The Detail in Tawi-Tawi I Couldn’t Ignore

From Caleb’s Journal: A missions reflection from the Sulu Archipelago

When Ptr. Richard and I traveled to Tawi-Tawi in October last year. I expected the journey to mark me deeply.

The islands of the Sulu Archipelago always do.

The sea crossings, the quiet tension of frontier ministry, the beauty of communities often overlooked, and the spiritual weight of being near places where Christ is still least known—it all leaves something in your heart.

But there was one detail I could not shake.

As we met workers, visited communities, listened to stories, and prayed with those serving on the frontlines, I began to notice something striking:

Most of the missionaries in the field were women.

Women were leading Bible studies.

Women were crossing islands.

Women were entering homes.

Women were building trust in villages.

Women were carrying the light of Christ into places many are hesitant to go.

And honestly, I felt both deeply moved and deeply challenged.

These women were not serving because the work was easy.

They were serving because the need was urgent.

Their courage reminded me of the women who followed Jesus faithfully in Scripture—women like Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna —who traveled with Him and supported His ministry (Luke 8:1–3).

The mission field has always had women who said yes.

And history—and even present research—shows this clearly.

Trusted missions research continues to show that women significantly outnumber men in missions. According to current evangelical missions data, single missionary women outnumber single missionary men by about 4 to 1, meaning more than 80% of all single missionaries are women.

One of the key reasons researchers cite is that women consistently demonstrate higher levels of church involvement, prayer engagement, and readiness for relational discipleship, making them more likely to respond to long-term missionary service opportunities.

(Source: Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary)

And praise God for these women.

The Church is standing stronger in places like Tawi-Tawi because of their faithfulness.

But as I reflected on what I was seeing, another thought stirred deeply in my spirit:

Where are the men?

Where are the fathers willing to disciple sons in frontier communities?

Where are the brothers willing to cross dangerous waters?

Where are the men who will sit with village elders, fishermen, tribal leaders, and fathers in the home?

Where are the spiritual shepherds willing to live incarnationally among the unreached?

This is not about diminishing the extraordinary role women are playing.

It is about recognizing that the harvest needs the full Body of Christ.

There are doors that men can uniquely enter.

There are conversations with male community leaders that require a male presence.

There are young boys in these islands who need godly men to model discipleship, courage, purity, and fatherhood.

Jesus said:

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”

— Matthew 9:37

In Tawi-Tawi, I saw that verse with fresh eyes.

The laborers are there.

Many of them are women.

And they are doing beautifully.

But the Lord is also calling men to rise.

Not merely to admire missions from afar.Not simply to support occasionally.But to consider whether their yes belongs in the field.

To the men reading this:

The call of God is still going forth.

The unreached in the Sulu Archipelago need more than occasional visits. They need spiritual fathers, disciplers, church planters, protectors, and shepherd-hearted men willing to go low, live simply, and stay long.

This is your invitation.

Pray.

Prepare.

Train.

Go.

The women are already carrying the light faithfully.

Now may the men of God rise and carry it alongside them—until every island, every tribe, and every home in the Sulu Archipelago has heard the name of Jesus.