There's this part in the very beginning of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women that has stuck with me for years. In a letter from the March girls' war-gone father (addressed to his wife), he says
"A year seems very long to wait before I see them, but remind them that while we wait we may all work, so that these hard days need not be wasted. I know they will remember all I said to them,
that they will be loving children to you,
will do their duty faithfully,
fight their bosom enemies bravely,
and conquer themselves so beautifully that when I come back to them
I may be fonder and prouder than ever of
my little women."
This post feels extra special to me, because {I personally sense} I've seen a glimpse into God's strategic design for missions and the brave people who carry it out. I wish I had the official stat to give you on "how many single women enter into missions every year", but as I see it, missions has been and overwhelmingly continues to be shaped by brave single women (whether they're truthfully wishing away singleness, called to singleness, or single by force (sorry Elisabeth Elliot)). The only legit stat I can give is from my time with missionaries from all over the Latin American region at the language school I'm currently attending, and in my time it's been 9 single girls to 2 single guys.
Some would view this as a crisis, like, "Where are all the men?!" But I believe God is just clever, and my heart bursts over this--like absolutely bursts. I trust that God always calls with such intention and such purpose in the details of our lives. I know so many young, single chicas, who are willingly going alone to do missions in places where they're not considered equal... they're actually probably considered next to last (men --> boys --> women --> girls).
Dallas Willard writes, "The obviously well kept secret of the 'ordinary' is that it is made to be a receptacle of the divine, a place where the life of God flows" and these ladies are just that. They fly under the radar, they get into places they never should be because in those places, they're not important, they're "just women." Yet, they're the biggest declaration of war, flying undetected to bring havoc to the plans of the enemy, while he looks for someone bigger, mightier, and maybe even more manly. And undiscovered, through them, the life of God flows into the darkness.
I can't help but feel our sweet Father God says these same things about His valiant daughters who are venturing out alone:
that they will be loving,
will do their duty faithfully,
fight their bosom enemies bravely,
and conquer themselves so beautifully that when I come back to them
I may be fonder and prouder than ever of
my little women."
To each of you single, strong women, this is for you and I am so very proud of you (seriously I can't help but bawl right now as your face runs through my mind).
You move me to be braver by your commitment to Jesus, depth of sacrifice, and resolve to war against the darkest of places.
love love love,
Karri