The Messenger – Spring/Summer 2024
SAMS Retreat for the Americas
SAMS Missionaries and home office staff gathered last week at the Casa San Carlos Retreat Center in Delray Beach, Florida, for a time of refreshment and rejuvenation. The four day retreat provided the Missionaries time to connect with each other and to share what the Lord is doing in their lives. We were led in worship by Hunter Van Wagenen, a SAMS Associate Missionary. Hunter led the group through a series of reflections from his time over the last fifteen years on the Camino de Santiago. Hunter compared and contrasted his experience walking the 500-mile pilgrim’s path in northern Spain to the various stages of missionary service: Preparing to Go, Starting Out, Lost in the Middle, and Finishing Well.
Mike and Kim Miller, SAMS Associate Missionaries who live in St. Petersburg, led the group through the TCK (Third Culture Kids) Care Program that has launched this month to provide resources for Missionary Parents whose children are in the field with them. Mike Miller also led the group through a time of listening to God and thinking about Spiritual Discernment while helping the group apply those disciplines to their current ministries.
His reflections were received very well and were interspersed with break-out groups for times of sharing, listening and prayer. There was plenty of time to walk around the Retreat Center, play games, take group walks at nearby wetlands, soak in the jacuzzi, and talk over meals. On the last day some of the missionaries headed to the beach. Most importantly, God was present and active in the conversations, in the times of prayerful discernment, and in the one-on-one time that each missionary had with the Lord.
World Mission Sunday is this Sunday, February 4th
It’s not too late to get started to prepare, inform, and equip your parish to for World Mission Sunday, this Sunday, February 4th.
Head over to our World Mission Sunday Page which is full of resources.
Also visit our Anglican Global Missions Partner’s New Wineskin’s World Mission Sunday page.
New Program Launching for TCK Care of SAMS Families
The topic of third-culture kids (TCK) is like talking inside baseball. It’s a topic that most Christians have never heard of, much less considered, even if they do support missionaries. Yet, unlike change-ups and four-seam fastballs, it’s no game. It’s a dynamic that is present within missionary families and sending organizations. SAMS is pleased to announce a new program aimed at helping families with TCKs.
SAMS Associate Missionary, Kim Miller, is mobilizing a new TCK Care program specifically designed for SAMS missionary families. After serving with SAMS in Honduras for 14 years, Mike and Kim Miller learned first-hand the joys and challenges associated with raising a family overseas. When they repatriated to the U.S. in 2020, their daughters faced not only cultural adjustments but significant grief and emotional challenges.
Third-culture kids are those who are raised in a culture other than their parents or of the culture of their nationality. Because of this, ‘home’ is a complex concept for missionary kids whose citizenship is in one country, but their upbringing, or a significant part of it, is in another.
A recent Christianity Today article, ‘The Kids Are Not Alright,’ states that an estimated 425,000 foreign missionaries are serving around the world, and many are American. Regardless of their national origin, many of the kids of these families feel helpless.
Some are stuck in the United States having left because of the pandemic. Others are back in the U.S. to attend high school or college. There are other reasons as well, but the common thread is a loss of identity. With this loss comes grief, confusion, disillusionment, and even loss of faith.
In fact, a 2021 TCK Training survey indicates the level of trauma missionary kids experience is much higher—nearly double that of kids growing up in the United States. The real challenge is that these kids’ needs are often overlooked, according to TCK advocate Lauren Wells. “There is a myth that children are simply naturally resilient,” she says. “But resiliency is something that has to be nurtured and built and cared for.”
Mission societies, local churches, partners, and even families on and off the mission field are responding. While searching for resources to help their daughters process their grief, Kim Miller dove into the world of TCK care and discovered a new opportunity for ministry. Kim’s husband, Mike Miller, on the other hand, was motivated by his desire to see missionary fathers lead their families well and has been taking courses in spiritual formation and pastoral care. Together, the Millers will be using their past experiences and newly developed skills to serve SAMS missionary families.
The Miller family currently live in Florida where they continue to nurture families, support children impacted by trauma, and daily live their faith by pointing others to Jesus. The Millers will be phasing in this TCK Care program in early 2024. Please be prepared for more forthcoming information on this important program, and join us in praising God for the Millers and their heart for missionary kids.
Kenya Connection continues discipleship work among students and parents in Kenya
Lucy Chaves is a SAMS Associate Missionary serving mostly in western Kenya in conjunction with Kenya Connection, a ministry that she leads. She recently was in Kenya meeting with ministry partners in three areas: Siaya County the primary town within the Diocese of Maseno West, in Kilifi County among the Giriama people in an area that is predominantly Muslim, and in then in Nairobi.
In Siaya County they adopted a local primary school that was founded by the Anglican Church. They worked with the parents of students and with the students themselves, encouraging them in the faith and in their studies. Two of their students have both qualified for government scholarships for college.
The Giriama parents in Kilifi County were very responsive to instruction and counseling in encouraging their children to seek Christ and excel in their studies. Most of our students in Kilifi are Muslim and the Kenya Connection team experienced the spirit of unity despite the different religious backgrounds. Parents were asked to express at least one thing that they appreciated about their child, which is not an easy thing to do, especially in a culture where feelings of love and gratitude are demonstrated rather than said. Thankfully, many parents rose up to the occasion and affirmed their children. The team is grateful for the partnership they have with Reverend Moses and Mrs. Jane Oduor, and their leadership and mentorship.
In the Nairobi, the Kenya Connection team has approximately 45 students in High School, and the team emphasizes discipleship and responsibility to the students, while encouraging the parents to be active and present in their children’s life. They host a six-month discipleship program for those who graduate from high school. The program also includes job skills training and a newly established apprenticeship program. Following this meeting, staff member Asherry Wesonga, dedicated his weekends to setting up discipleship/fellowship for the parents. We have formed a relationship with the C.S Lewis Institute and we have been allowed to use one of their resources, The Ufalme experience which was tailor-made for Kenyan audiences. This is a double blessing for us because our media team in Nairobi helped the C.S Lewis institute to film the Ufalme project.
