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Deputation is a time for the whole family to serve God. Since we’ve been called to Missionary Acres, we are now on the deputation trail, gathering a team to support us both through prayers and financial giving.
And this is definitely different from anything we’ve done before.
So we spend a lot of time talking and praying as a family. We try to keep the kids involved as much as possible.
We thought it’d be neat to document some of their thoughts, and give you a kids’ perspective on deputation. As you can see from their answers below, their understanding varies greatly by age. Some of their answers are definitely precious!
A Kids’ Perspective on Deputation
For this post, we asked the kids 10 different questions related to deputation. Here are their answers:
Deputation Question #1: What Is Deputation?
Here are their answers, from youngest participating child to oldest:
Age 2: Going in car.
Age 4: Going to different churches.
Age 6: Getting money from churches.
Age 7: An opportunity to spend time with our family in different churches.
Age 9: Going from church to church so we can raise money to go to Missionary Acres.
Age 11: Traveling from church to church telling people about Missionary Acres.
Teen: Asking churches for their support in prayers and financially.
Deputation Question #2: What Has Been Your Favorite Part of Deputation?
They said:
Age 2: Food.
Age 4: Being in churches.
Age 6: Staying in different places.
Age 7: We have a van now so we can travel all together in one car.
Age 9: We don’t have to worry about half the family getting lost since we can travel together.
Age 11: Meeting new people and making new friends.
Teen: Seeing the different churches and how they are all a little different but still serving God.
Note: Being able to travel together has been an amazing blessing. We are so thankful for the time as a family. Here’s a family selfie we shared to Facebook on our last trip:
Deputation Question #3: Where Do You Want to Go on Deputation?
Here is how the kids answered:
Age 2: Church.
Age 4: Back to Aunt Gerri’s house.
Age 6: Missouri.
Age 7: Hawaii.
Age 9: All around the country.
Age 11: Oregon.
Teen: De Smet, South Dakota.
Deputation Question #4: What Is One Way God Has Provided for Our Family on Deputation?
The kids said:
Age 2: Toys for car.
Age 4: Having comfy beds when we stay places.
Age 6: Let us into our first churches.
Age 7: Letting us go to a church in Ohio in July.
Age 9: He provided a van.
Age 11: Dad was able to quit work so we could start full-time deputation.
Teen: God brought more work for Mom’s business so Dad could quit and we could still pay the bills and eat.
Deputation Question #5 – What’s Been Hard About Deputation?
Here is how the Tanner Tribe answered:
Age 2: Dropping toys in van.
Age 4: Traveling so much.
Age 6: That we have to raise a whole bunch of money.
Age 7: Getting home late and still having to unpack the van.
Age 9: Being in the car for hours at a time.
Age 11: Having to keep the van clean.
Teen: How long the travel takes.
Deputation Question #6: What’s Been the Best Thing to Eat at a Church Potluck?
Hey, we’re Baptist – we had to ask about food! 😀
Age 2: Sandwiches.
Age 4: Pudding salad that’s green.
Age 6: Cheese and meat rollups cut into wheels.
Age 7: Hamburgers and French fries, yum!
Age 9: Sweet and sour meatballs. And BBQ meatballs. And any meatballs with sauce.
Age 11: Chicken legs.
Teen: Corn on the cob.
Deputation Question #7: How Long Do You Think Deputation Will Take?
We still need to work on the concept of time with some of the younger ones…
Age 2: Tomorrow.
Age 4: 100 years.
Age 6: A million months…
Age 7: 1 more year.
Age 9: 2-3 years.
Age 11: 4 years.
Teen: 3 years.
Deputation Question #8: What Is One Thing We Will Be Doing at Missionary Acres When We Are Done with Deputation?
They said:
Age 2: Hammers.
Age 4: See the old people.
Age 6: Clean stuff.
Age 7: Help people.
Age 9: Help people fix things.
Age 11: Mow the lawns.
Teen: Record missionary stories of the residents.
Deputation Question #9: What’s Your Favorite Thing to Do in the Car on Deputation?
To answer this question, the kids said:
Age 2: Get out of van. Play park.
Age 4: Play with toys like my Hatchimals.
Age 6: Color.
Age 7: Draw.
Age 9: Listen to audio books.
Age 11: Do school and practice multiplication facts.
Teen: Listen to music.
Note: We always have the kids pack fun bags for each trip. They’re just simple backpacks full of things to keep them busy. You can read more about how we keep the kids occupied in the car in this post:10 Important Truths About Traveling with Kids on Deputation
Deputation Question #10: What Is One Way People Can Pray for Our Family On Deputation?
The kids suggested the following – we would greatly appreciate your prayers!
Age 2: Go on trip.
Age 4: Get to Missionary Acres soon.
Age 6: That I’d be good in churches. It’s hard to be quiet sometimes because I like to talk.
Age 7: That God would provide a travel trailer.
Age 9: Get churches scheduled along the way to Ohio next summer.
Age 11: Safety on the roads.
Teen: That God would provide a travel trailer big enough for us all to sleep in before our trip to Ohio next summer, so we could save money on lodging and food.
A Kids’ Perspective on Deputation
Having these conversations with the kids over the past few weeks has been interesting. It’s allowed us to get a better sense of how they are feeling and handling the new changes life on the deputation trail brings.
Do you have any questions about deputation you’d like us to ask the kids? We may consider adding to this post in the future, so if you do, drop it in the comments section.
And as always, if you’d like us to present the ministry of Missionary Acres to your church, we are actively scheduling meetings for 2020. Please send us an email at tanners2ma (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll work together to make the arrangements.
Thank you for your prayers!