Questions about Family And Single Life Overseas
Heading overseas brings up a lot of questions about marriage (or what you need to know as a single) and about parenting. Grab a chair: Missionaries answer your concerns about family and singleness
Questions Singles Have
- What perspective should I take toward serving in missions as a single person?
- Should I, as a single person, go overseas now, or should I first find a mate?
- Should I consider a relationship with a future missionary who wants to serve in a different country from the one I’m interested in?
- How important is it that the person you’re dating has the same call to missions as you?
- How do singles deal with loneliness and isolation overseas?
- I am a single mother. Which missions agencies would consider accepting me as a missionary?
- Are single women missionaries accepted in third-world countries? Married women without children?
- If you go to another country as a single and decide to get married to someone you meet there, would that be a problem?
Apprehensive Parents
- What if my parents oppose me becoming a missionary?
- Can I become a missionary even though my family still has unbelievers?
- Can I become a missionary even if my parents still need my assistance at home?
Missions and Marriage
- My husband and I both feel called to missions, but we still have struggles in our lives and marriage. Can God still use us in missions or is this something we have to overcome first?
- My spouse wants to be a missionary and I do not. How have other married couples with differing desires made their decision?
- I am about to get married. Should we spend our first year together in our home country or on the missions field?
- What are some of the challenges moms face overseas?
- What questions should a couple ask each other before deciding to go into full-time missions overseas?
Small Children in a Big World
- How do missionaries deal with pregnancy? When they get pregnant, do they come home or have the baby overseas?
- Can a couple with small children make it to the field?
- If we move overseas, what can we do about our children’s education?
- What can I expect to be difficult about raising small children on the field?
- How can I prepare my children for moving to the mission field?
- How can I interest my children in becoming missionaries in the future, and even prepare them to do so?
Resistance from Older Children
- What if my teenage kids don’t want to move to the mission field?
- Can I become a missionary if my adult children still need me nearby?
- My grown children are not walking with the Lord. Is it right for me to leave them behind to go to the mission field?
- I’ve been told it’s unwise to move your family into missions while children were in or near their teen years. What is the ideal age to move children? Are there any ages commonly not recommended?
Managing Marriage Roles
- What are women allowed to do on the mission field?
- As the wife of a medical professional, where would I fit in medical missions? How could we find a placement that fits both of us?
- How does the husband of a healthcare professional, who raises the children, fit in? My wife is the professional, and we want to serve overseas long term.
- My spouse and I are both medical professionals. How could we share medical ministry and family roles?
