GROWING UP ON THE MISSION FIELD

One of the most challenging tasks for many missionaries is that of raising their children on the mission field. Some feel that this is more difficult than cultural adaptation or mastering a new language.

However, one point is often overlooked in this matter. God, who calls a missionary to serve in a foreign setting, also has a plan for his family to live and minister as successfully on the foreign field as they could in the U.S.

Roy and Edi Seals were accepted by BIMI in 1977. They served on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico for the first part of their missionary ministry. Presently, Brother Seals is serving as Assistant Director for Central America and as Deputation Coordinator. Edi was raised by BIMI missionaries Russell and Bobbie Turner on Cayman Brac, an island in the Caribbean. Roy was raised by BIMI missionaries Odis and Betty Seals in Mexico. The following interview with them reveals some of the.phpects of growing up on the mission field and being involved in the ministry.

Dr. Thompson: What kind of memories do you both have of growing up on the mission field?

ROY: My memories are very positive. I would not trade growing up on the mission field for anything. God allowed me to learn and do things while growing up in Mexico that never would have been possible if I had grown up in the States.

EDI: By growing up on the mission field, I feel that I was able to experience childhood with a definite advantage. Deputation, of course, was the first phase of my parents’ missionary ministry. Even though traveling those many miles was sometimes tiring, I have many fond memories of that time in our lives. From day one of our deputation, my parents made us children feel that we had an important part in their ministry. We participated in presenting our ministry, and we were able to visit many interesting and educational places while traveling.

Another advantage for me was the opportunity of living on a beautiful tropical island! I daily snorkeled, fished and swam in the Caribbean Sea, something many people pay hundreds of dollars to do for one week!

DR. THOMPSON: Edi, you were home-schooled when growing up in the islands. Do you feel that this deprived you of social interaction with other young people?

EDI: Absolutely not! We were very involved with the churched and unchurched young people of the island. As soon as we finished school in the afternoon, our yard was filled with friends. We spent hours playing volley ball, Ping-Pong, and playing guitars and singing. My dad built a “meeting place” across the street from our house. We had a volleyball court, basketball court, and Ping-Pong tables there. Three nights a week many of the young people met there to play sports. One night a week we had a Bible study with them. We never felt the lack of dating because we were so involved as a group.

DR. THOMPSON: Roy, you’ve told me that you attended Mexican schools. How did this affect you?

ROY: It gave me the opportunity to become fluent in Spanish and develop many close friendships with Mexican young people. This also allowed me tremendous insight into the Mexican culture, which I feel is still valuable to me today in my ministry in Latin America.

DR. THOMPSON: Roy, how is it that you felt fulfilled as a young man growing up in a third world country, missing out on some activities that young people feel are essential for happiness?

ROY: Real satisfaction in life is not dependent upon the country one is in or material possessions. God gives satisfaction in life when we do His will. When I was growing up in Mexico, I became involved in as many missionary activities as I could. This gave me something to do and some goals to strive for in my life. God called me to preach when I was quite young. Knowing this made me look for opportunities of service. I believe the reason some missionary kids are not happy is simply because they are not serving. Jesus tells us that service is a requirement for happiness in the Christian life (regardless of age or the country where one lives). Growing up in a missionary environment gave me opportunities for literature distribution, Sunday School work, youth work, evangelism, and many other activities that help keep one close to the Lord.

DR. THOMPSON: Be a little more specific about the things you did in the Lord’s work.

ROY: My father gave me opportunities and encouraged my participation in mission activities. Our youth meetings in Mexico were set up so that the young men preached and led singing; this I did while still a teenager. I would also go to a village every Sunday night to preach in a mission station where they still did not have a pastor. These experiences were extremely good, for they forced me to think about others and not be self-centered.

DR. THOMPSON: Edi, what kind of activities were you involved in on the island?

EDI: I began teaching Sunday School at age thirteen. I taught several age groups through the years. I was the pianist at church and sang with my brothers and sisters. I taught in Bible clubs and weekly girls clubs as I grew older. At age 16, I began to give piano lessons to several girls in our church. I was the secretary for the Bible study courses offered by our church through Source of Light Mission. Also, I traveled to different islands with my dad and participated in teaching and providing music for the meetings in which he preached.

DR. THOMPSON: Why is it that some children of missionaries (MK's) seem to resent growing up on the mission field?

ROY: Attitudes have a lot to do with this. If parents have the right attitude, it will be easier for the children to have the right attitude. Sometimes, missionary parents reminisce about home so much that their children feel that living overseas is a second-rate affair. Missionary parents need to emphasize the positive.phpects of the field where they live. As I grew up in Mexico, we went camping, fishing, and hiking, visited archaeological sites, etc. These activities are key opportunities when parents and children can spend time together. It is easy for the missionary to get so involved in his work that he does not spend any time with his children doing that which they enjoy. It is important to have the right attitude about finances and material things. Missions will always involve some type of sacrifice; however, if the missionary resents a sacrificial lifestyle, the children will certainly pick up on this. When we first went to Yucatan, my father did not have enough money to buy beds for my brother and me, so he bought us hammocks, like the locals slept in. Instead of , “Sorry, you have to sleep in hammocks,” it was, “Wow, you get to sleep in hammocks. Isn’t this great!”

It is also important to have the right attitude about nationals. Some missionary children have the wrong attitude toward the people they are living with because they hear the adults talking about the problems associated with the ministry. Children do not always properly distinguish between problems and people; sometimes, they are amazed to find that American people have the same problems nationals do. Talking negatively about nationals in front of the children should definitely be avoided.

DR. THOMPSON: Edi, what do you feel is the greatest advantage of growing up on the mission field?

EDI: The greatest advantage is that by adapting to and experiencing another culture as a MK, adaptation to still another culture as an adult missionary was much easier for me. I feel that the greatest place to raise future missionaries is on the mission field!

ROY: Not only did growing up on the mission field help me adapt to many situations later on in life, it gave me a greater appreciation for God’s work and the importance of getting the Gospel message to a world that will perish without Christ.

DR. THOMPSON: Thank you for sharing these experiences with me and the “WORLD”. I trust others will be encouraged by your testimonies, and our readers will pray more for our MK’s.