Helpful Resources

As a parent of a missionary you may feel that missing your child and your grandchildren signals a lack of faith. But proclaiming the gospel and making disciples was not meant to eclipse the loving family bonds God ordained. Whether you're the parent of a missionary recruit or a parent of an experienced missionary, you'll benefit from the authors' research and personal experience as they present a comprehensive plan for understanding missionary life, navigating the holidays, grandparenting long-distance and saying good-bye well. Combining a counselor's professional insight and a parent's personal journey, plus ideas and stories from dozens of missionaries and POMs, Parents of Missionaries is a valuable tool for missions mobilizers and educators as well as parents. The POM experience amounts to a journey through change, pain and adjustment. Wherever you are on that journey, this resource will encourage you and help you thrive and stay connected with your children and grandchildren serving cross-culturally. Not only can you survive as a parent of a missionary―you can thrive.

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A Nicholas Brealey Publishing bestseller! Third culture kids (TCK)—children of expatriates, missionaries, military personnel, and others who live outside their passport country—have unique issues with personal development and identity. David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken bring to light the emotional and psychological realities that come with the TCK journey.

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Being a missionary is a noble calling, but it's also a difficult one. Missionaries face many challenges, whether adjusting to a new culture, learning a new language, or guarding against spiritual attacks. They need the support of the church and a faithful covering of prayer. But for many Christians, missionaries are out of sight, out of mind. How can we effectively intercede for the missionaries in our lives? Eddie Byun provides a handy guide to praying for missionaries. He shows the vital connection between prayer and missions, how our prayers are connected to both the well-being of missionaries and the fruit of their work. This book offers ways to pray for the various needs that missionaries have on the mission field, to prevent burnout and protect them from harm. We can partner with our missionaries as individual intercessors and as sending churches. The fields are ready for harvest. Your prayers for the workers and their ministry can make a difference.

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When your child decides to become a missionary, you may feel a little like you’re wandering in the wilderness.

Instead of bears and wolves, you may find fears and unpredictable emotions sneaking up when you least expect it. These unwelcome visitors can feel just as daunting as any wild beast. Maybe you are confused by the meaning of mission . . . or resentful of your child’s devotion to it. Perhaps you believe in the goal but are struggling with the practical reality of their absence. You are likely painfully aware of your need to support your missionary child but feel unsupported yourself. You probably feel all alone. But you’re not.

We’re going to hike this path together.

The Missionary Mama’s Survival Guide is a concise and compassionate companion guide to:

• Understanding God's mission,

• Accepting your child’s vocation,

• Embracing your new role as a Stayer.

By educating yourself about what’s hiding in the “wilderness,” you will be able to drop your burdens of guilt, shame, and fear and pick up your tools of gratefulness, surrender, and freedom. This new awareness will help you settle into your adventure and release your child to pursue their own. Mama, get ready to survive . . . and thrive!

The road ahead is hard, though it is not without reward. Missionary Mama, you are the unsung hero of The Great Commission. But unsung does not mean unseen. I see you, Missionary Mama. I’m here with you. So lace up those boots. Let’s hike!

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Every child is different, but mothers are very much the same around the world—the same worries and fears, guilt and joys. Dive in to For the Joy and laugh and cry with 21 Australian missionary mothers as they share stories of raising kids in both remote far-flung places and some of the most populated cities in the world. These inspiring stories will resonate in the heart of the reader as fear, faith, and figuring it out come together in page-turning reality. Stories include: 

• home-schooling while living in a bus 

• navigating the toddler years as a “third culture mum” 

• raising a child with special needs 

• recovering from anxiety on the field 

• giving birth in a foreign hospital 

• the grief of losing your family to persecution ... and more! 

Honestly written, raw in emotion, sad and joyful in equal measure, this collection of stories offers insight into the complexities of parenting children while serving God no matter where you call home.

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