Send Me!

Yesterday was the second meeting of Send Me! a class provided by the U.S. Center for World Missions and Lake Ave church in Pasadena. The purpose of the class is to expose those who are thinking of becoming missionaries to issues which they have not thought about, questions they have not asked, and areas of character and knowledge and skill development which they may not have considered. As always, God's timing is perfect as this class comes at a time when Rocio and I are seriously thinking about our next steps in life. We have already gained a lot from these first two classes and look forward to gaining more wisdom and insight as we live preparing to go but willing to stay. When we attended the first class last week we were pleased and amused to discover that in his providence God had brought another couple into the small class of 12 whose names are Jonathan and Rose. Since the four of us make the only two couples in the class we were naturally grouped together to form a small prayer group. At the end of each meeting we spend about 15 minutes sharing about what we discussed in the class and praying together; we are enjoying our time together immensely.

A couple key issues were brought up this past Tuesday. One was the complexities of raising a family overseas. When children grow up in a home where their parents embody one culture but they are constantly exposed to a different culture in the country where they stay they become third culture kids. TCKs, for short, often exhibit behavior in the extreme ends of a relationship forming scale. On one end they may remain distant with people they meet and resist forming relationships because they have moved around so much and have had to say goodbye so often. On the other end they may be vulnerable to becoming attached too quickly and too deeply because they know that time is short and they want to make the most of every relationship opportunity. Though raising TCKs is difficult they often grow up more resilient and adaptable because of the environment they grew up in.

The second key issue is one that resonates greatly with Rocio and I at this stage in our lives: should those who are planning to go overseas consider buying a house? In the current housing market there seem to be so many advantages, but would we in essence become married to our mortgage and tied down because of it? We heard opinions on both sides of the issue but it seems that the advantages of owning a house outweigh the difficulties. Aside from the investment value, a house is an important step to laying down roots. This becomes immensely important when considering the previous issue of TCKs. A house becomes a place that our kids can call home, a place to live where we can remain connected with extended family and friends after returning from the field, and an inheritance to leave to our children.

I am grateful for this opportunity to wrestle with these issues so that I can walk into missions with my eyes open and aware of some of the questions, issues, and hardships that will present themselves.