MK forum

Naomi,
Good insight. God has also placed in all of us specific abilities and talents as well. I cannot tell my son that he can do and be anything that he wants to because that is just not the case. So many people would love to be in the military and will never be able to because of health conditions or other things. I do not think that God has a specific job we must do on the Earth in order to be happy and serve Him, but I do think that we should strive to find what talents we have been given so that we can use them wisely in our lives. Your perspective would have helped our conversation greatly in Brasil.

Of course I must add that I often think about the story of Jonah and the big fish when I think of someone running away from what God has called or asked them to do. We often end up where we were supposed to go, it is just some decisions lead us straight there and some lead us on a bumpy, longer path.

Naomi
You Said, "I don't believe that God has a specific will for our lives. A specific Plan." I could not agree with you more!!!

For the record I'm a current NTMer however, I was not an MK. Also, since this is the first time I'm posting anything significant I wish to say I am very sorry to all of you who first suffered at the hands of your abusers and then again because NTM leadership failed to take appropriate actions. My hope is this time around that the outcomes will be much more in line with the crimes committed. However, as we all know the possibility of equitable justice given the passing of time and circumstances is nearly impossible. Perhaps as Kari has pointed out from time to time the most important thing going forward is NTM needs to reinforce their child protection policies so that the chances of these atrocities ever occurring again are super minimized. I ask you to pray for my courage in challenging leadership decisions as they move forward in this process.

Ok back to the Will of God subject. I prefer to think of God's will in this manner. If, you draw a circle on a piece of paper and say everything inside the circle is God's will and everything outside the circle is not God's will you have a decent model. (Please keep in mind it is difficult to create a prefect model for a perfect infinite God.) Anything, inside the circle is what the scriptures have to say on any given topic thus it is God’s will. The stuff outside the circle is not God's will. Also, remember there are some neutral choices in life like what will you eat today. I don't think the Lord is really concerned with what food you will eat today. Then again you might want to think about that if you are going to eat at McDonalds today (JOKE!!!).

The problem is the idea is out there in the Christian world that God's will is linear or specific...in other words for example there is a specific place in the world for each person to be serving the Lord. I would submit that the whole world is God's and therefore it is within in God's will to serve anywhere in the world. In fact, the scriptures call us to reach people locally, then a little further out, then further yet and finally the whole world (see Acts 1:8). What our involvement is in each of those areas of the world is for us to work out with the Lord personally. However, for sure all believers are called to engage the loss no matter where we live. Thus the will of God in the circle example is to engage the lost in every part of the world. That does not mean God has specifically said to me you need to go and serve Me in France.

Finally, I want you to all know the circle will of God concept I'm attempting to explain in writing was a concept that was taught to me by a teacher at NTBI in a classroom with about 60 plus students. I know he taught the same information to many classes on different occasions over a number of years. Thus, I wish to say that there is a good chance that not all NTMer's submit to the "Specific Linear Will Idea" today.

HD - We used to joke about calls to specific countries (when I was in NTM). However, I also remember having communicated to me various things that sometimes contradicted one another about God's will. It was hard leaving the mission because it felt like I was stepping out of God's will ("no man puts his hand to the plow" was popularly quoted at times), yet, others would acknowledge that God called people out of the mission to do other work.

I have learned a lot since I left about God's will, and have a better perspective, based on the Word of God.

I so agree that linear isn't the answer. I think that scripture has a lot to say about God's will that is very definite, and most of the time (seems to me) it has to do with our life and walk, and not necessarily to do with vocation.

I have friends who felt a 'call' or 'burden' to go to certain countries, and who knows? Maybe they were called. I just think that for most of us, it isn't that definite or linear.

Christ calls us to follow Him. There is no more important call than that.

FrmrNTer

100% agree with you!!! I think I can safely say many current day NTM'ers would agree as well. I can also say much has changed in NTM in recent years but as always there is a need to improve things even more. As some have indicated on this forum NTM's wording regarding what will be done in the event of abuse on a foreign field is vague. It needs to be improved and my understanding is things are in process to make updates. I hope to see an update that says an abuser will be reported to foreign authorities.

@verily

In my own life, I left the field as an MK and entered NTBI. It was almost routine - what was expected. After completing NTBI, the question for me really became "is this God's will or am I just continuing in my comfort zone?" For me, it was what I knew. Funny thing, there was really no discussion at NTBI. I felt like if I was the square peg for the square hole then so be it - you're in.

@Another MK

While I agree that MKs are never quite a part of their sending country's culture and are "uniquely suited" to going overseas, I also think it is a fallacy to believe we are a part of the culture of the country we grew up in either. Thus the term Third Culture Kids (TCKs), a product of a third culture that is a unique mixture of the two. I think in some ways growing up in the country may actually hinder doing mission work there, depending on the individual person's motive. If your motive is to stay in a comfortable and safe environment, I would doubt your effectiveness as a missionary.

@jmg

I think your response to my question was a good and encouraging one, and thanks for it. I am not saying it's necessarily a bad thing for MKs to become missionaries, just that I wish there was more thought put into the motives for making that decision. 18 year old MKs who have never know anything other than New Tribes should be encouraged to spend a year or two doing something other than just going straight into Bible school, in my opinion.

@the rest

I appreciate all of your input on my question - some good points have been raised. I do maintain that the huge amount of second and third and fourth generation missionaries is many times the result of a form of what can only be called brainwashing. When you grow up as a periphery and relatively unimportant part of your parents' great work, combined with the Third Culture Kid phenomenon, it becomes very difficult to separate yourself from it without feeling pain and guilt for second-guessing how you were raised. And instead of moving through that pain and coming out a personal, alive and grace-filled relationship with God, it's often easier to do one of two things: 1. either go the complete opposite direction as we have seen some of the people on this forum who have turned away from spiritual things altogether or 2. numb it by placing yourself in an occupation and under leadership that feels comfortable and familiar. And which of these options feels safer and keeps your family happier?

@Naomi and HD

I completely agree with your thoughts on how God leads…well articulated, both of you. My point here is that many people DO believe God specifically called them to mission work, and that they cannot use that as an umbrella excuse for things that happened with the organization they aligned themselves with.

I think this is part of the problem experienced by some of the Senegal leadership folks who don't feel repentant for what happened at Fanda and also explains the deafening silence we are getting from old-school Senegal missionaries that we used to know well - they found their significance in being part of a "mission from God" and lost thus their ability to go to him for day to day leading. This is why they can stand by their decisions at that time without feeling remorse or sadness. They walked in the light they had, right? Much like some members of the Catholic church, they gave up their need to listen for God's personal nudges in their lives because, after all, God used the Field Committee to dictate his desires, thus removing them of any culpability.

Anywho, I ramble. But good conversation, folks! Keep it up.

Verily

I have a daughter who plans on going to NTBI when she finishes HS. Mind you she has the right to change her mind at any time. However, she has no interest in going into missions as a vocation. She simply wants to get a decent bible education before she starts any kind of secular education. Truly, my wife and I are prefeclty fine with that idea. Again, reality is that what she wants to do is up to her.

However, as someone eluded to before MK's are pre-equipped for life in another country. That does not mean therefore all MK's should return to the mission field. However, I do believe God allows life experiences to play a part in our futures. But that would only be one factor for an MK to consider as to whether or not they should serve the Lord in foreign country.

Is it an issue for anyone that NTBI is still not an accredited educational institution?