Time for a break

Dear friends, dear families, dear donors,

Time flies and it's already March. We're sorry for the long silence. We're finally going to give you some news that we hope will help you understand what we're going through here in Liberia. In September 2022, we took over as Director of SIM Liberia. As you know, there has been nothing easy or predictable about this role, we have found ourselves in a situation of constant stress.

Crossing a double border

For the Christmas holidays, we decided for a change of scenery and traveled (by car!) to Abidjan in Ivory Coast. It was an adventure that the whole family really enjoyed. Unfortunately, it's often when you stop that your body expresses itself. Once there, Melvina began to experience clear symptoms of burnout (headaches, 'foggy brain', dizziness, etc).

Fortunately, we were able to continue the holiday at an adapted pace. When we returned to ELWA, it was clear that Melvina needed to stop working. Melvina therefore stopped or postponed her professional responsibilities. But life goes on, with 4 boys and a house full of life. Nicolas, for his part, is also dealing with obvious exhaustion, and his efficiency at work and his presence at home are affected.

A break is in order

Given these facts, we have decided to take a 6-month sabbatical. This time will be devoted to recuperating physically and emotionally, debriefing and equipping ourselves to handle the challenging work we feel called upon to accomplish. There are still many questions/thoughts to be answered, and if you wish, you can join us in prayer:

• when to leave? The children finish school at the end of May. Will we be able to stay until then?
• Where can we go to get the help we need?
• What about our finances during our sabbatical?
• We have re-engaged our regional and international leadership and hope that their concrete help can bear fruit quickly.

Two positive notes to end on

• Radio ELWA celebrated its 70th anniversary! On 17-18-19 February, we celebrated the 70th anniversary of Radio ELWA. ELWA's first ministry started in 1954! Look out for 3 Piagets in the photo, during the parade!
• We inaugurated the container (dental) clinic!

The container clinic is finished and up and running. What a great step forward for Liberia. We were delighted to inaugurate it on 23 February 2024 in the presence of our partners, officials and influential people from Liberia. If you want to see the final result, click here for the 2nd video which will say more than many words!

Thank you for reading and for your loyal support.

Melvina, Nicolas, Théotime, Siméon, Gabriel and Caleb