Q&A with Missionary Wendy Lock

What is your personal background?

I was born in England but in 1975,  my family immigrated to South Africa. I was four years old.  That was when we joined Rosebank Union Church.  It was still meeting in the old Spanish church on Tyrwhitt Avenue. I went through the Sunday School and Youth Groups at Rosebank and loved being part of the amazing church.  When I finished high school I spent two years on a Music and Drama team which was part of the Baptist Youth of South Africa.  It was called the WOW team (Win Our World). When I returned I did a 6 month secretarial course and then was employed full time at Rosebank Union as the Church receptionist. I loved my time working for the church as well as being involved in the youth work of the church and the music ministry.  I ran a little teens choir and began leading worship in the evening services.  After 4 years of working full time at Rosebank I felt the desire to go and study and to at least get a degree behind my name.  God opened the doors for me to study teaching through Wits university and the church graciously allowed me to continue working for them part time during my studies. The moment I set foot in a classroom, I knew that teaching was what I was born to do. I look back at my time at Rosebank and realize that the church shaped my life not only spiritually but in so many other areas as well.

When and how did you come to faith in Jesus?

Growing up in the Sunday school I kept giving my life to Jesus over and over again.  Each time I just wanted to make sure I had done it properly.  You see, as a little girl I feared death and was never 100% sure that I was really a child of God.  But then at the age of 13 I was on Scripture Union camp down at Port Edward. On Easter Sunday morning at a sunrise service God met me in the most beautiful way.  It was the final time I asked Jesus into my heart because from that moment on I knew I had the Holy Spirit living inside of me and that the amazing gift of eternal life was waiting for me no matter what lay ahead. I wanted to spend time with God and grow in my relationship with Him.

Why did you become a missionary?

I have always loved being part of a church where missions plays such an important role.  Praying and supporting missionaries has also always been a huge value in my family as well.  But I must confess that growing up I was definitely the one who would say “Here am I Lord, but send someone else!”.  I will give and pray but I do not want to go. But during my first year of teaching I read a missionary biography by a lady called Isobel Kuhn. Reading her call to missions stirred my heart but more than anything I was deeply moved by the sacrifices that she had to make with her children. As her heart broke, when she put her little 6 year old daughter into boarding school, my heart broke as well. The Holy Spirit whispered gently to me “That’s where you can be involved in world missions, you can go and teach and love missionary children, while their parents are on the front lines.”  It was so amazing, a week later I found myself at a Missions Meeting and there was a couple sharing about a school for Missionary Children in the Philippines that desperately needed teachers, Faith Academy.  God had stirred my heart and then presented the need, how could I say NO to Him.

How are you currently involved in missions?

It took a couple more years before I finally left to go and teach at Faith Academy. One of the things that played a huge role in those two years of waiting was being part of a missions accountability group.  Its so easy to hear God’s call to missions, but Satan does not want us to go and so many obstacles can stand in the way.  The ‘Go Group’ met every Friday morning at 6:00am to not only pray for missions but to also keep each other on track and praying for each other as we applied to the mission’s organizations, raised support and prepared to go. Every single person that was part of that ‘Go Group’ ended up on the mission field. I love that this mission group that started up 18 years ago still meets every Friday morning at 6:00am to pray for our missionaries.

I have now completed my 15th year at Faith Academy. I actually can’t believe it! Where has the time gone?.  It has been an incredible Faith journey as I have seen God provide in such an incredible way. I am so grateful to Rosebank Union Church who have been there for me every step of my journey and who have not only supported me financially but prayed, cared and encouraged me in every step along the way.  I love that there have been 5 different short term mission groups that have come out to visit me in Manila.  Each time they have come, it has been such an encouragement.  There is really no place like Rosebank Union Church and I am so grateful to be part of this family.

How can RUC pray for you?

• Please pray for the 26 or so little first graders that will be in my class this coming school year. Pray that there will be a precious sense of belonging for each one and that God would knit us together as a little team, encouraging and building one another up.
• Please pray that I will continually lean into God for his wisdom and strength each and every day.  Teaching first graders can be tough in itself but sometimes I get overwhelmed with the diversity of needs that there are in my classroom.  I wish we had remedial teachers, occupational therapists and speech therapists, but unfortunately we don’t. Pray that I will keep my eyes fixed on God and that I will allow the spirit of God to fill me so that He can give me wisdom, ability and expertise in my teaching.  (Exodus 35:31)
• Pray personally that I will prioritize what is important and that  I will make time for a balance in my life.
• Pray for staffing needs.  We are always needing teachers but this coming school year the needs seem even bigger.  We critically need high school English teachers and Elementary Classroom teachers.  Pray also that those who are hoping to join us on staff will be able to raise their support to be with us for the beginning of the school year.