EMQ » October–December 2020 » Volume 56 Issue 4
Edited by Miriam Chan and Sophia Russell
William Carey Publishing, 2019
182 pages
USD $13.99
Reviewed by Jessica Duisberg, Assistant Director, Innovation for Vocation Project, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California.
“Missionary mothers are reportedly least likely to thrive in the field,” write authors Miriam Chan and Sophia Russell (vii). Propelled by her own struggles, Chan recruited Russell to help her describe the stress mothers face on the mission field, their joys, and the need for better support and care. The result is a new book, For the Joy: 21 Missionary Mother Stories of Real Life and Faith.
“Real” is the right word for the subtitle. While many missionary stories portray the heroic obedience and sacrifice of missionaries, this book is a testament to the reality of their weakness and worry. These twenty-one 8- to 10-page stories are written by Australian women who share vulnerably about their time as “mums” on the mission field. Many of them learned to be mothers at the same time they learned a new language, navigated new streets, cooked new food, adopted new customs, and forged new friendships. Some were overjoyed, some overwhelmed. Some lost children, and some adopted children. Some faced persecution from those they served. Some faced their own anxiety, guilt, or need for control. They all discovered new depths of God’s grace.
Without shortchanging the faith of those who answer God’s call to missions, these mums make God’s faithfulness the centerpiece of their raw experiences of “isolation, heartsick worry, …gnawing guilt…and deep joy” (v). Red remembers leaving Australia with her family: “I try my hardest to fake coping. In the short term, this surprisingly helps” (1). Gabrielle finally accepts that she is not going to live up to her image of a good mom: “I have found sweet release. I am a bad mum. … I could rescue my kids from all the hurt, but I won’t. … I put myself in Abraham’s shoes. When I cried…, when I trusted and when I doubted, [God] loved. He provided. And I trust Him to do it again” (33–34). Having moved her family across cultures multiple times, Wendy is moved in turn by her grown daughter’s letter, “Thank you for being as loving and proactive in your parenting as you are in serving God” (169).
Naomi Reed notes in her introduction, “Shared stories… remind us that we’re living a shared life” (v). In this spirit, For the Joy is for men and women looking for encouragement in their current mission work. It is for parents anywhere raising children amidst stress and mess. It is for adults and young adults considering missions. (Some stories have a high level of emotional intensity and would be better for young adults or older youth than for children.) Moreover, fitting none of these categories myself, I can affirm that this book is for all those who have struggled through seasons of life wondering if they are really doing what God called them to do.
For Further Reading
Eenigenburg, Sue and Robynn Bliss. Expectations and Burnout: Women Surviving the Great Commission. William Carey Library, 2010.
Reed, Naomi. My Seventh Monsoon: A Himalayan Journey of Faith and Mission. Ark House Press, 2007.
EMQ, Volume 56, Issue 4. Copyright © 2020 by Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from Missio Nexus. Email: EMQ@MissioNexus.org.
