Missionary Kids???

[Ceridwen]

Any MK's out there? *Raises hand* 15 years overseas.

 

[Nienor]

Kind of....

My parents were sent by their church as missionaries to Utah, which I guess could be considered a foreign country They still get funding from the church and my dad's the pastor of the church as well as working at a Christian bookstore. But I'm always a little hesitant to label myself as a mk

 

[Ruth~]

I think it's great what your parents do! Great idea for a thread,too.

 

[bronzebender]

YES YES ME AND PROUD OF IT!! My dad has been in the Philippines for EIGHTEEN years. The average time of missionaries is only two, so we have really stuck it out. He married my mom (a Filipina) while here. I am PROUD to say we have a biracial family (brown older borther, i am brown, my sister is white)!

I know a lot of missionary kids. I go to a school specifically designed for missionary children (and some diplomat children). Also, our parents' mission work is amazing! It excites me. It is unfortunate that sometimes I feel *meh* when I hear yet again of what they are doing in the Tribal Ministry or Orphange or Bible School or Missions Conference (apologize if I sound like bragging), when what they are doing is CHANGING so many lives! So excited that my parents are being mightily used by God!

 

[hopefulheart]

I am a MK i have been one sice i was born,Someparts are great but others are challenging.

When i am with my parents on a placement i am homeschooled.But mostly I go to school in England

 

[Ptilinopus]

Hello Ceridwen!

Yes, I am an MK too. My parents were 12 years in Papua New Guinea from the time I was 8 yrs old. And my Mum was born in Tonga, where her parents were missionaries for some 20 years. Then I married another MK - who spent most of her childhood till age 10 in the Pacific islands. And her mother was born in China (where her parents were missionaries for 16 years)...

Then we became missionaries ourselves - 11 years in Africa, and 4 in Papua New Guinea. My older sons were in Africa the last 3 yrs, and all of them in PNG. (So they are MKs too!)

You know the term TCK (Third Culture Kids)? That's us! Have you noticed that MKs/TCKs are different from others? I noticed when in Africa that roughly half of all missionaries were themselves MKs. Many like me married MKs. Maybe I'll post some TCK jokes sometime - "You might be a TCK if..." type! What do you think?

 

[Bulan]

I am an MK as well, and always glad to meet new MKs out there. It wasn't until I was in my early 20s that I realized that I could find other MKs/TCKs (Third Culture Kids) out there, because I didn't know any (besides my brother) the whole time I was growing up. The internet has really helped, in fact! In 2004 I created a website/forum for MKs of all ages called mkPLANET, and I've been able to meet many wonderful MKs, missionary parents, MK spouses, MK/TCK care workers, MK authors, and others through that experience. I've learned about many services and communities that exist for MKs and their families, and I've also learned where there are areas of need, and I hope to contribute toward fulfilling those needs as time goes by.

As for my past, I grew up in Austria and Germany, though my family spent most of our time in a small village in Austria. I attended the local school, rather than a boarding school, which is how I ended up getting to know the language and culture very well, but without the chance to build friendships with other MKs at the time. I don't mind it though; I miss our life over there a lot actually.

Anyway, I always enjoy hearing other MKs' stories, and I look forward to meeting more of you!

 

[Ceridwen]

Here are some great novels by an MK about the MK experience:

Frank Schaeffer:

"Portofino"
"Zermatt"
"Saving Grandma"

They're very funny.

 

[Ptilinopus]

You might be a MK/TCK if:
- you sort your Christmas mailing list by continents
- you can speak three languages, and can t spell in any of them
- you cruise the Internet looking for fonts that support your "native" language's alphabet.
- you feel you need to move after you've lived in the same place for a month/year...
- you have a name in at least two different languages, and it's not the same one.
- you don't think that two hours is a long sermon.
- you haggle with the checkout girl for a lower price.
- you refer to gravel roads as highways.
- fitting 15 or more people into a car seems normal to you.
- you know how to pack.
- you realize that furlough is not a vacation.
- you do your devotions in another language.
- you have friends from or in 29 different countries.
- you speak with authority on the subject of airline travel.
- you can cut grass with a machete, but can't start a lawnmower.
- you watch nature documentaries, and think about how good that animal would taste if it were fried.
- you consider a city 500 km away to be "very close".
- you have a time zone map next to your telephone.
- you read National Geographic and recognize someone.
- you can't answer the question, "Where are you from?" in less than 20 minutes.
- the family gathers round the computer to check the email.
- you forget that your grandparents speak only English.
- you have a passport but no driver s license.
- you watch National Geographic channel and recognize someone.
- you keep dreaming of a green Christmas.
- you wince when people mispronounce foreign words.
- you have strong opinions on how to cook bugs.
- you know there is no such thing as an international language.
- most of your friends can t speak English.
- you watch a movie set in a foreign country, and you know what the local people are REALLY saying!
- you think nothing of straddling white lines to pass between buses or trucks travelling side by side, because There was plenty of room, Officer! Honest! At least 15 centimetres clearance!
- the message on your answering machine is in two languages.
- you habitually buy food supplies in bulk.
- you are cold when it is 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[DavidThomas]

We have recieved at lot of help from church

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[Silvestra]

Three Cheers to you all fro making the world a better place to live in!

 

[JesusChristChick]

Psalm 41:11
I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me.


GOD BLESS YOU!
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[JesusChristChick]

Psalm 41:11
I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me.

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GOD BLESS YOU!

 

[JesusChristChick]

Psalm 60:11
Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.

GOD BLESS YOU~
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[JesusChristChick]

Psalm 64:1
[ For the director of music. A psalm of David. ] Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy.


GOD BLESS YOU!
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[JesusChristChick]

Jeremiah 31:16
This is what the LORD says: "Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded," declares the LORD. "They will return from the land of the enemy.


GOD BLESS YOU.
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[JesusChristChick]

· Luke 10:19
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.


May God bless you!!!
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[JesusChristChick]

· Matthew 13:39
and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

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[JesusChristChick]

Luke 10:19[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

[/FONT]​

 

[JesusChristChick]

1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.



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