Missionary Kids and some struggles we are praying through...

Parenting a Missionary Kid through Difficulty

Tonight is very much like every other night, but I catch a glimpse of brokenness in my oldest daughter's heart.  She is 14.  She is a missionary.  She pretty much grew up on the mission field from the age of 5.  She has twin brothers, age 15 & a younger adopted sister age 10.  We have had her sister for 2.5 years & we all love her so deeply!!!

Today's post is focusing on my 14 year old & some struggles she is facing....so I too am facing them as my heart aches for her.

She battles loneliness.  This is quite common from what I read with other MK's (missionary kids).  I can relate too as there was a season I walked through this myself.  God brought me through it & I know He will bring her through it too.

She loves her family, but longs for someone her age that is a foreigner.  Someone she can relate to.  She has grown up watching her brothers have each other.  For the longest time they ran around no problem.  But now that she is a young woman (taller than me!) she is really crying out to God to bring her a friend.  She loves her sister, but not quite the same for her to relate to the same things & struggles.

I have encouraged her that when God has called us, they too were called.  There is something precious in this season that she will walk away from stronger and more like Jesus.

I am very thankful for this season, even though it is difficult to let her grow through this.  As a mother, I want to fix it!  However, she is growing in her prayer life and intimacy with Christ.  The Lord is ministering to her in ways that will help ground her in her identity in Him through this.   In times of discouragement, I see her put on worship music & praise Him.  When she has "nothing to do" she will journal.  She has even used this season to memorize the sermon on the mount.

In her ideal world she would love to be playing on every sport offered at a high school somewhere, have an activity every night, and belong to a youth group full of girls her age.  But the Lord has her homeschooled and tucked away in a city of the Philippines.  We can't afford the Private Christian International School that is offered here - with their Missionary Discount it's super expensive!!!

So we both grow closer to God through this.  I pray that the Lord brings her a friend to be such a sweet memory of her childhood, but I am more thankful for her growth in the Lord during this season.

Any other missionary moms out there going through anything similar?  Please reply with ways that have helped your family :)