3 Cultures, 1 Kid

At the end of May, Ben had the opportunity to speak at a college retreat for MKs (missionary kids) in central PA. It was his first experience as a retreat speaker and he did an awesome job! All of the kids at the retreat have parents who are missionaries for New Tribes Missions. Many of these kids grew up in the jungle in Papa New Guinea, Venezuela, West Africa, etc. Most of them went barefoot the whole weekend and when at one point it started pouring rain, rather than running inside for cover, many of them took it as an opportunity to create their own slip 'n' slide on the grass. It was fun getting to know them and hearing their stories about growing up in such a wildly different atmosphere than Ben or I come from.

I think Ben was a little nervous going into the weekend that he wouldn't be able to relate to this group very well since he grew up in Germany in a nice, clean house with plenty of food, English speakers, and political stability. But as the weekend progressed, Ben's 3rd "Cultureness" came out. Sometimes I forget that he falls into this category of "3rd Culture Kid" or TCK. It means you grew up in a different culture from where your parents are from and so you try to create this third culture that is a combination of the two. It's challenging for these kids to re-enter their parents' cultures....for example, when Ben moved back to America for college, he looked like an American, spoke like one, and for the most part, seemed like he knew what was going on. He even lived in America for the first seven years of his life and a few in between his Germany years. But there was this whole other world that existed for him that no one around him could access or understand.  For those of us that received him on this side of the pond, the differences didn't seem like that big of a deal. Sometimes he used funny words for things. He didn't understand references to Saved by the Bell or 90210. But for him the differences ran deeper. For most of us, our parents and siblings live on the same continent. Our peers understand the culture where we grew up. We have homes to return to on college breaks and vacations from work. For people who grew up like Ben, these things we take for granted are absent. And throughout the weekend, I saw Ben make connections with these young college students based on the deeper issues that connect TCK's. I was so proud of him and so thankful for the opportunity to spend a weekend with these remarkable individuals.

We were so thankful for the chance to get out of the city and experience a beautiful piece of PA. Thank you New Tribes for spoiling us with your hospitality and for giving us a glimpse into the amazing work of your mission!!