Imagine growing up amongst an indigenous tribe with your family and considering the tribe your home, and then moving to America after high school to go to college! Spending a large part of their formative childhood years in a vastly different culture than their passport country, MKs often develop their cultural identities while living abroad. This leads to a blending of their “home” tribal culture with the culture of the United States.
Along with the tremendous advantages and a broadened worldview that comes with a multi-cultural upbringing, this often brings culture shock and unique challenges that need to be addressed. When children are struggling, the family is struggling. Many families need to leave the mission field long term to assist their children through the transition.
However, the MK Care Team can partner with the families to help ease this transition and assist to reintegrating them smoothly into their “passport” culture. This is so the families can either stay on the mission field or return to the field sooner with their minds at ease as their kids start life on their own.
Serving with the Ethnos360 MK Care Team
We are privileged to serve on the MK Care Team of the church planting organization called Ethnos360 . Pete serves as the director and Bree is the Media Coordinator. We serve alongside a team of 6 (and growing!) and support 500+ Ethnos360 missionary families spread out around the globe, representing over 1,100 Missionary Kids ages birth to 22.
The Ethnos360 MK Care Team exists to provide care and resources for our Missionary Kids and their parents to better equip them for the unique dimensions of cross-cultural ministry and family life. Our passion is to help cultivate healthy families enabling them to fulfill their role in establishing indigenous churches.
What does the team offer?
Our program is built around four C’s
CARE
Our team is positioned to come alongside our families on their journey. We offer important tools that provide support such as MK Retreats and personal debriefings that are available in-person or virtually. We train, study and have personal experience with the unique dynamics that families may face. We want to help.
CONNECTION
We make it our goal to connect with every family each year – especially when they are in the US on home assignments. We do this through monthly emailed announcements, a magazine called MK Care Connect, care packages, high school graduation gifts, gifts for new babies, and much more.
CENTRAL
Resources can either be a positive game-changer or a burden. We work hard to find or design relevant and helpful resources but bite-sized too. Parents and MKs will have access to our full-service website containing relevant MK resources, MK education support, Podcasts, Workshops, and up-to-date event info.
COMMUNITY
Isolation is a challenging reality for many of our families who often live in very remote environments. Kids need friends and sometimes that is not easy to foster in those environments. To actively fight isolation, we provide relevant platforms that help our MKs establish a place to connect with others in their current stage of life and who are processing through similar things.
We believe successful ministry to missionary kids would be to help reinforce them while on the field spiritually, socially, and emotionally, reintegrate them smoothly into their “home” culture, reestablish their foundation of faith, and reconnect those who have lost touch with others in the missionary community, while promoting spiritual enrichment in the life of all MKs, for the Glory of God.
Watch Ministry in Action!
Here’s a few Recap videos to get a little glimpse into what ministry to
Missionary Kids often looks like.
Additional Ministry Materials for You
Interview with a Missionary Family
What is it like to raise a family while living on a remote mission field? Jeremiah and April Markley were graciously willing to share their stories and perspectives.
Ministry Overview Video
Do you have 15mins? We made this video for you. It gives a condensed yet comprehensive overview of the WHY, WHAT, and HOW we do what we do, and how you can get involved.
Ministry Guide PDF
A quick guide to what our ministry is about and how you can get involved.
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