We’ve been in the DR about 2 weeks now. It’s always a battle to get back into the groove, to have the right perspective. Things always seem to “go wrong” when we’re trying to get settled in again. My attitude can go from happy to grumpy in just seconds flat.
This time, it started off with a flat tire on our new car. Flat tires are a normal part of life here, and I really shouldn’t have been surprised. We were gone for a month. Scott took care of it, and life went on. But when other frustrations started piling up, it was just too easy to add the flat tire to my “I have every right to be annoyed right now” list.
A couple of days ago, Scott blew another tire as he was returning from an early morning airport run. Thankfully, I was able to go rescue him. After we drove all over the city looking for an open tire place, we were able to get the car back on the road.
Our first day back, we spent several hours unpacking the myriad of supplies, clothes and randomness we bought in the States. After getting things somewhat organized, we fell into bed exhausted late that evening. I suddenly looked at Scott and asked him if he smelled something awful. I turned over and sniffed the mattress. Apparently, it had rained a ton while we were gone. Our bed had been absolutely soaked with rain water. It was a mildewy mess. Talk about trying to have a joyful attitude having traveled the entire day on 4ish hours of sleep. Blah!
We teachers recently had the opportunity to talk to parents in the villages about their children’s first quarter grades. While our school was on vacation, one of the public school teachers spread some lies about us to parents. While we’re slowly gaining the trust and confidence of these precious people, it can be frustrating when we hit road bumps along the way.
As you pray for us, remember me – I want to learn to respond correctly when stressful or frustrating situations arise. I desperately want to grow in my ability to cast my anxieties on my Savior first instead of reacting negatively to the circumstances around me.
The Mitcheners 
Praying for you all!
Can’t say thank you enough! Love you all!
Yes I am praying to our lord who hears and answers.
Thank you so very much! Your prayers seriously sustain us along this journey.
All I need to know is if you bought a new mattress? I’m a little freaked out for you. 😉 Love and prayers.
HAH! We were a little freaked out too. You should’ve seen us the first night. We had nowhere else to sleep, so we cleaned it up as best we could, turned the fan on, curled up in the opposite corner of the mattress, and prayed we wouldn’t get mold in our lungs. 🙂 I looked some stuff up online, and we’ve pretty much taken care of it, I think. The odor’s gone. Blech! I’m just trying not to think about the fact that there was (or still could be) some mold monster living down inside of there. EW.