FAITHFUL WITNESS: Children are a wonderful gift to Faithful Witness

BY AMY BAREHAM

After a decade of serving tribes in Ethiopia, Selam and her husband Dejen relocated their young family to North Africa this summer to join a Faithful Witness team bringing the gospel to leastreached communities.

Selam says, “When we started this journey, we told the kids, ‘God wants us to go here – not just mummy and daddy, but all of us. He wants us to invest our everything in this country. We’ll have to leave our home, our friends, our school – everything. Are you willing to do that?’ And they said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’”

To help Faithful Witness families have these conversations, SIM connects them with Th ird Culture Kid (TCK) Coordinators, like Mindy who works at SIM International. Her role is to provide care as parents consider the ways a placement will impact their children.

She explains, “Th ere are 1,600 kids in SIM, and every one of those children has different needs. With SIM personnel in 50 countries, we are able to address these needs.”

Helping children acclimatise to foreign environments can be overwhelming, and Mindy fi nds that grief is a common response for kids. She says, “Th eir sense of attachment and belonging can suff er. When they move crossculturally, the way they make sense of their world must change. Th ere can be multiple layers of loss.”

For parents, displays of grief can be troubling. Mindy explains: “Th ey’re in the throes of a major transition themselves, trying to remember where they put the diapers or what time dinner is at the next supporter’s house.

“Th ey’re handling any number of crazy details in ever-changing crazy circumstances while processing their own sense of homelessness and un-rootedness. And then they’re trying to navigate their child’s emotions, too.

“While this is quite a trial, we have each other and the Holy Spirit. As these emotions of fear, sadness, and frustration come, we have the opportunity to be the tangible love of Jesus in our children’s lives. Emotions are our body’s signals. A sad child is telling us something is broken, and we get the privilege of comforting them and lamenting with them.”

Mission work is physically and emotionally taxing – for adults and children alike – yet Selam has seen her children refresh her spirit on the hard days. When the family’s rental contract fell through shortly after they arrived in North Africa, Selam’s little boy prayed boldly.

She recalls, “Our son just knelt down. He said, ‘God, you are seeing me now. I am bowing down. And you will get this contract signed today.’ Th e contract was approved that afternoon.” Selam smiles and says, ‘Th at’s my son!”

It is this audacious faith, Selam says, that makes children such a gift to a ministry environment. “People may think they can get more done without kids, but I disagree. It is a privilege to have children, not a burden.

“You can feel very discouraged in mission, and children come along and lift you up. Th ey are a blessing and teach you a lot.”

May the fervour of Selam’s children be a source of deep joy for their mother: one of the fi rst faithful witnesses they ever met.

To support the work of this Faithful Witness family, visit https:// www.sim.org/donate and use misson worker number 041924.

PLEASE PRAY

Ask God to establish Selam, Dejen, and their children in their new community.

Pray for life-giving rhythms and meaningful relationships  Pray for the family as they study language.

Ask God to provide the parents with margin to learn and process information.

Intercede for the children as they navigate big feelings and learn how to communicate their needs.

Photo: Sandra Saitaama on Unsplash