Curtis Chanda

International Director

Curtis Chanda joined Global Teams as International Director in 2018, bringing over two decades of field experience with Frontiers International, an organization which shares Global Teams’ emphasis on reaching unreached people groups and equipping and sending believers from within new movements. Curtis and his wife Diana have spent the last twenty years living and working in a Muslim context in Central Asia, where their three daughters were born. Through God’s grace, they were able to plant the first churches in their area for Muslim background believers.

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Francis Matumba

Africa Director

Francis Matumba joined Global Teams in 2003 and served as Malawi Country Coordinator from 2007 to 2021. His creativity and passion for the unreached has led to numerous outreach platforms, including Agape Farm, Lighthouse for Children, Wrap Around Care and Goats for Girls.  

Francis received a diploma in Theology and a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Social Administration from Uganda Christian University and earned his master’s degree in Diakonia and Christian Social Practice from Diakonhjemmet University College in Oslo, Norway. He has been an ordained Anglican priest since 2001 and served as a full-time pastor until assuming his current position as GT Africa Director.  

Francis and his wife, Irene, have five children. 

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Michael

Asia Director

My wife and I moved to America to serve as Global Teams field partners in 2002. After living in the US for 12 years and growing our family with the births of our three children, we made a decision as a family to pursue our long time dream.

Once I took a trip from my homeland of Korea to a country in Asia. There I saw many towns, villages and people. My heart was saddened because there was no evidence of churches or of the Gospel of Christ Jesus being taught. In that sadness, I asked the Lord, "Do you want me to be a missionary to these people? If you do, I will obey you."

The Lord said to me, "I want you to send many people who will spread the Gospel to these people." At that moment, I committed myself to mobilize Koreans to become missionaries.

Over these past years working with Global Teams, first as a field partner and more recently as the Asia Director, I have learned much about mission mobilization and training. I have served many workers and churches in Southeast Asia, sharing Global Teams training and raising up new field partners for work all over Asia. There are so many unreached people groups and unreached areas in Asia - "The harvest is plentiful and the workers are few."

It is crucial for us to find ways to share the gospel in the rhythm of our lives in the fields as well as in our daily living. It is more effective for us to share the gospel with the people from different cultures and religions the way that they can accept and live into the gospel so that they can be "yeast in the dough" in their cultures and religion to expand His Kingdom from the inside of their cultures and religions.  

There are unreached people in lands all over the world who do not know Jesus as Savior. Will you join me is sending workers to the fields which are ripe for harvest? Your partnership with Global Teams will help to provide the training and travel needed to mobilize Korean and other Asian workers to join Americans and other Christian workers in the mission field.

"Then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matthew 9:37-38

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Makhset Djabbarbergenov

Turko-Russia Director

Makhset grew up in Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan bordering Kazakhstan. As a teenager, following the breakup of the Soviet Union, he attended classes at a local mosque. After a friend shared with him that God loved him, Makhset accepted Jesus as his Savior and Lord. “From this day, I had joy, peace and hope. I became a new creation!”

God gave Makhset an evangelistic gift and an apostolic heart. “From this day I shared with my friends. A lot of my friends came to Jesus.” He became involved in an underground church that experienced exponential growth. God also provided an opportunity to study at a Bible seminary in Russia. Despite ongoing arrests and harassment, he chose to remain in Central Asia, where he discipled believers and planted churches. In 2012, Makhset was jailed and threatened with years of imprisonment. Miraculously he was freed, and he moved, with his wife and four boys, to Sweden. There, he pastors refugees from all over the world.

Makhset speaks several Turkic languages – Kazakh, Karakalpak, Uzbek, Kirgiz – as well as Russian, Swedish, English, and a little Chinese and Dari. Max has a passion for seeing the church multiply throughout Russia and Central Asia, and we are excited to have him on our team!

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Sheryl Shaw

North America Director

I am a graduate of Evangel University. I am married to Thom Shaw who is also a vital part of the ministry. I have worked in missions for over 30 years and still love it! As Global Teams, our desire is to know Christ and to make Him known. All that we do centers around this commitment.

My first missions experience took place when I was twenty years old, when God gave me a passion for missions which has continued to grow. Since I have a heart for outreach and discipleship, my work with missions and students flows together well.

I have had the privilege of seeing God do miracles both in and through our mission teams. It is my desire that we would learn to live a missional lifestyle so that we do not miss out on opportunities in our own backyards. I provide teaching and training in both youth ministry and missions on the local, national, and international levels.

• Contact Sheryl