youth ministry Archives - TEAM Christian Missions Blog

A Hurricane Destroyed Her Neighborhood — and Led Her to Christ

Gaby thought Christians were fanatics. Now, Gaby’s whole life is centered on knowing God and leading others to Him.

Oct 13 2021

“I remember that my mother told me, ‘Now that you know about the word of God, are you ready to wear a straightjacket?’” Those aren’t the words you expect a Christian mother to say to her newly-saved daughter. But Gaby knew her mom’s teasing came from a place of inexpressible joy. Gaby married and had children young, so she spent years trying to recapture her youth. While her husband “worked all the time,” Gaby says, “I really like to be in the streets.” Her mom tried to tell her about God. Gaby thought it was madness to give up freedom…

Cristian felt like he was falling apart. Now, through sports ministry and discipleship, he’s a passionate believer with a vision to spread the Gospel.

Aug 16 2021

When two visitors showed up at Cristian’s middle school, he had no idea that the basketball program they promoted would end three long years of loneliness. It wasn’t easy growing up in La Paz, Mexico, where Cristian regularly navigated offers of drugs, family dysfunction and his own adolescent hormones. And he was doing it pretty much all on his own. He’d had some good friends, neighbors who provided a safe space and a listening ear — and who also pointed him to Jesus. But they moved away. Where Cristian had once found friendship and spiritual guidance, now there was only…

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…

Kids play basketball at sports ministry Transformados

Drugs are a big lure for kids in La Paz, Mexico — but a sports ministry is getting kids off the streets and teaching them the saving truth of Jesus!

Sep 14 2020

“[If] my brother wouldn’t have invited me to Transformados, then I wouldn’t have known anything about God. … I would probably be on drugs, alcohol and sex,” Chuy says. Chuy’s alternate life isn’t hard to guess at because many of his friends are already living it. In the sprawling city of La Paz, Mexico, drugs are widely available. Some kids start using them as early as 13 years old. But in recent years, more and more children have found an alternative through a program called Transformados. Five days a week, they gather on a basketball court, eager to learn new…

Tag - youth ministry

A Hurricane Destroyed Her Neighborhood — and Led Her to Christ

‘More than Just a Basketball Thing’

How to Pray for Youth and Children’s Ministries

Keeping Kids from Drugs — through Basketball and Jesus