My mom isn’t the first missionary I met.
But she is one of the most tenacious missionaries I know.
And when she and my dad decided to pursue missions full time, I was 14 years old. That was brave. To willingly submit to God’s call for all believers to actively be a part of the great commission, mid-stream, well on their way to some form of American dream, should they have wanted it, took guts.
To choose to finish off the childhood years of the kids, they had poured themselves into in their own discipleship efforts, in a developing world nation, when their first born son had just gotten his first job, his first girlfriend even, took a trust that God would work through their willingness.
The work she was a part of took gumption and God’s handiwork. Working amongst developing churches in an english speaking country but on a continent other than their own presented it’s own challenges and those were on top of the challenge of a first born who struggled to find his way in this new country, new culture, new reality.
But they trusted the God who called them to this work.
Then with an empty nest, their kids all back in the home country going to school, the weight of so much crashed in on her and she broke. Broke to the point that she had to leave the country and take the next 4 years to recover perspective, health and faith even.
But God was faithful in His love towards her and towards His own glory. And by his strength and for His glory, He brought them both, back to the mission field, back to the country they had grown to love. In tenacious faith, she dared to believe that “Faithful is He who called” her. And they served in His blessing for a number of years after that, until when they came home to this land, they still didn’t settle down.
To this day, in their fourth ministry context since responding to the ever-present call, my mom tenaciously serves God , eschewing comfortable grandparenthood for active mobilization efforts. And I’m so proud of her.
PS. your grandkids, who love you dearly, will also rise up and call you blessed one day when they learn your whole story!