Where Do I Send My Missionary Kid to School? [FREE Download]

Bethany DuVal • Aug 28, 2018

Deciding how to educate your kids can be overwhelming for any parent. But put that parent on the mission field, and you have a whole new level of stress.

It’s not just finding a school that’s strong in academics. It’s creating a missionary kid education plan that will:

· Help your kids learn the local language

· Teach them about their host culture

· Teach them about their own culture

· Give them friends

· Prepare them to one day return to their passport country

· Hopefully not scar them for life

So how do you do it?

I sat down with TEAM ’s global third culture kid (TCK) coordinator, Valerie Williams, to find out. For nearly a decade, Valerie has helped parents navigate foreign education systems and build solid plans for their kids. And as a former missionary, she knows those difficulties firsthand. Today, I’m sharing her process for creating a missionary kid education plan.

Read to the end for a BONUS download for your education planning!

1. Decide what education means to you — without your spouse.

When it comes to education, it’s easy to assume you and your spouse have the same values. But Valerie says writing down your philosophies separately helps some of the unseen differences come out.

“Sometimes the parents have grown up in very different contexts and don’t realize that they have different opinions on what education is,” Valerie says.

So, Valerie recommends that each parent write a paragraph on what you believe education is for. Then, come together and share your perspectives. Are there surprises? Are there conflicts? Now is your chance to work through them together, before any investment has been made.

Once you’ve worked through any differences, write a new educational philosophy as a couple. Keep it as a reminder throughout your missionary kids’ educations. It will guide you in making the best decisions and help you honor each other as you do so.

2. Figure out your 18-year goals.

Missionary life is busy, and navigating education in a foreign country can be tricky. So, it’s not always a surprise when missionary kids turn 18 and aren’t quite ready for life as young adults. Or rather, it is a surprise — for all the wrong people.

Valerie urges parents not to be blindsided. Instead, ask yourself, “By the time my child turns 18, what do I want them to know and believe?”

If you want your kid to attend college in their passport country, you’ll want a missionary kid education plan that meets that country’s requirements. If you want them to develop a certain talent, you might pick a school with that extracurricular. If you want them to have a Christian education, you may send them to a Christian school.

Keep your vision broad, but be intentional in meeting that vision.

3. Ask someone on the field what’s possible — and what looks bad.

Before you get your heart set on an educational ideal, ask a missionary or expatriate about what’s possible. Not every field has a missionary kid school at the ready. Not every country allows homeschooling. Find out what’s actually available. And then, find out what’s culturally acceptable.

If the best fit for your family is culturally uncommon, you may decide to stick with it anyway. But you should be prepared for the impression you’ll make. For example, homeschoolers have to be able to answer the question, “Why aren’t our schools good enough for you?”

Find out how local people perceive various school options, and plan how you’ll handle or avoid those perceptions.

4. Figure out who your kids are.

Student's desk at a missionary kid school

Not every school option will be a good fit for your children. Take your kids’ personalities and interests into account as you make decisions.

“It’s definitely not one size fits all,” Valerie says. “Each of your children are unique … and you need to think about what suits their needs best.”

Talk with your kids about what they like and where they thrive. When Valerie returned from the mission field, she and her husband asked their kids what they wanted to do. One chose public school; the other two chose homeschooling.

Even if your kids are younger, Valerie says to look at their personalities. Is your kid self-motivated enough for homeschooling? Can your child handle being away from family at boarding school? Will a local school give them the academic stimulation they crave?

5. Have a plan B … and C, D and E.

Even when you’ve done all your research, things change. Hold your plans loosely.

Valerie swore she would never send her kids to a boarding school. But when her oldest child outgrew the local missionary kid school, she says, “he pretty much wilted that year.” He did school online, but he didn’t have any friends.

So, on the family’s next trip to the States, Valerie let her son stay behind with a family friend and attend school there. And once again, her son began to thrive.

That season taught Valerie to never say never — and to be open to God’s surprises.

Your ideal school might close. Or you might discover that it doesn’t work for your child. But if you have a backup plan, these changes won’t make you panic. You’ll move to the next option — and keep moving until you find what’s right.

6. Decide how you’ll fill in the gaps.

If you send your kid to a local or international school, you may have to fill in gaps so they meet their passport country’s expectations.

Valerie strongly warns against doing this in the first year: “Your child is going to be absolutely exhausted from being in a different language environment all day — just as you will be after a few hours of language school.”

But once your child has a firm foundation in their host culture , start teaching your country’s history at home. Have them practice writing by keeping a journal or writing a letter to Grandma. With some simple exercises, you can help your kid build a firm foundation in both cultures.

7. Write it down.

Once you have your plan figured out, don’t just hold it in your mind. Writing it down will help you think through every aspect of the plan. Sharing it with your missions agency or supporting church will help them support and encourage you with the best resources. And having a plan on paper makes it easier to re-assess.

At the end of the school year, pull out your plan and see how you did. What worked? What didn’t? What do you want to add or take away next year? Answer these questions and add them to the written plan.

You may not always have the perfect school situation, but with a bit of work, you can see your kids thrive in cultures around the world!

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Want to learn more about creating a missionary kid education plan? We asked missionaries for their best tips, their biggest challenges and how they make each kind of school work on the mission field.

Download your missionary kid education guide to get the scoop on boarding schools, homeschooling, online schools, national schools and international schools!

Bridging Dissonance: Finding Connection in Music and the Gospel

By Emily Sheddan • 18 Jul, 2024
TEAM worker Luke Standridge and his fellow musicians use music to build connections to faith in Japan. In music terms, dissonance creates movement or even suspense in a song. It invites tension. That tension is what helps grab our ear’s attention and the interchanging of these notes with pleasant melodious parts is what makes music such a delight. In a similar way, God is using music to grab people’s attention and catalyze Gospel impact in the largely unreached nation of Japan. TEAM Global Worker, Luke Standridge moved to Japan in 2019 with no clear direction on how he was going to use his passion for composing music while doing ministry. However, after Luke got involved with a local church and began developing deep friendships, the Lord opened unimaginable doors for Luke that in time, coordinating his creative skills with sharing the Word. “People Need to Come to Japan!” Growing up as one of ten kids in a family that was heavily involved in ministry and missions, Luke never considered that it would one day be a part of his own journey. In 2016, via a Japanese language learning class in Indiana, Luke and his brother had the opportunity to travel to Japan. Hearing, learning, and using the language in the context of Japanese culture was the goal. While it was Luke’s first international trip – even his first trip on a plane - it was also his first time hearing about the spiritual condition of the Japanese people. “And just through that, God did a huge 180 change on my heart,” says Luke. “More people should come here as global workers. People need to come to Japan!” The call God was laying on Luke’s heart is echoed when looking at the spiritual landscape of Japan. The nation is home to the second largest unreached people group in the world. It is one of the most difficult places for the Gospel to take hold and grow. Japan is also home to a deep and rich culture that prizes creative arts from pottery to ink to music to anime – a fact that would help Luke find his niche in life and ministry. God’s Guiding Hand In the short three-month timespan of that first trip, Luke found that opportunities came naturally to share about life, and people’s curiosity for Christianity grew. “I left Japan knowing I just had to come back,” Luke shares. “Even if I didn’t get back to the same area, I knew Japan was where God wanted me to be.” The Lord is good all the time and all the time the Lord is good. His plans do not fail. Luke returned to Japan in 2019, and less than a week after arriving, he was put in touch with a renowned composer in Japan. The composer saw some of Luke’s music and invited him to help write the music for a beloved in-country animated show. But God wasn’t finished yet! Fast forward a year, and more connections and opportunities allowed Luke to help with music for Pokémon - a franchise that has brand recognition around the world and was being developed into a TV series in Japan. Luke recalls how the Lord began using these connections in the production world to open doors for Gospel conversations. One night while having dinner in downtown Tokyo with famous artists and composers from all around the country, Luke was asked about his ministry-focused visa. This was a rare opportunity in a setting with people otherwise uninterested in Christianity. Luke shares, “The whole time I could see God’s hand in guiding the entire thing.”

Connecting in a New Kind of “Neighborhood”

By Lorena de la Rosa and Suzanne Pearson • 13 Jun, 2024
Through creative arts and other forms of innovative outreach, “The Neighborhood” is creating connections to the Gospel and the love of Jesus. CONNECTION. It’s a common word with powerful implications. Dictionary.com defines connection as a joining or linking together; a relationship between people or objects that unites or binds them together. God has created each of us with a deep need for connection with Him as well as connection with others. Hebrews 10:24-25 speaks to this, as the writer exhorts, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This God-given need for connection lies at the heart of a creative and innovative ministry in Japan known as “The Neighborhood.” TEAM Japan global worker, Kelly and her family created The Neighborhood as a place where connections are formed through creative arts, educational opportunities, and simply just providing a space for people to be together. A Family Calling The journey to the creation of The Neighborhood began over 5,000 miles away from Tokyo, in California where Kelly, her husband Jeff, and their five children were living. The kids were the first to sense God’s calling to missions, and asked why their family wasn’t serving in this way. How Kelly and her family came to TEAM is a God-story in and of itself. “God placed a TEAM Japan worker at our lunch table the same week that the kids posed that question to us,” Kelly recalls. “We had never heard of TEAM and so we thought, ‘let’s check this out.’ After that, God just kept confirming that we were supposed to be here.” After a period of fundraising and with much excitement, the family of seven moved to Japan in 2014. For the first five years, Kelly and Jeff served as a part of other TEAM ministry initiatives, but they began to sense a stirring for something new. Creating The Neighborhood Kelly and her family truly have a deep gift for hospitality, and regularly opened up their home to others they met in Tokyo. They saw a great need for people to have a place to gather and connect, and they wondered what doors the Lord might be opening for them to meet that need. “About a year before we were to return the States on home assignment, we were just really thinking about our future in Japan,” Kelly says. “We saw a need for people to have a ‘third place’ – a place that’s not home and it’s not work. They didn’t have a church community or any other place where they could meet people and just connect.” Kelly goes on to explain that in Japan, the culture is such that people don’t generally invite each other into their homes, but as her family did so, people embraced that opportunity. “This idea formed in all of our hearts of a student ministry center – a place where we can create community and learning,” says Kelly. “It was born out of what we were already doing in our home, but seeing how we could expand it and have better space.” God’s Provision What happened next is a true testament to God’s provision. Kelly, Jeff, and the kids returned to the States and began sharing their vision for The Neighborhood with their supporters and churches who responded generously. Upon returning to Japan, the search was on for the right space. “We had a Christian realtor that we told our dream to, and he just went looking for it,” Kelly recalls. When the realtor found a 5-story apartment building, he said, “It’s kind of out of your budget but it has what you need and want.” The Lord provided the funds and the family moved into the space in November 2019. They now occupy all but the ground floor, with living space for their family as well as classrooms, areas to study or hang out, and guest rooms for exchange students or others who need a place to stay overnight. The first floor is occupied by a pizza shop – a welcome amenity for the many groups and students who visit The Neighborhood. “It’s very convenient!” Kelly says with a laugh. The Neighborhood began to see lots of activity right away until the pandemic hit in early 2020. During the height of the quarantine, Kelly and Jeff used the time to redecorate the space and plant gardens outside the building. Then as the restrictions eased, they invited individual students or families over for meals and fellowship. It wasn’t until March 2023 that The Neighborhood was able to fully open again as intended. Kelly shares that despite the setbacks of COVID, the Lord continued to provide the funds to pay the rent.
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