What do you do at SIM UK?
I am the Families Advisor for SIM UK, which is part of the People Care team. My role involves resourcing and supporting parents in educational issues and offering pastoral care as they serve overseas. I also connect with TCKs (Third Culture Kids) and help them navigate the joys and challenges of growing up between different cultures.
What does your job look like day-to-day?
No day is the same, and it varies depending on the time of the year. During the summer months, a lot of our families return on Home Assignment and so I’m much busier doing debriefs with the children and have time to check in on families, with space to chat through any concerns they might have and endeavor to support them however they need. There’s a lot of prep that’s involved with this time, as I create bespoke material for the family’s needs so I can support them in the best way possible.
Throughout the rest of the year, my time is spent checking in on families via email or having a zoom call with them answering questions they might have about education or anything else they need help with. I’ll also send over any resources that might be helpful.
Tell me more about your time overseas: how has it impacted your current job?
Before joining the team as the Families Advisor I served with SIM overseas with my family. After a short-term trip overseas, it was clear that God was leading us to serve Him long term. We felt that SIM was an organisation that we could get on board with at the time, it felt like a family where we would be supported well.
When we came back from serving overseas, it never felt right to cut ties with SIM, a ‘family’ that we have been part of since 1994. The transition back to the UK wasn’t an easy one for us, and because it was a rocky reentry for my own children, I ended up doing a lot of reading and research into what it meant for them to have left the country that they grew up in and return to their passport country. Along with the impact that this has on TCKs and their sense of belonging and identity. As I did this, I became more passionate about sharing what I had learnt and wanted to ensure that other families also had this understanding and information too.
How have you seen God working through your job?
I am sure there are times when we all wonder if what we do makes a difference to those who we are serving or working with, and I have definitely wondered that sometimes! So, it is really encouraging when families have been in touch with comments such as “We didn’t know we needed you until we spent time with you. And because of you, we’re able to remain where we are”. That is a huge encouragement and spurs me on in my role as Family Advisor.
Having the opportunity to meet with TCKs and to see God working in their own life and their family’s lives is really encouraging to see.
How can we pray for you?
- For the families that that serve with SIM; that I’m able to serve them well. For wisdom in knowing how to interact well with them, and for me to support them in the best way I can.
- For our TCKs as they live a life that is incredibly different from their peers in this country. For God to work in them, and opportunities for them to go on and serve later on in their own lives.