What comes to mind when you hear the phrase missionary family? Maybe you picture a dad holding a Bible, a mom with a baby in one arm and a toddler clinging to another, and several stair-stepped children sprawled out around them. Maybe you imagine a hut in the jungle with outdoor toys strewn about, or recall the latest fundraising letter you received from missionaries in a country that cannot be named.
It’s easy to heroize families like these. They’ve given up the comforts of their home countries, choosing loneliness, challenges, and even physical danger in order to do what they believe God intends for them. But before we glorify our fellow Christians, we should pause and ask ourselves: is our praise what they need?
In “The Missionary Kids Are Not Alright,” Rebecca Hopkins suggests that it is not. Instead, she explains, missionary kids—whose definitions of home are complex and ever-shifting—need us to understand that they face high rates of trauma, mental illness, and faith deconstruction.
In other words, missionaries and their children crave what every human heart craves: listening ears and a place to belong.
Whether you know a missionary family who could use a friend or not, the wisdom remains the same. People belong in relationships, not on pedestals, and listening is often the place to start.
