By RemoPaul
Introduction:
To quote what I was told at a workshop of an International Conference (The only one I have attended), “Please Shut up and sit down and stop raising issues of MKs. We have enough evidence of God blessing the MKs more than other kids because of the high calling of their parents”. No questions asked about God blessing us (I say US because I am a MK) because of the high calling of our parents. God has blessed me beyond any of my wildest dreams, BUT this in no way absolves the mission leaders of their responsibilities with regards to MK care.
At 27 years of age I can now maturely look back and praise God for his faithfulness in His provision, guidance and support, but what about the many questions that never were answered, those many pains that never were attended to, those many fears that were never calmed, those hurts that never were healed. No, we MKs are not emotional wrecks; the Lord in His great mercy has provided us with the necessary coping mechanism to deal with these issues.
Before we proceed any further we need to ask the following question, Do we let God continue to help the MKs find their own coping mechanisms or do we as mission leaders and persons involved in member care get involved with MKs in assisting them to develop these coping mechanisms?
Ask that question to me and I would say – We have no choice but get involved in the issues pertaining to MKs acknowledging the fact that the Lord is the supreme guide and the only solution to any problem. All of us must have heard the saying that goes, as “The youth of today are the future of India.” Extending that I would say, “The MKs of today are the pillars of tomorrows mission in India.” If we want to be producing quality pillars let us start working on it today.
Boarding Schools for MKs – The Concept:
The most pressing issue that all missionaries face is the education of their children. Being stationed in remote parts of India it becomes impossible for missionaries to find any form of quality education close to their mission station. This resulted in the mushrooming of boarding schools for MKs.
Boarding Schools for MKs – The Pros and Cons:
Now the question that needs to be answered is, are the boarding schools a boon or bane?
There is no straightforward YES or NO answer for this question. Through the next few paragraphs I am going to try and explain the pros and cons of boarding schools for MKs. These are based on personal experiences and observations.
- Quality Education:
I will any day stand up and salute the team at Santhosha Vidhyalaya (a school for MK situated in Dhonavur in Tamil Nadu) for what they have given me in the years that I spent studying there. That is the best I could have got both spiritually and academically. Had I stayed with my parent in the mission station I would not have got half of what I got at Santhosha Vidhyalaya.
The staff (teaching and non-teaching) takes extra care in ensuring that quality education is imparted to the students in such schools for MK. It is not only that the quality academic education is imparted. Extra care is also taken that correct spiritual nurture is also given. Most of my spiritual base was laid in Santhosha Vidhyalaya.
However sometimes though there is quality education available in the mission station, the MK is still sent to a boarding school. This is sometimes a result of parental decision and sometimes due to the policy of the mission organisation. Some mission agencies have a list of approved schools and if the parent places the child in any other school the mission agency refuses to pay the fees. Mission agencies with such policies need to stop and check and examine their policies and come up with more MK friendly policies.
- Protected Environment:
The remoteness of most boarding schools for MKs has proven to be a blessing in disguise. The school authorities are very picky in who comes into the school campus and this has resulted in the filth staying out of the campus. Though a blessing in disguise it has also blocked out the realities of life till a MK leaves the school to go into the world for college education. This surely does lead to a state of shock when we come to terms with the realities of life. For instance when for the first time I realised that the world has a whole lot of people who are not honest, it took me weeks to accept that and settle down.
I am not advocating that a whole lot of dishonest people need to make regular visits to the boarding schools, but care needs to be taken to keep the MK informed of the realities of life. Ofcourse a lot needs to be learnt with experience, but adjustment to realities become easier when experiencing them in the real world if MK is kept informed of the realities of the world.
Now the protection is so tight that healthy competitions are also kept out. Weather you like it or not the Indian education system is highly competitive. In a boarding school the only competitor a MK has is his/her classmate and he/she need not necessarily be the best competition that an MK can get. Healthy academic and intellectual competitions with other schools need to be developed on a regular basis.
- Family Values:
However loving the dorm warden may be a boarding school can never replace a home. A home is always a home. Tucked away in a boarding school for about 10 months of a year a MK tends to imbibe more of the community living ethics rather than family ethics. For instance till date I do not understand the necessity to sit around a table and eat as a family. At the hostel I ate because it was mealtime or because I was hungry. Neither do I understand as to what is so great about a family picnic or a shopping trip. Now that I hope to start a family of my own I am making efforts to understand what I never did and the Lord has been good in His teaching and Guidance.
An Alternative:
Boarding schools for MKs are here to stay until an alternative is found. So what is the alternative? Here is what I think could be an alternative.
Parents in cities and towns could take in one or two MKs into their homes. Then the MK gets quality education, grows up in a Christian and protected environment and most importantly grows in a family environment. This is a suggestion that needs to be developed on and worked on.
Conclusion:
I am not taking away the credit due to boarding schools for MKs. They have done great job addressing the need of the hour and they continue to do so in the present situation. However boarding schools also need to rethink their operational strategy while an effective means of alternate education is evolved.
On a closing note parents who can find quality education in their mission stations under NO circumstance should place their children in boarding schools. - with comments by Mishaela
Yesterday evening Joel and I attended a screening of “All God’s Children” that we had been planning for several months. 
When time, geography or financial constraints keep you from being with family, a little old-fashioned imagination combined with some of today’s technological conveniences can keep you connected and make you feel…almost as if you’re there. 
By DA Fletcher
mkPLANET is a growing community designed and run by current missionary kids (MKs) and adult missionary kids (AMKs) that strives to provide a safe and open environment for interaction, information, and support.
