Our Ministry 
 

            Our assignment at the JAARS center has multiple facets.  The most visible part of our ministry is weekly Bible studies and regular activities/service projects for the missionary kids/  There are over 100 teens at the JAARS center at any given time, some whose parents are stationed there and some whose families are passing through for training or furlough.  We work primarily with middle school aged MKs, while our partners, Bret and Mindy Taylor, work mainly with the high schoolers.

            Not all of the MKs at JAARS attend the Bible studies and activities, but we are responsible for these teens, as well.  So, we spend a large amount of our time meeting with MKs on their own turf -- at school, at home, and at games and choir performances, etc.  We spend time getting to know missionary families, discovering their kids' individual needs, and providing resources and a confidential listening ear.

            We are in the process of developing an international network for volunteer youth leaders on Wycliffe bases worldwide.  Most of the volunteer leaders have no youth ministry training; they are mainly support personnel, such as teachers or computer technicians, who simply have a heart for missionary kids.  We want to provide, via the internet, training and needed resources for youth leaders on the field.  Eventually, we hope to make short-term international trips to do youth leader training on-site.

            Currently, Wycliffe has no MK re-entry program to help ease the transition of missionary kids returning back to the U.S.  We are joining the Taylors in advocating for the creation of a program that will help MKs deal with culture shock, heal from emotional wounds incurred on the field, and gain tools to help them deal with life in America.