Category: Angela

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love

On By MitchenersIn Angela2 Comments

This past week was difficult, but good. Lots of struggles – computer issues, physical exhaustion, daily interruptions, limited time with my family, feelings of stress from my messy house, and, well, I needn’t go on. You get the idea.

One morning, I “set up shop” in the upstairs portion of the multi-use. As I sat there waiting for my computer to boot up, I looked out the window. Jimena was standing there, broom in hand, whisking the dust off the sidewalk. Across the way, students were rhythmically repeating some chant after their teacher. Toni was in the breezeway, preparing team members to meet their pre-schoolers. The safari truck pulled up, and Martires began collecting empty water jugs to fill up. Becky’s happy voice echoed through the air as she reminded the 3-year-olds that it was time to put their “Heads down!” Hammers clanged in the distance as the construction crew started their day.

All of the sudden, I felt so very small. I forgot about my troubles for a moment and breathed up a prayer of thankfulness to the Lord for allowing me to be a small part of all that He’s doing here. Maybe those sights and sounds of our wonderful ground team working together were my “echoes of mercy and whispers of love” for the day.

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We’d love for you to pray that our family continues to learn what it means to submit perfectly to Jesus – even when our days don’t go the way we expect. Fanny Crosby wrote about the delight, happiness, and rest that are available when we allow the Lord to fill us with His goodness. And I want that.

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Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Honestly?

On By MitchenersIn Angela2 Comments

I’ll be honest. These past few weeks back on the ground have been pretty tough. I can’t really pinpoint any one reason. I’ve just been physically exhausted, emotionally drained, and not ready to take on this summer. Some of our teachers have said that they’re already feeling beaten down – that it seems like they can’t go on. Is Satan doing his best to bring us down in the middle of the miraculous? Or is the Lord allowing these “light and momentary troubles” into our lives for a far greater purpose?

I don’t know.

Pray that our team would continue to “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

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Raul’s Gift

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I’m not in the classroom every day. And, boy, do I miss it. Those rotten kids have a knack for weaseling their way into my heart. Teaching is so hard, but I miss knowing what’s really going on in our students’ lives.

I’m thankful for the work I have now, though. By helping with sponsorship, I’ve been able to peek into classrooms. And I feel like a proud grandma observing all her sweet grandchildren growing up so quickly.

A few weeks ago, I walked into Miss Mery’s classroom, excited to find our 1st grader, Raul. His sponsor family had sent down a small sack of goodies for him, and I was eager to pass along a hug and spend a moment catching up with him. I scanned the room full of brown, little faces until I finally locked eyes with Raul.

Immediately, I knew something was wrong.  When I called his name, Raul dropped his head and averted his eyes. Uh-oh, I thought. Somebody’s not having a good day. I put on my best smile and called his name again. He slowly stood up and begrudgingly shuffled towards the door to meet me.

Suddenly, someone yelled out in front of the entire class. “You want Raul?! He doesn’t deserve a gift! He went to the office for fighting this morning! In fact, why don’t you just keep him for the rest of the day? We don’t want him back in here.” By the time the barrage of hateful words had ceased, Raul was by my side, eyes glued ashamedly to the floor.

He doesn’t deserve a gift. I was angry that someone would make such a spiteful comment about Raul in front of his other peers. The “mama bear” in me wanted to protect him. But instead of saying what I really wanted to, I calmly replied, “Well, I’ll be sure to talk to him. It’ll be fine.”

He doesn’t deserve a gift. The words kept ringing through my mind as we silently walked out of the classroom. How am I going to smooth this over? I wondered. We looked for a spot to sit down.

There were some folding chairs in the breezeway. As we set them up on the sidewalk, I was at a loss for what to say. Maybe I can remind him how important and loved he is. Or maybe I’ll tell him just to ignore the mean comments. Perhaps we can talk about how to “rise above” the hatefulness and “be the better person.” 

However, I decided to take a different approach.

“Buddy, did their words back there hurt your feelings?” Raul barely nodded. “They weren’t saying nice things, were they? But you know what? One thing they said was actually true.”

Raul just looked straight ahead, not making eye contact, but still listening. “Remember how they said that you don’t deserve this gift? They’re actually right! Do you know what it means for somebody to give you a gift? A gift is something that’s especially for you without any expectation of payment. You don’t have to buy a gift, do you? A gift is something that’s free. And if you’ll listen for just a minute, I want to tell you about Someone who gave the biggest and best gift that’s ever been given….”

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Sometimes I feel a literal ache in my heart when I think of how these precious little babes are running headlong into an eternity without God. What will happen if their lives aren’t supernaturally intercepted? God’s great wrath, which so heavily hangs over their heads, will have to be satisfied. There is a darkness waiting for them that I refuse to dwell on.

Pray with me, please. Pray that our teachers would seek out moments to share God’s great love-gift with their students. Pray that they would be so filled up with Jesus that His grace just spills out through their every word and action.

And pray that our students’ eyes would be opened to the truth. Pray that their working minds would fully understand and that their hearts would not delay in accepting the precious gift of eternal life that’s so freely waiting for them.

February 2017 in Pictures

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Click the images below to read more about our exciting month of February!

Berwee is in Noah’s class. His family has recently started coming to our Sunday morning church services.
The second level of the multi-use building is going up!
Independence Day Parade!
Rosmely getting ready to march in the villages with her class.
Moses and Leyton enjoying puzzles in PK4.
Esmeralda and Vanessa
Parent-teacher conferences in the villages.
Happy Valentine’s Day from kindergarten!
Music class fun!
2nd grader Kendy won this suitcase as a prize for good behavior! He saved his punch cards so he could get a bigger prize.
It was so good to have some old friends come visit for a few days!
Leyton turned 5! Happy birthday, big man!
The boys enjoyed their day in the villages with their classmates!

February 2016 in pictures

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Time is flying! A few pictures from our busy February.

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We had a sweet time with Scott’s brother Ryan and his wife Erin for a week!
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Third quarter parent-teacher conferences went well!
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Miss Emma with her kindergarten kids in Village Lima
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A group of 5 visited and worked with us mid-February
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A neighbor’s brush fire got out of control and ran rampant on Freedom property! Students moved classrooms as a safety precaution, but no one was injured.
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It’s always a pleasure to share life each year with this group from North Carolina
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Independence Day in the Dominican
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Students marched through the streets of Ramon Santana
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The construction crew has been working hard on classrooms and bathrooms on the second floor of the school building
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Yuleisy made Leyton a special birthday dinner of bollo and salami
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Scott continues teaching music class in 3-week blocks
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Our apartment is getting closer! We now have tiled floors and a porch railing!
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Master bedroom
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Sillies with Noah
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Leyton couldn’t be left out!
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February was Caleigh’s 5th month

Our Colorful New Home

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We are so excited! The apartments on the Freedom campus are coming along – railings are going on the porches, tile is being put down, closets, kitchen cabinets, and counter tops are going in… (The Hilgemans have actually already moved – they say the quiet atmosphere is so relaxing!) Life will be so different once we move. I’m personally counting down the days til I get to flush toilet paper again!  More than anything, I’m praying this move will help us to more effectively minister to our sweet students and their families.

To keep things moving, missionaries are painting their own apartments. We were thinking it was going to take us quite awhile to finish painting, considering our three little munchkins. Guess what? Scott’s brother Ryan and his wife Erin decided to come for a visit. Perfect timing, right? We put them to work! And it was much more fun painting with company. Scott and I may have gone a little color crazy, but it was so fun picking all the paint and thinking about how we’ll decorate! Enjoy some pictures (click to enlarge)!

January 2016 in pictures

On By MitchenersIn Angela, Photos of the MonthLeave a comment

Oh, how my heart has been aching to write. But alas, life is running a mile a minute. I’ve been feeding sweet babygirl, playing momma to the boys, driving to school several times a week, emailing, making phone calls, cooking, planning, and washing (our clothes, our dishes, and our children). Life has been so beautifully and wonderfully full, and I’ve been enjoying this fleeting season. It’s been impossible to find time to splurge on writing. So for now, I’ll post some pictures of this first month of 2016 and try to be more intentional about sharing life over the next 11 months.

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Freedom’s first Field Day was a success!
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Photo booth cuteness
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Sibling love
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Caleigh helped us pick out our new bathroom floor at the tile store
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Students wrote letters to their sponsors
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Mommy’s little helper
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January = Caleigh’s 4th month
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Noah loved the Carmel Christian team visit
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Counting practice in kindergarten

Caleigh’s birth story – sort of

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When it comes to hearing birth stories, there are two types of people: those who want to know every single detail, and those who don’t. I’m guessing the majority of my friends are found in the latter group. So if you really want a play-by-play of how Caleigh miraculously entered the world, just email me. For the rest of you, here’s the abridged version: It hurt. A lot. It was worth every ounce of pain, of course. Because after all that hurting came my healthy baby girl! And the rest, as they say, is history.

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I brushed over some of those birth details, I know. But I’d be remiss to gloss over what the Lord reminded me through that experience.

20150831-DSC_0013In the hospital room where Caleigh was born, there were two picture frames on the wall – one containing the word Hope, the other Strength. I remember sitting in the hospital bed, waiting for the induction medicine to kick in. I knew that a pain-filled night was ahead of me.

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I saw those words on the wall and thought to myself, Oh, what good reminders! When I’m in a world of hurt here in a few hours, I’ll just look over and remember to be strong. To have hope. That’ll get me through. I can do this!

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Before I even finished that thought, another tidal wave of a thought crept up and overtook the first: No, Ang, that’s wrong! Those two words in and of themselves will do nothing for you. You’ve forgotten something. The Source!

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Truths like, “The Lord is my strength” and “God is my rock, in whom I take refuge” began to run through my head. Of course! What was I thinking? It’s not me. I can’t do this alone. It’s about Him! He is my help and my hope.

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There came a point during labor that I just wasn’t sure if I could physically go on. I remember saying, “Oh, Lord, help me!” My midwife didn’t miss a beat. She said, “He is helping you, honey. He’s here!”

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Such truth in those simple words. He was there! Even in moments of great physical pain, He is present. He is my Strength and my Hope!

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After Caleigh’s birth, a friend visited us in the hospital and dropped off a gift. It was a CD called Roots for the Journey by Yancy. One of the songs repeats the phrase “My hope is in the Lord.” Oh, what a blessed relief! I absolutely cannot do life on my own. It’s only by His strength.

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So very thankful for my beautiful baby. For simple reminders of His truth. For opportunities to live those truths out. And for a patient Savior.
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How God used Art the Trucker to teach me a lesson

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We had just gotten back to the States for furlough. Scott was driving through the boondocks of Indiana, looking for a place to meet up with his parents for lunch after attending a family wedding. We found an exit with several fast food restaurants and settled on Steak ‘n Shake. Scott and I decided to order early since we were headed to a checkup appointment for our soon-to-arrive baby girl. We sat down, saved some seats, and waited for our gloriously greasy burgers to arrive.

I love to people watch. I enjoy seeing what makes people tick and watching how they interact with those around them. This particular restaurant out in the middle of nowhere provided me with the perfect opportunity to do just that. So I began to chat with Scott, all the while checking out the people around me.

I watched the frazzled waitress scamper from table to table, clearing dirty dishes and pushing the tips into her pocket. I observed the strange quartet of silent deer hunters, decked out in their camo clothes, playing with their cell phones instead of talking with each other in the moment. I saw a grandmother push aside her plate of pasta that she obviously didn’t care for. She stood up to pay the ticket for her daughter and grandchildren before they all walked out of the restaurant. I watched an older couple saunter in and settle themselves in the small corner booth, oblivious of those around them. And I saw the old trucker with his giant beer belly and long salt-and-pepper beard ask the waitress for a refill.

For some reason, the trucker intrigued me. I wondered where he was from and where he was going. But the more I observed him, the more my “people-watching” turned into “people-judging”. I started making assumptions about this man who apparently frequented this restaurant on his journeys throughout the country. That guy looks pretty ridiculous, I thought.  He’s got to be a trucker – just look at that old flannel shirt, ball cap, and suspenders… At one point, he caught me staring at him. I nonchalantly looked away, focusing my eyes on another customer. But soon enough, my eyes wandered back to Trucker Guy. Wow, he ordered a lot of food… 

I got up to use the restroom at one point. On my way back to my seat, I glanced over at Trucker Guy and realized he was staring at me. Uh-oh, is this guy a creep? What in the world? He’s been sitting there forever. He needs to get the show on the road… 

Our food arrived. I was elated and scarfed down my burger and fries. Scott graciously treated me to a milkshake, and we sat there chatting some more. I happened to glance up from my ice cream to see Trucker Guy finally stand up and talk to the waitress once more.

He didn’t even drink his Coke refill! Ugh, he made that poor waitress run all over the place to take care of him. Can’t he see how busy she is? The judgmental thoughts kept flowing. Well, at least he tipped her well…

Trucker Guy stuffed a giant wad of money in his pocket and began to walk towards the exit. His path led him right past our table. I could feel him looking in our direction. I pretended not to notice him, keeping my eyes glued on my shake. And then he stopped. Right beside us. Could he hear my thoughts? I started to feel uncomfortable.

In a thick country accent, Trucker Guy spoke up, directing his words to Scott. “Hey sir, I saw your wife headed to the bathroom awhile ago, and I thought to myself, That new momma needs a break! So I bought your lunch for you.”

I was dumbfounded. And humiliated.

“Wow, thank you so much!” Scott replied. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Art.”

“Well, Art, my name’s Scott, and I really appreciate it!”

Art just smiled and said, “I bet you would’ve ordered a steak dinner if you knew I was gonna pay for it.”

We all laughed, and Art congratulated us on our soon-to-be addition to the family. I tried adding another heartfelt “thank you” to the conversation as Art walked out to his truck, but my words fell flat. As enormously pregnant as I was, I felt as small as a mouse.

Scott’s parents arrived soon, and we quickly finished up our dessert before heading to our appointment. I spent the rest of the day thanking the Lord for reminding me a very important lesson and praying that I would start to look for more opportunities to pour into the lives of those around me, just like Art did for me.

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1 Samuel 16:7

For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh upon the heart.

Caleigh Elise

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Our sweet baby girl finally decided to make her debut – 10 days late! Whew! We are so thankful that Ang had a much healthier pregnancy this time around and that we’re now a family of 5!

Without further ado, meet Caleigh Elise Mitchener!
She was born August 31 at 4:55am. She weighed in at a hefty 9 pounds and 22 inches.
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