What Happens When You Tell God No?

Brianna Langley • Aug 07, 2018

Kwenzo’s father was dead. His mother had eight other children to support. And as the oldest son, Kwenzo couldn’t just watch his family struggle.

Ever since high school, he’d wanted to be an electrical engineer. It wasn’t just interesting. It could provide for his family!

So when God called Kwenzo to a livelihood of ministry, he resisted.

What about school? Kwenzo thought. How can I take care of my family on a minister’s salary?

But then came the dreams.

A Savior He Had to Follow

Kwenzo was in high school when he met Jesus. A friend invited him to church, and Kwenzo loved the experience.

“When the pastor was preaching about Christ, I was hearing about something new that I’d never known,” Kwenzo says. “Like, in Christ there is peace, Christ forgives and things like that.”

He asked his friend if he could come the next Sunday.

The following Sunday, the pastor preached on Romans 3:23 , and Kwenzo knew what he had to do. He accepted Christ that same day.

Then came the call that Kwenzo didn’t want to hear.

A Call to Give Up His Dreams

Kwenzo was already on track to become an electrical engineer, so, when he felt God calling him to ministry , he resisted.

Sometimes, God spoke to him in the form of a dream.

Once, Kwenzo dreamed he was in a church service. A friend came up to him and said, “Hey, why are you trying to run away from the Lord? Because I can see that the Lord has put something in you and called you into ministry.”

When Kwenzo woke up, he immediately asked God to confirm whether his dream had been a true calling.

When Kwenzo went to church later, the pastor asked to lay hands on Kwenzo.

“He told me that he could see God put something on my life to share the Gospel with other people,” Kwenzo says. “And even then, I didn’t take that so seriously because that’s common today. People will just come and say, ‘God has called you. God did this.’ But perhaps He did not.”

Gradually though, Kwenzo began to sense that these dreams and encounters weren’t just coincidences.

called to ministry

Recurring dreams convinced Kwenzo that God wanted him in ministry. But Kwenzo refused to give in.

Kwenzo started having recurring dreams that he was a preacher, but blind.

In the dream, Kwenzo said, “People would have to lead me to the podium and then take me back.”

That’s when it really hit Kwenzo — there was a task God wanted him to do.

But Kwenzo couldn’t let go of his plans.

He just kept thinking about his mother and eight siblings. He knew firsthand the financial hardships they faced. And a career in engineering could help much more than a career in ministry could.

“I grew up struggling, and even when I’m old, I’ll be struggling,” Kwenzo prayed. “So, Lord, I can’t do it. Please choose someone else.”

Reluctant Bible School Student Transformed

Kwenzo went to a local university and picked up admission forms for an electrical engineering program.

And in an effort to get God off his back, he also signed up for monthly classes at Zion Bible College. That’s where he met TEAM missionary, Dr. Brett Miller.

“[Brett] used to just come to school just to come and sit and chat with me, give me advice, ask me questions,” said Kwenzo. “Like, ask me why I’m confused.”

Kwenzo says Brett and the other ZBC teachers taught him things he never knew about leadership, ministry and personal spirituality.

“As you continue to attend their classes, you develop that intimacy with God and understand the Scriptures so that, when you’re given a chance to share, you are able to preach what the Scriptures really say,” he says.

The biblical knowledge Kwenzo gained through ZBC propelled him to share the Gospel confidently at school, and even preach in his home church from time to time.

All the while, Kwenzo’s strange dreams continued — until one night, he finally broke down.

Half Hearted was not Enough for God

Once again, Kwenzo dreamed he was the blind pastor. But this night, he decided not to fight it.

“I [woke up and] started to pray and say, ‘Lord, let Your will be done,’” Kwenzo says. “And that same night, when I prayed before I slept, I was like a normal person. … I could see everything.”

It was the confirmation Kwenzo needed.

He prayed. And then he put his admission papers for the engineering school aside.

Kwenzo enrolled as a full-time student at TEAM’s Swaziland Evangelical Bible College — and he hasn’t looked back since.

called to ministry

Once Kwenzo accepted his call to ministry, God provided everything — from Bible school training to food for his family.

Kwenzo’s teachers saw his obvious gifting and got him an internship with his former school, Zion Bible College. He took classes at SEBC during the week and taught them at ZBC on weekends.

As for Kwenzo’s family, the Lord provided sponsors to meet all their needs.

“They thought I would be the one who would be responsible for the family, but the things they seemingly hoped I would do, God is doing now with His provision daily,” said Kwenzo. “They’re in school. They have uniforms. We have food on the table.”

Kwenzo is Ministering Because of You!

Thanks to you, Kwenzo is now set to graduate SEBC this November! His dream is to become a leader in a Swazi church and share the Word from the pulpit.

“It has changed my life in a very positive way, being at SEBC,” says Kwenzo. “And I see the future is very bright. I see the Lord opening so many doors just to preach the Gospel to His people.

Thank you for making it possible for Kwenzo to receive the training he needs to pursue God’s call in his life. You may never know how many souls will be blessed because of you.

By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
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