She was living the life of her dreams among some of the least-reached in South America. The daughter of global workers, she had a calling on her own life too. She studied Greek in order to translate the New Testament into an unknown language. She met the man of her dreams in college, and then married him later in the country where they both served. She was making progress in relationships and in the local language.
And then tragedy struck.
She lost count of the nights she cried herself to sleep. Her future seemed derailed, her husband dead at the hands of the people they came to serve. She couldn’t explain daddy’s absence to her toddler. She consoled those around her while working through her own grief.
Few would’ve blamed her for starting again in America; some may have openly discouraged her from returning to the field. And yet, after burying her husband, she returned to reach the tribe that caused her so much heartache. We know her as Elisabeth Elliot.
By choosing to stay, Elisabeth inspired generations of Christians to count the cost, to follow God’s call—despite difficult circumstances—for the sake of the Gospel.
What made her stay?
She was certainly resilient. In fact, the people group she loved affectionately called her The Woodpecker, a bird designed to hammer its way into the hardest of trees.
But I believe she also had care and relationships that sustained her. She didn’t feel alone. She had others who understood her life.
They stayed too. After their husbands’ deaths, Marilou McCully, Marjorie Saint, and Barbara Youderian remained in Ecuador. Marilou ran a home in Quito for children of global workers. Marjorie hosted a mission agency guesthouse. Barbara continued working in the Ecuadorean jungles among the Jivaro headhunters.
What of the global women today, some 60 years later, facing their own challenging, if not tragic, circumstances?
What will make her stay…
- When tragedy strikes?
- When her infertility keeps local friendships at bay?
- When her husband’s struggle with pornography affects her marriage?
- When she and her children are robbed at knifepoint?
- When she has many relationships, but none are reciprocal?
What will make her stay?
I firmly believe in the power of care, community, and respite to restore a woman’s soul and renew her calling to a difficult place. And I want you to experience the joy of seeing it too! That’s why I invite you to give the gift of a retreat to one of nearly 75 global women who will join us soon in Brazil.
It takes $780 to gift a retreat—only $65 a month—and can mean the difference between a global woman giving up or staying the course. Would you give the gift of a retreat sponsorship today to bring respite and renewed hope to a global woman? Your gift will help her know she is not alone. It will renew women who are taking the Gospel to some unreached areas of our world.
Thank you for praying and caring for global women—and by extension their families and teams—so they can thrive in the land of their callings.
Because global women matter.
Several global women tell us each year how a Thrive retreat restored their calling when they were ready to give up. Will you make an eternal impact with $780 to renew the calling of a woman serving in South America?
©2016 Thrive