What about the Kids

Derek and Irislee Koch, along with their children, Ellie, Isaac, Hannah and Olivia, are missionaries with the PAOC in the Mid-Term Mission Program. Serving in Thailand, they have taken a courageous and radical step of faith in order to help reach and care for a desperate and vulnerable community of people thousands of miles away.

Secret fears hindering many from pursuing the call of God to the mission field include: fear of a foreign culture, fear of isolation and, for many, fear of the negative impact that moving to a foreign country may have on young children. The Kochs share their story of God’s faithfulness to their entire family as they respond to His call to serve in a distant country.

Ever thought about going into a cross-cultural setting but had second thoughts about dragging your children along with you? Did you wonder how would they handle culture shock? Whether they would hinder your ability to accomplish ministry? How the entire move would benefit them? We had those questions too—but decided to take the plunge anyway. And it’s one of the best decisions we have ever made! My wife, four kids, and I are volunteering with Imagine Thailand for one year. Our ministry focus is the Burmese and Karen migrant schools along the Thai-Burma border. We’ve been here for four months and we’re learning a lot!

One of our most amazing discoveries is this: our children are equal partners with us in the work we do here.

"One of our most amazing discoveries is this: our children are equal partners with us in the work we do here."

Our eldest daughter Ellie, 13, leads a preschool class for 40 students. The rest of our family helps, but she’s in charge. She plans the lessons and leads the “staff” meetings. Ellie has always been a leader, but here in Thailand, there has been more opportunity for her abilities to be used.” Just last night she commented, “Each of the children in our family has been challenged and each of us now has an enlarged capacity. When we go home, we need to make sure we serve God based on our new capacity.”

Isaac, 12, our athlete, played soccer on a school team in Mae Sot (a school where we teach English). Playing on this team has given us more occasions to interact with children and teachers. Winning the city championship 2-1, with Isaac assisting on both goals, was a bonus! Along with playing pickup soccer games wherever he goes, owning a machete, and lighting firecrackers whenever he wants, it’s easy to see that Thailand has been pretty good to Isaac.

Hannah, 9, looks incomplete when there isn’t a small child or baby on her hip. She has a natural love for babies and the ability to make them feel comfortable with her. They are drawn to her like a magnet to a fridge door. Because of Hannah, we have been able to develop friendships with many young mothers. These mothers have received a needed break due to Hannah’s willingness to take care of their babies.

Olivia, 7, is everyone’s sweetheart. When we walk into any situation with Olivia in tow, everyone starts to smile at our “little one”! Any suspicion of “foreigners” dissipates when Olivia walks in. At the migrant schools, she plays with the kids on the playground, and immediately friendships are born. A little shy at first, Olivia now moves into a crowd of kids as if they were her own classmates in Canada. She brings joy to adults and children alike.

I soon realized that coming here wasn’t about the work being done by Irislee and me, with our children following along behind us. In many cases, it is our children who lead the way while we come in behind them. This discovery has provided comfort to us as parents. While we knew that leaving Canada for a year was the right choice, we wondered how our kids would handle the cultural changes and relational adjustments. It’s true that they miss family and friends and long for a White Spot Triple-O burger from time to time. Despite this, they have not only survived; they have thrived. The cross-cultural scene has given them opportunities they never had in Canada.

Yes, there are challenges and moments of frustration. Homeschooling (something new to us), the heat, and the bugs make life interesting. But we did have challenges and experienced frustration in Canada as well.

So, parents, if you’re thinking of going somewhere cross-cultural for a short-term, mid-term or long-term experience, and you’re worried about your kids, think again. It is likely that they will adapt more quickly to a new culture than you will, make friends more easily, and use their talents more fully than they did at home. And the host culture (the people with whom you’re working) may like them more than they like you!

Derek and Irislee Koch, along with their four children, are working with Imagine Thailand under the direction of PAOC missionaries Peter and Cavelle Dove. Visit www.kochkamotion.com, www.imaginethailand.org, and www.paoc.org. The Kochs can be reached at kamotion6@gmail.com.
Photos above- Mae Sot team enjoying a Christmas party & Issac donating a soccer ball to a migrant school.

Photos courtesy Derek Koch.

This article appeared in the March  2010 edition of testimony, the monthly publication of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.