It’s that time of year, right? The new school year is about to begin. Parents head to the big-box store, purchasing all the glue, tissues, and round-headed scissors to match the Trapper Keeper (or iPad case…), and shake out those plaid uniforms to see if they still fit your growing progeny.

Everywhere I go, I’m hearing school-talk. Parents are nervous about new school administrators. Teachers are nervous about new students (or returners!). Kid are a whole ball of ambivalence, eagerness, and anxiety with a tinge of resentment that the summer is about over.

Even the missionary newsletters are discussing what “Back to School” means for their family, so I thought it might be helpful to think for a few moments about our young friends who are on the mission field. Whether they are attending a missionary school on a compound, watching videos in their living room, working with a tutor, attending an international school, or gearing up to attend a national school, Missionary Kids (MKs) also experience the transitions of returning to school, so here are a few considerations to help you pray for the MKs in your life.

Pray for the salvation of MKs. Missionary Kids, like anyone, may struggle to believe the truths of the Gospel. Pray that the Lord would soften hard hearts, that He would grant repentance, that He would draw these children to the sweetness of knowing Him. Pray that MKs would love Jesus for His sake, not because they are trying to please anyone or keep up appearances. Pray for parents’ patience and gentle appeal in trying times. For those who are believers, pray that their faith would grow and produce fruit even in their youth.

Pray for good friends. It’s hard enough making friends under typical circumstances, but add to that various cultures, languages, parental expectations, and frequent community turnover, and camaraderie becomes even more difficult. MKs will often make friends very quickly, but the constant loss due to transitions can weigh heavy on young shoulders. Pray that the Lord would grant consistent friends who love Jesus.

Pray for kind teachers. Many of us have memories of that life-transforming relationship with a teacher.  Pray that the Lord would place the right teachers in the right classrooms for the students who need them. Pray for new teachers and administrators to engage with godly motivation, to learn quickly, and to receive adequate support. Pray that teachers would be reliant on the Lord’s wisdom in caring for these young lives.  For those students who may attend challenging national schools, pray that God’s presence would be a continual comfort in the face of difficult teachers, bullies, and/or religious pressure.

Pray for opportunities for MKs to shine. Each student has been gifted by the Lord with unique talents and relational abilities. Pray that each MK would have an opportunity to explore their gifts and find places to see God use them in the lives of others. Pray, too, for students whose struggle to succeed physically and intellectually. Pray that their parents and teachers would be alert to these difficulties and find hopeful solutions.

Pray for MK safety. In my world, no demographic is more willing to take physical risks than MKs. You want to hear some crazy stories? Sit down with a group of MKs and just listen. Swimming in the compound water tank? Homemade fireworks, free-diving with sharks, scooters/bikes/motorcycles? These are child’s play, literally, for MKs. Some of these kids rode public transportation to kindergarten–alone. And then there are the bugs, snakes, pet monkeys, street food, cliff-jumping, gangs, caves, and village life. And don’t get them started on boarding school stories! Pray that their injuries and illnesses would be simple and that the Lord would shape the risks for His renown and glory.

Pray that MKs would recognize and appreciate the Gospel-purposes to their parent’s work. It isn’t always easy to follow your family in ministry, to live up to other people’s expectations. There is a cost to whatever the ministry is, a cost that the children did not choose to pay. Pray that they would see how God is working and would learn to love the challenges.

Pray for the emerging adult MKs. Whether attending university in their passport country (really, where is home?) or taking a gap year of some sort, the absences from family can be made more difficult by having to navigate life in an unfamiliar country. Pray that they would find a supportive church, families who will embrace them, reliable transportation, and a good community of people who understand the struggle of not knowing how to answer the question, “Where are you from?”

Pray for the parents. Pray that they would recognize their children’s struggles, would celebrate their successes, and would have supernatural patience to guide their children through both. Pray for their consistent walk that would point their children to the One who loves them more than any parent could. Pray that they would know when to say the right “Yes” and “No.”