Where Are You From - I'm an MK

I am so excited to share Jen's story with you today - another precious sister I have met through blogging.  I pray her story will minister to you as it did to me!

The question of where I am from has to be the most difficult question to answer when I meet new people. I’m an MK, missionary kid. I’ve lived in Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and even overseas in Papua New Guinea. I’ve left a little piece of my heart in each of these places, so deciding which to call my “home” is impossible! And usually when I bring up the fact that I’m an MK, a host of other questions follow, questions that are complicated to answer in a friendly get-to-know-you conversation. J
The truth is that being an MK is sometimes difficult. We left the States for Papua New Guinea (PNG) when I was fourteen years old. Prior to that, we had moved every 1-2 years, so saying goodbye was a part of life, a part that never got easier.

When we arrived in PNG, my sister, brother, and I faced other hardships, such as beginning at a new school, living apart from our parents in a family-style dorm, adjusting to life without modern conveniences, and handling less freedom (mainly for girls, as it wasn’t safe to walk about alone).

I was 14 years old when we finally moved to PNG, so you can imagine how the emotional turmoil was enhanced by normal teenage hormones. Making new friends at that age is always hard, but it was complicated by the fact that I was once again, the “new girl” in a school full of students who had mostly known each other all of their lives. Many of my friends were born in either PNG or nearby Australia and enjoyed dual citizenship. I felt out of place and alone at first, with my parents only accessibly by short-wave radio.

But by far one of the blessings of being an MK and moving to PNG was that I attended a small, Christian school run by other missionaries. Making friends was a little easier due to the fact that most of us lived together (on the school base), played together (sports like soccer, volleyball, softball, and basketball) and went to class together.


In fact, the blessings of life as an MK far outweigh the trials. I watched my parents live out their faith in a very practical way. I also lived alongside other godly examples: teachers, dorm parents, coaches, youth leaders, and other missionaries who had devoted themselves to the spread of the gospel.
I made friends who came from all over the world – Canada, Ireland, Australia, PNG, England and others – and learned what liv
ing in a third world country is really like. I learned a new culture and some of a new language, two in fact! I saw people go hungry, both spiritually and physically, a lesson I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

As an MK, I also had opportunities I never had in the States. I swam in the ocean and played on an untouched beach when our class traveled to a port city. I climbed Mt. Elimbari with my family and made it halfway up Mt. Wilhelm, one of the highest in the country. I jumped from a two-story cliff into a pool of water at Keia Falls, multiple times. I hiked in the “bush,” ate fresh tropical fruit, and experienced many “mumus,” feasts cooked in a large pit in the ground filled with pork or chicken , sweet potatoes of all varieties, greens, and sometimes corn, my favorite.

I even spent time in the tribe with my parents in our bush house. A small house of woven bamboo and pit-pit (a smaller reed) with a tin roof, up on stilts, on the side of a red-clay mountain range. The view was to die for.

Sometimes I really miss living in PNG. Life there was quieter, and slower-paced. We spent little time watching our tiny tv. We spent much time outdoors, enjoying the beautiful landscape. We played a lot of board games, even by kerosene lantern, and ate a lot of stove-popped popcorn.

The most important thing I could tell you about being an MK is that I wouldn’t choose any differently, in spite of the tough times. Because the best blessing I received during those years was better than every good opportunity I listed above. The best blessing was an opportunity to grow near to the Lord.

During those years in PNG, my faith became real and personal to me. The Lord removed all of my comforts, everything I leaned on (including my parents), to bring me into a deeper walk with Himself. At times, He even removed my health. But it wasn’t for naught. There was purpose in even the most painful trials.
He pursued me, all the way to Papua New Guniea.

He pursues me still.

So maybe the best answer to “Where are you from?” is to simply say,

“I’m an MK, so I’m from all over the place!

I don’t have just one home; I have many.

But I know Who I belong to.

And He’s been faithful all along the way!”




Jen is a work in progress!  She rejoices in God’s grace for all sinners, including herself, and is learning to be confident in the fact that Christ will carry out the work He began in her until its completion.  She spent her growing up years as a missionary kid, who eventually moved overseas to Papua New Guinea, and now resides in Indiana with her minister husband and four children, ages 4 through 13.  She spends time serving in her own home and the church, and she also writes at Being Confident of This.  Jen enjoys singing, reading, writing, gardening, learning, teaching, creating, fellowshipping with others, and playing games with family.  Above all, she desires to help Christians understand their identity in Christ and to encourage God’s people to live out the love that He has bestowed upon us.
 

  Do you have a question related to missions?  Feel free to contact me via email, comment below or visit my Facebook page to ask your question.  It will be featured here during our fall Answer the Call series!




 
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