Fifteen years ago when my husband and I decided to move overseas, there were very few resources for parents of global workers. Over the past five years, more resources have arisen from a few different sources, but parents of cross-cultural workers often still feel alone in their grief and have to search far and wide for support — while their children can usually access support through their agencies and other organizations.
So if you’re a parent of a missionary and are seeking more support, or if you’re a field worker whose parent(s) could use some extra emotional and spiritual support, here are some resources I hope will encourage you and your family.
Books
I Never Signed Up for This: One Mother’s Journey to Surrender Her Children to Their Calling by Ann Bowman
The Missionary Mama’s Survival Guide: Compassionate Help for the Mothers of Cross-Cultural Workers by Tori Haverkamp
Parents of Missionaries: How to Thrive and Stay Connected When Your Children and Grandchildren Serve Cross-Culturally by Cheryl Savageau and Diane Stortz
Articles
I Never Signed Up for This by Ann Bowman
My Biggest Surprises as a Grandmother to TCKs by Ann Bowman
Finally, some help for moms of missionaries by Tori Haverkamp
Senders Make Sacrifices Too by Elizabeth Trotter with Teresa Williams
Dear Sending Church: We Need to Get the Parents of Missionaries on Board by Amy Medina
Supporting the Families Left Behind by Katelyn Hawkins at ABWE
Resources for Parents of Goers by Tori Haverkamp at her website
Parents of Goers Blog at Tori’s website
Workshops, Webinars, and Podcasts
The Missionary Mama’s Survival Guide Webinar, a free webinar at Upstream Collective with Tori Haverkamp
Parents of Goers Podcast, Tori’s extensive podcast. Includes an interview with Ann Bowman.
Caring for TCKs when You’re Not the Parents, a reasonably priced workshop from Lauren Wells at TCK Training.
How to Care for Parents of Missionaries, an interview with Dan and Amy W., parents of global workers and founders of the Parents of Missionaries ministry at ABWE
Parents, Goodbyes, and the Cost of Missions for Families, a podcast episode from ABWE
