Not of this World
for MK girls by MK girls
Tagged with TCK Topic …
Jet Lag Tips
Here are a few tips to avoid jet lag!
Prepare for your journey three days in advance.
First Day: Eat a high-protein breakfast and lunch, such as bacon eggs sausages, or steak, and a high-carbohydrate dinner, such as pasta, potatoes or rice.
Second Day: Eat only very light meals.
Third Day: Eat whatever you want!
Departure Day: As soon as you get on the plane, adjust your watch to the time of your destination. Make sure you only eat meals according to your watch. Drink plenty of water during your flight and stay awake if it is daytime at your destination. Sleep on the plane if it is nighttime at your destination. Use earplugs, headphones and eye masks to block out noise and light. If you arrive at you destination during the day, don’t go to sleep; take a shower and then get out and do something. In the evening, eat a meal and go to bed at you normal time.
Thanks Ragan K. for sharing these tips!
Thankful
Are you thankful for your Christian brothers and sisters? It can be hard to be thankful for them sometimes, especially the ones in your home country because they’re often so different from you. If you struggle to appreciate the Christians you meet when you’re home on furlough in the States (or wherever your home country is), consider the following:
Many of the Christians you’ll meet have not ever left the US. They don’t know what life in another country is like nor can they comprehend what having several different homes is like. One thing that you have in common is Christ. If you can’t find anything else to talk about, tell the person how God is working in your life or how He has in the past.
They’re doing their best to relate to you. Even though they can’t understand what it’s like to be an mk, they want to be a friend. Take time to listen to what they have to say and get to know them a bit. You can share with them some about your experiences as a missionary kid, but remember to listen, too. 
The Christians you interact with could be supporters of your family both through prayer and finances. If you get a chance, thank them for their generosity and share with them how God is using their money and time to further His kingdom wherever you work.
Next time you have a hard time being thankful for the people God has placed around you, remember these tips and consider how you can be a blessing to others!
Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. -Philippians 1:3-6
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Written by Jessica B.
Acquainted With All My Ways
To mix things up, I recorded a video for today’s post instead of just writing. I have to admit, I feel pretty self-conscious putting this up! I’ve been going back and forth about posting it, but decided I might as well.
So now you know what my voice sounds like! Hope you like it!
Saying Goodbye Well
As TCKs (third culture kids), we have to say goodbyes more often than the average person. People are constantly going and coming and sometimes we even have to say goodbye to family members as they go off to college or move back to the US.
Goodbyes are hard to say. It aches to mutter such final words. It’s a whole lot easier and saves a lot of heart ache to just not say goodbye. Later on, though, when the suitcases are out of sight and the memories flood into your mind, you’ll regret not saying goodbye and your friendship might even suffer from it. In the end, it’s worth saying goodbye and when you say it, make sure it’s well said. Here are three ways to say goodbye well…
1. Forgive and Forget. Colossians 3:12-14 says, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” If there’s anything from the past that you need to ask forgiveness for, do it. Also, if there’s anything that you still have against the person that’s leaving, forgive her/him. You don’t want to say goodbye when there are still some cobwebs in your relationship. Even if it’s painful, and even if you have to initiate, bring everything out in the open and forgive.
2. Be intentional. Purposefully ask for a time to say goodbye. Whether that’s just ten minutes together or talking over ice cream or coffee for an hour, make time to talk about all of your past memories and let the person know how much they mean to you. Exchange contact information if you don’t already have it. List things you love about that person. Take a last picture. Use this time to forgive each other for past instances. Pray together. Don’t make your last moments together a teary, achy, miserable experience. Enjoy the company of this person and leave knowing you ended well.
3. Be thankful. Be thankful for the opportunity of getting to know this person. Instead of being gloomy, be joyful about all the wonderful memories you have together and look to the future for all the new memories you’ll make. Sometimes the sweetest friendships develop best at distances. Stay optimistic and continue to pray for your friend. Also, look forward to the new relationships God will bring into your life.
Next time you have to say goodbye to someone you love, remember to end well and confidently say goodbye knowing your relationships is on the right track. Also, remember that if your friend has a personal relationship with Jesus, then one day you will be together again in Heaven and there will be no more goodbyes. And even though sometimes it’s easy to forget, we all do have one friend that we will never ever have to say goodbye to: God. Take your aches and hurts and broken friendships to Him and let Him heal you with His perfect friendship.
TCK Survey
A friend is trying to do research on today’s TCKs (Third Culture Kids) and would really appreciate it if you took some time to complete this survey if you’re a TCK: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TheNewTCK
Pass it on to any of your TCK friends so she and her team can collect their research
