Editor’s Note: To protect the identity of missionaries cited in this article, initial aliases will be used.
The Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) began its legacy nearly 132 years ago, as an organization dedicated to funding, educating, and supporting missionaries around the globe. Since its start, the WMU has collected roughly $6.6 billion through Southern Baptist churches across the nation.
These funds have fueled ongoing local and worldwide missional efforts, as well as generations worth of missions education.
Three of those generations – a grandmother, a mother, and a daughter – creating a legacy within themselves, have all shared a passion for missions.
So much so, that the daughter is now the first of her family to be commissioned to the mission field.
“I feel pretty blessed that I had women in my life – like my mom and grandmother – and a foundation in my church where I could learn about missionaries and have so much time dedicated to recognizing the Great Commission,” said D, the aspiring missionary.
D recognized her love for missions at an early age, thanks to the missions education programs her church had in place, as well as the influence of her mother and grandmother.
“I was blessed to have godly parents and to grow up in a Bible-believing church. When I was three to four years old, I was in Mission Friends class at my church, which first introduced me to missions. Then during kindergarten through sixth grade, I was in Girls in Action (GAs) – where my mom was my teacher,” said D.
GAs provided D with the opportunity to learn about missions and famous missionaries, such as Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon, as well as earn badges for her local mission efforts.
“I think one of the reasons Girls in Action was so memorable and impactful for me was because of my mom. She made sure we were constantly involved in the learning process each class,” said D. “She also had us actively involved in the local community. I remember going to the nursing home and making birthday cards, singing, and playing piano. In the GA classroom, she even had a world map hanging on the wall…it was something I looked up at every week.”
D’s mom, M, remembers her time as a GA leader fondly, as well as D’s “intense interest” in missions.
“That was very memorable and so much fun. During those years, we averaged 16 to 20 girls in our mission group. I wanted to just emphasis the importance of missions education and this (Girls in Action) gave me an opportunity.”
M also shared she recently came across multiple elementary school worksheets that affirmed D’s early love for missions.
“I came across several public elementary school worksheets where my daughter, as a six year old, a nine year old, [and] a 12 year old – on all those separate occasions – [had] written in answer to this question: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’…each time she answered with the same answer – ‘a missionary’.”
M continued: “I felt like finding that during COVID was sort of God’s reassurance to me that this is what she’s called to do.”
Along with M, D had another missionally-hearted woman in her corner at a young age.
“Then my grandmother – I visited her every summer growing up – and I always really treasured my conversations with her,” said D.
“She’s one of the wisest people I know, and she taught me a lot of values – like how to respect others and how to be strong and determined, which I’ll definitely be using those on the mission field.”
D’s grandmother, G, was also an active missions educator. In fact, she was M’s Acteens leader, which was an organization similar to Girls in Action but for teen girls.
“It was a wonderful experience. I had never been an Acteens leader, but I had, myself, been in Young Women’s Auxiliary,” said G. “I enjoyed being an Acteens leader with D’s mother and with my other daughter in it. They were a help, because we were all learning together about Acteens.”
Incidentally, D is scheduled to be commissioned on G’s birthday, Friday, March 12.
“I couldn’t ask for a more wonderful present. I’m so proud of the Christian young lady she’s become and I just think…I’m just blessed to have this happen on my birthday,” said G, whose own mother taught her about missions as well.
D is currently attending a seven-week training program to equip and prepare her to go out into the mission field.
“I’m excited. We’ve been learning about the components of the missionary task, about different ways to reach locals, and health, safety, and security. So, I’m looking forward to finishing on Friday and getting commissioned, so I can hurry up and get to Africa,” said D.
D will be working with an organization that integrates human needs strategies into the mission field. Specifically, she will be commissioned to work with refugees helping to meet their needs.
“It was absolutely a God-thing, because I remember always feeling a special calling to Africa–even though none of my past mission trips were to Africa–and I spent many years in school learning Spanish, I still always felt like I would end up in Africa,” said D.
“So to get that seemingly random job offer to work with refugees in a setting where I can combine humanitarian and emergency relief, which was my focus at the university, that was such a cool moment for me.”
From an elementary worksheet and a mere interest in missions, to just days away from her first commissioning, D has witnessed God to be faithful in His calling on her life. A calling that all started with a lineage of women who believed in the importance of missions education.
“It’s [missions education] allowing us to all share together a love for missions and to learn about missionaries…and to learn to give sacrificially to missions. And maybe, eventually, serve one day in mission education or as a missionary,” said M.
Mary, a women’s ministry consultant, affirmed this importance of mission education.
“Without missions education, I don’t think at any level, whether child or adult, we would really have an awareness that different parts of the world are just so very different in terms of having been reached for Christ,” she said. “I think there’s an assumption that, because we are in America, that we’re a Christian culture and that people have been reached for the Gospel. Even here, that’s really not the case.”
She also shared that among other organizations, the Woman’s Missionary Union offers information on missions and materials for missions education.
“It’s very easy to buy age-level curriculum. So that nobody has to reinvent the wheel, they go from nursery and preschool all the way up through adulthood, and a lot of them can even be paired with other types of studies.”
For more information on missions education, as well as materials for churches or organizations, visit WMU.com.
Listen to the podcast interview:
The “50 Stories of Transformation” series, told in honor of the Baptist Resource Network’s 50th anniversary, highlights the many ways God has moved throughout Pennsylvania, South Jersey and beyond. Your generous support of the Cooperative Program makes this ministry possible and fuels evangelism and outreach in our local churches and all over the world! Thank you!
