As we look at the experience of pioneer missionaries down through the ages, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, one can appreciate how difficult life would have been for them if they had attempted to take wife and children with them. For example, the illustration of the famous David Livingstone is eloquent. He soon discovered that trying to take his wife, Mary, and their growing family through the jungle of Africa in his explorations was just not practical. As a result he sent her back to England, where she suffered terrible loneliness. One wonders if it would not have been better for Livingstone to have remained single.

On the other hand, we can read the lives of many, many Protestant missionaries who were married and set up their homes in foreign lands. My own grandfather in 1892 made his home in what is now North Korea. I have the letters of my grandmother describing what life was like – such a window into another life! Yet their family flourished and their home was an example of what a Christian home could be to hundreds of Koreans who had never see the example of a Christian family.

Our home in Bogotá, Colombia was open-house to hundreds of students. Many of them mentioned to me privately that seeing my relationship to my wife and our relationship to our children taught them much more than any sermon. In Bogotá, a modern city, our children received a first class education.

It is interesting to note the research done on the children of missionaries. Although there are unfortunate exceptions, the graph is off the charts on the unique contribution to society that the children of missionaries have made in the U.S. alone, much higher than the children of other professionals. Raised in two cultures, often speaking two or more languages, getting to know people in all walks of life and often privileged with extensive travel, missionary kids are a unique breed! (Along this line, I would encourage you to read literature on both the benefits and tensions of being a missionary kid. A good one to start with is Raising Resilient MKs. Resources for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers. Joyce M. Bowers, Ed)

Much depends, Jeff, on where one lives and how one lives. Each individual has to decide to what the Lord is calling him or her. I think it would be fair to suggest to your parents (after thanking them for their personal concern for your children, their grandchildren) that conditions today are far different than they were in Jesus’ day. Travel, schools,

At the end of the day, you will have to make your own decision. Once you get set up, I would encourage you to invite them to visit you and see for themselves what your situation is.