Encouraging TCKs to live victoriously in Christ through articles, interviews, poetry, and letters
Life as a third culture kid has its unique struggles and joys. We write to remind teenaged and young adult TCKs around the globe that they are not alone, and to show that we can thrive when we root our identity in Jesus.
By TCKs, for TCKs.
TCK life can be lonely and turbulent.
Grief, lost relationships, lack of belonging. But we believe that you can live victoriously in spite of — and because of — all the challenges.
Our articles touch on the intersection of Christian life and the third culture kid experience, covering diverse topics such as identity, change, TCK gifts, and much more.
We write about:
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Christmas has a way of stirring our hearts toward home. The lights, the music, the smells from the kitchen — they all whisper of belonging. But for those of us living between cultures, the season often carries both beauty and ache…
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A suitcase is a strange teacher. It is a symbol of both freedom and loss, of possibility and impermanence. It reminds me that life is not fixed, that roots are shallow, and that goodbyes are inevitable. Yet through it, God has taught me lessons I might never have learned if my life had been bound…
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The world celebrates clarity. Arrival. Completion. It applauds the ones who “have it all figured out.” But God often does some of His best work in the middle. The in-between may not look like progress to the world, but in the eyes of God, it is often where faith is forged, character is shaped, and…
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“You’re not a fainter, are you?” the optician asked me as we sat in her tiny office, preparing to initiate me into the fellowship of contact lens wearers. I laughed nervously. “Not as far as I know. Why?”…
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I’ve often felt “behind” in life. I went to college later than my peers, starting my freshman year at 21 instead of the typical 18. Granted, that was because I had been living and teaching abroad between 18–20 and then working to save up for overseas tuition fees for…
Get the TCK Letters.
Every month, we send out an email written by another TCK, sharing stories and lessons from their life. It’s like getting a letter from a friend who understands just where you are, reminding you that Jesus will take care of you, and that other TCKs are here for you as well.
TCK Voices
Read our interview series! TCKs seem to be few and far between because we’re scattered all over the globe. Our TCK Voices series exists to show that there are many others like you so that you can be inspired by their stories and learn from their journeys.
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I was born in Lagos, the infamous babel of Nigeria, but moved with my family to South Africa when I was seven years old. The move was a very big shock for me. There were obvious shifts, like language and geography, that took some getting used to. But there were also smaller, subtler things, like…
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When you’re searching for a sense of belonging, it can be easier to settle for just fitting in instead. After all, TCKs are pretty great at assessing situations and becoming who we need to be! Flexibility is not necessarily a bad thing. However, if you feel desperate to belong, you may bend yourself out of…
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I was born in Japan to MK parents, who were also born and raised in Japan. I grew up in a very rigid and legalistic church community, with minimal contact with the outside world. This created an even more unique culture than simply “an American living in Japan.” When I was 20…
What is a TCK?
TCKs (Third Culture Kids) are people who have spent a significant amount of their developmental years in a culture other than their native culture. The influences of two or more cultures blend together to create a “third culture” that TCKs experience and inhabit.
The TCKs we serve include the children of missionaries, businessmen and women, military personnel, diplomats, multicultural families, and more!
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”
Hebrews 11:13
Poetry
Line by line. Verse by verse. Sometimes the only way to express the experience is through poetry.
FAQ
Why write for TCKs?
We want to bring awareness to and provide encouragement for a large, diverse, growing demographic.
Firstly, there are a lot of TCKs in the world (upward of 220 million, according to estimates, and only growing with increasing globalization).
Second, there are a lot of Christian TCKs. (If the number of foreign missionaries in the world is anything to go by — around 425,000 or so — imagine how many missionary kids there are!)
Most people are unaware of Third Culture Kids (including many TCKs themselves) and don’t realize how the TCK experience affects their view of themselves and the world. TCKs face a unique set of challenges. Because they undergo great environmental changes during developmental years, they especially struggle with a sense of identity, cultural belonging, and the continuous experience of grief.
We write for TCKs because we are TCKs ourselves who have suffered our share of grief and have discovered that there is hope and healing in Jesus.
FAQ
What about MKs?
Christians are most familiar with MKs (Missionary Kids) — the children of missionaries serving abroad. The difference between MKs and TCKs can be confusing. Because they grow up in a country other than their own, MKs are also TCKs. However, because there are many other kinds of Third Culture Kids as well, MKs are considered a subset of the umbrella term, TCKs. All MKs are TCKs, but not all TCKs are MKs.
At TCKs for Christ, we certainly write for MKs, but not only for MKs. There are many Christian kids and teens among other TCK subgroups, and we write for them too. We use the term TCK rather than MK in order to encompass the many different circumstances of Christian kids who grew up abroad. If you’re a Christian and you grew up outside your native culture, then we’re writing for you.
Come join us!
We have many opportunities for contributing and volunteering.
Write for us.
Enjoy writing? Consider submitting an article for our blog, a letter for our email list, or even a poem for our quarterly collection. We’re looking for the encouraging, the challenging, and the honest.
Tell your story.
If you don’t write but still want to share your experiences, we’re always looking for people to feature on our interview series TCK Voices, so if you have a story to tell, you’ve come to the right place!
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Believe in our mission? Help fund our platform! We pay $319 USD yearly for our WordPress plan and domain. All donations will cover the expenses generated from running our website.
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