The Word of God is not bound. Missionaries, however, may face numerous barriers and obstacles on the mission field as they share the gospel. In many cultures, the social boundary between men and women is one such challenge. It is inappropriate for male missionaries to talk with women about faith, let alone meaningfully disciple them. There is therefore a great need for female missionaries who are theologically equipped and willing to bring the gospel to unreached women through evangelism and discipleship. Simply stated, we need women to reach women!
Muslim-majority contexts maintain this gender segregation, so Christians ought to prepare for it. To that end, on Friday, November 8, the Jenkins Center for the Christian Understanding of Islam held its Ladies Brunch for the fall semester in the President’s Reception Room. Special guest, missionary Dr. Lindsay Wilkerson, taught out of John 6 while sharing her journey to and on the missions field in the Middle East.
A group of about thirty women, comprised of current and prospective students, faculty wives, and members of the community enjoyed a time of fellowship over brunch before hearing from Wilkerson. After an introduction from Dr. Emily Ibrahim, Wilkerson began her time by sharing some of the questions she asked herself about 7 or 8 years ago regarding missions. What does a missionary do? Where does a missionary live? Who is a good missionary candidate? No matter the question, Wilkerson revealed, she came to the same conclusion every time: “I could never be a missionary.”
Turning to John 6, which describes Jesus feeding the five thousand, Wilkerson drew a parallel between her “pushback” to God’s call on her family’s life and Phillip’s similar response to Jesus’s question about feeding the crowd. Just like Phillip could not possibly imagine having the resources to feed such a large crowd, Wilkerson could not imagine what her life could be like as a missionary.
Thankfully, the Lord continued to work in her heart. Wilkerson admitted that initially, she masked her deep feeling that missions would not work out with surface-level willingness. “Alright, I know this won’t work out, so sure! Let’s give this a try.” Wilkerson shifted from identifying with Phillip to identifying with Andrew, who suggests the five loaves and two fish while doubting how such a small amount of food could feed such a vast crowd.
However, when things indeed worked out, Wilkerson realized that she had to change. It would no longer suffice to claim to do anything for God yet withhold her total submission. Putting her trust in God, Wilkerson and her husband liquidated their lives and moved to the mission field.
Even in her obedience, the beginning of Wilkerson’s time in the mission field was marked by suffering. In a particularly powerful moment, Wilkerson read an entry from her journal written four months into her time in the field. “No one knows me or needs me. No one cares about me. Who am I?” As she wrestled through this identity crisis and its accompanying loneliness, Wilkerson’s knee-jerk reaction was to pray for God to change her circumstances.
Nonetheless, because she knew that God had sovereignly placed her into that situation, she instead began to pray that God would change her heart and allow her to love it. Returning to John 6, Wilkerson pondered the young boy who gave up his meal. Perhaps he could have seen how his sacrifice would have been for Jesus’s good, and for the good of a few others, but not for him.
Similarly, at her lowest point in the mission field, Wilkerson wondered, “why would God do something that is not good for me?” As God answered her prayer and changed her heart, she realized that all of it was for her good.
After sharing her journey to and on the mission field, Wilkerson summarized her time as a missionary through three major takeaways. First, she emphasized the importance of full submission to God’s Lordship. When it comes to life-altering decisions, sanctification helps the believer understand submission at that deeper level; as such, difficult decisions are often the vehicle by which God sanctifies his children. Women wrestling with a call to a missions can find comfort in knowing that submission to God’s will is always in their best interest.
Second, Wilkerson emphasized the importance of having confidence in the Lord to self-encourage in times of weariness and fear. She gave several excellent examples of reminders she used to place her confidence in the Lord, including “I am confident that God will not change” and “I am confident that God is with me.” As women set out into the mission field, they can rest in the steadfast promises of God, knowing that He who began a good work in them will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6).
Third, Wilkerson reiterated that sanctification is sometimes painful, but it is ultimately for the good of the believer. She learned to define “good” according to God’s Word, not her experiences. Through the turbulence of cross-cultural missions work, women must orient themselves according God’s thoughts and ways, which are higher and greater than their own (Isa 55:8-9). When they cannot understand what God is doing, they can find comfort in knowing that God uses all things, including confusion and suffering, for their ultimate good and for his glory (Rom 8:28).
In the following question-and-answer time, Wilkerson encouraged attendees who are discerning their call to missions that they do not have to know with certainty if God is calling them to missions for the rest of their life. She urged those considering missions work to continue praying and following the leadership of God, knowing that we cannot all go, but we cannot all stay.
One attendee asked how believers can be more supportive of the missionaries they are sending, beyond financial support and physically visiting them. In praying for missionaries who are currently serving in cross-cultural contexts, Wilkerson suggested that believers pray for comfort in loneliness for the missionaries they support. Considering her own experience, Wilkerson said she was not prepared for the loneliness they faced on the field. This is helpful for those who send missionaries to keep in mind.
God wants to use women to accomplish a particular purpose in his global redemptive mission. As God continues to call women to cross cultural, linguistic, and geographic barriers for the spread of the gospel, he will continue to equip them to do so. For women who are called to be missionaries, like Wilkerson, this preparation begins years before they ever step onto the mission field as they grow in their knowledge, love, and dependence on the Lord. The first step in being a faithful missionary is being a faithful believer.
We were encouraged by the wisdom and faithful witness of Dr. Wilkerson and grateful for the edifying time we spent together. God has worked so powerfully in her life and ministry, and we look forward to seeing how he continues to glorify himself through her and her family. Please join us in praying for the Wilkerson family, thanking God for their obedience and pleading for protection, guidance, and an abundant harvest through them. Additionally, join us in praying that God would call and send more female missionaries to the field for the spread of the gospel.