Imagine arriving in a country that has just been ravaged by a hurricane. Entire cities have been wiped out. Row upon row of tiny shelters line the street, acting as homes to the thousands of people whoāve lost everything.
The smells of human waste and filth assault you. You see the grubby hands of smiling children reaching for whatever supplies youāve brought with you.
This was the scene that greeted Amy Durbin Burcham, a UTM alumna, on her first mission trip to Honduras in 1999.
āMission work is something Iāve been wanting to do my entire life, ever since I was a little girl,ā Amy Burcham said. āI remember my dad and I watching a show one night, back in the ā80s, called āFeed the Children.ā There was a famine in Africa, and I just knew I had to go there and help one day.ā
During the next 15 years, Amy and Brian Burcham, her husband, also a UTM alumnus, have lived out that dream by taking several mission trips. Amy Burcham has traveled to Honduras at least 12 times.
Together, the couple has been to Honduras three times. One of those trips was a family mission trip in which they took their eldest daughter, Lilly and their son, James, ages 13 and 8 at the time. Annie, the youngest daughter at age 2, was too young to go.
āSeeing my kids experience scripture, and not just read it or memorize it is just amazing. It was neat to see them interact with another language that they didnāt understand,ā Amy said.
During the family mission trip, Brian, Amy, Lilly and James Burcham went into the mountains to witness to the Tolupan Indians. To get to the native tribeās village, they had to trek through the jungle, drive across rivers and ride up the mountainside on donkeys. They faced a language barrier, crossed treacherous rivers and truly saw what it meant to be poor.
āIn America, thereās poor. But in third-world countries, poor is a whole other ballgame. Over here, a poor person has a house, a TV, food, a cellphone and some form of aid. In countries like Honduras, poor is wearing the same shirt for weeks, not knowing when your next real meal will be and eating whatever scraps you can find,ā Brian Burcham said.
In November of 2013, Brian and Amy Burcham took their mission work a step further by traveling to Africa. After the family mission trip, the couple believed God was calling them to do more. Through a chance acquaintance, generous donors and support from their families, friends and church, the couple went to the Horn of Africa. This trip was more challenging than trips in the past.
Unlike Honduras, East Africa has restrictions with regard to religion. Missionaries are not allowed in, and the Gospel cannot be spread. The country in which the couple stayed was also home to several refugee camps. The refugee camps held about 27,000 people.
The camps were a half-a-mile square, and were separated into families, adults and unaccompanied minors. Amy and Brian Burcham worked in the camp for unaccompanied minors.
āIāll never forget how dark the camp was. There was no hope,ā Amy Burcham said. āComing from their other country, they had hope that they could seek refuge in the new country. Then they get to the camps and see that life is not very different from what they left behind.ā
The couple hopes to return soon and teach English to the minors living in the camps.
Before embarking on their adventures, the couple led a relatively normal life.
Both graduated from Union City High School in Union City: Amy Burcham in 1992, and Brian Burcham in 1994. They met at a cookout held by Amy Burchamās cousin, became good friends, and then married in 1999. Brian Burcham, who is an agent at Obion County Farm Bureau, graduated from UTM in Fall 2001 with a degree in Agriculture. Amy Burcham, a former ESL, English as a Second Language, instructor for the Obion County School District and current stay-at-home mom, graduated in Spring of 2002 with a degree in Social Work. The couple has three children: Lilly, 15; James, 10 and Annie, 4.
Many more mission trips and new adventures await the Burchams. They believe the plan that God has for them is not finished. Brian Burcham received a call to the ministry and is working to obtain a Masterās in Divinity from Liberty University.
The couple also has advice for current UTM students.
āDonāt be the center of your universe. Give to people, and love them,ā Brian Burcham said.
Amy also had a piece of wisdom to add.
āChristian or non-Christian, before students graduate college, they need to visit a third-world country. It really makes you see whatās important and that there is a whole other world than what you see in America,ā Amy Burcham said.
Go to the photo gallery āBurcham Family Travelsā to view more photos of the Burchams.
Featured photo: Amy Burcham
