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Missionary Kid-Palooza! New Resources for TCKs on the Way

Michele Phoenix knows a thing or two about missionary kids. Born in France to an American mother and Canadian father, she attended Black Forest Academy, a school for missionary kids in Germany, and eventually wound up teaching there for the better part of two decades. In her bio, she writes “All the struggles I had faced as the child of missionaries, the challenges I’d failed and the hurdles I’d overcome, found their completion in my work with the young people who live and learn in that unique and inspiring place (BFA).”

Being a missionary kid can be really, really hard. The sense of being a perpetual outsider, of working hard to understand but never really being understood, creates an emotional isolation that is often exacerbated by separation from their families of origin. On Michele’s video, one of the girls said that being an MK means you will never be “home” until you get to heaven. (And please, no trite comments about that being true for all Christians–what she’s talking about is much more tangible and earthy than that.)

Because MKs are such a small (Michele would say “forgotten) people group, there are very few resources to help them work through the unique issues they face, or head problems off at the pass by giving parents information that will help them avoid the common pitfalls of raising TCKs. Michele, however, is ON IT. Back in the States now, she is writing, speaking, and developing materials that will help hearts heal, and hopefully head off further damage. Last weekend, she hosted the “Kitchen Sink Summit,” a gathering of 13 MKs representing 21 countries (there’s missionary math for you!), to get a “baseline” of the modern MK experience. You can find out more about it, watch a winsome video, and get a taste of MK culture on her blog.

I am so, so thankful for Michele’s ministry! If you know or love an MK or TCK, it couldn’t hurt to hop over to her website and educate yourself about common issues MKs face. While you’re there, consider making a donation to this missionary to missionary kids. (There’s a link and instructions at the bottom of the Kitchen Sink blog post.) Ministering to missionary kids does not look as glamorous as being “on the field,” and Michele has made a lot of sacrifices to do what she is doing now, but in God’s economy, it’s a huge, much-needed investment. We can bless MKs and their families by blessing her!

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