Q: Can I become a missionary if my adult children still need me nearby?

answer this question

A: Maybe yes, maybe no.

Answer from Jerry and Robin, who have been missionaries in Japan for eight years.
This really depends on a lot of factors. If your children are dependent on you (financially, spiritually, emotionally, or physically) it may not be a good time to consider such a move. Look for God's confirmation to come through your adult children as well as your pastor.

Before we seriously considered missions, we shared this possibility with our children...then 18, 20, 23 and 24 years old. We could not have made the move without their full and unconditional support. None were married at the time. Two were in university. During the past eight years it has been possible for us to participate in weddings, births of their children, and graduations. This has come at a price, both financially and scheduling.

Some voiced concerns that our moving so far from home would sever future contact. The opposite has actually been true. As we have the need and desire to phone our relationships have deepened. A promise we received from God at a time we were experiencing loneliness for our children especially was this, "As much as you miss each other, pray for them, and know that loneliness is only a fraction of Mine for you when you are not close to Me." God will teach you how to make the "together times" special and solidify your relationships as you depend wholly on Him.

A: Let God Chart Your Course, No matter which way the wind blows

Answer from Rev. M. Peter.
This will depend on many factors in your life and your adult children. You must first weigh out all the costs (physical, mentally and spiritually) of your call to world missions. Do your children support you in this endeavor? Are you willing to be separated by distance and difficulties for extended periods of time? Are they prepared for the extreme of circumstances? God's Word tells us that a man (adult children) shall leave their father and mother and cleave unto a wife. In other words, our children must find their own lives after being guided by our parenting lifestyle when they reach adulthood. As a missionary to Central America, my family (wife and children) have spent time on and off the mission field. My children are grown up now and have gone on to do their part in the Lord's work and my wife and I continue to do our work.