Photo:  Levison and Lucia Longwe and other AIM missionaries at the PACKMACK Parents Conference

The first-ever PACMACK Parents Conference took place in Abuja from 1–4    October 2026. The conference brought together around 200 parents and 10 missionary kids (MKs). Participants came from various mission agencies, such as CAPRO, EMS, SIM, NEMA, and AIM, and from the mission fields of Lesotho, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Chad, and Nigeria. The MKs who met last year in Lagos proposed such a conference to provide a platform for parents to address the challenges facing African missionary kids.

Objectives of the conference included:

• To provide a space for African missionary parents to share challenges and triumphs.
• To educate parents on MK/TCK (third culture kids) identity and the lifelong impact of missionary life on children.
• To emphasize the need for intentional care for children at every stage of missionary transition.
• To highlight trauma, transitions, and identity challenges.
• To address the unique challenges faced by African MKs/TCKs.

The theme of this groundbreaking conference was “Not the sacrifice”, taken from Genesis 22:1–18, a reminder that even though the Lord demanded that Abraham sacrifice Isaac, Isaac did not become the sacrifice. Parents were therefore admonished to nurture TCKs and MKs as a trust. They should not sacrifice their children on the altars of their various ministries. Missionary kids are not an incidental part of the missionary life; they are a sacred assignment, as highlighted by Andrew Gwaivangmin, who was one of the speakers.

Unique challenges of African MKs

African MKs endure challenges and often suffer in silence. They witness parents who prioritize ministry over parenting, and observe churches and sending agencies who seem to care more about ministry results than the welfare of missionaries’ children. Some MKs who were present at the conference narrated how their negative experiences as MKs taught them resilience, endurance, and adaptability. However, they grapple with the question of belonging and prolonged seasons of inadequate resources. Parents seem to forget that the current African MKs are being raised in a dispensation that is different from their own.

Personal reflections

This was my first ever space where African missionaries were given a platform to express their fears, disappointments, frustrations, and hopes. I left the conference convinced that the multigenerational African missionary movement is possible and it should start with the families that raise them.

As a first-generation cross-cultural worker myself, the conference awakened the reality of parenting children despite the various challenges unique to the African mission force.

I was challenged to consider my children as part of a broader mission that God has entrusted to me and my wife. They should not be regarded as part of the baggage we move from one culture to another. As we make disciples in the culture to which we are sent, we should not neglect the disciples in the home. The missionary kids in my home should be grounded in faith, allow God to use them for his glory, but also be given wings to fly, to discover, grow, ask questions, and develop gifts.

Lastly, presence and authenticity are much more valuable to children than financial provision (which at times is hard to come by anyway). We have learned to give ear to our children and walk with them as we together navigate the place we now call home. The Lord who called us will teach them, as he promised (Isiah 59:13).