by Lewis McClendon
This year, my wife and I had the privilege of being part of the BBFI Missionary Family Reunion in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I was the speaker for the general sessions, and my wife, Karen, spoke to the ladies in the mornings. BBFl Mission Director Jon Konnerup, his associate directors, and their wives all worked hard to put together the Missionary Family Reunion for the benefit of the missionaries. At the reunion, the missionaries had the opportunity to make lifelong friendships, be encouraged, receive instruction, ask questions about BBFI missionary policies and procedures, and have some fun! Since we had never been to a Missionary Family Reunion before, we didn’t really know what to expect, but we were excited to see how all the Mission Office staff made this a great time for the missionaries. With their limited budget and volunteer help from BBFI churches in the area, the Mission Office put together preaching services for all the missionaries, men’s and women’s sessions in the mornings, a full teen program, a Vacation Bible School for the children, and a nursery for the babies. In the afternoon, activities were scheduled, such as golf and bowling.
There were several things that Karen and I enjoyed and were challenged by. We enjoyed getting to meet the missionary families. As we shared a meal with them or sat and talked with them after a meeting, we got to hear about their calling, struggles, and victories. We have received several emails since the reunion about how much the reunion meant to the missionaries also. Over and over they said they were glad they had come.
One of the aspects of the teen program that challenged us was the help MKs need in the area of defining their culture. Mason and Marla Stanley led the teen program. Part of their program was to address the subject of third-culture kids. Third-culture kids does not refer to children from third-world countries, but rather to children who grow up with their American parents in another country. They blend the elements of their parents’ cultures and the country they live in to form their own third culture. I am not an expert in this area, but I was impressed that Mason and Marla were able to help the teens with this very real challenge MKs face.
We found that the reunion is a vital part of the help the Mission Office provides for our missionaries. I would like to challenge pastors to help their missionaries benefit from this by participating in the following ways. First, encourage your missionaries to attend the retreat. Several missionaries at the reunion stated that they really didn’t want to take the time to come, but by the end of the week they were very glad they had. Second, put the reunion in your mission budget. Support from churches helps the Mission Office put on a first-class retreat that is worth the time and expense for missionaries to come. We have supported the reunion for several years, and after attending this year’s reunion, I am glad we have. Third, pay the camp fee for a missionary family, especially if you are their sending church. We paid for our missionary family to go this year. The reunion was a great help to them, and I know it will be a blessing to your missionaries. If you would like to help support the Missionary Family Reunion in any way, contact Associate Mission Director Steve Bender at sbender@bbfimissions.com.
I am so glad that our Mission Office is striving to help our missionaries any way they can. They are actively looking for ways to help, and the Missionary Family Reunion is just one of the ways they are proactively helping our missionaries.