The other day, Simeon said to me, “Mum, we’re almost halfway there!  I reply, “Halfway to what?”. He says: “Well, of our time outside Liberia! Really? It’s been almost 3 months since we left Liberia. Hard to believe! We still feel like we’re in the middle of a recovery phase. So far, we’ve tried to rest our bodies and minds, and simply taken the time to “be”. To be with family, to read, to play, to cycle, to walk and so on. In June, we spent 3 weeks in France, near Valence. We realized just how beneficial a real family vacation was for us, but also for our children. In Liberia, we live a community life and have very little time “just for us”. The 6 of us enjoyed these precious moments and are very grateful.

In July, we were lucky enough to travel (by train, to the delight of Gabriel, who wants to be a train driver!) to Scotland for a friend’s wedding. We also got to see some friends, and were made to feel very welcome in Edinburgh itself. The boys enjoyed discovering another country, and we returned home with our hearts full of beautiful memories, but also tired. !

We can say that we’re feeling better and better, and thankfully so! The boat is no longer overflowing, but it’s still a little too full. We feel that we still need time to make room so that we can once again welcome, love, listen to and commit ourselves to those around us here and elsewhere.

What’s next ?

By now Théotime and Siméon are attending a summer camp, Gabriel and Caleb are with grandma and grandpa and we (Nicolas and Melvina) are on a train to Budapest, where we’re about to embark on an intensive week of debriefing. If you wish, you can pray for us. These debriefing times are often intense and difficult, but also necessary to move forward and experience inner transformation.

When we all return, we’ll spend another month in Château-d’Oex, in the family chalet, before going to England to All Nations Christian College.

Rachel

We are so grateful that we have found a “teacher” for our boys! We looked all over the world (!) and she was only a few meters away 😉 Rachel is one of the daughters of a family working with us in Liberia. She will have the joy and challenge of coming to teach our 3 bigger boys and join our family in Switzerland and then in England! We thank God for this wonderful blessing.

Until we hear from you again, we wish you a wonderful end of summer.

Thank you for your support, your friendship and your many words of encouragement!

Melvina Nicolas with Théotime, Siméon, Gabriel and Caleb