Welcome to the Armitage Cafe
Coming to Canada
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Maybe you already heard, maybe not... But we want you to know that we will be coming to Canada within a week on a five-month Home Assignment. Our first four-year assignment with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada ended last year and according to our mission policy, we are required to return to Canada for a time of reconnecting, refocusing and refreshing. We will be catching up with many friends and family as well as supporters and supporting churches. We will also be taking the time to process our last 8 years in Europe as missionaries with NLI and the PAOC. We are also planning for some moments of rest and holiday with our family. It has been 3 years since we were in Vancouver and Livia has only seen her grandparents once when she was 3 months old in Slovakia. Now she only knows them through Skype on the computer so it will be an interesting first contact at the Vancouver Airport.
The Home Assignment comes at an interesting time of endings and beginnings. Our missionary apprentices, Matthew and Amber Price, have completed their two year stint with us in Nitra and have now returned home. They have been approved as full status missionaries and will be returning to do full-time work in Poland. As well, after 8 years, Sheldon will be resigning from his role at Next Level International by May 1st. His final project in Spain was completed in December and he is leaving on great terms with NLI. Both of us felt a calling from God to be focused on the city of Nitra, to seek its peace and prosperity, when we first moved to Slovakia. The travel and many roles we have been carrying these last three years have proved to be challenging and so we are closing one door (albeit a difficult door to close) and stepping into some new beginnings and refocusing.
And what are those new beginnings? Part of our Home Assignment will be to process some early thoughts that we have about how to be a transformative presence in Nitra and Slovakia. While we have been part of a church plant (that is now an established church), we also feel that there are areas within the city that need a redemptive presence that will need some different approaches. One is the ALPHA course which we are hoping to launch in September and the other is seeing how we can expand the I Love My City outreach campaign (ILMC 2010 is happening August 20-30, we still need teams! So email milujemmojemestoATgmailDOTcom for more information). Other dreams are still embryonic and so we ask for your prayers and support over the next five months.
We feel strongly called to Nitra, Slovakia and Europe. We deeply desire to see the Kingdom of God advance. We still need your love, support and prayers in 2010.
We will have a mobile phone in Canada and if you would like the number please contact us via email. We would like to connect with people while we are home. We will be in Vancouver until 6 July and then in Toronto area until 26 July.
Thanks for your support and blessing...we hope to see you in Canada!
Sheldon, Anna, Mia and Livia
The Home Assignment comes at an interesting time of endings and beginnings. Our missionary apprentices, Matthew and Amber Price, have completed their two year stint with us in Nitra and have now returned home. They have been approved as full status missionaries and will be returning to do full-time work in Poland. As well, after 8 years, Sheldon will be resigning from his role at Next Level International by May 1st. His final project in Spain was completed in December and he is leaving on great terms with NLI. Both of us felt a calling from God to be focused on the city of Nitra, to seek its peace and prosperity, when we first moved to Slovakia. The travel and many roles we have been carrying these last three years have proved to be challenging and so we are closing one door (albeit a difficult door to close) and stepping into some new beginnings and refocusing.
And what are those new beginnings? Part of our Home Assignment will be to process some early thoughts that we have about how to be a transformative presence in Nitra and Slovakia. While we have been part of a church plant (that is now an established church), we also feel that there are areas within the city that need a redemptive presence that will need some different approaches. One is the ALPHA course which we are hoping to launch in September and the other is seeing how we can expand the I Love My City outreach campaign (ILMC 2010 is happening August 20-30, we still need teams! So email milujemmojemestoATgmailDOTcom for more information). Other dreams are still embryonic and so we ask for your prayers and support over the next five months.
We feel strongly called to Nitra, Slovakia and Europe. We deeply desire to see the Kingdom of God advance. We still need your love, support and prayers in 2010.
We will have a mobile phone in Canada and if you would like the number please contact us via email. We would like to connect with people while we are home. We will be in Vancouver until 6 July and then in Toronto area until 26 July.
Thanks for your support and blessing...we hope to see you in Canada!
Sheldon, Anna, Mia and Livia