Pilgrims or Tourists?

"They are perpetual outsiders, born in one nation, raised in others, [shuttling] back and forth between nations, languages, cultures and loyalties. They live unrooted childhoods. Lifted from one home and set down in another, these children learn not to attach too deeply. Yet despite their resistance to rooting, these children need a sense of belonging, a way to integrate their many cultural selves and find a place in the world".

Unrooted Childhoods: Faith Eidse and Nina Sichel

Born in Zimbabwe, raised in Mozambique, schooled in Cambodia, England and Singapore, Joshua started life trying to add Portuguese and some Makua to his English. He learned to fit into an American school in Cambodia, struggled in England because he knew nothing about soccer and now has a lead role in a play speaking Mandarin. He is the only Caucasian in the youth group at church. Like Steve, Josh and Aim struggle to answer the question, "Where do you come from?" We are enriched by our experiences but find that we also wrestle with a sense of rootlessness and identity. We are Third Culture Kids, 'individuals who have spent a significant part of our developmental years in a culture other than our parents'. We have relationship to many cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Elements from each culture are mixed into the TCK's life but the sense of belonging is to others of similar experience.

There are more than six hundred children whose parents serve with OMF. Over the next ten days we will be leading the Third Culture Kid Advisors' consultation - for those from both homes and fields who are responsible for advising on the education and care of our children. We will work together to plan for the next three years or so, as well as doing some training. As we have particular responsibilities for member care (including kids!), we would ask your prayer for us during this time.

We had a day off on Monday and took the children to see Dr Yee - our dentist. Are we all having fun yet?! But that didn't last long and we headed for Sentosa, a smaller island off the coast of Singapore Island but connected by a long causeway. On Sentosa are some of the famed coastal defences - the gun batteries that were facing the wrong way when the Japanese invaded. From Fort Siloso there are some magnificent views out across one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. But we headed for Mount Imbiah where a luge run has been set up. For a small fee you can hire a low-slung "sled" on wheels and race down a winding track - Josh and Aimee loved it, and Mum and Dad didn't mind it either. At the bottom there is a chair lift which very conveniently took us back to our starting point again. The thick haze from massive forest fires just across the straits in Sumatra, cut visibility right down but fortunately didn't cause any breathing problems! Josh has chosen to go back to the luge for his birthday celebration with his three closest friends. But we've had to postpone it for two weeks until the end of Ramadan, as two of his friends are Muslim and so would be fasting during the day - not much fun to go to a birthday party under those conditions

Love from us all

Steve, Anna, Josh and Aimee