This #goodbye series was started so that I could reminisce about the people and places and things that have made the last 12 years so very special. It’s hard for me to process the fact that we’re moving back across the ocean after so much life has been lived here. But taking little moments to count my blessings has done my heart good as we look forward to this next chapter.

Packing has certainly been exhausting. What do I take? What do I sell? What do I throw away? Everything holds a memory. Thankfully, I’ve been able to work through rooms and closets in tiny spurts.

Well, someone in our lives has recognized that this process needs a little comic relief. Recently, we’ve received some decorative additions in our home: a ton of colorful babies have been lovingly placed all over our apartment!

Each day, we find a few more of these miniature, plastic babes – in a drawer, under a recipe card, inside a candle, on top of a shelf. It’s become quite the game. Our kids ask how many new babies we uncover each day. Sadly, we won’t get a final count because Scott was throwing them away at the beginning.

Perhaps you’ve guessed that the point of this post isn’t really to say goodbye to a billion babies. (To be honest, they look a little creepy. 😉 ) Instead, it’s about saying goodbye to sweet friends who do an amazing job of bringing unexpected smiles to our faces when life is hard.

Yes, leaving the DR is definitely hard, but these last 3 years in our new roles were painful at times, too. Yet with each difficulty came another opportunity to trust Jesus. And on the hard days – whenever we’d take the time to look closely – there were myriads of ways that our team members encouraged us. They invited us to dinner, prayed with us, organized game nights, joined us on walks around campus, and left little surprises and sweet notes on our desks. And now, they’ve given us the gift of a billion babies.

So, today, I’m saying goodbye to the supportive people who make up the Freedom team. The Mitchener family loves you all so very much!