It’s been a while since we’ve mentioned our MKs. We’d like to highlight them in this issue for a few reasons.
Mostly, because they are so special to us! Our kids are extremely unique individuals due to the life that is thrust upon them. No, none of us get to choose our parents but generally, we do get to grow up in a similar manner as they did. Not so for MKs. They are born in or uprooted to move to a foreign land. They don’t get to choose their surroundings or their community/family that surrounds them. It makes them unique in character and personality and also unique in the challenges they face in life and sometimes, at a very young age, they face ordinary events that are made difficult because they are far from home and extended family support.
Today I am thinking of one of our families that is living in New Zealand. This family served overseas. These kids grew up overseas, not in Canada. They returned to Canada about 2 years ago and then moved again to New Zealand. A lot of transition for them all!
Sadly, only a year into this new assignment, the dad, suddenly passed away. Can you begin to imagine all these kids have been through in their short lives so far? I can’t. Their mother, no doubt, struggles to help them too while dealing with her own grief. Please pray for this dear family at this hard time.
Now let’s focus back here at our home base. We have a staff family with two teenage MKs and a family with two younger MKs. They’ve all been on the field and returned to Canada and have parents that are now support staff here in Hamilton. They have fond memories of life back on the field. It’s shaped who they are. They tend to make friends at school with children that are immigrants or of a foreign background. I love how that is easy for them; building relationships and seeing that our culture is not a barrier. They have their own mission field right here and are learning to live in this secular modern culture of Canada. We’d ask you to also pray for them, for the Lord’s direction in their lives, and for their parents for wisdom in encouraging, loving, and understanding them.
If this topic interests you, find more information on how to support MKs at the Canadian MK Network .