Preparation for Families “on Mission”
 

The dawning of the Global Citizen age is upon us and it is good news for families going abroad for mission experiences. In the past only a few sponsoring organizations would consider working with and placing families in foreign countries. Now there are many opportunities for families to shape a mission experience in a way that serves others and meets the practical needs of a family.

Family Mission: Issues to Consider

From the perspective of families who have lived this mission experience there are many important issues to consider:

Strength of your marriage

• The experience and work can be very challenging for all family members; it is essential that as a couple you are strong and secure.
• In most cases the children will be fine if the parents are healthy, happy and able to nurture each other and the children.

Strength of your faith

• The individuals and families who do well on foreign missions have a clear sense of their “call” to mission and how their faith is the “center” of all that they do.
• It is imperative that the children understand and have input into the mission experience and it strengthens everyone to keep this sense of mission alive through discussion, reflection and prayer

Promoting your mission as “presence” and relationship

• You can build supportive relationships with the people primarily because you bring your family to share with them in their country.
• The relationships built in-country are far more important than the work we did each day.

Creating a family schedule that works for everyone

• It is easy for work to dominate your time on mission but it helps to negotiate a family friendly schedule to accommodate everyone, especially the children.

Education and health

• Researching health care options can help families choose the most appropriate sites. It may surprise you how much health care and medicines you can find in remote areas.
• Rural and urban settings each have their own strengths and weaknesses
• Many foreign schools can be difficult for American children; home schooling is a wonderful alternative and creates a meaningful connection to schools back home.

Organize your support network before you depart

• It is a blessing to be connected to close friends and family while you are out of the country, therefore it should start with including your community in a personal way from the beginning to “share” the experience with you.

Take your time in making your decision and preparing for the experience

• It can take 1-2 years to get ready for mission. This time can be used to research your placement, travel to your site, study history and the local language, meet with families who have undertaken a similar experience and build development capacity for your future efforts.

Raise money and resources before you leave

• One of the most frustrating aspects of working in developing countries can be a lack of resources to initiate and sustain improvement efforts. It will help if you have some financial, in-kind and material support lined up before you depart.

Work at the grassroots and be humble

• Working with grassroots efforts is a good way to connect with indigenous people and families and in many cases presents opportunities for the whole family to contribute something.
• It works better if Americans act as humble partners who realize they are guests in another country.
• The most successful mission experiences are ones in which all parties share their gifts and talents in an atmosphere of mutual respect and friendship.

Flexibility, laughter, compassion required

• These traits are required each day on mission and suggest that those best equipped for mission are people that see these behaviors as a lifestyle choice.