TCK essay contest winner: 'I Belong'
Joy Stout moved to Macedonia when she was 4 years old. Her family serves on a church-planting team in Skopje, Macedonia. Joy, now 15, loves the Macedonian people, whom she describes as friendly and easy to talk with. She enjoys dancing and has even taught dance. She also values the freedom she has to go places alone or with friends (she’s on the right with her friends in the photo above) and the “very awesome” team her family works with. In her winning essay, she shares about feeling like a foreigner, no matter where she goes — and why that’s okay.
By Joy Stout in Macedonia —
Being a TCK (third culture kid) is exhilarating. There are many highlights to being a TCK — traveling the world, meeting new people, trying new foods and so much more. But there are a lot of hard times as well — saying goodbye to family and close friends, living in an area where you don’t know the language, and adjusting to a new life and culture. God uses these hard times to teach us more about Him and His perfect plan.
Being a TCK myself, I’ve experienced many ups and downs. Over the past 15 years of my life I have said many hellos and many goodbyes; I’ve lived in many different houses, cities, and countries. Through all of this change, I lost the sense of belonging somewhere; I no longer had a place I could call home. I felt out of place, a stranger, a foreigner.
Having lived in Macedonia for most of my life, I liked to consider myself Macedonian and call Macedonia my home. I realized though, that no matter how much I adapted to the culture, I could never be a Macedonian; no matter how much I wanted to call it my home, I would never belong there. I would always have my American blood and my American ways. Even though I was born in America, I no longer considered it a place to call home. I felt even more like a foreigner and stranger in my homeland and I sensed as if I didn’t belong anywhere.
Having lived in Macedonia for most of my life, I liked to consider myself Macedonian and call Macedonia my home. I realized though, that no matter how much I adapted to the culture, I could never be a Macedonian; no matter how much I wanted to call it my home, I would never belong there. I would always have my American blood and my American ways. Even though I was born in America, I no longer considered it a place to call home. I felt even more like a foreigner and stranger in my homeland and I sensed as if I didn’t belong anywhere.
Through all this I learned that although I might not belong here on Earth, this is where God has placed me. So it is up to me to be content with where I am and who I am, a child of God. Whether you’re a TCK or not, as children of God we all belong to Him and He is preparing a place for us to call home. If you feel as if you don’t belong anywhere here on Earth, don’t worry, you don’t.
You belong somewhere far better than any place on Earth. You belong in the arms of God.
Additional Posts

Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?



