Over forty-five years ago, retired Christian & Missionary Alliance (the Alliance) missionary Carolyn Brokopp left Omaha and boarded a ship headed to Africa, carried by her passion for the gospel and the prayers of others. Those prayers, offered continually throughout her service, meant so much to her, she now faithfully prays for missionaries. This is one of her roles as the leader of Christ Communities Alliance Women.

Alliance Women is a ministry within the Alliance that exists to exalt Christ and further His mission for maximum kingdom impact, locally and globally. At Christ Community, they meet regularly, have “Lunch on Mission” meetings where they listen to people talk about various ministries, then stay after to pray for and discuss related concerns. 

After going through language and tropical medicine training, Carolyn boarded a cargo ship set for the country of Gabon. “It was supposed to get us there in three weeks but it took fifty-three days,” she said. “We felt pretty trapped. They only had six cabins, and another couple and their daughter and I were in two.” 

Once in Gabon, she got busy learning the culture and sharing the gospel. Though she encountered numerous challenges, she wasn’t worried or afraid because she knew God was in control and that a lot of people back home were praying for her. That was one of the first preparations she secured.

“When I first got accepted to be a missionary,” she said, “I spoke in Orange City, Iowa at an Alliance church. Afterwards, a few Alliance Women had me over to someone’s house to discuss my need for a prayer letter.” They agreed, if I got my needs to them once a quarter, they’d keep track of all my addresses and send my letters out for me. This was before computers,” she said, “so this wasn’t something I could do on my own.”

Four times a year, Carolyn wrote a letter and mailed it to one of the Alliance Women, a retired missionary herself. She produced it and then she and the others stuffed envelopes and sent them out. “They did this for over thirty years,” Carolyn said.

She felt those prayers throughout her service, but most especially when things didn’t go according to plan. “One day, we were driving to different villages for evangelism when a wheel came off our car,” she said. “We were in the middle of the jungle.” They walked back to where it’d flown, and though they put it back on, they’d lost some of the bolts. Therefore, a short distance later, it came off again.

There was no way they could continue, but neither could they get to a mechanic. Thankfully, the village they’d just left was close, so they walked back. A car happened to be passing through so she gave him a note for him to give to the mechanic at their mission station so he would know what had happened. 

While they were waiting in the longhouse, a man came up to them. He said, “I can fix your car.” At first, Carolyn and her team didn’t believe him as this was a village without any cars. Why would a mechanic be there? But she learned he worked at the airport and was on vacation from the capital city. He was able to and did fix their vehicle.

Another time, God allowed her to get malaria medicine almost immediately. This, to her, was just another example of His grace and provisions, fueled by the prayers of others. Now that she’s no longer in the field, she wants to offer the same support and encouragement to missionaries, through Alliance Women, as she received herself received.

“Alliance Women meant a lot to me when I served as a missionary. They gave me money every time I came home so I could buy supplies and whatever I needed to take back to Africa. When I came home five years ago, I started participating from another angle—as the giver instead of receiver.  

Because their group is small, their funds are limited, which in turn limits how much they can give to Alliance missionaries. But Christ Community Church changed things to bridge the gap, made this fund a budgeted item, and through Beyond Belief, gives $3000 to the Christian Missionary Alliance district office to help with missionary needs. 

Carolyn felt a call to missions in high school and began pursuing that call in her mid-twenties. Thanks to Alliance Women and all they do to support those who are sent, she and her ministry partners can continue playing a part in sharing the best news ever to the least reached people well into their senior years. 

If you would like to learn more about Alliance Women or get involved, call Carolyn Brokopp at 402-253-4282. To be a part of all God is doing through missions at CCC, contact Eva Brandt at evab@cccomaha.org.  

Written By Jennifer Slattery