We are moms serving Jesus in all corners of the globe.
We have counted the cost of our call for our children and carried them away from places we used to call home and from the arms of loving MiMis and Pop-Pops and from the support of mothers a few years ahead who pave the way and offer wisdom as we confidently follow behind with our second-hand knowledge in tow.
We field questions like, “Are you taking your children with you?” (Uh, YES) and “What curriculum will you use?” while our children are still in diapers.
We lose sleep over decisions regarding education:
Home-school vs. private school vs. public school vs. bilingual school vs. montessori school vs. Christian school vs. that one thing so-and-so did on that one field that kind-of worked.
We worry if our kids will be able to read, how well, and in what language. That our children speak their native language with an accent that can’t be avoided if any time is spent with the people we are serving.
Some of us send our kids away from home to study in places where their skin tones and perfect ringlets call for unwanted attention and spoiling special treatment, and we gather them around our kitchen tables to each them the Bible and American history.
We send instructions for care in languages we are still learning:
Over time, we see the love their teachers have for our children, and we make connections that supersede language and cultural barriers.
Others put in the daily work and stress of home education into an already jam packed schedule of language learning or church-planting ministry. The weight of their children’s education and spiritual upbringing weighs heavy on their our shoulders, but they are hard pressed to find someone to bear any part of the burden.
We have great moments of joy:
When we see our babies learning from their Daddy during a stop-in on a school day.
And we could just about burst the day our kids come home talking about the new friends they have made at school, speaking a language we can’t figure out how they learned so easily.
We are proud…
So proud of all that our children accomplish wherever they go and whatever they do, just like any mom should be.
We are amazed at what they are able to overcome by God’s grace alone and praise Him for His precious gifts, eyes wet with joy as we hold them until their eyes pop or they roll them- depending on the age.
Wherever each year takes us and wherever our students spend their days, we trust that they are loved and cared for by the God that created them, knowing He will meet all the needs we just aren’t able to fulfill.
He holds and keeps them. And he keeps our mama hearts, too, which are fragile things, you know.
Thank you. I have so many questions about being a mother on the field. I still have many, but it is comforting to know that is can be done and that the LORD provides even for the education of missionary children.