APRIL

MK, MISSIONARY

AND THIRD-CULTURE

A D V O C A T E

2013

MI CH EL E S NE WS

From Momos to Schnitzel

Ive been home for four days and still cant wrap words around the experiences of the last month. I cant remember the last time I was so challenged, so galvanized and so blessed. Thank you for praying! Nepal is unlike any place Ive ever known. Its people are kind, beautiful and weathered by the hardships of life in a developing country. Kathmandu is a beehive of blaring horns, potholed streets, teeming crowds and exotic aromas. It is also home to thousands of foreigners and dedicated missionaries. My work at Kathmandu International Study Center included leading sessions with staff and parents, as well as classroom lessons with grades 1 to 13! I also held individual meetings with adults and students, met with the parents and staff of a British school, had a translated seminar with members of the Korean community, spoke at a large womens Bible study, ate nearly every dinner with a different family, rode my borrowed bike on chaotic city streets, survived several taxi rides (think Mad Max on steroids), lived without electricity for 10 hours per day and avoided catching the disease most foreigners get from contaminated tap water. Most importantly, I realized again how vital this work is. I am sobered and humbled to have been entrusted with it.

Be shepherds of Gods ock that is under your care, watching over them not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be. I Peter 5:2
KATHMANDU, NEPAL:

The pace of my two weeks in Nepal was simultaneously exhilarating and exhausting! What few minutes I had to myself, I spent recrafting my sessions, learning to tailor them to 20 minutes with a class of international 6-year olds or 90 minutes with a roomful of ministry veterans from around the globe. It was a fortnight of challenge and tireless work, which God chose to use for eternal purposes. Our MKS need someone like you who has "been there," relate to what they are experiencing, and someone who help us as parents and educators to see how things we overseas can impact our kids. Your role is vital and we blessed by your insight and wisdom. (Jennifer) can can face were

P H OTO OVERLOAD!
There were too many memorable moments in my adventures to summarize with a handful of pictures here. Please visit www.michelephoenix.com/blog and click on Momos to Schnitzels for a quick slideshow of the trip!

Window Watcher He followed my trek to and from school every day from his perch.

KANDERN, GERMANY: From Nepal, I ew to Germany, where 400 delegates from Europe and Africa came together for a four-day conference focused on international education. I was honored to present several sessions on MK issues--the forces that shape them and the challenges that can harm them if were not careful to identify them. When over 100 people turned up for my talk on The Lies MKs Believe, which I had nearly canceled the day before, I gured there might be a need for the information I have to offer! How thrilling it was to see MK caregivers recognize truth in what I was saying, to hear parents making decisions to better protect and equip their children, and to participate in discussions aimed at crafting strategies to prevent the MK attrition weve seen in past generations. "My eyes were opened to the depth of the struggles faced by MKs. As I listened, I found your words encouraging and affirming, and came away inspired to do more to help my students." (Lauren)
Mountain Matriarch I was enthralled with her beauty during a trip to the mountains.

Kandern Krazies Ben and Evan are two of my only former students still at BFA. Love.

From the CEO at Kathmandu International: Thank you for making me think through MKs/ TCKs and their unique giftings again. [TCKs=children raised in multiple cultures] Thank you for the conversations you had with many adult TCKs on staff, as I have already seen transformation and healing in them. Thank you for helping the children gain a better grasp of their identity in Christ and for representing Him to the other international school parents. Thank you for bringing His presence more powerfully to KISC.

WAIT! Its not over yet! Another trip to Czech Republic and Spain is planned for May. Ill be
leading an in-service for a mission agency on the Czech/Polish border and holding seminars with staff and students at an MK school in Madrid...and thats before a summer full of stateside conferences and seminars! Our prayers for a thriving ministry are being answered in big ways.

PRAYER ITEMS:
PRAISE: for the army of ministry partners (you!) who make all this possible! for the dawning understanding and desire to make changes Ive seen in MKs, their parents and their teachers in recent weeks. for In Broken Places releasing on May 1! Preorder online or in your bookstore today! PRAY: for the stamina required by so much travel. for the truth God gives me to share to be clearly articulated and well received. for wisdom and discernment as I interact with MKs.

SERVING WITH GLOBAL OUTREACH MISSION

Give: using Global Outreachs Donate page - www.missiongo.org/support or write to Global Outreach, PO Box 2010, Buffalo, NY 14231-2010 Address: 27W190 Emerson Court, Wineld, IL 60190 Email: shellphoenix@gmail.com Phone: (331) 625 9030