As we observed the fish at the aquarium, Emme suddenly said “There’s a ‘gaikokujin sakana’ (foreigner fish).” She pointed out the one lone neon tetra fish in the large tank of other freshwater fish. Emme explained she felt like that fish in school, the only foreigner; the one that always stands out from her classmates.
Many missionary kids (MKs) struggle with this. This past year, I had the joy of working as a childcare worker with OMF in northern Japan.
Every day, I would go to the OMF Hokkaido center to care for preschool students whose parents were in the language school. Most had entered Japan in the last two years. We played games, read books, had Bible and craft time, and played in the park. The goal was to make every child feel safe, loved, and help them transition into Japan.
Once a week, I tutored a few of our kids who needed extra support in English. Before the lesson, I asked how their day was. When I began with listening to their joys and struggles, I created a safe place to talk in their heart language. I also visited the kindergarten a lot of our MKs go to and twice a month taught English there. This was an opportunity to be a light to local Japanese kids and to be someone our MKs know at their school.
One of my favorite times was working with our pre-teens and teens. Once a month, our teen group met for worship, games, Bible study, and fellowship. It’s a time when they can be themselves and be open about the joys and hardships of living overseas. Then, once a week, I met up with Emme, one of our preteens, to be an older sister. We baked, did craft and Bible devotions, played claw machines and arcade games, and went on mini-adventures.
Being a “foreigner fish” can strain the heart and mind, so caring for our missionary kids is incredibly important. It takes a village. I also had amazing short-term workers who joined me in planning and caring, and several other missionaries have become spiritual aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
Please pray for our missionary kids who have come from all around the world and for us to be a good spiritual family and support them well.
By LeAnne, an OMF Associate
