November Prayer Focus: Praises Heard ‘Round the World

Suzanne Pearson • Nov 01, 2022

As the holiday season approaches, we reflect on all that took place in the passing year. For TEAM, 2022 has been a year with its own share of challenges and trials, but also its joys and triumphs. In short, we see the ever-faithful hand of God, and we know we have much to be thankful for.

We reached out to TEAM’s 500+ global workers around the world and asked them to share praises of how God has moved this year. What encouraging reports we received! Truly we can say, “How Great is Our God!” As we read through various testimonials, we saw common themes surface of how God has blessed and answered the prayers of these faithful servants of the Lord.

For this month’s Prayer Focus, we invite you to join us in lifting up PRAISE and ADORATION to our God for these blessings…


We Praise God for Progress in Ministry Initiatives

TEAM workers from every region of the globe reported that the Lord has been abundantly good in advancing ministry initiatives and special projects to further His kingdom. These reports are far too numerous to mention them all, but they include:

  • South Africa : Durban Bible College has wanted to relocate for about 20 years. Praise God that a new location has been found and that the college should be able to move next year.
  • Italy : After years of preparation and prayer, a safe house and recovery program opened this year, providing survivors of trafficking with the first place in the country where they can receive biblically-based, trauma-informed care.
  • Ukraine : The Russian invasion necessitated the evacuation of TEAM Ukraine’s two workers. However, both have remained steadfast in serving Ukrainian refugees in neighboring countries, and recently one of the workers has been able to return to service inside Ukraine’s borders.
  • Guatemala : An online Bible training program is thriving and TEAM workers report being very encouraged by the students’ learning and progress.
  • East Asia : In a closed country, after many years of faithful work, God is drawing together believers in a “house club” group. This project is gaining momentum among hard-to-reach and pre-literate villagers.
  • Middle East : People come from nearly 200 different nations to live and work in middle eastern countries. TEAM is involved in an expatriate ministry that reaches this diverse group, sharing the Gospel and making disciples “among the nations” in a unique way.

Durban Bible College students walk downstairs.

Students at Durban Bible College in South Africa thank God for His provision of a new location.

We Praise God for Reconnection After COVID

Each of us felt the isolation the pandemic brought for upwards of two years, but global workers were arguably among those most deeply impacted. Many countries experienced significant travel restrictions if not complete lockdowns. For missionaries living abroad, this meant long stretches of time with no opportunities for furlough, visits from family, or even to connect with fellow workers in the field.

Thankfully, 2022 brought a degree of normalcy, and many global workers rejoiced in reunion with family and friends through:

  • Long awaited home assignments/furloughs in their sending country.
  • Attendance at conferences and events, including TEAM gatherings in Slovenia and the Middle East.
  • Field visits from TEAM Member Care Specialists who were finally able to provide face-to-face care, encouragement, and spiritual guidance.

We Praise God for Church Partnerships

Another prevailing theme that arose from these praise reports was how thankful TEAM workers are for their sending churches . Despite the economic downturn and social isolation caused by COVID, TEAM workers praise the Lord for the faithful churches that continue to support them both financially and in prayer.

It is no surprise that the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of people around the world continue to increase, and the support of sending churches is more crucial than ever. If you are a part of a missionary-sending congregation, we praise God for you! You are impacting the world for Christ!

We Praise God for Healing and Resolution of Medical Needs

One of the many challenges of serving on the mission field is when health issues arise for workers or their families. Professional medical care may be difficult to find, particularly when diagnostic testing or specialists are required to address a medical issue.

Several TEAM workers reported instances of how God provided medical personnel, supplies, and even miraculous healing to resolve ongoing medical issues. Others spoke of God’s faithfulness, comfort, and peace in the midst of unresolved health challenges. We join these families in praising God who is our Great Physician .

We Praise God for Raising Up the Global Church

As we’ve shared often in recent TEAM communications, an exciting shift is occurring in global missions. A time is coming when the U.S. and Canada will no longer be the primary sending countries for global workers. Instead, God is raising up workers from all over the globe, sending them to reach other nations in fulfilling His Great Commission.

In collecting these praise reports from TEAM workers, examples of the globalization of missions abounded. Here are just a few:

  • Latin America: God is raising up a generation of Latin American believers who are ready to deploy to the far corners of the globe to further the Gospel. (See a great video about it here .)
  • Pakistan : Zarephath Bible Seminary celebrated 40 years of training local and national church leaders to impact their community for Christ, and the pandemic has even opened up new doors through remote learning.
  • France (and beyond): TEAM workers in France, as well as other parts of Europe and in the U.S., serve displaced Muslim populations , sharing Christ with them in their new context. This opens the door for new believers to impact others within their culture.
  • Czech Republic : Workers from multiple countries and three continents came together to renovate a farmhouse for Ukrainian refugees.
  • Indonesia : Hatam families, transformed by Christ , are now traveling to other remote villages and tribes to share the saving knowledge of Jesus.
  • Asia : A leadership training program identifies potential leaders and trainers among Asian believers. Those trainers then oversee the preparation and sending of national workers to enter closed regions of Asia.
  • Japan : Outreach ministries in a busy Tokyo park touch lives daily, through the work of Japanese churches, assisted by believers and global workers from Korea as well as western countries.

Thank you for joining us in praising our gracious Heavenly Father for all He has done and is doing! We are so thankful for YOU!

Loving Like Jesus Cross-Culturally (Part 1)

By Megan Lunsford • 23 Apr, 2024
When seeking to serve cross-culturally with an authentic love for others, there’s no better example for us than Jesus. If we sat around a table and threw out the question, “How do we love like Jesus?” I think we would have several commonalities as we respond. For example, Jesus loved all people right where they were. He loved those who were deemed the least, those hardest to love, or those who were His enemies. These are all beautiful realities of the heart of Jesus. When we step into relationships, it can be easier to take on the warmer, more gracious gestures of Jesus’ love, especially in cross-cultural relationships. Think about it––when doing life with those who look and act differently than us, we are already out of our comfort zones and would rather keep things as simple and familiar as possible. But there are other facets of Jesus’ heart we often overlook that can transform us and others even more into His likeness. Jesus is love because God is love. Everything Jesus did was out of love; it’s the mere definition of who He is. As followers of Jesus, He calls us to the same: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John:7-12) Every display of love we offer to others is an opportunity for them to encounter the ultimate love of the Father. That’s a pretty big deal! In this article, we’ll look at three expressions of Jesus’ love that we tend to overlook when engaging others cross-culturally. (Next month, we’ll look at three more.) 1. Jesus loved sacrificially. Everywhere Jesus went, crowds followed Him. We even see times in Scripture where Jesus had plans to step away for time alone but those who were hurting found Him and He had compassion on them and stayed with them. Can you imagine rarely having any time to yourself but, instead, constantly being surrounded by crowds of people wanting help from you? Jesus loved sacrificially. He welcomed all who came to Him with love and compassion, never turning anyone away. “When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) In the same way, we can make room in our lives for Jesus to bring sacrificial interruptions which, in His eyes, are orchestrated encounters to transfer His love to others. It can be tempting to be so “on mission” that we are full steam ahead and find ourselves frustrated when the Holy Spirit sends an interruption into our path that we feel we don’t have time for. Or, perhaps, we have scheduled a meet-up but it’s the norm in another culture to be 30 minutes or an hour late. We anxiously think through how it will affect whatever we have planned next. While it’s normal to feel a little stressed, what if the very "interruption” standing in front of you was really a divine appointment sent by God? Or what if that person running late experiences how peaceful and gracious you are in adapting to their culture and therefore, they can encounter a beautiful display of Jesus’ love? To truly represent Christ, we should remain ready and willing for each assignment the Lord sends into our path, no matter the cost or how much we will have to re-route our day. He is always a hundred steps ahead and will work all things for His glory and our good. 2. Jesus loved by discerning each situation well. Think about how many situations Jesus had to respond to on a daily basis. We read in Scripture that there were lines of people waiting to be healed by Him, talk to Him, hear His teachings, or simply touch the hem of His robe. Jesus was fully dependent on His Father to discern each situation before addressing it. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) Another temptation we can have when in a relationship with those God has sent us to is to think we already know the solution or what God wants to do before we’ve even asked Him. We believe we are full of knowledge, so we just pull from the bank we have stored within and go with it. However, when we access what is familiar to us as our default, we risk missing out on a God-given solution that might truly be the key to unlocking whatever challenge is in front of us. What does this look like when interacting with others? We can simply ask, “God, what is on Your heart for the person standing in front of me?” Then we listen and respond as He speaks. When we make it a daily habit to pause and hear God’s heart for each situation before responding, we are guaranteed to be effective in loving those around us. He knows the heart of every person that will cross our paths. Imagine how impactful we can be if we first lean on His wisdom and discernment before moving forward. 3. Jesus loved by speaking truth. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. If we are honest, this conversation makes us a bit nervous as none of us would be comfortable with Jesus calling out intimate details of our lives that we would prefer to hide. But Jesus went further than just airing her dirty laundry. He offered her the hope of the Gospel and a relationship with Him - a divine fulfillment that could never be found in an earthly relationship. Jesus modeled a powerful example of loving others well cross-culturally. He took the low place and spoke truth, truly out of love––speaking to her heart from His. Like Jesus, our goal in sharing the truths about Him and His Word is to bring hope and satisfaction through Him alone. When we speak truth from Scripture, we are calling others higher into all God has for them. The tricky part here is we should avoid speaking truth if it isn’t first fueled by compassion. If it merely comes from a place of judgment, condemnation, or self-righteousness, it will fall flat 100% of the time. But if it truly comes from love, you are likely to not only win a heart back to the Father but, like the story of the Samaritan woman, even an entire village! If you see someone living outside of God’s best for their lives, ask God to show you your heart before engaging theirs. Once your heart is properly postured, you can speak truth out of an overflow of God’s love and trust Him for a transformation in their lives.

Hospitality, Help, and the Hope of the Gospel

By Suzanne Pearson • 16 Apr, 2024
TEAM Canada provides warm welcome and trusted friendships for diaspora populations living far from their native countries. As TEAM Canada workers Peter and Ruth (names changed) drive from their home to a nearby community center, they pass numerous apartment buildings and townhouses. Most of the families who live there are immigrants. They’ve left their countries of origin due to political unrest, trauma, and other difficulties. They’ve left family, friends, homes, jobs, and personal wealth behind. They search for peace, justice for the oppressed, and rest from fear and weariness. And as they adjust to a new country and a new language, they are often very isolated from others around them. “The sad reality is most immigrants are never even invited inside a Canadian home,” says Ruth. Peter and Ruth and their team try to change that reality. For the last nine years, the team, which includes workers from partner organizations as well as volunteers, has held English classes at the community center. Three days a week, over 60 students from more than 20 countries come together to learn English as well as to fellowship together and receive practical help in assimilating to a new normal. Meeting Needs and Building Trust That practical help may come in the form of procuring furniture, clothes, or dishes for newcomers, assistance with creating a resume and finding a job, or teaching people how to navigate Canadian laws and the medical system. As these tangible needs are met, relationships are built. “We invite them into our homes for meals and games,” Ruth shares. “We take them on hiking trips, picnics, outings, and out for coffee.” This is particularly important in this type of ministry because most immigrants come to Canada from cultures that value hospitality. Conversely, Canadians do not typically prioritize hospitality and consequently many newcomers feel lonely and isolated. Inviting folks to various gatherings and outings allows the team to spend extended time hearing people’s stories, struggles, hopes, and dreams. When she speaks about building friendships, Ruth’s heart for the people she serves is evident. “Hearing their stories, it’s easy to love them, and many have become close friends,” Ruth says. “We recognize the value of steady one-on-one relationships.”
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