Missionary Kids Archives - TEAM Christian Missions Blog

Prepare to Launch: Praying for Missionary-Kid Graduates

For graduating missionary kids, a new adventure awaits! Join us in praying for this year’s TEAM high school grads and their families.

Aug 01 2022

If you’ve ventured into an American WalMart or Target recently, you know that “Back to School” time is upon us here in the U.S. But even in TEAM ministry areas around the world, “missionary” kids are preparing to launch into their next adventure after high school. Some plan to attend college or university in the U.S., Canada or abroad. Others will enter the workforce or begin a new missions journey of their own. Regardless of the chosen path, change is both exciting and challenging. For this month’s Prayer Focus, we invite you to lift up TEAM’s MK high school graduates…

Letting your kids experience another culture’s art can be scary. But doing so can be a key step in understanding your host culture and what the people value.

Oct 27 2021

How is it that two people can look at the same situation and have completely different takes on it? I’ve been asking myself this frequently, especially in the current climate of politics and society. It matters what lens we look at the world through. Do you agree? Have you ever looked through a kaleidoscope? The tinted and distorted shapes in the glass leave us dizzy and a bit disoriented as we try to figure out up from down. Sometimes I think people assume this is the experience viewing the art of another culture will be for them. Disorienting. Confusing. Silly,…

How do we help our kids find peace in the midst of uncertainty when we’re struggling to find peace ourselves?

Oct 07 2021

We were supposed to fly back to our African home over a month earlier. Instead, we found ourselves settling in another completely unexpected place. My children had laid their heads in dozens of different locations over the past seven months. “Home” had become this fluid word meaning wherever we had currently been staying for the short while, and somehow even my 4-year-old understood. We had been hoping and praying that we would return to South Africa soon, but our future was very unclear. Thankfully, our children were doing well. They had embraced the nomad life like champs and had taught…

Raising kids on the mission field is full of surprising challenges — even when you think you know what to expect. Let’s pray for missionary parents.

Feb 01 2021

Kacie was going to be a more adventurous mom. Growing up on the mission field, Kacie and her siblings spent many days at home, with their stay-at-home mother. “I assumed … that’s the way my mom wanted it to be.” But, says the missionary to Papua, Indonesia, “I was going to be different, in the community with my kids.” Her plan worked great at first. Out in the community, people doted on Kacie’s foreign babies. But when those babies became toddlers, they started resisting all the attention they were getting from strangers. And as Kacie kept trying to pull her…

Missionaries do so much to serve their communities — and so do their kids! This month will you join us in praying for these kids and the unique challenges they face?

Jul 01 2020

As a missionary kid, Allison got an early education on serving others. So, when the fifth-grader noticed there were a lot of homeless dogs and people in the area, she wanted to help! Allison tried to bring a stray dog home so she could take care of him, but that didn’t work. So then she decided to start her own ministry. She called it “Snow Angel.” Allison’s ministry focused on helping the homeless by collecting donations. She put donated mittens, gloves, hats and socks in gift bags and started passing them out to homeless people on the streets. “[Allison], like…

The next time missionary kids come to visit your church, use some of these great tips to make them feel welcome. We got them straight from missionary parents!

Apr 22 2020

For most of us, missionary kids are an anomaly of life. They come to our churches for a year or a single Sunday while their parents are on home assignment. And we hardly get to know them before they leave again for the mission field. But on the Global Missions Podcast, TEAM Missionary Kid Coordinator Valerie Williams explains why these kids need your love — and how you can impact their lives in just one church visit. Listen to the podcast episode to find out: What “home” means to missionary kids What to do before missionary kids come for a…

In the Summer of 2019, violent protests in Papua left burning buildings in their wake — but these protests also led to a surprising friendship.

Mar 11 2020

People barricaded the streets. They threw stones at local businesses. They set buildings on fire. The people of Papua, Indonesia, were not happy, and they wanted the government to know. As TEAM missionaries serving in Papua, Devon and Katie Hayes thought it best to keep a low profile during the protests. They tried to avoid big groups of people in the streets and parks. And eventually, the Indonesian government sent military troops to clean up the situation. Devon and Katie warned their sons Seth (age 6) and Nick (age 3) about what was going on. But kids aren’t necessarily concerned…

Jocelyn and her parents have found ways to maintain their relationship, even after her parents moved to Zimbabwe for missions as a second career. Photo courtesy of Jocelyn Potter

May 10 2019

If Jocelyn Potter and her boyfriend didn’t get engaged and married in the next four months, they would have to wait years to try again. That is, if they wanted Jocelyn’s parents to be there and not just watching the video in the Zimbabwean bush. Jocelyn’s mom and stepdad, Cheryl and Dave Jereb, were TEAM missionaries on home assignment. They had about four months to visit friends and family and then return to Zimbabwe. So, Jocelyn and her boyfriend got engaged and planned the wedding in three months. “We scheduled the wedding for a Friday, and their plane ticket ……

When raising missionary kids, TEAM missionary Sue Querfeld suggests we not forget one very important detail. Keep reading to find out why!

Oct 30 2018

I am not a huge fan of tattoos, but when my 21-year-old daughter showed me hers, I fell in love. It’s a simple design on her ankle — just the coordinates of Arequipa, Peru, where she grew up as a missionary kid (MK). You might wonder, What’s the big deal about that? But as a missionary parent, the message to me is huge. It means my daughter so identifies with the place where she grew up that she wants to carry it with her forever. Lately, there has been an explosion of articles by or about MKs who rejected the…

Deciding how to educate your kids on the mission field isn't easy. Our TCK expert shares how she helps families create solid missionary kid education plans.

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…

Tag - Missionary Kids

Prepare to Launch: Praying for Missionary-Kid Graduates

A Roadmap for Navigating Cultural Art Overseas

Helping Our Children Through Uncertain Times

How to Pray for Missionary Parents

3 Ways to Pray for Missionary Kids [July Prayer Focus]

Helping Missionary Kids Thrive on Home Assignment

The Riots That Led to Friendship

When Missionaries Leave Adult Children Behind

When Raising MKs, Remember the ‘K’

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