This summer we’re due for our regularly scheduled biennial home assignment. By scheduling our home assignment every other year we are able to keep in more frequent contact with our supporters plus we avoid missing our biennial ReachGlobal conference in Europe in the off years. This year we’ll keep to this schedule–but with a bit of a twist.
Later
This year’s home assignment is going to be later. We plan on arriving in the States sometime after July 18. By coming later we’ll be able to stay in Banská Bystrica and help out with an English Camp to be held with Narnia Elementary School. This is the camp we started planning about a year ago with Judson Baptist Church from Nashville, TN.
Sorry, these photos are no longer available.
Longer
A big reason for doing home assignment every other year is to keep them short. We come to the States for just two months so that the kids don’t miss any school back in Slovakia. It’s hard enough for them to straddle two cultures without having to deal with major school disruptions.
This time, however, a longer stay is unavoidable. It may seem strange, but I’ve been asked not to share details until mid May. When the announcement comes, it will make sense. For now, I’ll just say that the reason for the longer stay is a great opportunity for expanding our ministry and the ministry of the seminary in Slovakia. Both the seminary and ReachGlobal stand wholeheartedly behind this extended stay. (The only exception is the professor who has to cover for the brunt of my teaching load.) Right now the plan is to be in the States from late July to early January. That’s just under six months so that I don’t have trouble losing my Slovak resident permit.
Watch for more details in our next newsletter.
Harder
It really is not going to be easy for us to manage this six month stay in the States. As I mentioned, it will be disruptive for the kids and their schooling. But there are also issues with living arrangements, transportation, Jana’s employment at Narnia–even our dog! We would appreciate your prayers for all the logistics we need to arrange in the next couple of months.
Better
Even though we’ll be coming later, we hope we’ll have the opportunity to meet with more people than usual because of our extended time. My work schedule from September to December is fully committed, but we should have some weekends to spare for visiting with supporters in the northern Illinois area and we plan a pretty big trip out east to visit supporters out that direction.
If you would be interested in a meetup, let us know and we’ll do all we can to come for a visit!
Along with all the visits and communication, of course we also look forward to being able to spend a season of life with Stateside family. That is a huge and unanticipated blessing.
Carl McNair says
Thanks for the update. Certainly the Berean class at 1st Free Rockford would like to have a Sunday when you could update/teach the class. We allow 45 minutes to an hour for his, depending on the time you request. You pick the Sunday during your stay and we will work out the details. We don’t need a lot of notice on the exact day, just would like to know you will try to work us into your schedule for at least one Sunday. If you could do more than one that would be great.
Carl McNair
Todd Patterson says
Hi Carl, Thanks for the invitation. We certainly count on visiting the Bereans. I’m assuming at the end of August there will be a missions weekend. So we’ll see you then. But we could plan on a Sunday in the fall to do a lesson or two, if you’d like.
Look forward to seeing you,
Todd
Judith Pattterson says
Such a nice video of photos. Todd.
Michelle (Cook) Durkin says
Family video of pics is amazing!
Todd Patterson says
Never forget what Max said after he saw that video for the first time… “Oh why can’t that summer happen again!” One of the saddest happy things I’ve ever heard.