Welcome to Judy Keith's archive page

For the longer complete letter email Judy and get on her email list.

Prayer For Judy, MU KAPPA MINISTRY

SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

Sigificant prayer/devotional times
Teachabel spirit
Compassion/burden for those who don't know Jesus Christ
Opportunities to makeHim know
Hunger to study God's word

EFFECTIVE MINISTRY

"Lord unless you build the house, we labor in vain who build it"...

To know that adequacy comes only from God
Trust in God's power
Wisdom in planning
Stewardship of the time and finances
Discernment re:tyranny of the urgent
Professional study & development to enrich service tomissionaries

PHYSICAL NEEDS

General health
Safety in travel
Adequate finances

RELATIONSHIPS

Understanding in relationships with MK's
Wisdom in parenting and grandparenting :)
Health family dynamics
Vulnerablity and honesty in family and friendships

My Kappa staff

From right to left Judy Keith, Perry Bradford, Sandi Bradford

Fall 2008 NortheastRegionalMK Retreat

Reentry Discussion Issues:

Week 1:

From One MK to Another

Understanding Yourself and Others

Benefits/Challenges of being a TCK

Coping Successfully with Hardship & Trauma Grief & Loss

Week 2:

Five Issues Teens Face

Dealing with Anger

Dating Relationships in N.A.

Dealing with Depression

Issues of Transition

Choosing a Church & Maintaining the Faith Setting Realistic Boundaries Developing Relationships Moving Ahead?

(As you can see, we cover some heavy-duty stuff, but a lot of fun and recreation is also mixed in.)

Praising God for you, as I start Year Six with Mu Kappa! Thanks for "standing in the gap" for MKs!

Judy

Hello Friends,

"Quick Trip" Version
(For those new to this letter, MK = Missionary Kid)
MC2 was worth the trip to Minneapolis in February! Thanks for praying!
MK Connection: took two MKs out for lunch in St. Paul. Thanks for giving!
Resources: for those you know in missions. Pass it on!
Coming up:
Mar. 6-18: Trip to TX. Mixing pleasurable business with pleasure.
(Talking about Mu Kappa in E. Texas and seeing daughters & granddaughter in Dallas/Houston) Mar. 23: Speaking in Chapel at Kansas City Christian School Mar. 25-28: Talking about Mu Kappa in northeast MO.
Mar. 26: Meeting with Mu Kappa advisor at Greenville Univ., Greenville, IL April 5-9: MKCC (MK Caregivers' Consultation) in Kansas City April 16-18: 6th Annual South Central MK Retreat, College of the Ozarks, MO Please pray "early" for April MK Retreat and MKs planning to attend Reentry Seminars in July.
Percolations: Food for thought. See way below, as you have t-i-m-e!

Grab-a-Cup-of-Coffee Version?
MC2 (Midwest Conference on Missionary Care), Minneapolis, MN. This was definitely worth a drive to Minneapolis in February!
About 200 people - mostly from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area - were stimulated/challenged/encouraged by the plenary speakers and breakout sessions. A friend from church went with me, and it was fun to have Cathy meet people from my Barnabas Int'l world.
The director (of Barnabas Int'l) and his wife both spoke, and several other staff members were there as well.

There were more breakout sessions than we could attend, even by dividing and conquering. We wanted to hear all of them, but could only pick 4 special sessions each. Below are a few "take-away" thoughts from the ones I attended. The two keynote sessions were also tremendous, but I won't cover them here.

NUGGETS from "Passion Drives Performance, Not the Other Way Around" (Jean
Johnson/Cambodia)
>Don't use T-ball logic.
> Day 1 in a country (as missionary) will affect Day 100.
> Passion for the Lord and for ministry can be depleted if "performance" is a priority over one's spiritual vitality. It is essential to be
able to first maintain passion in our walks with the Lord. Any results of ministry will thus be more long-lasting and far-reaching.
>Churches need to give missionaries permission to write in their
letters about BEING (passion), not just about DOING
(performance).

NUGGETS from "The MK Experience" (by Heidi Tunberg, MK Caregiver with Reach Global/EFCA)
("What You Can Do")
>PRAY for them!
>Try to develop relationships with them while they're on the field.
>Offer emotional support.
>LISTEN!!!
>Be a cultural mentor and/or find them a peer mentor.
>Offer them a "home away from home."
(Invite them to be part of your family. Invite them again if they say no the first time)
>Send notes/cards/emails to remind them you're praying.
>Send care packages to them in college.

NUGGETS from "Helping Thru Life Transitions" (Heidi Tunberg)
(What You Can Do)
>PRAY for them. (MKs/missionaries)
>Remind them of your love and support through letters/emails.
>Advocate for them in your church - bring their needs to the attention of others who can meet those needs.
>Learn about the TRANSITION process so you can better understand what they're going through.
(This is also true for missionaries coming home on furlough or home not-by-choice)

NUGGETS from "Debriefing Your Church's Missionaries" (by John Certalic
with Caring for Others: caringforothers.org)
>Principles learned here were for ordinary folks (like us), not clinical/professional debriefing.
>Take the time to hear your missionaries' stories when they are
ready (but don't wait too long to ask!), without judgment or trying
to "fix" anything. Our purpose is to be a safe, confidential place for them to process out loud.
>Listening Skill: WAIT (Why Am I Talking??)
>E-copies of "Top 10 Listening Skills" available

MK CONNECTION: Because of extra financial gifts, I was able to treat Melanie (Ecuador) and Melissa (Austria) for lunch in St. Paul. I met them both at the Reentry Seminar two years ago. Never dreamed I'd be in their territory!

RESOURCES: Please pass these on to anyone interested?
>Women of the Harvest: A ministry of support and encouragement for women serving cross-culturally
W.O.T.H. Retreat in India!?There are many ways individuals here in the US can get involved (details on web site)
MANY great resources online at womenoftheharvest.com
>"Moving Women Beyond Surviving to Thriving in Missions" Apr.29-May 1, Chicago
(sponsored by Cross Global Link:
crossgloballink.org/Connecting_To_Equip for more details)
>MP2MP - Newsletter/encouragement for parents of missionaries!
info@mp2mp
>Traveling Without Baggage: Christar.org/TWB/Windter10TWB.pdf
A publication for and by tcks (also known as MKs)
>Already Gone (Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it) by Ken Ham & Britt Beemer
>American Cultural Baggage (How to Recognize and Deal With It) by Stan Nussbaum

COMING UP: Prayers are always appreciated for travel safety, car health, wisdom in speaking, and sensitivity to God-appointments.
PRAYER for the MK Retreat in April and Reentry Seminars in July. It's not too early to pray!
THANKS for praying for the OK Baptist Univ. gathering of MKs on Feb. 21.
It was a small turnout, but God knows those who will benefit
from getting together, so nothing is wasted!

PERCOLATIONS: I'm tired, aren't you?? This letter is already so long, PERCOLATIONS will have to wait. Thanks for bearing with the length of this email, for your prayers, financial gifts, and many words of encouragement!

Serving with you,
Judy

Mu Kappa Regional Coordinator
Barnabas International
www.mukappa.org
www.barnabas.org

Hello Friends,

Serving with you,
Judy

Mu Kappa Regional Coordinator
Barnabas International
www.mukappa.org
www.barnabas.org

Hello Friends,

Serving with you,
Judy

Mu Kappa Regional Coordinator
Barnabas International
www.mukappa.org
www.barnabas.org

Northeast Regional MK Retreat

MK group

The Reentry Seminar is built for missionary kids (MKs) who have just completed high school overseas. The seminar provides helpful tools which prepare students for the transition back into life and college in North America. It is an opportunity to learn and grow with those who are experiencing similar things, while also having a fun time!

Praying for MK's

Cross-Cultural Adjustment: Pray for good adjustments to their passport country or host country.
Education: Pray for the MK's education - Primary, secondary, or University level and beyond.
Family & Ministry: Pray for spiritual protection for the MK's, family and parents' ministry.
Finances: Pray that God would provide for the financial needs of MK's education, jobs, housing, etc.
Physical Health and Saftey: Pray for the physical health and safety of MK's as they travel, transition, and adjust.
Re-entry: Pray that MK's entering their parents' home culture would make a successful transition and build a good support system.
Spiritual Vitality: Pray that MK's would recognize God's presence in their lives and choose to follow Him.
Transitions: An MK's many transitions mean a loss of friends, familiar surroundings and at times leaving family. Pray that they know God's provision and experience peace in their transitions.

You Know You're an MK When...
... Climates below 72* F (20* C) are against your body's religion.
... You have no problem with global warming
... Before you were ten, you traveled alone, understood terms like customs
and immigration, and knew
exactly how many kilos you could pack into a suitcase and get away
with it.
... You know how to avoid jet-lag
... You fly home for Christmas, spend 26 hours on a plane, and arrive the
same day you left.
... You maintain a mailing list of over 400 names and addresses, but have
no one you feel comfortable spending
Christmas with.

Please do pray for the MKs who fall under that last one! The kids I have been talking to are able to be home with their families for Christmas, but I know many cannot, and my heart goes out to them and their parents, continents away from each other! I feel truly blessed to be spending the next week with my girls in TX! (Yup, could use your prayer for travel/driving mercies again!)

Thank you again for your many words of encouragement, prayers, and financial support. This is not a one-man "show." Without you, the ministry could not be fulfilled. Wishing you warm wishes and God's comforting presence for the Holiday Season.

Judy
Mu Kappa Regional Coordinator
Encouragement Online Magazine
http://barnabas.org/magazine.php

Hello Friends,

Serving with you,
Judy

Mu Kappa Regional Coordinator
Barnabas International
www.mukappa.org
www.barnabas.org

Hello Friends,

I am finally home long enough to come up for air and fill you in on recent activities. Thanks so much for praying for these trips/events!

Toodles (my car) is approaching 213,000 miles as she has carried me faithfully and safely through:

Mar. 6-18: Trip to TX. Mixing pleasurable business with pleasure.

(Talking about Mu Kappa in E. Texas and seeing daughters & granddaughter in Dallas/Houston) Mar. 23: Speaking in Chapel at Kansas City Christian School Mar. 25-28: Talking about Mu Kappa in Northeast MO.

Mar. 26: Meeting with Mu Kappa advisor and an MK at Greenville Univ., Greenville, IL April 5-9: MKCC (MK Caregivers' Consultation) in Kansas City April 16-18: 6th Annual South Central MK Retreat, College of the Ozarks, MO

Much energy was especially given to the planning and preparations for the MKCC and South Central MK Retreat.

April 5-9: MKCC: I enjoyed preparing three pre-conference meals for this and helping with the airport runs.

Attendees: About 20 came for the pre-conference (foundational information for those new to MK care)

A total of 45 MK caregivers attended from all over the U.S. Over half of these are adult MKs!

Theme: Building an Authentic Community of Care: Church, Agency, & Family Discussions included various aspects of the Community of Care (involving the above), research regarding Adult TCKs (Third Culture Kids/MKs), curriculum, regular and crisis debriefing, long-distance discipleship, transition seminars, Child Safety Network, "Including the Grandparents."

April 16-18: South Central MK Retreat (College of the Ozarks, near Branson, MO) Glimpses of the weekend:

~ 5 girls from TN, OK, MO, 5 girls and 1 guy from College of the Ozarks, and 4 leaders ~ These MKs grew up in: France, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Malawi,

Senegal, Malaysia, Botswana, Zambia, Brazil,

Tanzania, Kenya, England, Bolivia, Mexico, Costa Rica, U.S.

~ "WHERE ARE WE??? What's with all the pictures of scary people on the way down here???"

(Remarks from 2 girls who grew up in Africa and knew nothing of Branson/Ozark tourist culture displayed on billboards!) ~ Lots of singing, sharing thoughts/experiences, eating SNACKS (thanks to those who sent them!!), making jewelry, shivering.

(Sun. morning it was 39 degrees! No heat in cabins.)

~ MK Connections:

(Great to see the one guy who joined us! I have known Daniel since we met at the Reentry Seminar in 2005.)

(I also reconnected with a girl from Senegal?our 3rd Retreat together here)

(Reunion: 3 girls who attend different schools but knew each other in Africa.) ~ Motivating/inspirational teaching: Jonathan Parker challenged us using

the parable of the soils, stressing the importance of

God's Word to be planted and active in our lives if we are to mature in our relationship with God and bear fruit for His glory.

Action plan: each person was given an evaluation to fill out regarding things God had brought to mind over the weekend:

1. Which of the soils in Mark 4 best describes where you are? (Wayside, Stony, Thorny, Good)

2. What are some internal or under the surface issues (stones) in your life that are hindering the Word of God from being rooted in your heart

and bearing consistent fruit?

3. What are some external issues (thorns) that are choking out the Word of God in your life?

4. What are some steps that you can take to begin the process of cleaning out the "stones" and "thorns"?

Each person put their evaluations in an envelope, addressed it to themselves, and gave it to me. I will mail it to them

in a few months as a reminder of this time, and so they can see how God has been working in their lives.

~ On the trip home Katherine (MK attending Central MO State) and I met

with Holly (MK from Kazakhstan) in Bolivar, MO.

Holly couldn't attend the Retreat, but she and I met a couple of years ago and get together when we can.

PLEASE PRAY for MKs who are graduating seniors as they say farewells to their host countries. Plans are underway for Reentry Seminars in various parts of the country this summer. Barnabas International staff are involved in three of these: Biola Univ. (CA), Seattle Pacific Univ. (WA),

and Cedarville Univ. (OH). Please pray that all the necessary funding

will come in for staff and students, for wisdom in planning, for receptive hearts and good communication.

Thank you for your partnership and prayers!

Judy

Mu Kappa Regional Coordinator

Barnabas International