Growing up, my mother Marion didn’t talk about her older brother Ben, or much about their experiences growing up Mennonite missionary kids in Ethiopia. 

 

So when I heard a rumor that Ben had sent out a final letter just a few days before his mysterious death, I realized tracking it down could be my only chance to figure out who Ben was, why we didn’t talk about him, and if the sacrifices asked of missionary families had irrevocably altered what home, closeness, and family could look like. 

My biggest fear was that my search for answers would strain my relationship with my mother, a private and reserved person.

 

In the film, Intergenerational trauma therapist and Ben's college friend, Carolyn Yoder shares 'when we really can’t talk about our deepest fears and we can’t talk about our deepest sorrow, it just lives on in us and then that's when it really impacts the next generation. In ways that you often find hard to name. But, where the search for the truth is greater than the fear, you are going to bring healing to the whole system…'

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Making this film has been a healing journey for myself and my family and through test screenings I have already seen the power this film has in starting important conversations for third culture kids, former missionary kids, and anyone that grew up between worlds.