TCK, MK, Are We OK?

Hello everyone! Emma here to hijack my mom’s blog. I mainly wanted to say something to update all of you on what the kids are learning.  Also, how we have been here in Nampa, Idaho.

Just like my parents, Jackson, RJ, and I have had classes to go to everyday. They are called “MK/TCK Training.” MK stands for missionary kid.  That term is pretty self explanatory. It means we are kids of a missionary parents.

TCK is a little harder to explain. TCK stands for third culture kid. The brief description of this is that we grew up in our passport country (America) and belong to that culture, and we are moving to a totally new country (Indonesia) and will partly belong to that totally new culture. As time goes on in Indonesia, we will develop new habits and thoughts as we are being immersed in their culture.  The result of that is called a third culture. Essentially, we will mix together our American culture with our new Indonesian culture to form our own unique culture. Maybe we should call it “Indomerican!” :)

The classes were really beneficial for us.  They taught us how to say healthy good-byes, what the best ways to make memories are, and how to cope with moving. This all leads to the same fact: through all of the moving and the crying and the hurt, we will be ok. 

Our teacher told us these things through an analogy. She taught us the different pieces of a hot air balloon and related it to coping overseas. Here is the short version:

• Envelope (the actual balloon part) – this is what the balloon is all about and displays the logos and colors; for us. This symbolizes our identity, especially that in Christ.
• Gondola (basket) – this is made of wicker, which is very strong to hold weight, but also flexible to withstand the harsh landing.  This means we need to know that we are strong to be able to do this with God, but we need to also be flexible and ready to accept new ways of life.
• Burner system – this is where the flame is located and what makes the balloon move up and down.  The flame symbolizes the Holy Spirit which drives us to do these amazing things for the Lord
• Tethers – these ropes are thrown out of the basket and are anchored into the ground to keep the hot air balloon steady once it lands.  There are old tethers that we will have to let go in order to fly away (things such as American school, friends, and food).  But there will be new tethers we will eventually anchor down in our new life (such as Indonesian school, friends, scenery, and food).

So, I tried to make this as easy to read as possible, and I just wanted to update you on how us kiddos are doing. Thanks everyone!