“Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! I am a young Christian woman whom the Lord has called to a life of singleness to better serve Him on the mission field of urban America. However, the Word of God tells us that “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) Therefore, I believe it to be God’s will for me to seek out the companionship of another Godly woman called likewise to singleness. We would combine our households as did Ruth and Naomi. As commanded in Ecclesiastes, we would also share a bed. Perhaps, like my missionary role models Amy Carmichael and Gladys Aylward, we can eventually adopt foreign children from heathen lands together that we might bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Please note that my companion MUST share my commitment to chastity, so much so that the thought of knowing a man brings not the slightest temptation to her heart.”

I also have a connection to someone who trained as a missionary. She said that 90 percent of the single missionaries are women, and they realize that they are probably sacrificing all hope of marriage and family when they sign on. The few single men who go can easily find wives among other missionaries or even among their congregations. The women generally don’t have those options.

To say the women were just too ugly to catch a man at a Bible college is also wrong. Many of the Fundy U’s will have more women than men enroll. Between that and some of the most unlikely pairings that occur, it’s actually quite possible for even attractive women not to find a Fundy U mate.

For a good history of fundamentalism and women see Margaret Bendroth’s “Fundamentalism and Gender.”