"You don't know what it is like to be me, you were never a MK."
"It's nice when I don't have to work so hard to explain how I feel and someone just gets it."
"It's like the church assumes that I need to be the perfect example for all of the other kids and that I have a calling to be there just because my parent was called to serve there."
"People judge me before they even know me just because I'm a PK."

I've heard these statements often in my house, but none more than yesterday when almost 20 young people gathered in our home to get to know each other because they had one thing in common. They were all children of missionaries and pastors. Our two children, Jamie and Micah along with their friend David Gonzalez, whose parents serve as Costa Rican missionaries to Sixaola, CR organized a gathering for their Costa Rican peers and fellow pastor's kids. Coming from many different parts of the country, these teenagers played, laughed, ate, and shared their common experiences. Though very few had ever met, it wasn't long before it felt like they were among old friends. So often because they feel singled out, watched, and identified by their parent's profession they have a hard time relaxing and just being themselves without fear of judgment by others. It was a joy to watch them interact and relate to one another.

They all agreed that this should be only the first of many gatherings. Having felt both the privilege and the isolation brought on by their parent's decision to follow Christ as pastors or missionaries, these young people decided to meet their own felt needs and in the process meet others along the way.

As a parent, I was glad to help make this gathering a reality because it is true that I can't always understand what my kids are going through because I was never a MK or PK., but I can help them connect with others who do. It is just like that with the sharing of the Good News of Christ, I can't possibly understand all of the life situations and struggles faced by my neighbor, but I can help connect them with Someone who does. The biblical book of Hebrews tells us that we have a high priest who made Himself one of us so that He could understand what we are going through.

I often learn more from my kids and their friends than anyone else in my life. The many pastors and leaders that we work with could learn a few things from them as well. One of the things that struck me yesterday was the fact that although many of the young people gathered at our home had parents who had pastored for many years in Costa Rican Baptist churches, very few of them had ever met each other. It seems sad to me that instead of gaining strength and encouragement from fellow pastors, these adults continue to struggle on their own when they could be enjoying fellowship with others who get it. It is our hope that through classes and workshops and other convention-wide gatherings that we can encourage our pastors and leaders to unite in their common mission and find strength for the journey in the relationships they build with one another. The children can lead us with their example.

Thank you for the privilege your support for International Ministries provides us to learn and grow together with God's servants here in Costa Rica.

Bendiciones del Camino,
Mylinda