Parenting on the Mission Field

Parenting is hard and cross cultural life is hard, put the two together and...well, it keeps me on my knees. Both of these things are so important, way too important to mess up. Lives and futures (of our children and of Thai people) are dependent on our successful management. It takes frequent checks, many adjustments and lots of balance.

Our goal is that after the children are raised, that not only do they NOT hate ministry but that they can look back with wonderful memories and perhaps one day choose it for themselves! That would be ultimate success. God help us achieve that.

If John and I were here on the mission field alone, we could be more adventurous and make different choices. But we aren't. We have two little ones by our side looking to us for their daily needs, But we know we are preparing them for a future as well. Their education, socialization, character development is all happening now while we are away from America and its comforts (and education system), away from an extended family and support system. It's a huge responsibility.

It has caused us to make certain decisions, like move to another city, put the children in bilingual school, go to an international church, etc. We are aware that this is a delicate balancing act.

Maybe we would have been too self reliant in our own abilities as a missionary, or too over confident in our ability to parent. God knew what He was doing when He combined the two. The two biggest blessings in our life when put together create the biggest challenge. It only causes us to need Him and trust Him more and more.