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Missionary Kids (MK) are Third Cultural Kids (TCK)
Help! We can't fit in your tummy and culture!  Nathaniel & Hannah
are studying at Rift Valley Academy (8,000 ft above sea level) in Kijabe, Kenya. Birthday: Nathaniel 13 Jan 90; Hannah 22 Dec 91 Age: 17, 15 Grade: 12 (Senior), 11 (Junior) Baptism Testimony: "My name is Nathaniel Lai, and I am 14 in 8th Grade. I was saved when I was 6 in a holiday camp my parents sent me into. I heard about baptism one Sunday and the Holy Spirit urged me to get baptised. I don't hink it would have happened any other way, because I'd be scared or put up excuses if it wasn't for the Holy Spirit. Today, I want to admit to everyone here that I am a Christian and I am born-again." Nathaniel Lai at Rift Valleny Academy, Kenya on 27 June 2004, Sunday. Nathaniel Nelson Lai’s bio(Please scroll down to the bottom for Chinese translation) Hello, my name is Nathaniel Lai, and I was born on 13 Jan 1990. My parents both migrated from Hong Kong to Australia, and I was born in Hornsby Hospital, Sydney. I am an Australian Born Chinese, but also an MK (Missionary Kid). I lived in Sydney until I was around 7. My parents then became missionaries in East Africa, during the time I was going into year 3. By the time I was 8, I had a clear understanding of what it meant to be a Christian. From then on, I spent most of my time in East Africa. Most of my life was not much different, to be honest, I went to school like normal, and I learned things. It was not until I was sent into boarding school located near the rural town of Kijabe, in the Rift Valley. It is (surprisingly) called Rift Valley Academy (RVA). By the time I was 10 years old, I was transferred into a boarding school, and I actually learnt more of the country that I was in. Many things have happened since then. Before then, I didn’t have any close African friends, or know much about the culture there. My mother especially didn’t let any African kids into the house, because she was afraid they would steal things. It was actually in the school, RVA, that I learned more about Africa from what my friends told me. I lived in a dormitory that had many of my classmates in it. They would make us do chores, and although I was clumsy and slow at first, I gradually got along with the system. Stuff like sweeping and mopping, which I had no prior experience to, became automatic tasks. At the end of each term, they have “dorm cleanup”, where we have to clean the entire dorm, every nook and cranny, one of the many traditions of RVA. RVA has just recently reached its centennial mark, just recently having its 100th anniversary. RVA is very multicultural. In my class alone, I have Kenyans, Koreans, Dutch, Germans, Brits, Americans, Canadians, Tanzanians, Australians, and Chinese. In fact, we have a multicultural day, which always is a big commotion. I have really learned to appreciate aspects of other people’s culture, so sometimes I get angry at other people when they make fun of other cultures when they have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. Most of my class comes from mission organizations, or other such organizations. One of my friend’s father works for World Vision, and another’s father used to be a Member of the Parliament in Kenya. Nathaniel Lai, 14 Aug 2006 Hannah Lai's Personal Info (2007)Why I Enjoy Being a MK by Hannah Lai, 2007 Where are you from? The question I’ve had to answer so many times but I still wasn’t quite sure how to answer. Where should I start? Should I say: I’m from Australia? But they’ll get confused. They’ll ask ‘Aren’t you from China?’ Maybe I’ll say I’m from Hong Kong? No, not really, that’s where my parents are from. Kenya? They’ll just ask ‘where’s that?’ Eventually I sum up my life story into a simple sentence: Well, my parents are from Hong Kong, but after they got married they moved to Australia where they had me & my brother, than we went into Kenya for missionary work and I have lived there for more than half of my life now. When my dad asked me and my brother to write an article about why I like being a MK, I thought not again. Not that I’ve had to write many articles, but I’ve had to answer such questions before. I don’t know where to start. Should I start by naming my favorite airport, or suggesting what the most fun thing to do while transiting at an airport; maybe how many countries I’ve visited? I’m not sure. I like being an MK because… I can travel. I love traveling. I can have friends from all over the world. It’s easier for me to adapt to change. I get to go to boarding school and have heaps of fun. J I’m a third culture kid. (Actually I don’t know if that’s good or bad) I get to see & experience different cultures I’m closer to God; He helps me when I’m missing my friends too much. I get to tell stories about Africa. I watch most of my movies in the airplane than in the cinema. Verbal Poem -By Hannah Monica Lai (age 13 in 2005) I’m thankful for the changing invention of chocolates; With tempting assortments, Overwhelming flavors And lavishing sugars, All an irresistible refreshing delight, I love meeting people like me; Keeping in touch with my scattered friends, Hearing their experiences from around the world, Reading their stories that seem to have no end Knowing they know how a MK really feels. I want to explore this world that I live in; To travel to every country, To climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in my Junior Year, To accomplish Chinese, To see the God in which I fear. Nov 9, 2005 Dallas, Texas, USA Hannah Monica Lai’s bio Hi!! My name is Hannah Lai and I was born on 22 December 1991.…Being an MK (Missionary Kid) is very enjoyable for me because I like experiencing many different cultures, traveling and meeting different people. When people ask me, “where are you from?” I don’t know how to respond. I know my passport number but I don’t even remember my mum’s mobile when she travels in different countries. There are many things missionary kids feel differently but I don’t mind…most of the time. I left Australia when I was 6 years old. I go to the same boarding school, Rift Valley Academy (RVA), as my brother in Kenya. I have been there since year 4. Starting in year 7 my parents lived in Uganda and me and my brother stayed in Uganda, from then on, at holidays we had to fly to Uganda (or my parents would drive 12 hours to Kenya and then 12 hours back. One day in 3rd grade, I was home alone and looking through many gospel videos and found the JESUS FILM produced by Campus Crusade for Christ!! So I put it in to watch … I felt touched and when it came to the part where Jesus was dying on the cross I started crying. I felt really bad for what I had done in my life. I felt as if the sins I did were pounding that nail into Jesus hand deeper and deeper. There is a church song which has the line, “it was my sin which held him there.” I really wanted to say sorry… so at the end of the film I kneeled down and accepted Jesus as my personal saviour. From that moment on I didn’t question if I had Jesus in my heart or not because I knew for certain Jesus was my saviour. I enjoy being at my boarding school because its fun, I have good friends and I get to learn. I have been there since I was in year 4 so I really like it there and I am used to being away from my parents. I also want to graduate there because I was there since really young, and I would like to graduate with my friends. Another reason I like my boarding school is because I get to live in a dorm with my classmates and other friends and we have a really fun time. I also enjoy all the sports the school makes available to us and its very fun going into Nairobi for games. The RVA band is also a pretty good band, for Kenya standards and it fun sometimes. We get to go into Nairobi and perform for different people. Hannah Lai, 14 Aug 2006 Hannah in KUE Dormitory's Sweatshirts!  Missionary Kids Safety NetMK Connection | Collection of resources for missionary kids. Includes some online writing by missionary kids. |
You Know You're a Missionary Kid When... - Worldwide Missions | Insightful and fun sayings concerning being a missionary kid. |
ISMK - International Society of Missionary Kids TCK World - MK Net, a newsletter for Missionary Kids (MKs) | Someone has said that the only place an MK (missionary kid) really feels at home is on the airplane, suspended between two worlds. ... |
Multicultural Resources for Kids | MK Connection is a place where missionary kids can connect and find resources. Five missionary kids tell their stories at Life as a Missionary Kid. ... |
Missionary Kids Safety Net | A site for formerly abused missionary kids who need support and healing. |
The Daily Princetonian - Missionary kids bring diverse culture to U. | Called "missionary kids" or "MKs," these students boast an understanding of the world that stretches far beyond fluency in a foreign language. ... |
apricot: Any Difference Between Missionary and American Kids? by ... | an online community for homeschooling students and homeschool graduates, apricotpie.com gathers creative writing and thoughtful writers together so that ... |
How to Pray For Missionary Kids Pray for the missionary kids to avail themselves of the opportunities they are ... Missionary kids are unique. They often do not seem to fit anywhere. ... When our children are ready for college, what do good parents do? Some thoughts on this matter, by Laura Mae Gardner June, 2006 “Can you give me a clear and definitive Biblical principle that will tell my husband and me what we should do about our nearly adult children? Should we send them home to continue their education or should we go home with them?” Isn’t it a matter of our commitment to God and to the task that we send them home and get on with the work? Or do we have some other responsibility in this matter?” Is there a clear Biblical principle, or command, or example? Well, there’s Abraham who was willing to sacrifice the son of promise, Isaac, the son of his old age (Genesis 22). (See Phil Skellie’s article, “Living Sacrifices” in EMQ, July 2006, pages 380-384). And then there is Matt 10:37, 38 speaking of a greater love for God than for family member. And Matt 19:29 promises that those who do leave family members (including children) will receive ‘a hundred fold’. (See also Luke 18:28, 29). What about I Timothy 5:8? “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (NLB). It is clear that there is no single right answer to the dilemma. But I believe there are some principles to guide us in making a decision that is right for a given child, or a particular family. Do we go home with our young adult children, or do we send them alone to cope with this next stage of young adulthood? - Relationship to that child. Is this child communicative with you, trusts you, and shares freely his/her hopes and fears, deepest desires, and tells you his/her preferences in this matter, and the reasons behind those preferences?
- Relationship of this child with God. Is this young person dependent on God’s guidance, and tries wholeheartedly to follow where God is leading? Does your young adult have a habit of looking to God to meet his/her needs?
- Support circle in the home country. Does young son or daughter have a place to call home during school vacations, or for special holidays? Is the church he or she will attend familiar with the special characteristics of missionary kids, and is he or she likely to find a wholesome youth group there?
- Your commitment to the child. Does he or she know that if he needs you, you’ll come, no matter what the cost, and no matter what stage your ministry is at? Do your children know their relative importance in your life that they come ahead of the task?
- Do you have a sense of God’s peace in making this decision? You will want to remember that either decision comes with a cost, peace does not preclude pain.
- Availability. Remember that connections with your young adult child are much easier today, with email, skype, cell phones, etc. This might remind us to honor those missionary parents of former days who were dependent on snail mail for communications with their children so far away.
Member care workers can support parents in this decision, first by refusing to make the decision for them, and secondly, by supporting them in whatever decision they make. We can help them by walking them through the factors involved in this decision. And when they have made that decision, we can support them as they live with the consequences. The two feelings they are most likely to experience are guilt—how could we have done that? And grief—the great sadness of seeing a child leave home, and knowing things will never be the same again—that’s a great grief. They might also experience criticism no matter what decision they have made. Some will feel they should have put the work first, if they decide to go home with the child for this season in that child’s life. Others will criticize them if they send the child home alone to cope with all the newness and temptations. A member care worker can remind these folks that it is to God that we live, and not by others’ opinions.
宣教士子女見證————賴以信、賴以行（父母：賴顯光牧師和黃婉群師母）◎ 賴以信 你好，我叫賴以信 (Nathaniel Lai)，今年16嵗。我的父母早年從香港移居澳洲，我在悉尼的Hornsby(康士比)醫院出生，是澳洲籍華人。我也是MK「宣教士子女」。七歲那年，父母成為東非的宣教士，我便跟隨他們到那兒上學。那時我上三年級。八歲時我已很清楚我是一名基督徒。由那時開始，我的童年都在東非渡過。我的生活與其他孩子比較沒有甚麼不一樣；實際上，我也和其他孩子一樣上學，直至十歲那年，我和妹妹轉到肯雅客集比鎮(Kijabe)的大裂谷學院 (Rift Valley Academy -- RVA)寄宿學校讀書，我才對非洲有更深入的認識。我從身邊的朋友認識更多關於非洲的事。我和同學們一起住在宿舍，他們教我做雜務。起初較為笨手笨腳，後來慢慢習慣了，對掃地擦地等工作駕輕就熟。每個學期結束前，我們都要按學校傳統規定，將宿舍每一角落都打掃得乾乾淨淨。學院最近剛渡過100歲生日了！ RVA是所多元文化學校。在我的班中就有肯雅人、韓國人、德國人、英國人、美國人、加拿大人、坦桑尼亞人、澳洲人和華人。我有很多同學分別來來自不同差會或類似機構。我有一個同學，他的爸爸在宣明會工作；另外一個同學，父親曾是肯雅國會議員。有時候，對於那些用別人的文化來開玩笑的人，我會感到非常不滿，因為他們真的不知道他們在說什麼。事實上，我們的學校有多元文化日；這個日子，通常非常熱鬧。在這樣的環境下，我學會欣賞其他人的文化。 ◎賴以行 你好，我叫賴以行 (Hannah Lai)，今年14嵗。我很喜歡我這「宣教士子女」身份 (MK --Missionary Kid)，因為我愛到不同地方，與不同文化的人相處和體驗他們的生活。六嵗時，我跟隨父母離開澳洲，到非洲肯雅(Kenya)，與哥哥在大裂谷學院 (Rift Valley Academy – RVA)入讀和寄宿。那時我上四年級。七年級的時候，父母轉往烏干達(Uganda)，我和哥哥則留在肯雅繼續上學。自此，每當假期，我們便要坐飛機到烏干達與父母會面，或者他們駕駛12小時車程到肯雅來與我們相聚。 約在三年級的時候，有一天，我獨自留在家中。閒來無事，就瀏覽家中的福音電影錄影帶，找到學園傳道會攝製的《耶穌傳》，於是便拿來看。當我看到主耶穌釘在十字架上快要去世的那一幕，我十分感動，並一直在哭。我覺得自己很不好，就像我的罪把那些釘深深地，一下一下扎在耶穌的手上。有一首詩歌是這樣寫的：是我的罪使祂掛在十架上。我真的很想向主耶穌說對不起，於是，電影結束時我跪下，並接受耶穌基督為我個人救主。從那時起，我再不會質疑耶穌是否在我心中，因為我知道主耶穌已確實是我的救主了。 我十分享受在寄宿學校的日子，因我認識到很多朋友，也學習得很開心。我很喜歡那兒，我也很習慣沒有父母陪伴的生活。我最喜歡體育活動和去肯雅首都奈羅比參加比賽。RVA樂隊在肯雅的水平來說是不錯的，並且可以去奈羅比向不同的人表演，能夠成為其中一員，我很高興。 (Translated by Polly Suen 孫寶兒, 前宣明會同工, 曾在坎培拉國立大學進修) 使命季刊——澳洲中國信徒佈道會2007年出版 |
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