Missionaries’ kids are raising funds again this year in hopes to help provide the needs of younger missionaries’ kids as they prepare for college and their future careers.
This group of missionaries’ kids, also known colloquially as “MK”s, are a part of mKommit, a group which has been providing mentorship and scholarships since 2013 to help younger MKs with emotional and financial needs as they attend college in the U.S. Members of mKommit are now young adults working in education, medicine, and other professional fields.
Members of mKommit met while they were in college through a ministry called mKainos, which hosts yearly retreats for MK college students. These retreats provide a space in which MKs studying in the U.S. could understand their identities, and share their experiences with fellow MKs. mKommit members said that the network and support they’ve received during their years in college was influential to their growth as individuals in the midst of unique challenges that they faced as MKs, including cultural differences and financial difficulties.
mKainos, a ministry for missionaries' kids studying in the U.S., holds annual retreats in the winter. Last year's retreat theme was "Center of Gravity."
“Having been in their shoes, we understand the journey of an MK can be overbearing with various challenges accompanied with loneliness,” mKommit members said. “Nonetheless, our firm belief and trust in God’s providence has gotten us through those inevitable humbling seasons, experiencing God’s provisions through unexpected support and encouragement from those around us.”
mKommit stated that through the mentorship and the scholarship funds, they want “to reach out and support ... younger MK siblings who have left their mission field and family to study in the U.S.”
“Our ultimate goal is to give back what we have received as MKs, which were all the prayer and support from members of the church all around the world,” the group added. “If we continue with the same heart and goal and walk every step following God’s prompting, we believe that God will work mightily through us. The opportunity to share this heart and show God’s love to the younger MKs is none other than now.”
Members of mKommit are launching the scholarship project once again this year to help support younger MKs in their collegiate studies and post-graduate careers.
During the first year of the scholarship project, 15 MK students from 12 different countries were awarded scholarships. The number of awardees grew to 19 students in 2014. This year, mKommit has set a goal to raise $12,000, and scholarship recipients will be awarded at the mKainos winter retreat this year being held from December 28 to 31 in Malibu, CA.
This year’s application process for the scholarship has two parts. Applicants must submit a video testimony of their experiences living in and attending university in the U.S., and a letter written to their parents overseas “sharing their thoughts and feelings they never had the opportunity to fully express to them previously.”
Contributions can be made at www.youcaring.com/2015mkommit, or by mail to P.O. Box 75459, Los Angeles, CA 90075. Checks should be made payable to “Global Partners” with “MK Scholarship” on the memo line. Tax deductible letters can be made available upon request.
