When Jesus Finds You in a Government Office

Brianna Langley • May 21, 2019

Leticia had a lot on her plate. And on her mind.

Her husband was on kidney dialysis twice a week. He was dying — and afraid. And Leticia was his only caretaker.

His fear of death was becoming so crippling that Leticia decided to take him to a psychologist.

But while Leticia was waiting for the right time to schedule his appointment, she turned 60. That meant she was finally eligible for her Mexican senior citizen discount card. She just needed to swing by the Office of the Aging to pick it up.

Leticia had no way of knowing that small errand would change everything about her life.

A Divine Appointment in a Government Office

As with most things that require government paperwork, Leticia’s senior discount card would take a couple of hours to process. So she was in for an afternoon of sitting in a waiting room chair.

That day, though, a married couple was also waiting to get their senior citizen discount cards processed: TEAM missionaries Sandy and Carlos Rios.

Leticia and Sandy struck up a conversation and were soon chatting about everything from Leticia’s sick husband to Sandy’s faith in God. The hours passed quickly.

Before they parted ways, Leticia made a point to get the Rioses’ number.

Carlos and Sandy couldn’t have known at the time, but Leticia was intrigued by the peace that seemed to radiate from them.

Maybe Leticia wouldn’t need to call that psychologist after all. Maybe Sandy and Carlos could help her husband find the peace he was looking for in his final days.

Two weeks later, Sandy’s phone rang. To her surprise and delight, it was Leticia. Leticia asked if Sandy and Carlos could come by for a visit. And Sandy enthusiastically said yes.

The Missionaries’ Faith Captivates Her

When Sandy and Carlos arrived for that first visit, they spent three hours sharing the Gospel with Leticia and her sick husband.

Leticia was captivated.

Her whole life had always been deeply entwined with the Catholic Church. Both of her brothers had grown up in Jesuit schools and her sister-in-law was the niece of a former Cardinal. Her family was far from just nominal when it came to Catholicism.

Leticia had faith in God. But the Rioses’ faith looked strikingly different than hers, which piqued her curiosity.

A group of people in Mexico sit and read their Bibles together.

Leticia was so struck by the Rioses’ faith, she asked them to come back again, and again, and again. Even though she’d grown up Catholic, she’d never seen a faith like this before.

They seemed to know exactly what the Bible said and where various passages were located — whereas Leticia had never even been encouraged to read the Bible for herself.

Sandy and Carlos seemed to know Jesus on a personal level and prayed directly to Him — instead of to a picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Before they left her house that day, Leticia asked them to come back the following week.

Husband’s Death Spurs Hunger for Christ

Soon, the Rioses were driving across the city of Guadalajara once a week to meet with Leticia for Bible studies.

Leticia’s two brothers began attending the studies as well. Her ailing husband joined the little group as often as he could. But he was growing weaker every day.

Then, just after his 94th birthday, Sandy and Carlos received word that he’d passed away.

In her mourning, Leticia left town for a few weeks. But when she returned, she was hungrier than ever for the Word.

And now that she was no longer a 24/7 caregiver, Leticia had a much freer schedule. She started going to church . And It wasn’t long before she was attending faithfully.

During one of Leticia’s weekly Bible studies with her brothers and the Rioses, she asked Sandy how to become a Christian.

The next Sunday, Sandy approached Leticia at church. “Have you trusted in Jesus as your Savior?”

Leticia’s face beamed. “Yes!”

People walk into a church service

Because friends like you sent missionaries to Mexico, Leticia now knows Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Thank you for your support!

Leticia Now Witnesses to Friends, Thanks to You!

Shortly after Leticia confessed Christ, she was baptized. And she hasn’t looked back since.

She attended a Christian women’s conference through her new church family. She started witnessing to those around her and even began bringing her neighbor along to Bible studies.

“I remember the first time I called Carlos and Sandy on the phone, inviting them to come to my house,” Leticia said. “Through the distance, I was able to hear joy and jubilation in their voices. Now I understand their joy — the joy of taking part in someone coming to know the true way of God!”

A year after that first Bible study, Leticia announced she was moving to another town to be closer to her daughter.

The Rioses are sad to see Leticia go, but excited to see what the Lord will do in this new mission field He’s opened up for her.

Before she left, Leticia addressed her church family.

“Since I have arrived here, there has been a change in me. And it is just the beginning of a long walk in communion with God,” she said. “The Word of God has transformed me.”

Just a few months prior, Leticia was quietly sitting in a government office waiting for her senior citizen discount card.

Now, her faith is growing by leaps and bounds.

Your generosity has brought Leticia to the Lord. Thank 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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