MK forum

Yunker, so good to hear from you! We were in an obscure mission . . .Dad was usually in an anti-authority mode--wouldn't have lasted two weeks in NT. Did they serve God? I guess, as they knew him at the time. But really, I've stopped trying to figure that one out. I can't get black and white on it, because I don't agree with how they practiced and taught Christianity, but did see first-hand some of the good that happened. For one, I was able to be in an amazingly supportive and generous culture (the Brazilians). Wish that I had spent more time learning from them, while I was there. Your right, this stuff is painful. But it's better for me to express it then just secretly think it.

As to the future of us kids, yeah . . .we only got consideration as long as we went along with their plan . . .going to a Bible college, attending a supporting church, and preparing for the mission field. For a little while some churches sent me care packages. One gave me a green crate full of ivory soap, broken pieces that weren't packaged, and turned yellow. I felt really bad for not being inwardly more grateful for that soap. I hauled that green crate around for three years before I tossed it out.

What a great analogy, Allbetter ... how many of us hauled that crate of broken pieces around for years, out of a sense that we shouldn't be ungrateful ...
The adult MK experience is so very complicated because of our love for our own parents. We don't want to hurt them. We don't want them to know that part of us resents that we are expected to be grateful for the broken, discarded pieces ... that is all we were given and we are supposed to be thankful for that.
Coming to the place where we're able to discard that crate we've been carrying around out of a misplaced sense of obligation is so freeing.
And then we're ready to get the tattoo!

Are you referring to that old hymn, "Channels Only?". Hadn't thought of that one in years, had to read the lyrics. That's a tough one for me. I've got a slightly older friend that is stuck on the dying to self principle, and I keep telling her she looks sad when she says she needs to do that -- she argues that it's submission to God. I keep hoping that God understands that I'm just not there yet. I've got WAY too many hangups on that submission stuff. For those of you that are victorious, good. Just not even wanting to go to church these days . . .

And that ^, Gene Long, is the best answer yet. You really get it - and you put it into words.

I am a MK, a NTMer and a parent of abused. You got that right, Gene,
We knew what happened to those that went against the flow of school,,, they were thrown out and sent home. Who knows what happened from parents when they arrived home. You went with the flow to stay below the radar and stay in school so that you didn't ruin 'your dad's ministry'. There were ones that the staff had in their sights and the same ones were always disciplined and thrown out. I saw some on them in the last years....and they looked great. How they survived I'll never know.