Together Is Better

The Great Commission instructs believers to advance the Kingdom of God. The Gideons International provides a unique way for Christian business and professional men to see people come to Christ. Officially, the role of an Auxiliary (wife of a Gideon) is to assist her Gideon husband in this mission through prayer, personal testimony, personal work, association for service, and placing and distributing God’s Holy Word in approved areas. Yet, the role of the Auxiliary is even more significant considering the partnership of holy matrimony. The wife of a Gideon brings encouragement, support, and gentleness. As an Auxiliary, I share in this blessing serving alongside my husband, Mark.

A verse that became near and dear to my heart in this 28-year journey as an Auxiliary is Acts 6:4 (ESV), which reads, “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” I take great delight in praying for Mark and supporting him in his ministry endeavors. Something else I have learned along this journey is that there is immeasurable impact and spiritual blessings when a wife joins in ministry alongside her husband.

The Blessings of Auxiliary in My Life

A couple of years ago, David W. Martin, former international president of The Gideons International, talked about the powerful influence both his mom and wife have played in his life as Auxiliary. He shared the following:

For many years, I have significantly benefitted from living within the sphere of two Auxiliary. First, I was blessed to live within the sphere of influence of my mom as an Auxiliary. After Dad joined The Gideons International, it did not take long before he began talking to Mom about coming with him to the Gideon meetings. Dad valued the fellowship of those men, but nothing could compare to having Mom involved with him in this amazing work.  

Mom began attending the camp meetings, and after several months, she joined the Auxiliary. As she entered the sphere of influence of some godly ladies in the Auxiliary, she found a wonderful environment where she could grow personally and spiritually with other like-minded ladies. Along the way, she began participating in distributions, and sometime later, she began serving in Auxiliary leadership. Her friendships with ladies in the camp started to deepen, and her investment in the ministry of this Association began to grow. Mom’s involvement alongside Dad was invaluable to him. She was his most trusted advisor and coach. She would listen to his thoughts about messages and encourage him. In so many ways, it was very evident two were better than one. She never wanted to be in front of people; she was delighted with her quiet life, and now she was traveling the country, speaking to large crowds of people she had never seen before and thriving in the opportunities. As her son, it was powerful to watch.   

Second, I have been blessed beyond measure to live within the sphere of influence of my wife as an Auxiliary. After joining The Gideons as a single man, at almost every Gideon meeting I attended, I was reminded that most Gideons find great joy and blessing to have their wife serving alongside them. I had relocated to a new city on my job and had begun visiting a singles class at a new church. In that Sunday School class, there was a young lady named Emily. I knew her name was Emily, she was a believer, and she sang in the choir. That is about all I knew, except that I knew I was very interested.

Soon after, it so happened we were planning a large city-wide Gideon event at Christmastime, and I began to think about how nice it would be for Emily and me to attend this event together. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. I called Emily and asked if she would like to go with me. She was not sure what the event was, but with some additional explanations, she agreed to go. My Gideon and Auxiliary friends’ godly influence and friendship made a good impression that evening and in the months that followed. Emily and I were married, and not long after that, she joined the Auxiliary. Thus, I began to experience the great blessing of pursuing the mission of this ministry together with my wife as an Auxiliary.   

It has been a great joy for these last 34 years to have grown together with my wife. Living within the spiritual influence of her as an Auxiliary has resulted in extraordinary blessings in our lives. Looking back, it is evident to me that two are better than one. My life and our children’s lives have been richly blessed by living within the sphere of influence of my wife and their mother as an Auxiliary.

David W. Martin and his wife, Emily

The Blessings of Shared Ministry

You see, the Auxiliary plays an invaluable role for the Kingdom. From the very beginning, The Gideons was built on the idea of strengthening the traveling businessman’s testimony. No earthly person knows their husband like his wife, and a wife’s love accomplishes more in a man’s heart than can be easily explained. As Auxiliary, we direct people towards Christ through living out our faith, praying, and encouraging others. What an Auxiliary does for and with her husband strengthens him and his ministry efforts. I take great pride in joining my husband in ministry, supporting and encouraging him—that is the unique benefit of being a part of The Gideons International. Together, we seek to win the lost to Jesus Christ.

An Auxiliary taking part in a hospital distribution

I take great pride in joining my husband in ministry, supporting and encouraging him—that is the unique benefit of being a part of The Gideons International.