Two weeks ago our choir director announced an upcoming mission trip to Ukraine, and I immediately got the sense that this was something I needed to pray about. I love the idea of combining music and missions, so I was ready to jump right on in headfirst. Well, except for the fact that I have 5 kids I’m responsible for! But it got me thinking about what I’m teaching my kids about missions. As I thought more about it, I realized that music, languages, cultures, and geography all pertain to missions, and we’re pretty weak in these areas. In the past couple years we haven’t even read more than 1 or 2 short stories about missionaries. Since I have a graduate degree in missions, I really have to consider what God wants me to pass along to my kids in this area.
Over our 7 years of homeschooling we have read missionary biographies together on occasion – we’ve developed quite a collection, as a matter of fact. Hero Tales is one of our favorites, as is the Heroes for Young Readers Series by YWAM. A few years ago we made sure we read Missionary Stories with the Millers and From Abeku to Zapatek (can’t be certain of the spelling since I can’t seem to locate this one) on a regular basis as part of our family devotions. We’ve looked at parts of You Can Change the World, and my oldest daughter (11) has probably read all the missionary books on the shelf, including Heroes For God and Explorers for God. I know somewhere we have a biography of Gladys Aylward we read when she was in 1st grade. And once upon a time we actually did the Hands of a Child lapbook about missionaries.
Of course reading about missionaries is one thing, but actually experiencing it is something else. As I prayed about going to Ukraine, I thought about what kind of example it might set for my kids. And then I thought about the mission trips I’ve been on before – to Russia, Argentina, and inner city San Jose, CA and Chicago, IL, and realized I haven’t even talked to the kids about these. In fact not only have I not shown them pictures, but I can’t even remember where the pictures are! What an opportunity those pictures would be to teach them about missions. And beyond showing them pictures, we could actually go on a missions trip as a family – we could visit missionaries we know (and need to be more faithful in praying for!) or we could go on a more formal trip together, perhaps with other homeschool families.
Back to those missionaries we know – friends from college, seminary, church…when I started to make a list, I was astounded that I could not even remember some of their names. What do I know about their kids? What a natural way for my kids to develop a heart for missions by befriending and praying for MKs and their parents.
Upon examining my motives for going on the Ukraine trip and weighing that against the reasons to wait, I think I’ve decided that it is better to wait for either next year’s trip or for an opportunity for my family to be involved in missions together, especially as we are on the verge of overcoming one of our obstacles to being more involved in missions as a family. In the meantime God has revealed to me that I need to be more intentional in talking about missions with my kids, making this area and other related disciplines an important part of their education.
Jenn in GA