Mary Lederleitner has a MA in Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College and a PhD in Educational Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS). She has taught as an Adjunct Professor in the graduate programs at both institutions, and currently in the D.Min. Program at TEDS. Mary served for twenty years in a variety of global leadership roles with Wycliffe Global Alliance and SIL Global. She has authored books including Women in God’s Mission: Accepting the Invitation to Serve and Lead which won a book-of-the-year award from Christianity Today in the Missions / Global Church Category. Mary now serves as Associate Professor and Director of the Women’s Institute at William Carey International University.
In the midst of persecution and abuse, believers suffering trauma in the Sahel have a new option for healing as they rebuild their lives. A healing center offers a pathway to recovery that centers on Jesus as the one who heals, bringing wholeness of mind, body, spirit, and soul. The healed then tend to want to help their abusers come to know Jesus too.
The suffering of women and children often hides in plain sight, but they are not created for silence, fear, exploitation, abandonment, or shame. They are created with dignity, worth, courage, and humanity. Dr Winnie Fung is championing a wholistic approach to elevating the vulnerable and alleviating their suffering, with the local church integrally involved.
Trizenia September is the first woman to serve as director on a GBA vessel. She prefers to not dwell on that but instead on that our realities do not define who we are and we need to build resilience. She says, being faithful in following Jesus with our whole heart and serving God well is every Christian's responsibility.
Many creatives want to serve but assume mission belongs only to preachers, Bible teachers, or medical workers. When they begin to see that media, design, photography, and storytelling can also be part of God’s work, something begins to open within them and, as Jasmine testifies: many new things become possible.
Women’s lives as they follow Jesus often take unexpected twists and turns. This testimony invites us to see how fruitful ministry can unfold in surprising and ordinary places, through coffee, patience, and a deep belief in people who are rebuilding their lives.
“Somebody showed me mercy. I want to show mercy to others” is the testimony of Jane Thuo, an enterprising champion of women in Kenya whose ministry Dorcas Creation has so far helped 4,000 women transform their lives through growing in their faith and marketable skills. Be inspired by Jane's story.
