Simonyi-Gindele family
We are writing to you from Vancouver, Canada. The Lord opened the way for us to leave home in Angola at the end of June through a set of circumstances that clearly showed God's hand guiding in each step of the journey. It was a long trip lasting over five days and included an epic 25-hour drive in Angola to get to the first of four flights. The pandemic has not made travel easier! We were blessed to arrive in Vancouver and find that the saints from Carleton Gospel Hall had prepared a home for us to quarantine and live in, investing hours of work in moving our furniture in, repainting, and fixing up plumbing and electrical to make the house comfortable.
Almost two years ago, after many conversations, much reflection and prayer, and a deep sense of dependence on God to guide, Elizabeth and I decided that we would be relocating our family back to Canada mid-2020. This decision was primarily made for the well-being of our youngest child and only daughter, Abigail.
Living in rural Angola as the only expatriate girl in the area presented very real challenges for our daughter. As she approached her teen years, we knew we could not continue to meet her developmental, emotional, and social needs while living in Biula. Although our 14 and 16-yearold sons, Seth and Jesse, have spent most of their lives overseas and had come to see Biula as "home," we felt it would be good for them to get used to life in Canada, too. We are thankful to the Lord that our 19 and 20-year-old sons, Ethan and Zachary, have done well in adapting to university and life in Canada over the last couple of years they have lived here without us. Although we have failed many times as parents, it has always been our goal to make our family a priority over "the work". God has given us peace and confirmation that we are on the right path at this stage in life. After all, "the work" is God's. We are confident that He will continue His work in Biula without us.
Pray for us as we transition to life in Canada. It is not easy, especially as Elizabeth and I have left a large part of our hearts in Angola! We do not know the future, but we hope to return there together full-time when our family is grown if the Lord allows. Presently, I am in the process of renewing my Canadian medical license to enable me to return to part-time medical work in the Vancouver area while remaining involved as a self-supporting missionary in the work of the Lord in Angola. I want to return to Angola 2-3 times per year, but with coronavirus turning travel upside down, it is hard to plan with certainty. However, we have recently heard that Angola is to allow international travel soon again, so this gives me hope for a trip early in 2021. Elizabeth and our five children have started university or school this last week, so they are now well occupied.
We have missionary colleagues, Brian and Debbie Howden from the UK, and Dr. Juan Palacios from Argentina who remains in Angola, seeking to serve in challenging circumstances. We value your prayer for them. Pray also for our beloved brothers and sisters in Biula and the surrounding area among whom we lived and taught, that they will be encouraged to look to the Lord for help in these challenging times.
We remind ourselves that a life of faith is no less needful in Canada than in Angola. May your walk of faith grow stronger as well in these challenging times!
Autumn 2020
Written by Dr. Samuel & Elizabeth Simonyi-Gindele - Angola