AIM’s Weekly Newsletter for Adult TCKs

Home Again: Tools for Adult TCKs

If you grew up as a missionary’s kid, a military kid, or the child of diplomats or international businesspeople, I suspect your life has been many things —

Rich, painful, joyful, overwhelming, lonely, rootless, confusing, exciting, colorful, flavorful, fearful.

Now that you’re an adult, making sense of all those contradictory and coexisting realities can feel overwhelming and lonely. And trying to explain your life to a friend who lived in the same house his whole life can leave you feeling frustrated and misunderstood. To say nothing of the anxiety of not knowing who has the right of way at a four-way stop.

It all leads to the ever-looming existential question: “Will I ever really feel at home again?”

Regardless of where you are or what life looks like these days, I hope this is a place where you can remember two things:

You’re not alone.
You’re going to be okay.

What is this newsletter?

I started this publication to serve adult TCKs who grew up on the field with Africa Inland Mission. But regardless of your ATCK story, you’re welcome here.

Maybe you just graduated and returned to your “home” culture. Or maybe you’ve been back for several years, working or studying, and living life. You might feel like everyone else has a map that you missed. Or maybe you feel restless and unsettled and you’re not sure why. Or like you’re constantly on the outside of your friend group, faking it till you make it. Maybe you’ve given up on the friend group entirely.

I get it.

Moving back to your passport country is hard. Explaining your life experiences to new friends is hard. And finding a church, school, or friend community where you feel at home can seem impossible.

But the good news is, you’re not alone in this journey.

Here’s what to expect:

Each week’s newsletter will be a round-up of some of my favorite resources, designed to help you navigate life as an Adult Third Culture Kid.

Sometimes I’ll share about upcoming workshops and retreats. Some weeks will feature poetry, art, and music to help us think, feel, and thrive in this unique life of ours. Others will include tips, book recommendations (and summaries for those TLDR folks), articles, and podcasts.

With each round-up, I have two goals:

I want to offer help and support as you process your own experiences, acclimate to a new culture, build deep relationships, discover who you are and where you belong, and define your relationship with God, missions, and the Church.

I want this to be a safe place to ask questions, share stories, and build community with other ATCKs.

Processing your experiences and cultivating deep community can be tough — but you don’t have to do it alone. I hope you’ll join us as we discuss and share tools to help us thrive together as Adult Third Culture Kids.