It’s Day 13 of the 31 Days in the Life of a TCK series! Welcome! We are slowly moving deeper in the topic and looking into some issues TCKs might struggle with.
Today another TCK friend Daniel Vedder is sharing his thoughts. Daniel grew up in Congo DR, Zambia and Germany. After finishing his schooling in Germany, he is currently doing a gap year back at his old school in Zambia.
You can find more info on the series here. Don’t forget to subscribe!
Today another TCK friend Daniel Vedder is sharing his thoughts. Daniel grew up in Congo DR, Zambia and Germany. After finishing his schooling in Germany, he is currently doing a gap year back at his old school in Zambia.
You can find more info on the series here. Don’t forget to subscribe!
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Fear.
Everybody knows what it is, everybody has encountered it at some point.
There are many different types of fear.
Fear of snakes, fear of the dark, fear of death.
And then there is the fear of the unknown.
I think this is one particular fear that most TCKs can relate to.
I remember it only too well myself, returning to my passport country of Germany three years ago, after a childhood spent almost exclusively in Africa.
I vividly recall stepping out of the airport and seeing the lights of the city of Frankfurt light up the night sky.
And suddenly I felt fear – fear of what lay ahead, of the society that I would have to adapt to, but most of all simply a fear of the great unknown surrounding me.
And then again some weeks later, on the first day of school.
After my small mission school of 100 pupils I was terrified as I walked into the new school, a huge maze of corridors and classrooms filled with a jostling throng of over a thousand students.
These fears are only too common.
New, unknown situations can be frightening – and as TCKs, we experience them all the time.
But there is comfort.
I remember that morning, on the first day of school, I stumbled upon the following verses in my devotions:
“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth and called from its farthest corners, saying to you: ‘You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off’; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
(Isaiah 41:8-10, ESV)
Did/do you experience fear of the unknown ahead of you?
How did/do you deal with it?
thisiskatha.com 
Such a true thought! Many don't see it as a gift, rather as a burden because they have to face this fear again and again. I often lead TCK camps and it is such a blessing to see people change, letting go of the burdens and embracing the gifts of this lifestyle…There's camps in the UK as well (just saying, if you're interested for your kids :)).
Fear of the unknowns is really the crossroads of life. We can choose to trust God with the uncertainty or allow fear to dictate. I think TCK's learn this lesson much earlier in life than the rest of us. And they see the world with broad perspective. I happen to think it is a gift but I'm sure not all those living it feel that way.