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REAL LIFE

Proud of Mum and Dad - the grown son of missionaries shows his support

By Brian MacHarg, LAM News Service (www.lam.org)

Last Christmas holiday, I set about cleaning out and reorganizing my garage. Deep in a dust-covered box that had been unopened for several years, I found a letter written to me by my father almost 13 years earlier.
The letter was written by hand and on what I would guess was a tiny folded-down airplane tray while my parents flew to Quito, Ecuador, where they would serve as missionaries with HCJB for eight years.

The letter expressed the many difficult feelings that my father was experiencing in having to separate from his family because of a call to missions. In his letter, my father said that day had been one of the worst of his life. "I must tell you that the empty feeling in the pit of my stomach was terrible. Mum and I both cried most of the way to Cincinnati" (the first connection on their flight to Quito). His letter helped me recall my own feelings at that time.

I too felt sadness on that day. I was 19 when my parents expressed their desire to pursue their call to mission work. Each had been interested in the possibility for some time, even prior to my leaving home for college.
I was a student at a college in Florida, several states away from my home town of Louisville, Kentucky. Yet, while we were separated by a 15-hour drive, I always had the security of calling home conveniently and cheaply, hopping on an inexpensive flight at holidays and knowing where I would spend my summers. It was difficult to see my parents go and to know that they would be in another hemisphere where regular mail could take weeks and phone calls from the States sometimes cost a dollar a minute.

Independence gained

I have now come to realize that God was doing many good things in my life and in the lives of my family members. In many ways, I gained a new sense of independence and confidence as a result of the separation.

The first summer that my parents were gone, I had a small apartment in Louisville - my first. While very nervous at first about the responsibilities of living alone, I began to enjoy learning to cook my own food, pay my bills and keep my apartment safe and clean. Previously, I had relied on my parents to do many of these things. My parents' departure to the mission field gave me an independence that I enjoyed.

Another newfound joy of having my parents on the mission field was the opportunity to travel to Ecuador and elsewhere in Latin America to join my folks. While in college, I visited when I could, enjoying the chance to travel to an exotic part of the world that I otherwise would not have been able to see.

As I reflect upon that time, I believe that one of the things that made the transition of my parents to the mission field easier was the meticulous logistical work they put in to make sure that I was taken care of. My parents carefully found my apartment for that first summer, documented all the necessary legal and financial information that I might need, arranged necessities such as new health care coverage and also navigated the work of re-configuring my college financial aid material to suit their new and lower income.

While I was newly independent in a number of ways, they were very careful to make sure that every detail of my safety and wellbeing was taken care of. Such work on their part made the transition so much easier and less stressful.

From time to time, I would get lonely, miss being able to sit and talk with my parents face to face, or wonder where I would be spending the next Thanksgiving. Ultimately, however, I clearly understood that my parents were following a call. My father states in his letter: "While Mum and I feel genuinely called to this work, we have often wondered, and especially today, if we made the break too soon."

The break wasn't too soon. I knew that this was something that they had felt called to do for several years. If anything, I thought at the time that they had waited too long to pursue that call. I knew that my parents had gifts for this work, and I knew that they wanted to serve God in this way. Who could object to such a driving force?

I am proud of the work my parents are doing in missionary service. They make sacrifices many would not consider. They have compromised comfort, finances and security, all in the name of service to God.

What better example can a parent ever give to his or her child?

Brian MacHarg is the director of service ministry at Eckerd College in St Petersburg, Florida, where he lives with his wife Jennifer and 15 animals

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		REAL LIFE Proud of Mum and Dad - the grown son of missionaries shows his support By Brian MacHarg, LAM News Service (www.lam.org) Last Christmas holiday, I set about cleaning out and reorganizing my garage. Deep in a dust-covered box that had been unopened for several years, I found a letter written to me by my father almost 13 years earlier. The letter was written by hand and on what I would guess was a tiny folded-down airplane tray while my parents flew to Quito, Ecuador, where they would serve as missionaries with HCJB for eight years. The letter expressed the many difficult feelings that my father was experiencing in having to separate from his family because of a call to missions. In his letter, my father said that day had been one of the worst of his life. "I must tell you that the empty feeling in the pit of my stomach was terrible. Mum and I both cried most of the way to Cincinnati" (the first connection on their flight to Quito). His letter helped me recall my own feelings at that time. I too felt sadness on that day. I was 19 when my parents expressed their desire to pursue their call to mission work. Each had been interested in the possibility for some time, even prior to my leaving home for college. I was a student at a college in Florida, several states away from my home town of Louisville, Kentucky. Yet, while we were separated by a 15-hour drive, I always had the security of calling home conveniently and cheaply, hopping on an inexpensive flight at holidays and knowing where I would spend my summers. It was difficult to see my parents go and to know that they would be in another hemisphere where regular mail could take weeks and phone calls from the States sometimes cost a dollar a minute. Independence gained I have now come to realize that God was doing many good things in my life and in the lives of my family members. In many ways, I gained a new sense of independence and confidence as a result of the separation. The first summer that my parents were gone, I had a small apartment in Louisville - my first. While very nervous at first about the responsibilities of living alone, I began to enjoy learning to cook my own food, pay my bills and keep my apartment safe and clean. Previously, I had relied on my parents to do many of these things. My parents' departure to the mission field gave me an independence that I enjoyed. Another newfound joy of having my parents on the mission field was the opportunity to travel to Ecuador and elsewhere in Latin America to join my folks. While in college, I visited when I could, enjoying the chance to travel to an exotic part of the world that I otherwise would not have been able to see. As I reflect upon that time, I believe that one of the things that made the transition of my parents to the mission field easier was the meticulous logistical work they put in to make sure that I was taken care of. My parents carefully found my apartment for that first summer, documented all the necessary legal and financial information that I might need, arranged necessities such as new health care coverage and also navigated the work of re-configuring my college financial aid material to suit their new and lower income. While I was newly independent in a number of ways, they were very careful to make sure that every detail of my safety and wellbeing was taken care of. Such work on their part made the transition so much easier and less stressful. From time to time, I would get lonely, miss being able to sit and talk with my parents face to face, or wonder where I would be spending the next Thanksgiving. Ultimately, however, I clearly understood that my parents were following a call. My father states in his letter: "While Mum and I feel genuinely called to this work, we have often wondered, and especially today, if we made the break too soon." The break wasn't too soon. I knew that this was something that they had felt called to do for several years. If anything, I thought at the time that they had waited too long to pursue that call. I knew that my parents had gifts for this work, and I knew that they wanted to serve God in this way. Who could object to such a driving force? I am proud of the work my parents are doing in missionary service. They make sacrifices many would not consider. They have compromised comfort, finances and security, all in the name of service to God. What better example can a parent ever give to his or her child? Brian MacHarg is the director of service ministry at Eckerd College in St Petersburg, Florida, where he lives with his wife Jennifer and 15 animals © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.