Our sabbatical is taking shape

Dear friends, Dear family,

Thank you for all your messages of encouragement, we feel surrounded by many of you and we are grateful. In our last newsletter, we openly shared that we had reached a certain level of exhaustion and that we had therefore taken the decision to take a sabbatical (6 months) in order to stop, recharge, debrief and equip ourselves for the future.

Since May, we've made some progress in organising this time ‘apart’.

May-June-July-August

First of all, we've decided to leave Liberia 2 weeks earlier than planned. The children will have finished their tests and will therefore only miss a week of school. We'll be passing through Switzerland for a short break, which will allow us to pick up some clothes suited to the European climate! We'll be spending June in France, at a retreat. This will allow us to take some time to ‘be together’ and rest our bodies and minds in a calm, stress-free environment.

The months of July and August are ‘In all directions’: seeing our families and friends, enjoying Switzerland, visiting our churches, going to the wedding of friends in Scotland, a week of debriefing for Melvina and Nicolas, going to a camp for the two older children, spending time with grandparents for the little ones, etc.

September-October-November

At the end of August, we'll be leaving for England. We have decided to spend September, October and November at All Nations Christian College near London. This is the college where we did our months of preparation in 2018 before leaving for Liberia. We think we'll find the necessary emotional and spiritual support there, and the setting invites rest, meditation and prayer.

VOLUNTEER NEEDED (September to November)

During this time in England, we want our children to be able to continue the school curriculum they are following here in Liberia. We will therefore have the materials with us, but we are looking for someone who could supervise their work and help them to continue to progress. We don't think that this person necessarily has to be a native English speaker. We think that someone who is comfortable in English can easily supervise their school work (for Gabriel aged 6 and a half, Siméon aged 10 and Théotime aged 12). But a native English speaker would be perfect !

Here's a little promotional video that you can share with people that could potentially be interested. And don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Click here

Thank you for your support and for reading! It's been 6 years since we first set foot on Liberian soil!

Best regards, Melvina and Nicolas Theotime, Simeon, Gabriel and Caleb

If you would like to pray for us :

• We believe that nothing is lost in ‘God's economy’. Pray that we can grow and learn from these more difficult times.
• Pray with us that we can find the right person to come with us to England.
• Pray for our finances, so that we can have peace of mind during this sabbatical.
• Pray for the people who will take over our work during our absence.