Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Will my children's education suffer if we stay on the mission field? Join Michael Farris and Nancy Elwood as they discuss this question on today's Home School Heartbeat.

Mike Farris:
Nancy, can you describe the challenges that missionary families face as they seek to educate their children?


Nancy Elwood:
As your listeners know, Mike, educating children well in a complex world takes a lot of intentional planning. For missionaries, the complexity increases as they try to balance life and ministry in another language and culture. Daily living just takes more time in many cultures.


I met with a mom one day who lives in a very isolated place, and I could tell she was close to burnout. I asked her what a typical day was like for her. Her day included shopping early every morning because they had a very small refrigerator. Then she prepared breakfast and worked with the children on their schooling, all the while handling visitors who dropped in. After lunch she attended language classes, and then hurried home to prepare supper and do her homework so that she could help her husband with Bible studies in the evenings. There were no other homeschooling families within several hundred miles—no one to share struggles or ideas with.


Families like that need a lot of prayer and support or they won't last long in ministry. SHARE Education Services provides help for these families so that they're able to stay on the field.


Mike:
Nancy, what advice did you give that mom?


Nancy:
Well, you know, she mostly just needed somebody to listen to her. We talked about some things she could do, but mostly she just needed somebody to come alongside her and help her with the struggles that she had.


Mike:
Nancy, that's a great example of the service your ministry does for people. Tomorrow we're going to talk about how SHARE Education Services helps parents think through their options while serving on the mission field. I'm Mike Farris.