My mother died at age 95. She had never been outside the borders of the United States. Though she was a pastor’s wife for forty years, she never had the privilege of going on short or long term missions. But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t very involved in world missions.
I don’t remember NOT HAVING a missionary in our house periodical. Every year a missionary from some point on the globe stayed in our home for a few days, a week or more, or we were visiting with missionaries in churches near or far. My mother would help gather boxes of supplies for medical missions, or other necessary items the missionaries would request. Things she gathered has traveled to nearly every point on the globe. She prayed for missionary churches in Africa, South America, Europe, the old Soviet Union, China, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and in almost every location around the world.
It was inevitable that her three sons would develop a strong love for missions. Why? As little boys, we sat on the laps of amazing missionaries from exiting places. We heard stories of God’s mighty hand working miracles in souls and before the eyes of the native peoples. We saw the great joy in each missionary face as they told of how God worked these miracles into the lives of people who were previously without hope. We saw the handiwork of the grateful native peoples, handiwork carried by the missionaries, and we sometimes got to hold the extraordinary works of art they had created. After all of that, who wouldn’t love missions?
So, when I decided to go on a summer missions adventure during my college years, it was my mother who became my greatest supporter. Years later, right in the middle of the Iraq war and when I prayerfully decided to go with a small team to Iraq, my mother, without hesitation, agreed I should go and committed to pray for the whole team. My brothers have equally supported the missions work God has led me to do. Paul, my youngest brother, upon learning that a church in Iraq needed a communion set that I would be allowed to carry into Iraq, made a beautiful wooden handcrafted set that I later presented to the pastor while on my second trip there. While in the Republic of Georgia, accompanied by my brother Daniel’s son, Andrew, we learned that a mission church there needed a Christmas program that year. Daniel writes music and scripts and he immediately agreed to send them his latest production, which was preformed that year in the Republic of Georgia. My mother’s missions work is still continuing.
Over the years she purchased Bibles so that they could be given out by missionaries, or she gave sums of money beyond her ability to give, yet God enable her to give anyway. She continued to be a part of telling the world mission stories even as her physical frame slowed down. She believed Christ when He said, “Go ye into all the world!” She believed and acted, even though Christ didn’t send her personally, she went by praying, giving directly to individual missionaries, giving to the general work of missions, and even being willing to send her sons to missions. My mother has fulfilled the commission of Christ to “Go!”
As her body held her back, she began to feel a little useless. Having always been so active, she had occasions of feeling like she was not valuable, which often plaques us as we age. But my mother’s value had not diminished, for it continues on through all she has given, and through all to whom she has given, even passed her death. In fact, she and others like her, are the ancestors of those of us who carry on mission work today. Without her and the others like her, we would not be serving in this great work.
If you would like to show thanks for my mother, Charlene Duncan, and others like her, for the love they passed to all of us, please leave a comment. It may help others to see that faithfulness lives on today. Thank you for your faithfulness in missions, and may we never forget the faithfulness of those who have gone on before us.
In faithful service because of the faithfulness of both my parents,
James Duncan
Matthew 28:19-20
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age.” Amen.
(If you would like to get personally involved in missions, please use the link to World Mission Alliance.) https://rfwma.org/