Written by: Missionary Huh Eun Young
The Paul Mission Director of Member Care
1. Knowing MK’s
In order to find ways to help Missionary Kid’s, there first needed to be a full understanding of who they are. Especially the environments their lives revolved around, because only then one could come up with what sort of aid they were in need of.
Compared to the Western hemisphere, South Korea does have a shorter history in missions. However now it has risen to be a country that has sent out many missionaries, bearing fruit in God’s grace across the globe. Nevertheless, ever so often we receive news about the struggles that are faced in the mission field. Within these environments family is by far one of the most difficult problems missionaries face, and MK’s are the more focused central issue. Just as any other parent, raising children is also a common worry among missionaries.
MK’s all being their journey in a missionary family. Those who take the gospel over the walls into different cultures and make disciples of Christ are called ‘missionaries’, and those who live out this other-cultural life are called ‘MK’s’. MK’s are based in their parents’ missionary identity, however, are unable to be included into their parents’ nor their fields’ culture. This is because their experiences in multiple cultures make it difficult for them to feel as if they belong to one. You could also describe them as a tribe who seek belonging in the company of each other. Therefore, it is crucial to not only understand the advantages, challenges, and sufferings of their third culture experiences, but also recognize their possible needs in their growth and that is where the MK member care can begin.
2. Why must we help MK’s?
1) MK’s are the foundation of a missionary family.
Missionaries live amongst other cultures to spread the gospel. To have to live far from home in these different cultures amongst different people puts a lot of pressure on them. However, this pressure is not exclusive for the individual, but is for the collective of all the family members to be exposed to what we call “Culture Shock”. Therefore, within these missionary families, the children are equally if not more exposed to the culture shock, language shock of their unfamiliar surroundings along with the ramifications from constantly changing relationships. All of this inevitably causes identity crisis which leads to a state of confusion in their value system. This, however, is only one-sided view. It is an undeniable truth that the level of spiritual attacks and difficulties they face are increasing as well.
This is why helping MK’s is in fact a huge outreach for missions. Because MK’s are at the center of every missionary family. Parents have a God-given duty to fulfill their calling as a mother and father. Healthy children come from healthy families, which therefore make possible healthy missions.
2) MK’s are the future resources for Missions
MK’s have the necessary resources of cultural fluidity and missional DNA necessary for missions. Jesus left the witnesses with the calling to spread the gospel. The line of witnesses started with Christ’s disciples and continues to this day through more and more witnesses. These MK’s are in fact the perfect witness from the start. Not only have they witnessed the good and the bad in the field, but they have also experienced the miracles of God’s works and have gone through all the difficult growth pains with their parents. Providing aid to MK’s is an important job and investment for the next generation.
3. How should we help MK’s?
In order to fully understand MK’s, their cultural fluidity and how they should be helped to stand in the center of God’s missions, much study is still needed. The Paul Missions began their MK care right along with Missionary care from the beginning. At first, MK’s were invited to join their parents in attending the bi-annual missionary conferences, however once their potential vocations and needs were recognized, a more focused missions was started for them. By in large there are three branches: Care by Age, Care by Location, and Care by Life Cycle.
1) Care by Age- Divided into infantry, elementary, adolescent, college, young adult, post-marriage etc.
Then, until when should MK’s be cared for? This is a posing question amongst all MK mission organizations. Urilka Ernvik, who is an MK herself and is also currently an expert in the member care field, says that MK care is from the cradle to the grave. Not only in their youth, but also at the age of 18, which is when the brain begins to adjust into adulthood, there needs to be a supportive care system that helps them through the unstable period. Also at age 23, (around the time of graduation), there needs to be consistent attention in providing them a community in which they can feel a sense of belonging. Even after marriage, when they are raising their own children, at 40, at 55, a community that provides relevant therapy, mentorship, and spiritual guidance is necessary. Typically, many assume that adults, or MK’s that are married are not in need of care anymore, but this is a huge misunderstanding. Experts are saying that in those times of crisis there needs to be someone to understand and acknowledge them. When they go to college, when they start their first job, when they are thinking about marriage, when they need a home for their family, when they are going through a pregnancy and on and on. One can easily notice that adult MK’s who experience anxieties about their future may need even more care and attention than anyone else.
2) Care by Location
The Paul Mission has divided the countries into 7 different areas and provides specialized care specific to each area. One of the key characteristics of MK’s is that each MK is exposed to different cultures at different points in their lives, and each country has economical state with a different educational background. This is why the care provided must be continent/area specific. For example, Africa and the Middle East both have very different cultural and educational environments, therefore the approach in how to help Korean MK’s need to be different as well. The Paul Missions (which I am a member of) facilitates a mission conference every two years in each continent, and also one conference in Korea where all missionary families are required to attend. The research from the continental conferences show a difference in how they understand God and profess their faith. Therefore, the area and environment in which the MK was raised needs to be considered and a more specific care system needs to be provided.
3) MK Life Cycle Care- To be continued in the next chapter.
4. MK Life Cycle Care
Healthy missions starts from a healthy family. The bible puts a good leader’s value to be one that knows how to lead one’s family. We must not forget that not only are we training and sending out the parents as missionaries, but also their children.
The Paul Missions begins the MK care process soon after the missionaries are admitted into the organization. They are cared for depending on their age and stage of life. There are three different stages to the care program: 1) Pre-Field Care Program, 2) On-Field Care Program, and 3) Re-Entry Care Program. Starting from their parents’ missionary candidate training, the MK’s participate in the training process and even after they arrive in the field, we make sure to examine and support their educational environment. Also most MK’s will finish their school years in the field and will return to Korea either for university or the army, and this process is the beginning of their independence and also the start to readjusting to Korean culture, which is why we work hard to provide adequate programs to help their re-settlement.
Here are the different stages of the MK Life Care Program that the Paul Missions is currently providing.
§ Pre-Field Program
1) MK Parent Training
Every organization has different training periods, but in the Paul Missions it is a total of 14 months. The first 6 months are spent in Korea and this is when the ‘Get to Know MK’s’ program and ‘Parenting’ program take place. Usually the candidates have only experienced Korean culture. Which is why we help them in learning what to expect as them and their children are exposed to the different cultures and languages of the field. We help them prepare to educate their children with a biblical worldview, so that it’s not about their children simply following them to the mission field, but about each MK having their specific calling form God.
2) MK Pre-Field Camp – (I too, am a Missionary)
We provide a total of 3 camps according to their age for the MK’s of missionary candidates that fits their training schedule. The purpose of this camp is to help them see that they too are called to be missionaries, and to help them prepare to move to a new country. It is a time for them to mentally prepare to not only leave to the Philippines soon for their secondary training program with their parents, but also to enter into an unknown culture that they are soon going to experience.
This preparation process is vital because we are not just sending out missionary parents, but the family as a whole.
Some adult MK’s that I’ve met have confessed that they were dragged to the mission field by their parents. And I have seen many MK’s who while growing up become hateful towards their parents and eventually towards God. The hurt and anxiety that was caused by the alien environment can be transformed into a joyful recognition of God’s true calling through this process of education and preparation.
§ On-Field Care Program
1) MK’s Spiritual Care Retreat
The Paul Mission considers Member Care to be absolutely vital. This is why we carry out a spiritual missions retreat every two years for the missionaries and MK’s. Our retreats are divided up into either continental retreats, or domestic (in Korea) retreats. In 2017 we held our 15th continental missions retreat and the MK retreat was run simultaneously in a different space. Once again in 2019 July, there will be a retreat held in South Korea for all missionaries to attend. Missionaries can spiritually recharge and restore their initial callings through these opportunities. This is the most important reason why these retreats have been continued for the last 32 years. This is also an opportunity for MK’s to be healed and restored, and also a time for them to reevaluate their faith life, restoring their identity as citizens of God’s kingdom and they may move forward with a vision for the future. An MK retreat is not just so that we are taking care of the kids for the parents to participate freely, but it is an opportunity for MK’s to be trained as their own missionary with how to live as God’s children.
2) Spiritual Triathlon
Establishing the missionary families as spiritual triathletes Inspired by the traditional triathlon (Open water swimming, marathon, cycling), we created a race to help with the spiritual health of each missionary family. The categories are reading scripture, singing hymns from memory, daily devotions, writing 100 thanks, writing scripture etc. All of these categories are to help with spiritual training and every time we will use three, or four of these categories in each race. You can participate individually or as a family, and usually it will last for 100 days.
The purpose is for parents to use this as a tool to strengthen the children’s faith and once they complete it we give a reward to provide encouragement.
This triathlon is providing really useful tools for the missionaries who are feeling a lot of pressure for their children’s spiritual growth, while having to juggle their missions work as well. We have been running this program twice a year and some donors have also willingly taken part in helping this project continue.
3) Academic Camps – Utilizing summer holidays
This camp is a place where MK’s who have not been able to get the proper Korean language education in the field and want to attend university in Korea are able to get the help they need from Korean teachers. We provide subjects such as Korea, how to write a cover letter, Chinese, Korean history etc. We also have been providing career counseling. This is a great opportunity for committed church members who are professionals in each of their fields to share their guidance to MK’s.
4) Support for Homeschooling
The reality of the mission field in terms of education is that there simply is not a large pool of options. This is especially for more excluded areas. The families who are resorting to homeschooling are need of a lot of help and encouragement. Homeschooling is a choice that demands a very high level of commitment from both the parent and the child, and therefore many families are too afraid to make that choice. So we try to provide the necessary academic resources for homeschoolers, and by checking in virtually with the local teachers we are also providing any guidance and support where it’s needed.
5) Support for MK’s with special needs
MK’s are exposed from a very young age to different languages and cultures. Although to some this may be a great advantage, to others it becomes the reason for great suffering. Not only that but especially with the case of men, their inability to adapt to the army culture and Korean university culture can cause many mental health issues which require long term counseling. Also, too often there are cases where they do not have access to health care benefits. For those who have been missing the opportunity to be treated because of financial issues are in much need of support, and therefore we are providing as much as we can to those in need.
6) MK Scholarship Programs
Congratulatory College Admission Scholarship- This is given to freshman MK’s at the beginning of their school year. It is a one-time scholarship.
Recommending external scholarships – We will refer MK’s to various scholarships provided by other organizations and by sharing through this network we are able to provide aid through sharing prayer requests of MK’s who are in need.
7) MK Moms’ Platform
Throughout each continent, we are facilitating a network for the mothers. Mother’s will share their family life, their child’s education, and share information along with prayer requests. The network serves to take care of each other and has especially been useful in various emergency situations faced in the mission field. We are also planning to expand this platform into a parent education system. Social media has been a useful tool in this.
§ Re-Entry Care Program
For the last five years the number of MK’s returning to Korea has increased. The biggest reason being that the university admission rate in South Korea is 78% (2018). Other than this, there are reasons of army duties or employment.
1) MK House Building Project – Operating hostels as a spiritual community
With the headquarters being located outside of Seoul (Jeonju, Jeonbuk province), we started a boys and girls hostel for the college students who were settling into Seoul. We started fundraising to build these MK hostels back in 2013, and it has allowed us to open two locations for girls and boys. The purpose was not only to provide a safe space for MK’s, but also it was to provide and focus on having a spiritual community that could help settle their faith lives as well. A weekly bible study helps them learn the basic theologies of the bible. While in the mission field, they typically will not have had an opportunity to systematically study scripture. The hostel community is able to be a place where they can keep each other company, and through home cooked meals, feel the ‘mother’s care’ away from home.
2) MK Leadership College
This program is for those MK’s who have returned to Korea and are in need of the resources to stand on their own and become independent from their parents. They need information on areas like financial management, time management, and especially with the cult churches working actively in school campuses, they need to be fully aware of the tactics that are used. (Financial management, cult churches, romantic relationships, selfcare, faith, culture, BAM, music concerts, creation science, theatre etc.)
3) Mom is On the Way Project – Visiting each school and area
Seoul, Pohang, Busan, Daejeon, Kangwon, Cheonan, Incheon, Jeonju to name a few, are the various cities where MK’s are attending school. Each visit allows us to come together to eat, interact, and check in on their college life and encourage them.
4) MK care for soldiers – A complete understanding of the church cults. Consolation and encouragement.
MK’s who have been brought up in other cultures have a lot of fear against the army culture in South Korea. Some MK’s have expressed difficulty in relationships within their army base, and the mental stress that comes with it. There is an enlistment system where two can accompany each other, so utilizing that has been very useful with these cases as they are not alone. However, the cult churches are actively moving within these communities. There needs to be a thorough understanding so that MK’s are made fully aware of what they can expect. Many visits in place of their parents who are far away, are made at least twice a year (Easter, and thanksgiving) to encourage them. Care packages are put together and sent out consistently, and when they have leave days, they are permitted to stay in the hostels.
5) MK Family Day (New Years, Thanksgiving)
This is a time for MK’s who would have had to spend a traditional holiday on their own, to get together as a community. Our spiritual father, Pastor Lee Dong Hee, joins us as we share our time in fellowship as a family with worship, traditional foods and games.
6) The MK’s are Here! (Outreach, Vision trip)
This project was started to have MK’s learn and experience missions work. Although they lived in the field, for them that was home. At times they would have had to serve other mission teams against their will even, which for most created a blind spot in missions as a whole. Which is why this MK outreach program or Vision trips were able to provide an opportunity for them to experience other countries as mission fields and experience the living God and the God of missions. By making use of the summer and winter holidays, we have been exploring various language and cultural areas in each continent.
The first outreach program began in 2014 in Kenya, and since then we have gone to Taiwan, South Africa, Jordan, and 4 Eastern European countries (Ukraine, Hungary etc.). The summer of 2018, we are preparing for a team to go to Georgia.
7) Winter camps for College freshman or returning students
Many senior MK’s are helping their juniors in settling into Korean culture and schools. Their winter breaks are being used as a time to check in with their faith, and also enjoying activities such as skiing, without leaving out looking back and reflecting on the year to prepare for a new one.
5. Caring through Sympathy
1) Training and Sending Intern Missionaries
We are allowing young adult MK’s to prepare to go to the mission field for 6 months to 2 years. During this time, they are not only able to experience God in the mission field but also are able to learn how long-term missionaries work, and therefore can serve through their multilingual talents. An experience like this opens doors for MK’s to commit as missionaries themselves. Through this we are expecting the local churches to invest their prayer and finances to support and eventually send out MK missionaries.
2) MK’s know MK’s Best
Senior MK’s are helping the juniors by participating in a monthly financial support system, and they are also committing to serving as leaders and teachers for the MK retreats. They are also learning about missions through events such as Mission Korea, and Mission Jeonju.
3) Sympathy through Prayer – MK Prayer Chain – A prayer meeting once a month, that is also held through social media.
4) Sympathy through News – MK Times published
6. This Is How to Help – A Suggestions of Churches and Organizations
There is an African proverb that says, “it takes a village to raise a child”. Would this only be applicable in Africa? In order raise these MK’s who are spread across the globe in different languages, different cultures and different environments, it is not one village but an entire country that is needed. This is why the missions organizations and the local churches have to work together.
1) Experts in MK education and care need to be sent out.
If you look at the history of missions in South Korea, you can see that MK education has been heavily relying on the western education system and has undeniably been receiving many benefits through doing so. However, the schools in various countries are facing difficulties with finances and having enough teachers. We also have to invest into deploying specialized missionaries for MK’s.
2) There is a desperate need for a system to send out and fund MK’s as missionaries.
It is an immense blessing for MK’s to continue their parents’ legacy by committing their lives to missions. Therefore, there needs to be prepared an adequate training system catered for MK’s who have field experience and are multi-lingual.
3) There needs to be an MK emergency care system.
We continuously hear about unfortunate cases of MK’s facing difficulties not only in the field but in the Korean army or in their social lives here in Korea. There needs to be experts who can provide them with the resources to make it through personal crises, whether that be through therapy, medical treatment, law etc.
4) The local churches need a specialized department that cares for MK’s.
With consistent effort being put into committing through prayer of the missionary families’ personal or educational requests. (e.g. status of their child’s education, birthdays, sending out care packages to console and encourage etc.)
5) The local church needs to acknowledge the importance of the mother tongue and provide opportunities in education.
6) MK’s that return to Korea need to be cared for by the church.
First, there needs to be provided a safe housing option that could aid in their settling into Korea with a healthy community.
7) The church and the organization need to regularly get together to provide opportunities for parent missionary education.
There needs to be help provided so that discipleship can start in the family. This is why early parental education is necessary to learn that a healthy family will lead to a healthy in-field culture.
8) Missionary funds need to be separated into living expenses, and education fees that are also made specific to the relevant ages.
9) Missions organizations need to train specialized MK ministers.
And because of nature of MK’s, these ministers need to commit long term with consistent care.
10) Churches need to take better care of senior MK’s and provide more opportunities for them to work for the next generation in the church.
The experiences they have of different cultures, and the life stories that they’ve collected could be an opportunity for their peers to see and learn the ways that God works.
As we end,
The word ‘future’ invokes not only a sense of excitement, but also possibly a feeling of fear from not knowing what is to come. The future of Korean missions as well as MK missions is, just how it has always been, all by God’s grace.
We all agree that MK’s are the prepared resource for missions, and they are the key to continuing this legacy in missions. However, the missionaries who have been trying to keep up with all the expectations of the Korean churches have been racing forward, and in fact have been suffering through and through. Who could possibly blame those missionaries who are weeping at their faults of neglecting their families while trying to endure a new culture, with their missions work? The parent missionaries had to completely rely on schools for their children’s education and in that process the children have grown up to one by one leave their parents’ side. Although some education choices the parents had to make may have allowed their children to be competent in the world, one cannot deny that there failed to be a proper discipleship in the home. It is the task of the local church and organization to come up with the resources to train parent missionaries in making disciples in their homes to continue the faith legacy.
I do think that perhaps the importance of MK care has been acknowledged to late in the realities of missions. At least now is the time for the Korean church to shift its focus from only sending out as many missionaries as possible, to providing the right kind of care for all missionaries. We need a church that can walk with a missionary pre-deployment to family life all the way to the field.
Although we live on this earth, as citizens of heaven I am looking forward to how the remaining mission will be completed through the MK tribe who have the missions DNA already within them. Praise be to the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of all parent missionaries, and the God of MK’s.
Introducing the Paul Missions (March 2018, present)
- Founded in Jeonju in 1986
- Deployed 453 missionaries (398) to 94 different countries
- The MK department began in 2010
……………….
Missionary Eun Young Huh is the Member Care Director of The Paul Mission headquarters. Prior to this, she served as a missionary in the Philippines and Botswana, and also has a masters degree in M.A.C. from Asia United Theology University. She is wife to missionary Seunghak Suh and mother to two children, Sharon and Sam.
Written by: Missionary Huh Eun Young
The Paul Mission Director of Member Care
1. Knowing MK’s
In order to find ways to help Missionary Kid’s, there first needed to be a full understanding of who they are. Especially the environments their lives revolved around, because only then one could come up with what sort of aid they were in need of.
Compared to the Western hemisphere, South Korea does have a shorter history in missions. However now it has risen to be a country that has sent out many missionaries, bearing fruit in God’s grace across the globe. Nevertheless, ever so often we receive news about the struggles that are faced in the mission field. Within these environments family is by far one of the most difficult problems missionaries face, and MK’s are the more focused central issue. Just as any other parent, raising children is also a common worry among missionaries.
MK’s all being their journey in a missionary family. Those who take the gospel over the walls into different cultures and make disciples of Christ are called ‘missionaries’, and those who live out this other-cultural life are called ‘MK’s’. MK’s are based in their parents’ missionary identity, however, are unable to be included into their parents’ nor their fields’ culture. This is because their experiences in multiple cultures make it difficult for them to feel as if they belong to one. You could also describe them as a tribe who seek belonging in the company of each other. Therefore, it is crucial to not only understand the advantages, challenges, and sufferings of their third culture experiences, but also recognize their possible needs in their growth and that is where the MK member care can begin.
2. Why must we help MK’s?
1) MK’s are the foundation of a missionary family.
Missionaries live amongst other cultures to spread the gospel. To have to live far from home in these different cultures amongst different people puts a lot of pressure on them. However, this pressure is not exclusive for the individual, but is for the collective of all the family members to be exposed to what we call “Culture Shock”. Therefore, within these missionary families, the children are equally if not more exposed to the culture shock, language shock of their unfamiliar surroundings along with the ramifications from constantly changing relationships. All of this inevitably causes identity crisis which leads to a state of confusion in their value system. This, however, is only one-sided view. It is an undeniable truth that the level of spiritual attacks and difficulties they face are increasing as well.
This is why helping MK’s is in fact a huge outreach for missions. Because MK’s are at the center of every missionary family. Parents have a God-given duty to fulfill their calling as a mother and father. Healthy children come from healthy families, which therefore make possible healthy missions.
2) MK’s are the future resources for Missions
MK’s have the necessary resources of cultural fluidity and missional DNA necessary for missions. Jesus left the witnesses with the calling to spread the gospel. The line of witnesses started with Christ’s disciples and continues to this day through more and more witnesses. These MK’s are in fact the perfect witness from the start. Not only have they witnessed the good and the bad in the field, but they have also experienced the miracles of God’s works and have gone through all the difficult growth pains with their parents. Providing aid to MK’s is an important job and investment for the next generation.
3. How should we help MK’s?
In order to fully understand MK’s, their cultural fluidity and how they should be helped to stand in the center of God’s missions, much study is still needed. The Paul Missions began their MK care right along with Missionary care from the beginning. At first, MK’s were invited to join their parents in attending the bi-annual missionary conferences, however once their potential vocations and needs were recognized, a more focused missions was started for them. By in large there are three branches: Care by Age, Care by Location, and Care by Life Cycle.
1) Care by Age- Divided into infantry, elementary, adolescent, college, young adult, post-marriage etc.
Then, until when should MK’s be cared for? This is a posing question amongst all MK mission organizations. Urilka Ernvik, who is an MK herself and is also currently an expert in the member care field, says that MK care is from the cradle to the grave. Not only in their youth, but also at the age of 18, which is when the brain begins to adjust into adulthood, there needs to be a supportive care system that helps them through the unstable period. Also at age 23, (around the time of graduation), there needs to be consistent attention in providing them a community in which they can feel a sense of belonging. Even after marriage, when they are raising their own children, at 40, at 55, a community that provides relevant therapy, mentorship, and spiritual guidance is necessary. Typically, many assume that adults, or MK’s that are married are not in need of care anymore, but this is a huge misunderstanding. Experts are saying that in those times of crisis there needs to be someone to understand and acknowledge them. When they go to college, when they start their first job, when they are thinking about marriage, when they need a home for their family, when they are going through a pregnancy and on and on. One can easily notice that adult MK’s who experience anxieties about their future may need even more care and attention than anyone else.
2) Care by Location
The Paul Mission has divided the countries into 7 different areas and provides specialized care specific to each area. One of the key characteristics of MK’s is that each MK is exposed to different cultures at different points in their lives, and each country has economical state with a different educational background. This is why the care provided must be continent/area specific. For example, Africa and the Middle East both have very different cultural and educational environments, therefore the approach in how to help Korean MK’s need to be different as well. The Paul Missions (which I am a member of) facilitates a mission conference every two years in each continent, and also one conference in Korea where all missionary families are required to attend. The research from the continental conferences show a difference in how they understand God and profess their faith. Therefore, the area and environment in which the MK was raised needs to be considered and a more specific care system needs to be provided.
3) MK Life Cycle Care- To be continued in the next chapter.
4. MK Life Cycle Care
Healthy missions starts from a healthy family. The bible puts a good leader’s value to be one that knows how to lead one’s family. We must not forget that not only are we training and sending out the parents as missionaries, but also their children.
The Paul Missions begins the MK care process soon after the missionaries are admitted into the organization. They are cared for depending on their age and stage of life. There are three different stages to the care program: 1) Pre-Field Care Program, 2) On-Field Care Program, and 3) Re-Entry Care Program. Starting from their parents’ missionary candidate training, the MK’s participate in the training process and even after they arrive in the field, we make sure to examine and support their educational environment. Also most MK’s will finish their school years in the field and will return to Korea either for university or the army, and this process is the beginning of their independence and also the start to readjusting to Korean culture, which is why we work hard to provide adequate programs to help their re-settlement.
Here are the different stages of the MK Life Care Program that the Paul Missions is currently providing.
§ Pre-Field Program
1) MK Parent Training
Every organization has different training periods, but in the Paul Missions it is a total of 14 months. The first 6 months are spent in Korea and this is when the ‘Get to Know MK’s’ program and ‘Parenting’ program take place. Usually the candidates have only experienced Korean culture. Which is why we help them in learning what to expect as them and their children are exposed to the different cultures and languages of the field. We help them prepare to educate their children with a biblical worldview, so that it’s not about their children simply following them to the mission field, but about each MK having their specific calling form God.
2) MK Pre-Field Camp – (I too, am a Missionary)
We provide a total of 3 camps according to their age for the MK’s of missionary candidates that fits their training schedule. The purpose of this camp is to help them see that they too are called to be missionaries, and to help them prepare to move to a new country. It is a time for them to mentally prepare to not only leave to the Philippines soon for their secondary training program with their parents, but also to enter into an unknown culture that they are soon going to experience.
This preparation process is vital because we are not just sending out missionary parents, but the family as a whole.
Some adult MK’s that I’ve met have confessed that they were dragged to the mission field by their parents. And I have seen many MK’s who while growing up become hateful towards their parents and eventually towards God. The hurt and anxiety that was caused by the alien environment can be transformed into a joyful recognition of God’s true calling through this process of education and preparation.
§ On-Field Care Program
1) MK’s Spiritual Care Retreat
The Paul Mission considers Member Care to be absolutely vital. This is why we carry out a spiritual missions retreat every two years for the missionaries and MK’s. Our retreats are divided up into either continental retreats, or domestic (in Korea) retreats. In 2017 we held our 15th continental missions retreat and the MK retreat was run simultaneously in a different space. Once again in 2019 July, there will be a retreat held in South Korea for all missionaries to attend. Missionaries can spiritually recharge and restore their initial callings through these opportunities. This is the most important reason why these retreats have been continued for the last 32 years. This is also an opportunity for MK’s to be healed and restored, and also a time for them to reevaluate their faith life, restoring their identity as citizens of God’s kingdom and they may move forward with a vision for the future. An MK retreat is not just so that we are taking care of the kids for the parents to participate freely, but it is an opportunity for MK’s to be trained as their own missionary with how to live as God’s children.
2) Spiritual Triathlon
Establishing the missionary families as spiritual triathletes Inspired by the traditional triathlon (Open water swimming, marathon, cycling), we created a race to help with the spiritual health of each missionary family. The categories are reading scripture, singing hymns from memory, daily devotions, writing 100 thanks, writing scripture etc. All of these categories are to help with spiritual training and every time we will use three, or four of these categories in each race. You can participate individually or as a family, and usually it will last for 100 days.
The purpose is for parents to use this as a tool to strengthen the children’s faith and once they complete it we give a reward to provide encouragement.
This triathlon is providing really useful tools for the missionaries who are feeling a lot of pressure for their children’s spiritual growth, while having to juggle their missions work as well. We have been running this program twice a year and some donors have also willingly taken part in helping this project continue.
3) Academic Camps – Utilizing summer holidays
This camp is a place where MK’s who have not been able to get the proper Korean language education in the field and want to attend university in Korea are able to get the help they need from Korean teachers. We provide subjects such as Korea, how to write a cover letter, Chinese, Korean history etc. We also have been providing career counseling. This is a great opportunity for committed church members who are professionals in each of their fields to share their guidance to MK’s.
4) Support for Homeschooling
The reality of the mission field in terms of education is that there simply is not a large pool of options. This is especially for more excluded areas. The families who are resorting to homeschooling are need of a lot of help and encouragement. Homeschooling is a choice that demands a very high level of commitment from both the parent and the child, and therefore many families are too afraid to make that choice. So we try to provide the necessary academic resources for homeschoolers, and by checking in virtually with the local teachers we are also providing any guidance and support where it’s needed.
5) Support for MK’s with special needs
MK’s are exposed from a very young age to different languages and cultures. Although to some this may be a great advantage, to others it becomes the reason for great suffering. Not only that but especially with the case of men, their inability to adapt to the army culture and Korean university culture can cause many mental health issues which require long term counseling. Also, too often there are cases where they do not have access to health care benefits. For those who have been missing the opportunity to be treated because of financial issues are in much need of support, and therefore we are providing as much as we can to those in need.
6) MK Scholarship Programs
Congratulatory College Admission Scholarship- This is given to freshman MK’s at the beginning of their school year. It is a one-time scholarship.
Recommending external scholarships – We will refer MK’s to various scholarships provided by other organizations and by sharing through this network we are able to provide aid through sharing prayer requests of MK’s who are in need.
7) MK Moms’ Platform
Throughout each continent, we are facilitating a network for the mothers. Mother’s will share their family life, their child’s education, and share information along with prayer requests. The network serves to take care of each other and has especially been useful in various emergency situations faced in the mission field. We are also planning to expand this platform into a parent education system. Social media has been a useful tool in this.
§ Re-Entry Care Program
For the last five years the number of MK’s returning to Korea has increased. The biggest reason being that the university admission rate in South Korea is 78% (2018). Other than this, there are reasons of army duties or employment.
1) MK House Building Project – Operating hostels as a spiritual community
With the headquarters being located outside of Seoul (Jeonju, Jeonbuk province), we started a boys and girls hostel for the college students who were settling into Seoul. We started fundraising to build these MK hostels back in 2013, and it has allowed us to open two locations for girls and boys. The purpose was not only to provide a safe space for MK’s, but also it was to provide and focus on having a spiritual community that could help settle their faith lives as well. A weekly bible study helps them learn the basic theologies of the bible. While in the mission field, they typically will not have had an opportunity to systematically study scripture. The hostel community is able to be a place where they can keep each other company, and through home cooked meals, feel the ‘mother’s care’ away from home.
2) MK Leadership College
This program is for those MK’s who have returned to Korea and are in need of the resources to stand on their own and become independent from their parents. They need information on areas like financial management, time management, and especially with the cult churches working actively in school campuses, they need to be fully aware of the tactics that are used. (Financial management, cult churches, romantic relationships, selfcare, faith, culture, BAM, music concerts, creation science, theatre etc.)
3) Mom is On the Way Project – Visiting each school and area
Seoul, Pohang, Busan, Daejeon, Kangwon, Cheonan, Incheon, Jeonju to name a few, are the various cities where MK’s are attending school. Each visit allows us to come together to eat, interact, and check in on their college life and encourage them.
4) MK care for soldiers – A complete understanding of the church cults. Consolation and encouragement.
MK’s who have been brought up in other cultures have a lot of fear against the army culture in South Korea. Some MK’s have expressed difficulty in relationships within their army base, and the mental stress that comes with it. There is an enlistment system where two can accompany each other, so utilizing that has been very useful with these cases as they are not alone. However, the cult churches are actively moving within these communities. There needs to be a thorough understanding so that MK’s are made fully aware of what they can expect. Many visits in place of their parents who are far away, are made at least twice a year (Easter, and thanksgiving) to encourage them. Care packages are put together and sent out consistently, and when they have leave days, they are permitted to stay in the hostels.
5) MK Family Day (New Years, Thanksgiving)
This is a time for MK’s who would have had to spend a traditional holiday on their own, to get together as a community. Our spiritual father, Pastor Lee Dong Hee, joins us as we share our time in fellowship as a family with worship, traditional foods and games.
6) The MK’s are Here! (Outreach, Vision trip)
This project was started to have MK’s learn and experience missions work. Although they lived in the field, for them that was home. At times they would have had to serve other mission teams against their will even, which for most created a blind spot in missions as a whole. Which is why this MK outreach program or Vision trips were able to provide an opportunity for them to experience other countries as mission fields and experience the living God and the God of missions. By making use of the summer and winter holidays, we have been exploring various language and cultural areas in each continent.
The first outreach program began in 2014 in Kenya, and since then we have gone to Taiwan, South Africa, Jordan, and 4 Eastern European countries (Ukraine, Hungary etc.). The summer of 2018, we are preparing for a team to go to Georgia.
7) Winter camps for College freshman or returning students
Many senior MK’s are helping their juniors in settling into Korean culture and schools. Their winter breaks are being used as a time to check in with their faith, and also enjoying activities such as skiing, without leaving out looking back and reflecting on the year to prepare for a new one.
5. Caring through Sympathy
1) Training and Sending Intern Missionaries
We are allowing young adult MK’s to prepare to go to the mission field for 6 months to 2 years. During this time, they are not only able to experience God in the mission field but also are able to learn how long-term missionaries work, and therefore can serve through their multilingual talents. An experience like this opens doors for MK’s to commit as missionaries themselves. Through this we are expecting the local churches to invest their prayer and finances to support and eventually send out MK missionaries.
2) MK’s know MK’s Best
Senior MK’s are helping the juniors by participating in a monthly financial support system, and they are also committing to serving as leaders and teachers for the MK retreats. They are also learning about missions through events such as Mission Korea, and Mission Jeonju.
3) Sympathy through Prayer – MK Prayer Chain – A prayer meeting once a month, that is also held through social media.
4) Sympathy through News – MK Times published
6. This Is How to Help – A Suggestions of Churches and Organizations
There is an African proverb that says, “it takes a village to raise a child”. Would this only be applicable in Africa? In order raise these MK’s who are spread across the globe in different languages, different cultures and different environments, it is not one village but an entire country that is needed. This is why the missions organizations and the local churches have to work together.
1) Experts in MK education and care need to be sent out.
If you look at the history of missions in South Korea, you can see that MK education has been heavily relying on the western education system and has undeniably been receiving many benefits through doing so. However, the schools in various countries are facing difficulties with finances and having enough teachers. We also have to invest into deploying specialized missionaries for MK’s.
2) There is a desperate need for a system to send out and fund MK’s as missionaries.
It is an immense blessing for MK’s to continue their parents’ legacy by committing their lives to missions. Therefore, there needs to be prepared an adequate training system catered for MK’s who have field experience and are multi-lingual.
3) There needs to be an MK emergency care system.
We continuously hear about unfortunate cases of MK’s facing difficulties not only in the field but in the Korean army or in their social lives here in Korea. There needs to be experts who can provide them with the resources to make it through personal crises, whether that be through therapy, medical treatment, law etc.
4) The local churches need a specialized department that cares for MK’s.
With consistent effort being put into committing through prayer of the missionary families’ personal or educational requests. (e.g. status of their child’s education, birthdays, sending out care packages to console and encourage etc.)
5) The local church needs to acknowledge the importance of the mother tongue and provide opportunities in education.
6) MK’s that return to Korea need to be cared for by the church.
First, there needs to be provided a safe housing option that could aid in their settling into Korea with a healthy community.
7) The church and the organization need to regularly get together to provide opportunities for parent missionary education.
There needs to be help provided so that discipleship can start in the family. This is why early parental education is necessary to learn that a healthy family will lead to a healthy in-field culture.
8) Missionary funds need to be separated into living expenses, and education fees that are also made specific to the relevant ages.
9) Missions organizations need to train specialized MK ministers.
And because of nature of MK’s, these ministers need to commit long term with consistent care.
10) Churches need to take better care of senior MK’s and provide more opportunities for them to work for the next generation in the church.
The experiences they have of different cultures, and the life stories that they’ve collected could be an opportunity for their peers to see and learn the ways that God works.
As we end,
The word ‘future’ invokes not only a sense of excitement, but also possibly a feeling of fear from not knowing what is to come. The future of Korean missions as well as MK missions is, just how it has always been, all by God’s grace.
We all agree that MK’s are the prepared resource for missions, and they are the key to continuing this legacy in missions. However, the missionaries who have been trying to keep up with all the expectations of the Korean churches have been racing forward, and in fact have been suffering through and through. Who could possibly blame those missionaries who are weeping at their faults of neglecting their families while trying to endure a new culture, with their missions work? The parent missionaries had to completely rely on schools for their children’s education and in that process the children have grown up to one by one leave their parents’ side. Although some education choices the parents had to make may have allowed their children to be competent in the world, one cannot deny that there failed to be a proper discipleship in the home. It is the task of the local church and organization to come up with the resources to train parent missionaries in making disciples in their homes to continue the faith legacy.
I do think that perhaps the importance of MK care has been acknowledged to late in the realities of missions. At least now is the time for the Korean church to shift its focus from only sending out as many missionaries as possible, to providing the right kind of care for all missionaries. We need a church that can walk with a missionary pre-deployment to family life all the way to the field.
Although we live on this earth, as citizens of heaven I am looking forward to how the remaining mission will be completed through the MK tribe who have the missions DNA already within them. Praise be to the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of all parent missionaries, and the God of MK’s.
Introducing the Paul Missions (March 2018, present)
- Founded in Jeonju in 1986
- Deployed 453 missionaries (398) to 94 different countries
- The MK department began in 2010
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Missionary Eun Young Huh is the Member Care Director of The Paul Mission headquarters. Prior to this, she served as a missionary in the Philippines and Botswana, and also has a masters degree in M.A.C. from Asia United Theology University. She is wife to missionary Seunghak Suh and mother to two children, Sharon and Sam.