Faith in Action: Women Making a Difference in Global Outreach
By Kayla Balangue, Assistant Director of Campus Ministries, Local & Global Outreach
As we celebrate International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 8, 2025, we are reminded of the remarkable ways women have shaped history through faith, courage and service. At Jessup, we believe one of the most powerful ways to celebrate this day is by highlighting the work of women in international missions. These are the women who have answered God’s call to bring hope, justice and the love of Christ to people all over the globe.
Throughout history, women have been at the forefront of global missions, following in the footsteps of women like Amy Carmichael and Elisabeth Elliot, to care for the marginalized, poor and vulnerable, and to make Christ’s name known among unreached people groups. Jessup’s Global Outreach program provides students with the opportunity to engage in cross-cultural ministry, share the good news of Jesus and serve those in need. Over the last 10 years, Jessup has sent out over 500 students to serve around the world, 69% of which have been women.
Jessup’s Global Outreach – Testimonies of Mission Work
Jessup partners with some incredible ministries that serve and empower women throughout the world. One of Jessup’s ongoing Global Outreach partners, Courage Worldwide, focuses on ministering to women and young girls that have been rescued from human trafficking in East Africa. Last summer, the Jessup team led the girls in Bible studies,crafts, dances, sports and worship. They even hosted activities that provided opportunities for the girls to bond with each other such as team building exercises, a waterfall hike and coffee tour and a day where the team pampered the girls with manicures and makeup.
One of the young women that the team met in East Africa had a gift in leading worship and expressed that she wanted to learn more worship songs but, given their limited resources, she only had access to a few worship CDs. The team played more songs for her and wrote down the lyrics to several of her favorites so that she could practice them. By the end of their time in East Africa, she was singing the new songs beautifully, and leading the whole group in worship in the presence of God. Her gift has continued to be used to glorify God and bring people closer to him in East Africa, even long after the team departed.
On a trip to Central America last summer with another Jessup Global Outreach team, two young women from the Jessup team ministered in a powerful way to a woman facing significant hardship. The team entered into this woman’s home, offering a water filter and the gospel, and soon learned that she was a woman of faith, a mother of four children and was married to a man with severe alcoholism who had gotten their family into financial ruin. She had been praying for a miracle and was in desperate need of encouragement. The two young Jessup women were able to resonate with her story and offer testimonies of God’s faithfulness as they shared similar familial experiences. They encouraged her by reminding her of her own worth and identity in Christ as they hugged her, wept with her and prayed for her. The presence of the Holy Spirit was felt by everyone in the room. The woman said goodbye to the team, feeling seen and encouraged, connected to a local church and, with a new water filter, had newfound access to free clean drinking water for her family.
At Jessup, we have the privilege of raising up the next generation of young women who are eager to serve wholeheartedly, both locally and globally. If your heart is stirred by the stories of women in missions, I encourage you to take the next step in getting involved in global or local outreach.
Your Call To Action
The first thing you can do is pray. Pray that Jesus would be known and glorified all around the world. Pray for those that have followed God’s call to serve cross-culturally, whether long term or for a shorter amount of time. Prayer is a powerful way to support those ministering to the world’s most vulnerable.
The second thing you can do is give. Consider supporting a long-term missionary, an organization that holistically serves the poor and marginalized, or a Jessup Global Outreach trip that equips young women and men to live out the gospel through tangible acts of love and service.
Thirdly, you can go or commit to regularly serving locally. Whether through Jessup’s outreach program as a student, or through a local church, we encourage you to step out in faith and follow God wherever he is leading you.
Finally, you can be an advocate. Use your voice to raise awareness about global injustices and marginalized communities in the contexts in which you already live.
Today, we honor the women who have courageously answered the call to serve and we celebrate the work that God continues to do through them. Let’s be inspired to join them, whether in our own communities or across the globe.
