Single Minded Mission (Research Paper)

I stuck out like a sore thumb while people started filing in from the small, back door of the rundown church. The service started at ten in the morning, but the people in Manzini, Swaziland set their own time schedule. This was hard for my American mind to come to terms with. Understanding only a handful of words, I realized that a smile transcended language. The embrace between two people, regardless of color, gender, or age built bonds no words could define or divide. Cultural restrictions meant I had to sit on the ground because I was female, but standing to speak, gender inequality was not considered once the Bible was opened. Moments like this built the resolve in me to spend my life working in ministry overseas. The initial decision was an easy one, but being 26 and single, the internal battle continues to play out. Knowing I am not called to the easy life, the options are weighed to fully grasp if the benefits really are greater than the controversy and dangers that may lie ahead.

Leaving the security and protection of parents and friends, a lot of unforeseen dangers could lurk around any corner while navigating a foreign country. The website hosted by Voice of the Martyrs is constantly updated with persecution against Christians around the world. It is not limited only to women, but any professing believer in third world countries. In February 2012, Muslim extremists bombed a church in Nigeria who said, “We attacked simply because it’s a church” (“Persecution.com”). Sadly, this is more common than comfortable Westerners like to acknowledge; however, it is not just Muslim extremists who are attacking the Christian believers. In countries like China that are bound by communist rule, it is the government that is persecuting Christians. Men like Pastor Wang Xiaoguang and four other church leaders from China were arrested, imprisoned, and persecuted because the government accused them of “gathering people to disturb the public order” (“PrisonerAlert.com”). For the last 867 days, Xiaoguang and the other four church leaders have faced constant physical and mental persecution at the hands of their accusers. For women it is equally as dangerous. In Pakistan, a 37-year-old woman name Asia, was arrested and is facing blasphemy charges. After intense discussion with friends, the pressure to denounce her faith was strong, but Asia responded by telling them about her faith in Christ.

Asia told the Muslim women that Christ had died on the cross for our sins, then asked them what Mohammed had done for them, according to VOM sources. She told them Jesus is alive, but Mohammed is dead. “Our Christ is the true prophet of God,” she reportedly told them, “and yours is not true” (“Persecution.com”).

It is cases like this that need to be considered before committing to a life overseas. The persecution from many third world countries is beyond what someone can handle without the calling and confidence that only God can give. However, if the security the missionary holds fast to is found in Christ, along with a strong understanding of Heaven and the eternal rewards there, she more readily understands the Apostle Paul’s words in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (ESV Philippians 1:21).

Another danger to consider, for a single woman specifically, is the factor of loneliness and unreal expectations. Most singles, even when sent overseas in teams, battle loneliness and a need for connection, which often goes unmet. Due to being more independent, many single women do not express their feelings and need for connection, but according to Carol Snell, director of Worker Care at WoodsEdge, vulnerability and transparence is key. “A great need for single women will be to find a team that she will travel with so she won’t be alone, along with having a support team back home who is willing to ask you the hard questions” (Snell). At WoodsEdge, each missionary sent overseas has a group of people they call Barnabas teams: people the missionaries keep in close contact with who ask the questions no one else will ask. It is a place for the missionary to vent, then have someone speak into the situation with love. Along with a form of Barnabas teams, keeping a strong male presence, such as fathers, brothers or uncles, in the picture will be a great tool for any single woman overseas. There are vital things we learn, and a protection and security that is found in a strong male influence when a husband is not around. A strong male presence allows a different viewpoint into a situation that may not otherwise be seen. A less obvious danger that a single woman will come across is, often if there is another single woman on the team, well meaning friends, family, or the organization assume that the two single women will become best friends and be able to live together. This is not the case. Sometimes, although it is a rare occasion, you will find two women who blend well together; however, just as women stateside, personalities clash among team members. They may serve well side-by-side, but would not do well in a living situation.

Opinions from outsiders vary on the topic of sending a single woman overseas. In most third world countries, women are seen as the weaker sex and have very little ability to speak into a situation involving a male. However, according to WEC International, “…approximately 62% (of our missionaries) are female. Of these, about half are married to the 31% of our missionaries who are married men. This leaves about 31% single women and about 7% single men” (Smith). Carol Snell echoed the same sentiments when she said, “missions is what it is today because of single women. Progress was made because women were fearless” (Snell). Despite those statistics, a fine line is found among single women missionaries on what a life dedicated to living overseas could look like. “Without husbands to support, single women had to support the mission in ways that exemplified idealized Christian femininity while lacking the important identity of wife” (Arrington 278). Depending on the mission organization or church sending them, a narrow view of a woman’s role could hinder her from various ministry. She may find herself having to give marriage counseling, having never been married. Preaching to men and baptizing is another task that may be required of the single woman as one of the few professing believers: a topic that is highly debated even within the borders of the United States. It is vital that the woman considering missions look at the church or organization’s stance on this topic and battle within herself her own viewpoints on the topic. Snell recommended any missionary, single or otherwise, to go on a short-term trip to the country being considered with the organization to see the culture, requirements, and personal reaction in the place the prospective missionary would be moving. It is extremely important that the missionary meshes well with the organization and does not choose them only because there is an opening. “Especially as women, the country of choice tends to be glamorized and romanticized when planning the trip, especially if you have not witnessed the country firsthand, so taking the time to visit and get a real view could change a lot” (Snell). The country may look prodigious on paper, but could turn out vastly different first hand when the missionary can touch and smell the reality of it.

Through all of this, the controversy, opinions, and dangers to consider, the benefits found by being unattached and independent overseas create opportunities married individuals would not be able to embrace. As a single woman, the freedom to make a choice without worrying about someone else gives that woman an advantage. When a position, move, or ministry opportunity presents itself, the woman can decide to stay longer where she is or pick up and go at her leisure. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus gives his disciples, and ultimately professing believers for years to come, this command: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (ESV Matthew 28:19-20). This passage and command from Jesus reveals that despite personal belief, every believer is called to go: preaching, teaching, and baptizing all the way to the ends of the earth. This command does not give a gender specification or a geographical boundary. In being obedient to the call, Jesus also tells believers that He will be with them to the very end of the age. A single woman may battle loneliness on the mission field, but God has a divine way of building connections between people. Modern technology is also an added bonus to help facilitate connection with people they love that are stateside. However, deeper than that, Christians are promised the Holy Spirit who will never leave or forsake them. It is not as challenging to remain connected as it was even ten years ago on the mission field.

It is a lot to digest when considering international missions as a longer-term endeavor in life, but the time that a person spends gathering information will provide an educated decision once the choice is made. Pre-missions counseling is also helpful during the planning process. The dangers and controversy will always be there, but if there is an unquenchable passion to see the gospel proclaimed through all the nations of the world, every risk is worth it. The benefit of being led solely by the Holy Spirit and not those one is bound to offers an adventure parallel to none. For the single woman considering longer-term missions, once again Paul says in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (ESV Philippians 1:21). The benefit and promised blessing is far greater than the controversy and dangers that arise, and the world will forever be changed by obedience for the sake of the gospel and to the glory of God.

Work Cited

Arrington, Andrea. "Making Sense of Martha: Single Women and Mission Work." Social Sciences & Missions. 23.2 (2010): p276-300, 25p. Print.

"Church Bombed in Jos." Persecution.com. Voice of the Martyr, 15 Mar 2012. Web. 9 Apr 2012.

Matthew. Holy Bible English Standard Version: the ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles, 2008. Print.

"Pakistan: Christian Woman Arrested." Persecution.com. Voice of the Martyr, 22 Jun 2009. Web. 9 Apr 2012.

Philippians. Holy Bible English Standard Version: the ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles, 2008. Print.

Ryan, Zoe. " A missionary spirit is part of her DNA, sister says.." National Catholic Reporter. 48.9 (2012): p6a-7a, 2p. Print.

Smith, David. "Q: Are single women missionaries accepted in third-world countries? Married women without children?." Ask A Missionary. M-DAT, n.d. Web. 9 Apr 2012.

Snell, Carol. Personal Interview. 11 April 2012.

"Under Persecution." PrisionerAlert.com. Voice of the Martyr, 29 Nov 2009. Web. 9 Apr 2012.