5 Things Military and Ministry Kids Have in Common || A Collaboration with Author Kassie Angle!

Hello! Today, I have a fun collaboration with Author Kassie Angle to share with you today! We are expounding on a total of 10 things that Military and Ministry kids (MKs) can relate to! So click here to read her post first, then slide on down to read 6-10 here! (PSST! If you are subscribed to my email list, you get to know my take on the first 5!)

Note || I can only speak for myself on these issues and my own personal experience. Attitude is everything, and if you are raised with a selfless mindset, that makes all the difference!

6| We’re okay with moving around more than normal.

Ministry kids vary, but a lot of us have moved several times. Traveling a lot during the year counts too 😉 I have personally moved five times in my life, living in four different locations. Military kids can undoubtedly sympathize with me here! When dad gets stationed somewhere else, its pack up and go. The same is true for Ministry kids. We go where Dad and our family has been called to! And I’ve been excited every time! There was never a choice in the matter, and that didn’t bother me. It’s not my choice to make anyway. Just accept it, embrace it, and enjoy the ride!

7| We make friends easily or not at all, at the same time.

My siblings are my best friends, not gonna lie. I don’t need other people to change that for me. While I certainly enjoy having friends as we travel, I get along just fine (I’m one of seven kids, y’all, things are never dull 😉).

That being said, as a ministry kid, I have learned the importance of a friendly spirit, while being on guard. Are these people going to be a good influence on me? Can I help them in some way while I’m here? Can I bring honor to God through my relationship with them, no matter how long or short term it is?

I can’t vouch for anyone else, but most of my friends are much older or at least a few years younger than me! My generation tends toward cliques, and I want no part of that. Some places we go, I don’t “hit it off” with anyone. Other places, it’s like we’ve known each other for life!

The long and short of it is, I’m not looking for friends. It’s just a bonus when I find one!

8| Homeschooling’s just easier.

Yes, yes, yes! I cannot fathom trying to be a ministry family while trying to attend a school, Christian or not! We need to be flexible, and (in an average year XP), we have a lot of out of town meetings. It’s not possible to always leave everyone behind (we sing when our dad preaches), and no school on earth would put up with us being gone so much, lol! I can imagine that being a military kid would also benefit when you’re never sure when Dad will have some time off for a quick trip to visit family. And who wants to do school when dad just got home from Afghanistan in the middle of October??? Seriously! So as homeschoolers, when things come up, and we need time off, we can double up to take days off or make-up days we missed.

Also, ministry/military kids tend to be some of the most patriotic kids around (I am not saying you have to be in the ministry or the military to be patriotic 😉), so we tend to reject mainstream educational trends. With homeschool, we know precisely what our kiddos are learning and can make sure that what they learn is Biblical and Historically sound!

9| There’s a distinct culture we can’t explain.

And hence I try to come up with a way to explain this. The short answer is, it’s impossible, but anyone in either group is nodding their head right now. We have our inside jokes and favorite books/films. We have our favorite events of the year and the games we play. We understand each other pretty well, and we know when one of us is being a little over dramatic about a situation 😊 I mean, you don’t have to be one of us to play with us or talk with us, but you might not understand all of our references, just saying 😉

10| At the end of the day, we’re really proud of it 😉

Not proud in the sense that we are boastful. I think a better word for it is grateful, appreciative that God chose us for this, even when we didn’t. I am so thankful to be a ministry kid, and I hope my kids someday will have the same privilege. God is so good, and He writes the best life stories.

Are you letting Him write yours?
 
That's it for now! Don't forget to swing by Kassie's blog if you haven't already!
Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22