Dear friends, families, and donors,

We hope you are well and that you had a good start to the year. We imagine that most of you are eagerly awaiting spring.

As for us, time is flying by. We’ve had the joy of hosting many visitors since Christmas: Melvina’s parents, followed by two longtime friends, and then our latest visitor, Nicolas’s brother! So we’ve been quite busy, but the good news is that we’ve already been able to send eight suitcases back to Switzerland!

So we’re making good progress: the decluttering of our house is well underway! After eight years, we’ve accumulated quite a lot of stuff 😉

Update on the situation at ELWA

As we explained in the last newsletter, the government has decided to provide us with financial assistance. Starting this month, the majority of our hospital and dental clinic staff will be paid by the agency that compensates government employees. This is a huge financial relief for both the hospital and the dental clinic.

Of course, such a change brings other challenges, such as: who is in charge of hiring, firing, and disciplining staff? The government has other hospitals; does it now have more say in how ELWA Hospital is managed? To resolve all these issues, Nicolas and the hospital administration have already held countless internal meetings with the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Health, and other involved parties. Nothing has been signed yet.

For her part, Melvina continues to teach her students. We have started going every Wednesday to one of Monrovia’s poorest neighborhoods (West Point) to provide free dental care to the most disadvantaged.

“I really love seeing my students gain confidence, watching them give good advice to their patients, and showing patience and compassion toward people who have so little. When I’m in West Point, something inside me comes alive! Offering our care with love opens our hearts, and we receive just as much as we give!” — Melvina

Melvina was also able to participate in a training on trauma healing. This is a participatory method conducted in a group setting. Indeed, in a country like Liberia, most people have experienced one or more traumatic events in their lives.

Melvina has already facilitated two different groups, and the feedback has been very encouraging. At the end of the six sessions, one young person said: “Thank you. Thanks to this course, I’ve understood what trauma is and, above all, how to overcome it. I’ve found hope again!”

What’s next?

We will leave Liberia on June 5 and arrive in Switzerland on July 4, as we are making the return trip in several stages! This departure will be a major transition for our family. Indeed, after eight years, our life is here.

As we leave Liberia, we feel like we’re leaving a part of ourselves behind in this country. This quote from Miriam Adeney captures exactly how we feel:

You will never be completely home again. Because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of knowing and loving people in more than one place.

As we explained earlier, we are committed to serving with Mercy Ships. We have been accepted into their database, but for now, we do not have a place aboard either of the two ships.

This leaves a lot of uncertainty hanging in the air, which isn’t always easy, especially for our children.

September 2026 – February 2027: Hawaii!

As you know, these past few years, during our term as mission directors, have been very intense for us. We recognize signs of burnout and know it would be wise to take time for recovery and inner restoration, as well as to be free from responsibilities for a period of time. So we have been looking for a place where:

• we can follow a program that will allow us to spend some time apart, as a family;
• our children can feel welcomed and included;
• English remains the primary language, so that they can stay immersed in the English-speaking environment;
• it is affordable given our financial situation;
• offers us rest and also nourishes our souls;
• it would allow us to integrate into a community easily and with minimal emotional strain.

In short, as you can see, it wasn’t a sure thing from the start! However, we found a 5-month course with Youth With A Mission at the University of the Nations in Hawaii. We are very excited to experience this time of transition as a family.

And one final note…

THANK YOU for reading this. THANK YOU for supporting us for so many years, THANK YOU for believing in us, THANK YOU for trusting us, THANK YOU for everything you mean to us!

Truly, as we begin a new chapter in our family life, we can only remain GRATEFUL.

With our love and best regards from Liberia!
Melvina and Nicolas, Théotime, Siméon, Gabriel, and Caleb