How long will you be there?
The easy but honest answer is: indefinitely. We feel called to be in Portugal long term, so we intend on learning the language and culture, and settling into our new community. Many of our team mates have been on the field for decades, and at this time we anticipate that being the case for us as well. That said, we have learned to hold our timeline loosely, because ultimately, it is not our plan. Who knows what God may have up his sleeve?
So when will you be back?
This one is a little harder to answer. At minimum, we will be back in the United States once every five years for our Home Assignment, as required by our organization. Our first HA would likely begin in our fourth year on the field, and would be for approximately six months. We are hopeful we will be able to come back a little more frequently than this, but right now the ability to do that depends on a lot of unknown factors.
And what exactly is a Home Assignment?
HA is when we are temporarily assigned to be in our sending country instead of on the field. This is typically for rest, refreshment, education, training, family time, and reconnecting with our supporting people, churches, and businesses. If you would like to know more, our organization has written a great blog explaining what Home Assignment is, and what unique needs most missionaries have on HA.
