Helping MKs
Navigate
the
Chaos
By Deanna Cathcart,
OMS Missionary Kid Ministry
I love the sound of children
laughing. Recently, as I was leav-
ing the office, I heard the laughter of three little
brothers, a few of our newest missionary kids
(MKs) who were here with their parents for
One Mission Society’s CROSS Training.
The sound of their innocent laughter as
they were running and playing with each
other made me smile. Hearing their laughter
reminded me of why I love the MK ministry.
These boys are just three of the nearly 300 children
who are part of the OMS MK ministry. Depending on how
long their families serve with OMS, they may hear from “Aunt” Deanna for a long
time since I minister to our MKs from infancy to college graduation.
One of the top reasons families leave the mission field is because of con-
cerns for their children. That’s why OMS believes it is important to prepare
the children, just as their parents are prepared. So, while the parents
are in cross-cultural training, the children have their own classes.
They learn about the history of OMS and how they, as MKs,
will now be part of that history. We talk about being an MK
and a third culture kid (TCK)—becoming a mix of both cul-
tures—and we teach them about some of the Bible char-
acters who were also TCKs. We talk about the stages of
transition and the chaos it can bring, but also how things
will eventually settle down. They learn about the country
they will go to, expectations, dealing with grief, healthy
goodbyes, and making new friends. By the end of train-
ing, the MKs always tell me they are excited about serving
overseas, even the few who were adamant about not going!
Recently, an 11-year-old MK was experiencing difficulty
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