Naylor shares missionary experiences, advice with students

On Wednesday, students and faculty gathered to hear from Rebekah Naylor, the distinguished professor of missions, medical doctor, and former, long-time medical missionary to India, for a time of questions and answers about her missionary experiences. The gathering was held in the Naylor Student Center, named for Robert E. Naylor, Southwestern’s fifth president and the father of Rebekah Naylor.

Naylor began the session with a summary of her life’s work, goals, and achievements. As she told her remarkable life story, pens could be heard jotting notes around the room. As questions were asked, Naylor provided wisdom and advice for not just the aspiring missionaries in the room, but for those living as followers of Christ in general.

The first question asked was on insight gained by Naylor in her time overseas, specifically wanting to know how her heart was impacted and what perspectives she gained.

“God keeps every promise,” Naylor said. “So I think that would be the main thing I would say in answer to the question. To experience that, to have that confirmed over and over and over and to see the evidence of it, every promise God keeps, and of course, knowing that should affect our whole view of life. It makes it all a difference.”

Another person asked about her experience with how God moves throughout the life of a missionary and the world around them. Naylor emphasized that a missionary’s identity as a follower of Christ does not begin or end when they clock in or out of their profession.

“The main insight is that, as a follower of Jesus, our identity as followers of Jesus and our identity professionally—whatever we are, whether we’re a teacher, or whatever—those must be integrated,” Naylor said. “And they go hand-in-hand; you don’t compartmentalize it in these eight hours a day. … It’s so important that we see ourselves as an integrated whole and look for every opportunity even as we work to show forth that we are followers of Jesus Christ.”

One woman asked Naylor how a young woman should approach a call to missionary work or ministry, even if she is single. Naylor responded directly and succinctly.

“If God calls you, you need to obey. That’s the bottom line,” said Naylor, who herself never married. “And if God intends for you to be married in obeying, He will provide the person to marry, but for some that may not be God’s plan.”

Naylor also addressed the ways God provided for her while she lived overseas, bringing attention to the support she felt in times of prayer alone with the Lord.

“Another way God really provided,” Naylor said, “was in so many people that prayed for me, and, you know, people that maybe I had never seen or met. I would get letters, and then we had letters from people, even children, that were praying for me. You know, I’d never been to their town, their church, I didn’t know anything, and yet, God brought them to a time of prayer for me, which is a very humbling thing and very beautiful.”

Naylor concluded the meeting with a prayer over the students and faculty present, asking for the Lord to give them guidance and faith in their various callings to serve, and that they would submit to His calling.

Naylor will also address the Women on Mission meeting Friday, Oct. 18, at 11 a.m. and has created some time in the coming weeks to talk with people individually. She will be available on Oct. 23, Oct. 31, Nov. 13, and Nov. 21, between 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Those wishing to schedule an appointment to meet with her can do so by sending an email to her at r.nayor1944@sbcglobal.net.