Chevron Link Book Article Post

MK Office & the College Years

"Once an MK, Always an MK!"

Click here to download a printable PDF of the ISMK Post Secondary Packet.

Thanksgiving Retreat

College and working MKs are invited to the annual MK Thanksgiving Retreat in Winter Park, Colorado. This retreat, which goes from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to the Sunday following, is a time to ski, snowboard, or just hang out with old and new MK friends. Activities are provided during the afternoons. Sessions in the morning and evening provide a spiritual retreat designed to help MKs transitioning in their college years and to grow in their relationship with the Father.

Thanksgiving Retreat is for MKs who have graduated from high school and who have not yet turned 23 (they must still be 22 by the first day of retreat). All MKs, regardless of their parents’ current AGWM status, are invited.

The retreat is intended to have little or no cost for the MK. All costs for lodging, meals, and activities are covered by the ISMK program. Airfare from any U.S. city for the first year of attendance is provided by the MK program. Airfare to and from Colorado for a MKs’ second and subsequent years of attending the retreat, will be paid from the parents’ (00) account if the account has sufficient funds.* If there are insufficient funds in the (00) account, airfare costs will be covered for these students by the ISMK program. If the family is no longer listed as active at the time of the retreat, the MK will be responsible for the cost of airfare, but all other retreat expenses will be covered by the ISMK program.

*Note to parents: All MK travel is accumulated to taxable income for the parent. Due to the tax issue, the cost of the ticket will appear on your (00) statement, but reimbursement from the MK program account will post in the same statement period.

To attend the retreat, register online at www.ismk.org/thanksgiving/register. Registration for the retreat begins August 1 and ends October 1.

MK Task Forces

MKs who would like the opportunity to minister overseas, broaden their understanding of the mission field, bring perspective to their future role in the Great Commission, and serve as models for younger MKs should consider going on an MK task force trip. Most often (although not exclusively) , Task Force teams to go to AGWM  Regional and Area retreats to minister to younger MKs.   

Task forces are self-funded missions trips. Usually team members are asked to raise their own airfare plus additional funds to help pay for the event.  With Regional Director approval, missionaries may be able to pay for some or all of a Task Force trip for their MK using (00) funds. 

Click here for information on upcoming Task Forces.

Working MT/PFO, MR, and Re-Entry

One of the historical strengths of the MT/MR MK program is that the veteran MKs teach the new MKs.  For this reason, veteran MKs are encouraged to apply for a paid position at the Missionary Training/Pre-Field Orientation and Missionary Renewal camps each summer. Staff positions are available to work with every age group from birth through Senior High.  The employment dates vary slightly from year to year, but usually center around the month of June and sometimes into July.

All housing and most meals are covered during the time of hire, so MK staff need only pay for their meals on free days throughout the program. Up to $500 in travel expenses is reimbursable (with receipts) for travel expenses to/from Springfield. 

Applications are accepted online from January 1st through April 1st.   Hiring decisions are made the week of April 15th.  Hiring is done on a seniority basis, so applicants are asked to indicate their top three choices of programs to work.

Return Trip to the Field

MKs who were raised on the field may return to visit their parents overseas one time paid for out of the MK Travel Fund.  The intent of this trip is to allow MKs closure and a chance to say goodbye to that chapter in their life.  The criteria for this trip are:

  1. The MK must have graduated from high school and be under the age of 23.
  2. The MK must be returning to the field where they spent at least part of their growing-up years.
  3. The MK parent must still be active, appointed A/G missionaries currently working in that field.

Approved trips are covered by the MK Travel Fund, which is supported through a standard monthly deduction of $10 from every missionary’s account. Expenses for non-MK spouses are not covered.

To begin processing an MK Return Trip, Missionary parents  should contact their Area Director for approval.

Once the official approvals have been completed, the missionary has two options for purchasing airline tickets for their MK.

  1. You may purchase the airline ticket for your MK’s return trip.  Claim the expense on your next quarterly report and the funds will be transferred back to your account from the MK travel account.
  2. Contact your Missionary Services representative.  He/she can work directly with your needs and with Adelman Travel to purchase a ticket in your MKs name and bill the MK travel account directly.*

*Note to parents: All MK travel is accumulated to taxable income for the parent.  Due to the tax issue, the cost of the ticket will still appear on your (00) statement, but a reimbursement from the MK travel account will also post in the same statement period.