A Wellspring of MK Community from a Drought of Isolation
Standing outside of the arrivals gate at Dublin Airport this past April, my volunteer helper Joan Miller and I eagerly awaited the arrival of three teenage girls, missionary kids (MKs) who currently live in Europe. As I searched the ongoing stream of faces for their beautiful smiles, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of God’s goodness as I remembered all that had led up to this exciting week.
Just three years earlier, I had launched a weekly “MK Hangout” on Zoom where our kids and teens could find connection and encouragement with like-minded peers. While this was partly in response to the worldwide COVID-19 lockdowns, God had also placed on my heart the desire to offer intentional discipleship opportunities for our MKs. And, sure enough, just a few months later a couple of virtual “Trail Groups” were birthed for just this purpose.
As the months and years progressed, the Trail Group containing these three girls grew ever stronger. Though isolation had created despair, God used this faithful little group to create a wellspring of joy and community when they needed it most.
Then, two startling facts struck me at once. One was that some of these girls had never met in person. The other was that they were all quickly approaching their high school graduations in the next year or so. Thus, God started to form in me an idea to gather these three young ladies together for one extraordinary trip.
So, after much planning and coordinating, the day had finally come to meet them in Ireland. As the third girl made her appearance through the terminal doors, their smiles and excitement lit up the room! What followed over the next three days as we explored cathedrals, Narnia trails, C.S. Lewis landmarks, and more could almost be described as magical, a true blessing from God.
Joan raved, “To see them connect with one another was just incredible and it was evident that bonds of a lifetime will forever exist among them…”
Praise God for blessing these MKs in such a special and meaningful way! He turns isolation into community and despair into joy!