ARTICLES / VIDEO / NOVELS
[Scroll down for videos and novels.]
ARTICLES:
For years, I’ve been writing blog entries that cover various topics related to MKs and TCKs. In order to spare you from searching through hundreds of archived articles, I’ve listed some of the entries below, with a brief description of their themes and content.
SERIES: “The Lies MKs Believe”
- “America, the…Stupid?” discusses one of the greatest lies many MKs believe: that all Americans are inferior and dumb: Click here.
- “Holy Hypocrisy” addresses how furlough and the expectations of the North American church might lead to ministry-related dishonesty: Click here.
- “Everybody Always Leaves” explores the high level of loss present in the lives of most MKs and how so much grief, especially at a young age, can affect their future. Click here.
- “Money Grows on Condemned Sequoias” describes a common “bipolar” MK response to money. A difficult topic to address, but one that is an important cog in the MK identity. Click here.
- “I’ll Never Belong.” How to live with that feeling most cross-culturals have that there is no place of sameness and belonging for them in this world. Click here.
- “Second to Casseroles.” The reality of parental neglect on the mission field (albeit well-intentioned) and its devastating effect on the TCKs who suffer from it. Click here.
- “I Must Never Adapt.” How fear of stability can cripple TCks. Click here.
- BONUS: “You Are Not Special” – An uncommon graduation address for a class of TCKs. Click here.
OTHER ARTICLES:
- Exposing the reality of parental neglect on the mission field: Click here
- Discussing MKs and Pop-Culture in “What Not to Swear”: Click here
- An overview of what I do and how you can help: Click here
- BFA’s student body president gives pertinent remarks about the MK experience in his school-opening address: Click here
- The importance for MKs to speak of their struggles and survival in order to be able to help others: Click here
- Miss Phi’s Rules for living – an unusual graduation address for my seniors: Click here
- Encouragement to those who are struggling with reentry and other MK issues: Click here
- A four-part exhortation to recent graduates to focus their energies on hope, act, know and love, cornerstones of survival and thriving in their new worlds. Scroll down to find the “meat” of the article: Click here
- An ode to the rewards of being an MK teacher: Click here
- Some thoughts about that nebulous thing called prayer: Click here
- On counting the blessings of a missionary life rather than tabulating its downsides: Click here
- Of love and hope—one MK’s story of redemption: Click here
- Thoughts on how NOT to say goodbye and how best to BEST to say farewell: Click here
- When bad things happen to good people—even MKs: Click here
- This teacher’s reflections on a boarding school graduations and the beautiful pain of love: Click here
- Encouragement to missionaries and MKs to learn and respect their personal limits in order to avoid the burnout that is so common in ministry: Click here
“Boarding Schools – A Difficult Choice” It is so hard to know whether boarding school is the right choice for a child. I’ve written this article to help you, the missionary parent, to decide if this is the right option for your family. This article asks the important questions that must come before decisions are made, then walks you through the process of preparing your child and your family for the transition into long-distance relationship. Although the article refers specifically to BFA, the truths are applicable to any boarding school to which you’re considering sending your child.
Click here to download Boarding Schools – A Difficult Choice
VIDEOS:
This video is my attempt to define MKs in their own words, in the hope that their voices, thoughts and faces might shed a light on their complexity, strengths and struggles.
This video was created after a weekend attended by 13 adult MKs. During the “Kitchen Sink Summit,” we shared life stories, laughed, cried, and began the long process of gathering information to define who the modern MK is—and how best to help this forgotten people group. This video is merely a summary of the weekend. Many more articles, videos and other resources are still to come.
A bunch of outtakes from the “Kitchen Sink Summit” weekend. Nothing inspirational here, but maybe a few laughs!
NOVELS:
The Edge of Tidal Pools – available only from this website. “Rife with fierce emotions and profound realizations, The Edge of Tidal Pools follows Casey’s journey through brokenness, while offering a glimpse into the often-misunderstood plight of missionaries’ children.”
Shards of Shell – available only from this website. “Set in a school for missionaries’ children in Germany, Shards of Shell is a witty, yet deeply affecting novel about the ravages of abuse and the aftermath of survival.”
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