We worship a giving God. Our God gave life and breath to humanity at the beginning of time (Gen 4:2-25). Our God promises to give us His own presence, forevermore, at the end of time (Rev. 22:1-5). Our God gave His one and only Son that we might live (John 3:16). Our God, when He sent out His disciples to preach the Gospel, commanded them, “Freely you received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8).
And sure enough, as I observe how my ministry has become intertwined with God’s people throughout the ages, I find that same unmistakable thread of giving. I see that same strand of generosity and hospitality tethering me to the people of this incredible, giving God. And I am inspired anew to give unto others as I’ve been given, communicating the good news of Christ in word and deed to all those who haven’t heard.
The Incredible Testimony of “Some Women”
For me, some of the most inspiring testimonies of generosity come from the stories of women who followed Jesus (Luke 8:1-3). “Some women” ministered to Jesus and the disciples as the Gospel was preached from village to village. Jesus and His disciples had a strategy to advance the Kingdom of God, and these women were “contributing to their support out of their private means.” Each of these women had been “healed of various diseases” in a personal encounter with the Lord, their Savior and Healer. And what they had received, they freely gave.
If you trace these women in Scripture, you find them at the foot of the cross, supporting each other and Mary the mother of Jesus in their grief. They are found in the garden on the first Easter Sunday, and Mary Magdalene is the first to encounter the risen Lord Jesus. They are also gathered with the disciples “devoting themselves to prayer” in Acts 1:13-14. We know few of their names, but they represent women of different ages and religious and cultural backgrounds. Whatever their differences, though, they are characterized by their willingness to go where Jesus leads, give and serve generously, and pray fervently for His Kingdom to come.
A Life of Gratitude and Generosity
Generous women have supported the mission of Christ and His church from the very beginning, and it continues today. My mother-in-law was a pastor’s wife for 56 years. My husband Ken remembers Ruby Hemphill selling eggs and goat’s milk to raise funds for the Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon offerings taken in the rural North Carolina churches where Ken’s father pastored. My own mother and father modeled generosity to missions and education by establishing student scholarships and supporting missionaries by welcoming them into our home.
God has been particularly generous to me in my preparation for future ministry. God promises to prepare the “works beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10), and He has certainly wasted none of His good gifts in my life. After feeling the call to missions at 16, I met my husband in Greek class at university and then partnered with him as a pastor’s wife while working to support him through his three post graduate degrees. While he studied at Cambridge in England, I read Too Hard for God? by C. R. Marsh, got to know our Bangladeshi neighbors, and began praying for Muslim women and their families.
Then, soon after graduating from Southwestern in 2003, I began serving with the International Mission Board (IMB) as the Women’s Mobilization Consultant. My Masters in Missiology with an emphasis in Islamic studies helped in my preparation for this new task with our mission board, and the role itself gave me access to a large and vibrant community of women leaders in missions, church, and convention ministries.
During Ken’s presidency at Southwestern Seminary, we were blessed by the many women donors who gave from “their private means” to build and renovate student housing, to construct conference space, to support student scholarships, and to meet student needs. Hospitality was modeled for us by Jesus as He “prepares a place for us” and as He shared teaching around the table, and so it was only natural that we enjoyed opening the president’s home to students, donors, and faculty.
And today, even in retirement, God has not stopped generously giving me opportunities to utilize the gifts He has so generously given me.
The Gift of Ministry
Today, in this season of life, I have reflected on these streams in our history and how God continues to write our story. We now live in upstate South Carolina, only ten minutes from Clemson University. Three years ago, we facilitated our church hosting Afghan refugees moving to our area. My first mobilization trip with IMB was to Kabul in 2004. Knowing the realities and hardships of life in that area of the world gave me compassion for these new neighbors and their families, and my education in Islamic Studies gave me insight into their culture and worldview. Generous folks at our church helped furnish an apartment for our refugees. We invited them into our home, drove them to get IDs, and shared the love of Jesus in culturally sensitive ways. Recently, we began receiving new families in Clemson. Generous women donated sewing machines and fabric to set up a sewing circle for refugee women. Our local North American Mission Board (NAMB) missionary family coordinates English classes for the women and helps with addressing needs.
Two years ago, I began working with Friends of Internationals at Clemson and now serve on their Board of Directors. In August 2023, Ken and I welcomed two Iranian women graduate students into our home as they began their Ph.D. studies. Before Christmas that year, I traveled to Atlanta to meet our third doctoral student. These women have become part of our family as we welcomed them, prayed for them, and shared Christ with them. Currently Clemson hosts over 1,400 international graduate students from over a hundred nations, and this is not unique to my city. The world is literally at our doorstep! In your community as in ours, there are multiple opportunities to welcome those who need to hear the Gospel.
Generosity, hospitality, and mission are intertwined in Scripture, church history, and in our lives. We have the amazing opportunity throughout our lives to open our hearts and our homes to those who serve Christ overseas and here at home. We can bless others as we convey the gifts God has given us. I am incredibly thankful for the women who have traveled with me, given generously, and prayed fervently to advance the Kingdom of God.
