What It’s Like to Raise My Young Kids Overseas

Beth Barthelemy • Mar 21, 2017

I have three kids, all 4 and under. And six months ago, we moved across the globe.

To be honest, some of the thoughts I’ve had are:

Am I crazy?

Am I irresponsible?

Definitely not, I’m so equipped to not only raise my own kids but also to write a fantastic blog post about how I do it so well!

I’m sure there are many others who’ve been overseas longer, who have golden nuggets of wisdom on parenting overseas.

But all this aside, here are some reflections from a fresh-on-the-field, young mama of three on what it’s like to raise my little ones overseas.

They have losses too.


Even though they are young, I’m learning to recognize the losses and sacrifices my daughters made when we moved to South Africa.


Before we left, many people told us how wonderful it was that we were moving overseas when our kids were so little. And truly, they are right.

For months ahead of time, we talked with our kids, especially our oldest daughter, about how we would be leaving this home, giving away most of our things, packing up the rest and moving to South Africa.

She was not that affected then, when we did all of those things.

It was not emotional for her to pull away from our home after handing the keys over to our landlady. It was not sad for her to say goodbye to her grandparents because her concept of time is fluid. She was actually excited the first night we slept in South Africa and asked, “But Mom, where are the lions?”

So when our veteran TEAM co-worker asked my daughter about home, and she said, “ I miss our castle park, ” it was tempting to brush it off.

Wow, that’s what she misses? Of all the losses, that’s what she names?

But for my daughter, this is a great loss. That old park we visited with her since she was 4 months old, that she saw torn down and built back up, that is what she misses.

It’s not the “castle park,” but we are making new memories at a playground in South Africa.


To sit with her, let her name her losses, to feel that loss with her, is a simple and important step. The longer we are here, the more she is realizing what she misses. Her list is growing.

And in this process, I hope this first step, this first stint overseas, this first set of goodbyes, this first naming of losses, will somehow help as she inevitably faces many, many more.

We are their security.


Everything from language to culture to scenery has changed for my girls. The one thing they can count on is that their parents have not.


We jumped into an intensive language class exactly 19 days after stepping off the plane and just four days after moving into our new home. So it is probably not surprising when I say leaving our kids with a local babysitter didn’t go well.

There are many reasons for this, but after several very difficult days of leaving all three kids bawling at the door, I learned that while everything around them has changed, we have not.

While all that was familiar to them is now new, we are not . While all those little, seemingly insignificant, circumstantial and tangible things that gave them a sense of settledness are gone, we are here. And we are their security .

After several weeks of trying to leave our kids with a babysitter so we could maximize our language study time, I felt the Lord nudging me to let this ideal go and stay home.

This has meant some level of sacrifice. I do not get to study language as many hours each week as we had hoped. There isn’t as much of a break each week as I would prefer.

But I am thankful that the Lord made this lesson clear to me, because our kids are doing well in their new environment, and I think much of this has to do with their sense of settledness.

Prioritize them.


No matter where I live, my first ministry will be to teach my children to love God.


In a related manner, we are actively being tested to uphold a value we determined long before we moved overseas: Our family is our priority .

While we firmly believe that God comes first in each of our own lives, we don’t equate our love for God with our ministry work.

We see God’s gracious gift in each of our daughters, and understand the magnitude of the responsibility of raising them “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” ( Eph. 6:4 ). We see that He has given them to us, that there is much good work to do as parents, and we want to honor this calling placed upon our lives.

We also are passionate about the ministry God has sent us to be a part of and desire to work well for His glory. But to learn the language, disciple a national believer, teach a class and work with orphans to the neglect of these little ones God has given us would be a tragedy .

So, particularly while they are little, we are seeking to order our lives in a way that prioritizes their needs.

Pour on the love.


As we transition to a new life on the mission field together, the best thing we can do is keep loving each other.


Quite honestly, this has become our mantra through seasons of parenting, not just as we have transitioned our family overseas.

After hearing from a veteran and wise mother about the concept of “saturation love,” the Lord has reminded me at key moments in our parenting lives that perhaps the best thing to do for our kids is to pour on the love .

Scripture is full of references to God’s love as a place of safety, a place of security. Just as we are secure in our salvation through Christ because of God’s great love, so too will our children find earthly security as we love them – and keep loving .

Kids are bound to encounter a plethora of issues as they experience a huge transition –– some old and persistent, others fresh and new. We may be tempted to meet those issues with the same level of stringency as we would have before.

But I think of all the grace God has extended to us in our complicated, messy process of transitioning to a new culture on a new continent. And I want to extend this same grace to my kids , realizing they are experiencing much of the same things I am, with far fewer tools in their toolbox for handling it.

So we pour on the love. Pour on the love again. And keep pouring on the love.

After all, if our model is God’s love, how can we possibly give our children too much.

By Suzanne Pearson 19 Mar, 2024
Previously on the TEAM blog, we sat down with Justin Burkholder (pictured above at left, with TEAM's Executive Director of Communications, Aaron Catlin). Justin will become TEAM’s next International Director on July 1, 2024. Justin shared about his background, family, and the journey that led him to TEAM. Check out that interview here . Today, we pick up the conversation as Justin shares how God called him to the role of International Director, and what he sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church. Q: How and when did you first consider applying for the position of International Director? How did the Lord reveal Himself to you as this opportunity presented itself? A: For some time, I have been evaluating how God wants me to use the gifts He has given me. Jenny and I have had a fruitful ministry in church planting in Guatemala and would happily continue doing so as God leads. However, as God blessed my efforts in TEAM leadership, there were friends and family who expressed that I should consider using my gifts in the International Director role. I don’t believe that everything necessarily rises and falls on leadership, but I do believe that it is a core component in the body of Christ. Using the gifts God has given me is a way that I want to bless the body of Christ in TEAM, making my contribution to the global purposes of God’s mission. Jenny and I spent a lot of time praying about this and decided that I should put my name in for consideration, trusting God’s guidance. We had a tremendous amount of peace throughout the entire process and were blessed by the prayer-filled process that the board undertook. Q: This is a key role in a large and complex organization, and I’m sure this was a big decision for you and your family. What were your fears or concerns? Why did you ultimately decide to accept the position? A: You say “were” like the fears have passed! I still am quite aware of my youth and inexperience - of the responsibility and weight of this role. Mostly, I’m afraid of leading an organization like TEAM in the flesh. Many of the fears that I have faced have been fears rooted in fleshly desires and concerns. I have no desire to succeed in the world’s eyes and fail in the Kingdom of Jesus. Why did I ultimately decide to accept the position? I’m convinced that the Good News about Jesus is true. The tomb is empty, Jesus is King, and the world needs to know, because Jesus is coming back. He will put things in order. He will establish righteousness, peace, and justice for all mankind, and He has commissioned His Church to proclaim and demonstrate His rule and reign. I want to use my gifts to do whatever I can to amplify the proclamation of this message and the multiplication of His Church around the world. Q: What are your goals and vision for the future of TEAM? A: This is something that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. I’m certainly not ready to present a fully-shaped vision and goals for TEAM’s future without the input of other people in different contexts in TEAM. But, I will share a few things that I think are important: First, we need to model God-Dependence . I am hopeful that as leaders in TEAM, we can continue to model God-Dependence. As Hudson Taylor said years ago “…God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supplies.” I am hopeful that we can increase our sense of faith in God, prayer, and seeking direction from the Spirit. Secondly, we must strengthen our relational fabric . Due to the changes that we have experienced by decentralizing our home office functions, and the challenges from the pandemic, we have experienced a loss of relationships. It is imperative that we intentionally prioritize the building of relationships with one another. I plan to visit our workers and staff, and I am expectant that other key leaders and staff will be doing the same. Third, we must pursue the greater presence of the global Church. The Kingdom of Jesus Christ doesn’t look like any single geopolitical, ethnic, or racial culture. If we want to truly see the Kingdom of Jesus come on earth as it is in heaven, then we as citizens of this Kingdom must learn from one another, submit to one another, and grow with one another. The missional potential of the global Church has been unleashed by God’s Spirit since Acts 1, and we have an opportunity to learn from many brothers and sisters in Christ who can help us to better model and proclaim the Kingdom of Jesus to those who have yet to believe. Lastly, we must increase our Gospel boldness . There are still many places of great spiritual blindness and spiritual brokenness around the world. The apostolic impulse of cross-cultural organizations should call us to the to the edges of where the Kingdom of Jesus is not penetrating. Whether spiritual blindness and brokenness exists because of lack of access, idolatry, injustice, or any other myriad of reasons, I prayerfully hope to see more and more TEAM workers continue to move into spaces of great Gospel need.
By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
Share by: