Meet the TCK: Andrew Beckley

Meet Andrew! Andrew has lived in Mali, Niger, Benin and the USA. Andrew spent the most time Mali, West Africa (12 years) but has more memories from his time in Benin (6 years). Read about how a big, unexpected move shifted his perspective on life and possessions and built his faith. Listen to the ways he has made the most out of connecting with other TCKs regardless of where he is and how that has been a big blessing in life.

Can you briefly share your TCK background (where you grew up, your parents' nationality, and where you currently live)?

"My grandparents were missionaries, starting the work in Mali, with my dad and his siblings growing up on a houseboat on the Niger River. My parents are both American: my dad being born in Paris and growing up as an MK (missionary kid) and my mom in Baltimore, Maryland. My mom was a single missionary to Kenya for a few years before meeting my dad at a mission conference in Maryland.

I have 3 brothers, 1 older and 2 younger. I was born in Bamako, Mali and lived in Dire, a village next to the Niger River. We'd travel around a lot, and occasionally stayed in Timbuktu for extended amounts of time as my Dad did Bible translation and church planting. In 2012, while in the US for furlough (a missionary families "vacation"; typically 6 months to 1 year), the government was overthrown in Mali by Al-Qaeda (a terrorist organization) and it was unsafe for us to return to that home. My parents rerouted our mission to Niger for a year, and then down to Guene, Benin. I was homeschooled for 11 grades, then senior year I attended Sahel Academy in Niamey, Niger. After graduating, I spent a summer working with my parents mission in Benin, before flying to New York to stay with my hospitable extended family. While in New York; I got a job, bank account, drivers license, and started becoming an independent guy. Over the years, the Lord has directed my steps one destination at a time. I attended the Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, New York for a year, loving the summer camps ministry I was involved in there. Transferring my education to Liberty University in Virginia, I pursued a degree in Zoo & Wildlife Biology, but through the Lord's direction, I ended up graduating with a B.A. in Fine Arts Photography. Living for a year in Baltimore, MD as a Portrait & Sports Photographer, getting married at the beach in Lewes, Delaware, and moving to live in Wilmington, NC."

What's one TCK experience or memory that really defines your TCK journey?

"As adventurous and new as it was, moving countries in Africa was definitely a milestone that changed the trajectory of my experience. I think my family probably would have been in Mali my whole life had Al-Qaeda not become involved. Looking back, I'm sure my parents hid a lot of stress and unknowns from us kids. My childhood home in Mali was turned into a headquarters for the Muslim Extremists. All our possessions and belongings that we had packed away for what we thought would be a year; were ransacked, burned, and destroyed.

The Lord had definitely protected us from being in the middle of it all. We were safely in the USA, in the process of buying tickets to go back, but were advised to wait. As my parents helped us walk through these unknowns, I remember them instilling in us that "everything we have belongs to the Lord." Our earthly home, house, possessions, we're all gone. But we had Jesus and we had each other. A motto that my dad always used that stuck with me was, "The safest place you can be, is in the center of God's will."

How has being a TCK shaped the way you see identity, home or belonging?

"Identity. It's always a multiple answer question when somebody asks me, "Where are you from?" But that keeps it exciting. I tend to choose a location I'm from depending on the conversation or person I'm talking with. But in the end, my identity is not in where I grew up, but rather being a child of God.

Home. There is a popular saying, "Home is where the heart/family is." My family is spread all across the world, and my heart is in several different places. But I've come to terms with that fact that "this world is not my home, I'm just passing through." Looking forward to an eternal home with Jesus forever!

Belonging. I am a child of God living on this earth to love Him, live like Jesus, and walk in the Spirit."

What has been the hardest part of growing up between cultures?

"Having life long friendships, or deep meaningful friendships."

What has been the greatest gift or strength you've gained from being a TCK?

"A gift I see is a love and knowledge for travel, a desire to travel more, and connecting my career skills to benefit missions across the world."

How do you stay connected to the cultures that shaped you?

"I love making small connections and friendships in places I have lived that remind me of home, and help me connect to home. In New York, I was good friends with a foreign exchange student from Chad. We would speak French now and then. In Virginia, I was in the TCK student group and loved the other African missionary kids. In Baltimore, I made connections with a neighbor that was Nigerian. I have been back to visit West Africa twice since graduation in 2016."

What advice would you give a fellow TCK?

"Be proud of where you are from and your life experiences. Don't trade it for anything to "fit in." Hold on to the plan God had for your upbringing and look for opportunities to use them to connect with other TCKs around you."

If your life were a movie, book, or playlist, what would it be called?

Wanderer, Worshiper, Photographer

Andrew is a full-time photographer currently located in Wilmington, NC. He is the owner of an LLC as a Carolina Couples and Family Photographer, but loves to chase sunsets and sunrises, exploring the beauty of God's creation through a lens. Check out his photography business here:

Website: www.pauseandshutter.com

Instagram: @pauseandshutter

Andrew is also a part-time barista at Vigilant Hope Roasting, a nonprofit coffee shop that funds the connecting urban missions to ending poverty in the city of Wilmington. You should definitely look them up, or go see them if you're in the area.

Instagram: @vigilanthoperoasting