The surprising blessings of going on overseas mission as a family

“What’s your biggest fear about going overseas?”

This was perhaps the most common question that people asked me as we embarked on uprooting our family of five from their comfortable and happy life in London to move to Portugal as mission partners.

For me, the answer was easy: my biggest fear was for my children.

Was I going to mess them up for life by tearing them away from their wider family, their loving grandparents, their decent schools, their fun clubs, and their good friends?

Was I going to mess them up for life by tearing them away from their wider family, their loving grandparents, their decent schools, their fun clubs, and their good friends? Would they ever settle in this new environment where the people, the culture, and the language were so different from what they were used to? Would they be able to learn the language properly and integrate well? Would their education, something that we value so much in the UK, suffer as a result in comparison to their British friends? Would they hold us personally responsible for any future difficulties they may have and resent us forever? And most importantly, would they end up rebelling against the Lord, the one who created them and loves them, the one whom we, as their parents, so desperately long for them to follow?

Well, we have been here now for over ten years and have grown to be a family of six! But as I look back over our time so far and reflect on the challenges and encouragements we’ve faced as a family living overseas, I am convinced that our decision to go was most certainly worth it – both for us, but also for our children.

You see, by the grace of God, our children settled well into life in Portugal. It wasn’t completely plain sailing of course – but it wasn’t long before they genuinely started to feel settled in their new home.

It has been a privilege to have our children alongside us as we seek to reach the Portuguese with the good news of the gospel

Part of that, in God’s kindness, was the fact that we were able to move to the city that we were planning on staying in for the long-term. That provided a degree of stability for them which they picked up on.

But part of it was also creating fun, regular family times – film nights, pancake dinners, games nights and other little family traditions – that helped us bond as a family and stay close to one another. The shared experiences we have had together, the endless number of funny stories and cultural misunderstandings that have helped prevent us taking ourselves too seriously, the real encouragements as we have seen God work in the lives of those around us, the diverse group of people who are always popping in and out of our home – all of it has contributed to this sense of “we’re in this together and it’s actually a lot of fun!”

Our children adapted well to life over here. We were amazed at how quickly our eldest daughter – aged six at the time – learnt the language and made friends at the local Portuguese-speaking school. For us, of course, it took significantly longer, but for them, it really was no sweat – for they didn’t need to study verb tables and practice their conjugations, but rather just played with people their own age at school, imitated the sounds they heard, and became fluent before they even realised it!

My greatest desire is that my children would learn to walk humbly with their God. Staying in the UK would not have made this automatic

Of course, we all still miss our family back in the UK – moving away from them was one of the biggest costs for us as a family. We have always been very close to them and so not being able to pop in and see them at the weekend or in the school holidays wasn’t easy. However, it has been a privilege to have a number of older folk in our church take it upon themselves to be our children’s honorary Portuguese grandparents! Moreover, we have also tried to get back to the UK each summer, partly to visit those who are partnering with us in the gospel, but also so that we can catch up with friends and family and strengthen these long-distance relationships.

So, has it all been worth it? Has it been worth uprooting the family and moving overseas? Yes, it certainly has. We have seen the Lord’s kindness towards us in so many ways. It has been a privilege to have our children alongside us as we seek to reach the Portuguese with the good news of the gospel. It has been a joy showing our children, as we speak to those around us, that Jesus is the Lord and Saviour of the world, and that it doesn’t matter which country they live in, what language they speak or what sort of school they go to, the most important thing is to know him, love him, and walk with him day by day.

Read more:

Growing up global inspires faith that reaches further

7 ways to raise kids with a heart for global mission

My greatest desire is that my children would learn to walk humbly with their God. Staying in the UK would not have made this automatic. True, they may have ended up in a bigger, more thriving church youth group. They may have received a better education. They may have been closer to their cousins and grandparents. But here in Portugal, they’ve seen firsthand the difference the gospel has made in people’s lives.

They know that our lives are shaped around serving Jesus the best we can, and they have joined us in doing so. Yes, they know that there is a cost to following him, for they have experienced that, but they also know the infinite rewards and privileges of knowing him as their Lord and Saviour and being able to share him with those who don’t know him.