Growing up global inspires faith that reaches further

When we speak to Christians about international gospel work, there are two barriers that frequently stand out: children and language.

How will children cope with the culture differences? Will they resent the decision to go overseas? What will the education system be like? And how will everyone learn the language sufficiently to function, thrive and minister?

In our conversations with Crosslinks mission partners, we have found some surprising long-term benefits…

Meet the de Roemers!

Charles and Frances de Roemer moved to Belgium in 1992 with two small children - Simeon aged four and Luke aged two. A couple of years later, their daughter Hannah was born. They trained in several churches before planting a church in Binche in 2005.

Charles was so bad at French that he was asked to drop the subject so he wouldn’t bring his school’s results down!

After 16 years as bilingual children in Belgium, all three de Roemer kids still use their language skills today. Their story is one example of how serving overseas and fostering a love for languages can further the cause of the gospel.

Parlez-vous français?

Amusingly, Charles was so bad at French that he was asked to drop the subject so he wouldn’t bring his school’s results down! He describes himself as a “bit of a language disaster” and still finds French challenging. Given his lack of linguistic competency, it is quite remarkable that Charles and Frances were so committed to serving the Lord overseas!

When Charles and Frances were dating, they heard Helen Roseveare speak at a UCCF student conference, and this led them individually to feel compelled to be involved in world mission. Once married, it took them another seven years before they moved to Belgium – a typical amount of time for potential mission partners to find the right country, mission agency and role.

At this point, Frances had French O Level and Charles had been learning French through listening to tapes. They made many linguistic mistakes – some potentially very embarrassing – and for a long time, felt they couldn’t do anything useful! This was quite humbling and a bit humiliating.

they moved to Belgium at the perfect age for their children to soak up the language

Their experience, however, was not mirrored in their children’s lives. In God’s providence, they moved to Belgium at the perfect age for their children to soak up the language. Simeon started French school immediately and Luke never really knew a time when he wasn’t surrounded by French and English. Right from the beginning, both boys were able to communicate with their new friends and their French improved rapidly.

Charles explains: “They were classic third culture kids. OK in both cultures but not quite comfortable in either. Having said that, they were far more effective as missionaries than we were. They were able to invite their friends to youth group and assimilate into the school and town more easily than Frances and me.”

Read more:

7 ways to raise kids with a heart for global mission

“Hannah, who was born in Belgium, was quite slow in gathering the courage to speak at school. She was shy and certainly found school more difficult than her brothers, but now she would say that French and English are both her mother tongues! It certainly wasn’t plain sailing, but the outcome is quite amazing.”

What is the lasting impact on the children and grandchildren?

Luke, now a father of four small children, lives in Bristol and currently has seven languages on the go – English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Czech and Mandarin! He studied Maths at university but took extra modules in German and Mandarin. During and after university he served in international student ministry, and he and his wife, Alice, volunteer on the bilingual InterAction summer camps.

Luke is hoping to pass on his love of languages to his children, speaking French to them from birth. His eldest daughters attended a French pre-school and now aged 9 and 7, they attend the local French primary school, one day a week. They converse confidently with other members of the de Roemer family and can even read in French! An unexpected spin off is that Luke has noticed his daughters have an empathy for and interest in the internationals in their school.

When 1 in 5 people have no Bible in their language (3,270 languages) there is a huge need for individuals with linguistic, literacy and translation skills

Simeon de Roemer lives and works in Southampton where he is a church elder and on the mission partner team. He loves reaching out to and caring for the church’s mission partners, remembering his own experience of growing up in Belgium. His wife is from Belgium, so their daughters also speak English and French.

Finally, Hannah has gone from being a shy French speaker to serving the Lord in Southeast Asia. She studied linguistics at York University and, like her brothers, always felt drawn to ministering alongside international students. As a daughter of missionaries, she felt the “normalness” of mission.

There were times when it was difficult and the children were bored at church or mocked for their faith by teachers and friends

When she gave her life to Jesus, the obvious next question was “where should I serve the Lord?” She did a work experience placement with Wycliffe Bible Translators in the Congo and loved the work, though wasn’t sure living in Africa was for her. After graduation, she worked for a few years in finance and then in school administration, adding a few more skills to her portfolio.

After marrying DJ, a Thai missionary kid with a Thai father, they began exploring the possibilities of serving abroad and the obvious choice was Asia. In the last year, they have moved to Southeast Asia with a view to doing Bible translation in the future. At the time of writing, their daughter Juliette is learning a new language, but she already handles English, French and Thai impressively for a two-year-old! Another generation of multi-lingual children emerges!

Raising up a generation of Bible translators!

The de Roemer story is not intended to put them on a pedestal or prompt readers to immediately sign children up for French lessons! Rather it is a little window into some of the benefits of living overseas and loving languages!

When 1 in 5 people have no Bible in their language (3,270 languages) there is a huge need for individuals with linguistic, literacy and translation skills. Could you nurture a love for languages in your children? If you have a child who loves Duolingo or picking up phrases while on holiday, could this be harnessed for the gospel? Could Christian families actively encourage their children to take languages at A’ Level with a view to exploring mission in the long term? Could teenagers benefit from attending InterAction, the Christian summer camps in France, Belgium or Germany, and discover how useful another language is and enjoy mixing with internationals?

The skills they learnt in childhood have stayed with them and now enable them to be fruitful in Bristol, Southampton and S.E. Asia

Charles and Frances reiterate how it is all grace that Simeon, Luke and Hannah are believers today. Many faithful parents do all the ‘right’ things and don’t have the joy of seeing their children turn to Jesus. Charles says, “in the Lord’s kindness, the children’s experience of Belgium has been positive overall. There were times when it was difficult and the children were bored at church or mocked for their faith by teachers and friends, but in the end, it seems to have had a significant impact on them, their characters and the direction their lives have taken.”

Frances adds: “As we left the UK in 1992, we had one chief prayer request. We longed that our children would never regret the decision we had made on their behalf to move to Belgium. Amazingly, 30 years on, our children do not resent the choice we made. In fact, it opened a whole world to them. Our house was often full of people from different countries, and it taught them a lot about the global church and mission life. The skills they learnt in childhood have stayed with them and now enable them to be fruitful in Bristol, Southampton and S.E. Asia.”