Women have always been the backbone of the missionary effort.

“Remember your T.P.” That was the code word for “Pack your one suitcase; we are evacuating!” The Evangelical Covenant Church has devised and revised a number of plans to evacuate its missionaries from the Congo/Zaire since work began there in the Ubangi-Mongala in 1935.

Cross-cultural adjustment theories suggest that the longer you live in another culture, the more you learn about that culture, and that your increased knowledge results in greater adjustment. This was not true of me.

Today thousands of people, inspired by tentmaking pioneers like J. Christy Wilson and Ruth Siemens, are using their professional skills as a vehicle for cross-cultural evangelism.

Professional involvement in a credible job opens doors to in-depth interaction within our circle of activity and influence.

I want to challenge Christian ESL professionals to formulate a Christian worldview of this discipline and thereby begin influencing research and curriculum.

Are mission societies really necessary? Or are they, at best, “an historical accommodation for accomplishing missions due to the negligence of the church to carry out its mission,” as some assert?