her childhood, Sandra knew the answer to those questions. Sold by Her Own Family Sandra was born in a town on the western border of Chad. Her mother died when she was an infant, so she was raised mostly by her aunt,…

How a Water Bottling Factory is Reaching Orphans

In South Africa, an HIV epidemic has orphaned over 2 million children. Read how two missionaries are using their skills in engineering and marketing to help these children flourish. Photo courtesy of Brett and Kara Richstone

Feb 13 2017

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“Why don’t you have HIV?” “Why do we have HIV if we haven’t had sex?” “Why don’t we see our parents on holidays?” These aren’t questions a typical engineer deals with during work. But for Brett Richstone, a TEAM missionary and water bottling plant manager, nothing about the last few years has been typical. He starts his day with factory maintenance, applying for licenses or filling orders for fresh spring water. But by the afternoon, he’s leading a Bible study, buying groceries for an entire village and having heart-to-heart conversations with children affected by HIV and AIDS. It all began…

7 Ways to Pray for Social Justice Ministries [February Prayer Focus]

Our hope in Christ surpasses all physical need, yet Jesus commands us to care for the poor and hurting. Here are seven ways you can pray for Christ’s love to shine in social justice ministries. Photo by TEAM

Feb 01 2017

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“If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” James 2:16 (NIV) Jesus came to give us hope that surpasses all physical need. Yet over and over, his word tells us to care for the poor, to seek justice for the oppressed and to love others as ourselves. Around the world, missionaries are obeying these commands by providing physical aid while sharing about the love of Jesus Christ. This February, will you pray with us for social justice ministries around the world? Click…

A Syrian Refugee Mother’s Impossible Choice

Widowed by the Syrian civil war, Amira fled to safety with her unborn child only to be faced with more hardship. Photo by TEAM

Nov 03 2016

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To protect our missionaries and the people they serve, all names and locations in this post have been changed or withheld. We appreciate your prayers for missionaries serving in sensitive regions around the world. You’re a new mother with a choice before you: If you go to work, your baby will have no one to care for her. If you stay home, you won’t have money to care for her. What do you do? If it seems an impossible choice, don’t worry. Whatever you decide, your in-laws say they will kidnap your child anyway. And if all that seemed like…

Vite Trasformate: Uncovering Lost Treasures

In Italy, Ruthi Brucato and Vite Trasformate are seeing lives changed through outreach to women exploited on Bologna's streets. Photo courtesy of Ruthi Brucato

Dec 07 2015

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Vite Trasformate reaches out to marginalized and exploited women on the streets of Bologna. They provide holistic support, including a place to stay and the message of the gospel. This story was originally written by Cara Davis and published in Horizons Magazine. Facts have been updated. Ruthi Brucato, a TEAM missionary in Italy, walks the street toward home with her son, Gabriel, 6, and daughter, Elianna, 7. On the corner stands a prostitute. Gabriel points and says, “Mommy, a treasure!” “That’s right, Gabriel,” Brucato says. “She is a treasure.” Ruthi and her husband Mark moved to Italy six years ago to join Nuova Vita (New Life) Church…

Worse than Prison: Refugees in Czech Republic Detained

Prague, Czech Republic. Photo by TEAM

Oct 29 2015

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Sasha Flek is the pastor of TaCesta Church in Prague, where he serves with TEAM workers. Today, Pastor Flek shares his church’s reaction and response to the influx of refugees in Czech Republic, a country currently under scrutiny for violating the human rights of migrants. As critical needs grow in the global refugee crisis, TEAM missionaries continue to partner with the local church to welcome the nations arriving on their doorsteps. This month, we are sharing these testimonies and hope you will follow along on TEAM’s social media and blog. For some refugees, Czech Republic is just a train stop…

The Healing Power of Hope

Naomi directs children in games that help to build community. Naomi and Anne love and serve not only the vulnerable women but their children as well. Photo by Robert Johnson/TEAM

Mar 17 2015

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Naomi Duff and TEAM missionary Anne Hoyt are reaching out to women in Chad’s sex industry and helping them realize their true worth as daughters of God. Today, Naomi shares some insight into what they do and how the Vulnerable Women Initiative in Chad is helping these women find hope, healing and purpose through Christ. It’s the third day that Rita is in labor. I rush her from the hospital to a specialized mother and child unit. N’Djamena traffic is at its worst at 7:30 a.m., so we crawl along, but every bump in the road produces a gasp of pain from…

Helping Global Orphans: A Common-Sense Approach

In Peru, the government recently passed a law guaranteeing the right of all Peruvian children to family care, rather than care in an institution. Photo by Andy Olsen / TEAM

Jul 17 2014

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We asked Dr. Albert Reyes, president and CEO of Buckner International, to share about how community development intersects with ministering to at-risk children and global orphans. This opinion column appeared in the summer 2014 issue of Horizons magazine. The Problem With Institutional Orphan Care If I earned a dollar every time I heard a well-intentioned Christian say, “I want to go to the mission field and start an orphanage,” I would have enough money to really make a difference for the more than 200 million orphans in the world today. While an orphanage is a better place than life on the…

What is Human Trafficking? A No-Hype, Honest Definition

Human trafficking is best combated through partnerships between governments, nonprofits and trained professionals. Photo by Robert Johnson / TEAM

Jun 11 2014

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No two victims of sex trafficking have the same story. But many stories sound a lot like Sarah’s: a big dream and a wrong turn. A nursing student in Africa with six siblings, Sarah wanted to continue her nurse’s training in Europe. Her stepfather told her about a recruiter who would connect her with work at shops in Europe — exactly where, it’s unclear — to help her pay for her studies. The door for her dream opportunity was swinging wide open, or so she thought. Then she found herself locked in a house with ten other girls, the start…

Opening Our Doors to Brokenness

In Europe, as in most of the world, street life takes its toll on those who spend their nights working or losing themselves in it. Sometimes the best healing is an open home. Photo by Robert Johnson / TEAM

Mar 31 2014

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We asked Rachel Zuch, a TEAM worker in Austria, to share about some of the greatest challenges in ministering to the marginalized members of our communities. This morning, a young man is sitting across the kitchen table from me, sipping his coffee and talking about his dreams and fears. We’ll call him Sam. The first time I saw Sam was four years ago on the street. He was dressed like a woman, selling his body. Born into a Gypsy family in Romania, Sam had never gone to school before he met my husband and me. Soon after that, he made…

Tag - social justice