Hidden in My Heart: A TCK's Journey Through Cultural Transition

by Taylor Murray

When Taylor Murray arrived in Japan, she felt like she was on an adventure-an adventure that God had called her family to take. The unique food, the strange language and the foreign culture were exciting and new. But the novelty of life overseas wore off, and Taylor became overwhelmed with frustration, loneliness and the sorrow of leaving everything she knew-the States, her home, her extended family-for everything she didn't know. She kept these emotions hidden in her heart until they reached a boiling point. Written as a series of individual prayers to God, Hidden in My Heart tells Taylor's story as she transparently unloads her grief and anger on Him and, surprisingly, finds Him willing to listen and bring her to a place of healing and-ultimately-joy. Taylor, a homeschooler, became a TCK when she was nine years old. She realizes that TCKs live between two worlds and often experience unique struggles. Her desire is to help other TCKs reflect on their emotions and pursue God's perspective. Taylor currently resides in Hiroshima, Japan. She enjoys writing and playing the piano. To connect with Taylor, visit Facebook.com/HiddeninMyHeartBook.

Genres: Nonfiction

110 pages, Paperback

First published April 16, 2013

Reviews

[Jill Robinson]

I appreciated Taylor's honesty and vulnerability. I feel like my kids (and even me) could have written all of these prayers. I will definitely be having them read this. Also great discussion questions.

[Isabelle Ray]

I appreciated the awareness that this book is bringing to such a niche community. While TCKs are often focused on missionary kids, it also includes military kids. I related to many of Taylor's struggles and frustrations; it's important that we bring exposure to these communities so kids realize they aren't alone.

However, the formatting of this book wasn't my favorite. Some entries felt a bit repetitive, which I didn't enjoy as much. But this book inspired me to continue pursuing my passion to reach military children for Christ.

[Liralen]

I've been curious about TCKs (third-culture kids) of late, and about missionaries—for the record, I am neither*—and so thought I'd give this a go. I'm rating it in the context of what it is: a collection of essay-prayers by a fourteen-year-old with a very specific worldview.

The book is broken into two parts: unhappy prayers dealing with questions of isolation and foreignness—of not being able to fit in and, crucially, struggling to learn the language—and then more thankful prayers, looking on the brighter side of things. There's a lot of background detail that would have been useful: I don't know where in the US Murray's family is from, or if they planned to be in Japan indefinitely, or what exactly her parents were doing there... That is, they were missionaries, but that can mean a lot of things. Murray mentions a twin, but there's virtually no conversation about family (and what family means when they're some of the only people with whom you can readily communicate), or how her parents might have viewed the move.

Murray has a tendency, here, to conflate 'TCK' with 'missionary kid'—not the same thing!—but I think this could actually make a pretty good resource for a kid (with Murray's beliefs) in a similar situation.


*I find missionaries fascinating but baffling, and I'm curious about the (written) experience because it's so far from what I know. I'm curious about TCKs because there are some similarities to my experience. Conveniently, the two sometimes overlap.

[Marti Wade]

2013 - Wonderful book; Read over the shoulder of 14-year-old Taylor as she talks to God about what it's like to be a missionary kid in Japan, trying to make sense of the losses, challenges, and new experiences.

2017 - read it again in order to reference it in an article. Still love it, though realize many of the issues and examples are rooted in what it's like to be an adolescent girl and might not be as accessible to boys/men.

[Ali Jackson]

Vulnerable and relatable, this 14 year old's struggles and blessings adjusting to life in Japan are very moving. I'd recommend to TCKs looking for God in the midst of cultural transition.

[Lucy Michelle]

This book is for people who want a look at what being a M.K. (Missionary Kid) is like sometimes. This book I felt like I could relate to and made me feel like I was not caring a burden alone. This should be a must read in your life and see what God can do 🥰!
-This book does not really have a plot line because it only shares different stories about this girls life and experiences. However it all points toward God at the end of each chapter. (which is simply amazing!)
-Great for pretty much any grade but would be easier to understand for grades 6 and up
-SUPER SIMPLE read
-Clean ✅
-A very encouraging read