Cairo 2014

Cairo 2014

Friday, September 5, 2008

Summer 2008 ISMK Activities

MK Ministry Touches Africa
This July, MK Ministry Director Chad Phillips, who is passionate about helping MKs see the “other” side of missions, led a team of teenage MKs on a missions trip to Tanzania, Africa. The team camped ten days on the Indian Ocean without electricity or running water. They began the trip with a Tanzanian PK retreat for about 50 local pastors’ kids. The full-day retreat was unlike any these Tanzanian PKs had ever seen. Relationships, which are often not stressed in that culture, were the focus of the retreat. The team demonstrated to the PKs the value of authentic relationship with Christ through authentic relationships with each other.

For the remainder of the trip, the team spent each day painting at different village schools and government buildings. In the afternoons, they hosted a kids’ outreach with dramas and testimonies and followed up with a crusade each evening. At every service at least one person came to Christ. A man in full Muslim garb even came to one of the services. The team introduced him to the pastor of the local Assemblies of God church, and prayed with him as he gave his heart to the Lord. Does it get any better than that?

ISMK is currently planning next summer’s MK missions trip. We hope to work with the International Church in Podova, Italy and assist with a Vacation Bible School.


Boot Camp Prepares and Encourages MKs
Each summer the MK program hosts a summer camp to assist new MKs as they prepare for living on the field, and to encourage veteran MKs as they make the adjustment back to U.S. culture. During the first two weeks of the program, we have the opportunity to minister to missionary kids who are about to enter the field for the first time. One of the highlights for the older MKs (grades 4 through 12) is the MuKappa “Boot Camp” week. They spend five days camping (no tents or campsites) in the woods, and are not permitted to bring make-up, cell phones, iPods, or any other modern conveniences. The camping experience breaks down comfort zones and helps establish a fun, yet challenging environment for open communication. Many MKs come into the program unsure about their parents’ missionary calling and the thought of living in another culture. We at ISMK believe that God calls entire families into missions, not just parents. It’s always exciting to see how God uses their week of camping to open their hearts and give them a vision for personal ministry to the fields where they will live.

The final week of the program, our ministry focus changes as we help veteran MKs with reentry to the U.S. and provide an environment for emotional healing. The days are full of fun “American” activities like baseball games, bowling, and visiting theme parks. The evening services provide time for discipleship, prayer, and worship. One specific evening, our upper elementary (grades 4 and 5) MKs experienced a moving prayer time which led into a discussion of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. By the end of the evening many parents were waiting outside the room while the Spirit of God moved. Several MKs were filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit that night! MKs that go into full-time ministry often experience the call of God during our summer program. Perhaps some of these Upper Elementary kids will become the next generation of missionaries!

Giving back: Alumni-led Task Force
Your investment in MKs truly makes a difference! Many of them, after having graduated high school, are passionate about investing in and encouraging younger MKs. Our annual MK Task Force trips allow alumni to give back to ISMK by leading on-field MK retreats. In January 2008, six MK alumni traveled to Togo, West Africa where they ministered to about 30 younger missionary kids. Every age level of MKs was included in the activities. They played games, enjoyed snacks, made crafts, and spent the evenings in worship and discipleship. The team didn’t receive most of their luggage until the second-to-last day, but they remained flexible and had a wonderful attitude about ministering to the MKs.

We were also blessed this year to be able to take a trip to India, Turkey, and Tajikistan. Chad Phillips led the retreat in India and was able to invest in the lives of the MKs while speaking in the chapel service at the international school in Turkey. The opportunity to pour into the lives of the MKs through counsel and fellowship was well worth the discomforts they endured: no electricity or heat for three days!