When Hard Things Happen

The missionary life is not all it’s cracked up to be sometimes. Yes, we get to live in a beautiful country and have fabulous experiences but this comes at a price. Many times this price affects our kids in the form of loss. Tonight I held my daughter as she grieved having to sell her horse as she prepares to return to a country she doesn’t remember living in. This is just the beginning of the transition. As a parent, you know that there is nothing worse than watching our children hurt. And the missionary kid’s life is full of hurt. They have a loss of identity… Try asking an MK where they are from 😂. People are in and out of their lives, losing friendships and relationships consistently. They have a loss of friendships from here as they leave their host country, the only country they know, the only culture, the only school system, the only food they know. They can’t just come home from college on the weekends to do some laundry and eat a baleada. Even trips have to be weighed by the price of flights.

Usually, I handle it ok, but tonight I am mad. I am mad that my kid has to say goodbye to her life here. I am mad that this is the ask of MK kids. I am heartbroken that she has to say goodbye to her horse, the only constant in her transitional life. I would like to tell you that I am finding my peace in Christ. But to be honest, sometimes this is hard. So as we face these transitions with Emma, please pray for us. And when you think about it, pray for all the other MK kids out there that may be hurting, just like her.