I like Mother’s Day. This time is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the impact that moms across the world have made on their children. Sometimes I do not like how others celebrate Mother’s Day, however. In an effort to be inclusive, some have turned Mother’s Day into more of a “celebration of women” day, which includes seemingly any woman on the face of the earth who has had a positive impact on children. I am not opposed to celebrating women or praising God for those who have impacted children across the globe, but I prefer that Mother’s Day be reserved for mothers, and not piano teachers, art tutors, or athletic coaches. Despite this sentiment, I felt compelled to write about one of these women who was not my mother but has none the less impacted my life. Out of respect for moms and my own thoughts expressed above, I am publishing this the Friday before Mother’s Day and not on Mother’s Day itself. But as I thought about Mother’s Day approaching, I could not get away from the memory of a woman who has had a great impact on my life, though she has never been a mother herself. This lady was Miss Hirons.
As I reflected back to try to write about her and the impact she has had on my life, I realized that I do not really know much about her. Though I grew up seeing her face and knowing her family, I really do not have much I can say about her as a person; I guess as a child you know people, not details, and this is the case with her. But Miss Hirons was always a standard figure in our church while I was growing up. Miss Hirons was a single stateside missionary whom our church supported for many years. She never married, and instead devoted her life to serving her creator through ministering to children. I do not even know the full detail or scope of her ministry, though from what I do know she ministered regularly in camp types settings. One of her unique ministries to children was what we called “junior missionary conferences.” Miss Hirons would attend the missionary conferences of local churches and oftentimes be asked to host a junior missionary conference for children. This would be a time when children would engage in Bible memory, hear Bible stories, and be challenged with stories of men and women who served the Lord on the mission field—a kind of a “junior church” for missions if you will. I do not recall how many of these conferences I sat in with Miss Hirons, I actually only remember one. But this junior conference would change the direction of my life forever.
I was 8 years old at the time, and as we would do at our church, I went downstairs for our junior conference. I have no recollection of the verse that was taught or the scripture that was told, or even the missionary story that was read. But I do remember this—the call at the end of the night to give one’s life to Christ in full time Christian service. I remember being asked to bow our heads and close our eyes, and Miss Hirons gave the call for anyone who wanted to give their life to Christ in full time Christian service to raise their hand. I had been sensing the Spirit’s work in my heart over that night, even at 8 years old, and I remember raising my hand to indicate that I would be willing to give my life to Christ in full time Christian service, at that time on the mission field. Following the invitation time, Miss Hirons asked us—”if you raised your hand about full time Christian service, and you truly meant it, would you come talk to me afterwards?” I had raised my hand and best I could tell in my heart I truly meant it, so after everyone had left, I stuck around and talked to Miss Hirons.
I cannot remember everything she told me, but I do remember some of the information she gave me. I was given an instructional booklet called YIELD, walking me through how to give my life to Christ as a true follower and disciple. Part of the material included a “missionary prayer”—it was memorable for a child, as there was one item to pray over for each of the 5 fingers on my hand. I remember praying that prayer all the way up until 5th or 6th grade. Miss Hirons, through the power of the Holy Spirit, ignited a spark in my spiritual life. From then on, I knew God wanted me in full time Christian service, at that time I believed it to be as a missionary. I remember growing up from there and sitting in week-long mission conferences, hanging on every word missionary speakers had to say. To this day I can still remember some of the messages I heard and how God used them to impact my spiritual life as I prepared for missions, and from time to time you will hear quotations in my sermons that I heard from some of the missionaries I sat under as a teenager. My pursuit of missions eventually led me to Northland Baptist Bible College, where I studied in their missions program and only grew in my desire and passion for the mission field. Part of my training was a 2-month internship in Ecuador, South America, and upon graduation of college I fully intended to return there one day.
Obviously, God directed me in different ways, and now my sister has the privilege of serving in the very same Ecuadorian town where I spent two months of my life. What I have never lost was the desire for full time Christian service. God eventually directed me towards a different assignment, that of pastoral ministry, but the work of missions is still near and dear to my heart! That is my story, and as I look ahead towards Mother’s Day this weekend, I could not get the impact made by this wonderful woman out of my mind and just had to share it! You undoubtedly have similar stories of women who were not your mother or even perhaps have ever been mothers, yet they have impacted you. I hope this post will encourage you to reach out to them and thank them for the impact they have had on your life!
