Immigrant Faith Stories: Season 2, Episode 3
Have you heard of a hidden immigrant?
We know about PKs, or Pastor’s Kids, but are you familiar with TCKs, Third Culture Kids?
My recent guest on Immigrant Faith Stories was an MK (Missionary Kid), TCK, and a hidden immigrant.
Watch my conversation with Debbie Jones Warren to understand these labels!
Debbie was born in America to missionary parents but raised in Nigeria. Her parents sent her to boarding school when she was six years old and the separation from her parents had a long-term impact on her.
Though she was introduced to Jesus at the school, she went through a rebellious phase in her teenage years. When Debbie returned to America, she struggled to fit in because she was raised in a foreign culture.
It was not until Debbie joined a Bible study at her college that she turned from her partying lifestyle and recommitted life to Jesus. But she still had to deal with unresolved anger and bitterness toward her parents when she got married and became a parent.
Through Bible study, counseling, and prayer, Debbie was able to forgive her parents and rebuild her relationship with them.
Debbie lives with her husband in the Bay Area in California and enjoys connecting with people from other cultures in her neighborhood and church.
My takeaways from this unique episode:
- Forgiveness and reconciliation are difficult and usually take longer than expected. But focusing on Jesus’ work on the cross gives us perspective and inspires us to not only make the first move toward reconciliation but also keep working at it.
- Only the Holy Spirit can help us forgive and heal from wounds caused by broken or toxic relationships.
- Suffering is not from God, but God allows difficult situations in our lives to grow our faith and mold us into who He wants us to be. Because we were helped and comforted by God, we long to reach out to others who are suffering and introduce them to God.
Debbie blogs about her experiences at https://debbiejoneswarren.com/.
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