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Call to Prayer: Cherishing What God Speaks

“In our 14 years of our marriage, we have moved 14 times, not to mention all the transitions each time we came back to the US for home ministry assignments,” Ruthy Hershey writes. “God reminds me that we have not only survived all of this transition, but have been able to thrive.”

Prepared in Cusco for Service in Virginia

Hannah’s identity and understanding of the world and the gospel are forever changed by the opportunity she had to grow up as a TCK in Cusco, Peru. “Before leaving, I was given a say in this decision to move. Making this choice at age seven deepened the degree to which I took on the role of missionary.”

A World United Under God’s Love

I have had the blessing of serving on a few mission trips and have also assisted in after-school tutoring. I realize now that the fire to serve others was sparked as others invested in me and my community. I strive to see others as God sees us—as one body of Christ, as being equal.

For Different Seasons Blow Different Winds

Oftentimes it seems that we blot out our most important identification, our foundation: we are children of God. The fact that I am a TCK no longer seems to weigh on me. I will encounter misunderstandings because of it, but I have a greater purpose and longing that my heart seeks after.

Thankful for a Life of Paradoxes

I like being a TCK because I get to see and do things a lot of people don’t get to. For example, I have learned to do Thai dancing and to cook Thai food. I have made friends who live in many countries. But sometimes I don’t like being a TCK because I don’t really fit in anywhere.

Joy and Mourning

Growing up as a TCK, I experienced a lot of opposites. I would feel excited when we moved to new places, yet I felt sad about all the things I had to give up, sometimes forever. The window is symbolic of the lives of the people around me that were opened to me because of my TCK experience.

Anna and the Life-Giving High Five

The game of the street in Central Asia was urtganiki, which consists of “ball dodging and life swapping.” Whether the teammate I high-five back into the game does well or poorly, we feel connected more deeply because of the life-exchange. Similarly when we reflect on Jesus giving us his life, we feel more connected to him.

The Children Who Ask, “Who Am I?”

Third Culture Kids (TCKs) are uniquely formed and called to serve. Having grown up in Thailand, our daughters are TCKs. They are convinced of the reality and relevance of Jesus, and they are well-positioned for witness in the intercultural settings that abound in our world today.