Category: Family

September ’25 in Pictures

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September was pretty special! Krista and I made it back to the DR for another week-long work trip. It was awesome to be able to connect again with the ground team and with our student body. Enjoy these fall photos – both from Freedom and from our family!

Ministry

A new schoolwide photo was taken for the ’25-’26 year
There they are – FCS students from PK3 to 12th grade!
Teacher Training is an integral part of Toni’s weekly responsibilities. She works hard on Biblical integration sessions.
Teachers and students praying together at lunchtime
The view I was greeted with my first morning back in the DR ❤
Taylor is the most recent person to join the ground team, and she’s doing amazing things in the English department!
This swingset has gotten a lot of use over the years
Of course I had to be greeted by at least 1 “cacata” during the week
Crazy that I worked in this heat for 12 years
One of Krista’s big projects for this trip was to work through each class to get their next sponsor letter finished up
I love Milagros! She was in some of my training classes back in the day, and she was always so willing to learn.
These girls were some of Caleigh’s friends and classmates at Freedom
Krista encouraging one of our inicial students one afternoon
Hard to imagine that this little guy will one day be a senior. He’ll probably be taller than me, with more muscles than I’ll ever have – and have a solid English base to boot.
Teaching these cuties now that prayer truly makes a difference
Seniors Jhoan and Yefrey – bittersweet that they’ll be leaving us in June!
Ms. Rosa has been a long-time fixture at Freedom. Her kiddos attend school with us, and she lives in the nearby town. Love her!
I had the privilege of hanging with Betsaida a fair amount her first year at Freedom. She’s now a coordinator and manages several teachers.
Eunice is a dear friend and kindred spirit.
Yunior!
These little babes tower over me now. Definitely proud of all they’ve accomplished.

Family

Noah had a birthday at the end of August, but we celebrated on Labor Day with some cookie cake! So proud of this guy.
Cal is 10 now! Hard to believe we’ve got 3 kids in double digits.
Morning or afternoon, it doesn’t matter. I’ll take a good jog around the neighborhood next door.
Memaw loves her cats, and the cats love Memaw’s bookshelf!
Airplane trips without the family are so odd – and usually very peaceful! 🙂
Blurry selfies with my favorite 4-year-old!
I was nervous that this guy would be apprehensive, but he warmed up to me in 2 seconds flat!
My kids were so upset when I came home with pictures of another Dominican meal without them.
Umm… hello, cutie pie! Life is full circle for sure. Yuleisy used to give Leyton baths in our kitchen sink on occasion.
The time is never long enough, but I got to hang just a bit with this gal!
Well, I guess Dad can still handle a kid on the ol’ shoulders. This is what happens when you lose your basketball in the hedge. 🙂
Our kiddos had bikes in the DR, but there wasn’t a real great place to practice. Caleigh has improved her bike-riding skills a bit this month.
I’ve been enjoying this view some – for work, for Sunday afternoon reading, and more!
Happy about a win!
Richard grabbed a picture of the fam at church while I was in the DR
We’ve had a big adjustment heading back to school – trying to get back into the swing of reading before bed
While the brothers are doing the soccer thing, this girl will sometimes use her new birthday markers to make some fun designs!
Monday Night Lights

October is up next! Thanks for following along with us!

July/August ’25 in Pictures

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Whew! What a full summer. Here’s a combination of July and August 2025 from the Mitchener point of view.

Ministry

We had several teams join us this summer. They helped immensely in VBS. Here, one of our seniors, Alfredo, is translating a testimony from English to Spanish.
The senior class started a new tradition! The new upcoming seniors will get to paint a hallway at Freedom.
The finished product
Bittersweet moment – Basilio and Memena moved out of Lima. Memena is the lady who helped us get established there in the village at the beginning of our ministry.
Jhoan will graduate from Freedom this May! He’s so very shy, but he’s an amazing young man!
Leslie and Angela prepping some preschool bags
Two of the ladies that keep Freedom on its feet!
Proud ‘lita over here! Look at how this girl can write her name! So very big.
Little bro is growing up too fast.
A few of our new teachers who just joined the Freedom team
Krista and I joined the team for a couple of virtual mtgs to start off the school year. Yuleisy is sharing some info with us from her department.
School staff praying over the new year
There they are: the Freedom team members for the 2025-2026 school year
I miss my friend, but she is doing awesome things up there on the third floor of Freedom’s school building. ❤
Our beautiful front office ladies!
The Bible Department!
Claire is our sole intern this year (so far)! (Anyone want to join her?)
A good portion of our MK’s – everyone is growing up so fast!

Family

This is not a sight that I see too terribly often, so when I do, I’m documenting it!
The kids and I broke out an old favorite: Sleeping Queens!
We visited a small, local zoo
The kids’ very first 4th of July experience!
Oops. I may have run out of gas for the first time in my life. Scott came to rescue me!
It’s weird being on “this side” of furlough – all of our Freedom friends come to us now!
We decided to jump on the bandwagon and try the viral Joyride
This cat may be one of our favorites. He has the best personality EVER!
I’ve exchanged sugar cane fields for cornfields!
Happy birthday to Memaw!
I’m still enjoying jogging around our neighborhood
One of my favorite spots is on the porch swing on the back patio!
Scott and I are volunteering with our church’s youth group. The middle school girls took a putt-putt and ice cream trip!
Cal and a friend at a recent school picnic
Silly kitty shenanigans
Parent meeting before the start of school
First day of school!
Waiting for the brothers to get done with soccer practice
Cal made some homemade slime – this girl is obsessed with this stuff
Speaking of obsessions, Caleigh’s favorite food in the whole wide world is potato soup. She begs for it often and never cares what season it is – she loves to help make it!
This may have been my favorite grill session yet: steak bites, shrimp, and zucchini!

Ready or not, here comes September!

June ’25 in Pictures

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I forgot how much I loved summer in the States.
Enjoy 30 June pictures from our perspective!

Ministry

How many of these visiting teams photos have I posted over the years? It may just seem like random faces, but each person is an answered prayer.
Our Dominican staff decorated for summer camp!
Getting a head start on learning how to line up for the upcoming school year 🙂
We have returning visitors who connect so well with many of our students – that means the world to us!
This young lady has attended Freedom her entire life (along with her two sisters). She’s had so many life experiences already. We’re praying that she always chooses to put the Lord first in her life.
If you’re wanting to hire some professional organizers/cleaners, look no further!
Cuties!
Where will this little lady be in 5 years? 10 years? Hopefully growing up and learning lots about Jesus at Freedom!
At the end of each week, one of our interns got a pie to the face. Our high schoolers were not unhappy about this. 🙂
VBS!
Parents signing important docs before school begins. Betsaida (in the black shirt) has been a huge godsend to this ministry
The school my kids attend in Indiana had the opportunity to visit my old stomping grounds! I hope they were able to fall in love a bit with this little slice of the Caribbean.

Family

We went camping with the fam one weekend! Check out that pile o’ chicken.
We took a beautiful hike through the woods
Leyton and his siblings enjoyed the hike, but they were all glad to make it back to the car at the end. 🙂
My parents have been experiencing visits from some unwanted visitors. We watched these guys steal the cat food from the front porch on multiple occasions.
Baking some brownies from scratch – this girl is obsessed with all things kitchen.
Our sweet friends’ daughter (who has been a Freedom intern) got married. I was seated by my high school science teacher at the reception! It was awesome to catch up with him.
We took a mini-vacay with some friends to the mountains. They treated us to these amazing made-from-scratch donuts!!
Better than Starbucks!
Another wedding (this time in IN)!
Summer calls for the making of many fruit smoothies
Happy 39 to Scott!
Someone started piano lessons this summer!
I had a lot of fun helping out with our church’s VBS this year! I’m still getting to know kids and their families, but they were all so precious!
We have some Chipotle haters in our family, so Leyton and I took a special lunch trip to one of our favorite places
Noah after we finished a card game one afternoon: “Mom, don’t you need to take a picture of it? You always do that when we’re playing something…” Heh.
We enjoyed several weekend trips to a local park to go wade in the creek.
This pup has had some recent health issues
Folding laundry and getting some Roo cuddles

Thanks for following along on our picture journey!

May ’25 in Pictures

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May happenings – both in the DR and in Indiana!

Ministry

Our Juniors are already beginning to think about life after graduation
They recently took their first college visit – a monumental moment!
Our annual Freedom Talent Show hosted by Rony and Alfredo
Three of our sophomores getting ready for their performance
Ryan and others are getting help preparing the ground for some new crops. We’re doing what we can to add some variety to the students’ meals by planting fruits and veggies.
Mr. Keven helped with our Math Olympics this year
The fresh coats of paint look SO good on our old apartment building!
SURPRISE! Santeli, party of FIVE! Jhoan and Yuleisy are adding another little girl to their family.
YAHOO! Taylor finally made it to the DR! We’re so excited to get her all to ourselves now.
Mother’s Day is a HUGE deal in the Dominican, and we always invite our moms to join us for special programming. The preschool team even coordinated their outfits!
One of our students with her mom
The ladies in this row all have students in our school, and they are all so special.
A cutie in village Lima
Groupwork with phonics
As the school year winds down, we recognized each of the departments that help keep the school running – this is the grounds/transportation crew!

Family

Caleigh had one final choir concert to end the school year here in IN!
We made a weekend trip to visit some friends who lived in the DR with us
My absolute favorite Sunday afternoon activity
Awards Day – we are proud of Cal finishing year 1 of school in the US
Until next year!
Enjoying a walk at the park with Gracie the goober
Caleigh got to spend a fun afternoon with a couple of friends
Caleigh has claimed this fuzzy little kitten as her own when we make the trek to Ohio
Walking in the woods is the perfect balm for my heart
Baseball Noah!
Bored Cal at a baseball game
Some sweet friends gifted us tickets to a comedy show – I laughed SO much!
We may have been treated to Culver’s and gotten some free ice cream!
I am STILL working on this fall cross stitch sampler. Will it ever end? Doesn’t matter. It’s one of my favorite forms of stress relief.
We loved seeing the McCalls while they were back in the States!

Up next? SUMMER!

April ’25 in Pictures

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Wow! April flew by! So thankful for the arrival of spring and for God’s continued provision. Thirty pictures from the thirty wonderful days God gave us this month.

Ministry

Preschool did a presentation during Passion Week. So precious that even the youngest Freedom students are learning the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Freedom’s First Spirit Week! Twin Day for these two.
Softball twins
On “Bible Character” day, Rachel (aka, “Jael”) found “Deborah” to pose for a picture!
Our amazing interns on “Cowboy Day”
On Friday, students and staff dressed up fancy for “Formal Day”
Josh taught some of the high schoolers how to tie a tie.
Meanwhile, back in IN, I was able to attend a missions conference at Taylor University!
We got some new promotional material – Roo the cat approves!
We invited some possible future 3’s to campus for a day of evaluation. Some of these kiddos will be joining us in August!
The ground team started their recent inservice day with a walk/workout session!
It’s field trip season at Freedom! The younger students visited the fire station.
High schoolers headed to the capital to visit a “lighthouse” and a national park.
Elementary kiddos
Two of our 11th graders are serving as student librarians now! So cool to see them use their organizational skills to help the student body.

Family

We got the kids some cheap-o watches to track their walks they take with us.
Sleepover in the basement due to crazy winds/tornado possibilities
We had a church mtg, so Noah handled dinner for the fam!
Cal was in a school play. Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum!
Saturday choir competition!
After-church smiles
We had an “all-hands-on-deck” yardwork day!
A good game of hangman with Memaw!
Cal and Leyton made some Easter bunny pretzel treats
Wedding day at my parents’ house! A church couple wanted to get hitched on the old homestead, and we went to help them prep for the weekend.
Desserts!
The kids love these baby kittens.
The boys have been trying their hand at baseball!
Annabelle turned 95!
Abby came to see us while she was back in the States!

May will be a busy one – see you on the other side!

March ’25 in Pictures

On By MitchenersIn Dominican Republic, Family, Indiana, Photos of the Month1 Comment

A look into our March. Enjoy these 15 ministry pictures and 15 family photos!

Ministry

We had many wonderful visitors! Our kiddos love spending recess time playing with new friends.
Captured from the second floor of our multi-use: team members praying over Freedom in the early morning hours
Teams bless us in all kinds of ways – sometimes it’s by organizing our closets for us!
3rd Qtr Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parents waiting patiently to talk with members of the Freedom team
Betsaida came to us a few years ago – she is now one of our elementary coordinators!
Esther, one of our kindergarten students
Even though the sugarcane company has been talking of mechanizing for quite awhile, you will still see ox-drawn carts and teams of men working to harvest.
Pure joy
My old apartment building got a much-needed facelift!
Honoring firefighters in morning assembly
The student body participated in a day of prayer!
Praying over our buses – they often run into issues due to the rough terrain they traverse.
One of our new 9th grade students, Angelica Maria
Love that Marcia is still getting to meet new friends and practice English!

Family

Saturday morning breakfast by Caleigh
We’re trying to make a weekly game night a priority
God paints some beautiful sunsets
This beef stew was *chef’s kiss*
A little baseball since the weather is trying to warm up
A couple days later, Leyton got hit in the nose by a high fly ball and had a bum eye for awhile
Feels so good to get some jogging in!
It’s baseball season, but these boys still love their basketball
Spring has sprung!
Whenever we visit my parents, Cal is so happy to see “her” kitty
An early egg hunt!
Leyton with his stash
Noah’s goodies
This fall sampler is still not done, and it’s March. But slow and steady wins the race, so they say. Heh.
My new friend! Since Annabelle hasn’t been able to get out to church much, it’s been a blessing to visit with her at home. She just fills up my heart with happiness!

See you in April!

February ’25 in Pictures

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February definitely gave us continued “sweather weather” here. Dominican temps are much more agreeable to my thinned-out blood, but I have to admit – it’s been pretty cozy starting my work days curled up in a warm blanket with a hot cup o’ joe close by. Check out these 28 pictures from the Freedom team – and from our chilly month in Indiana!

We had a student-led chapel this month! Nika, now in 11th grade, was one of my sweet kindergarteners. Neat to see her faith come alive!
Many of our students and staff took part in a 5K in town!
Day laborers, Josh, and Ryan are trying their hand at planting some produce. Check out the pumpkin harvest! They were able to provide 2 days of breakfast as a result.
Thompson Concrete (from my OH stomping grounds) poured another concrete pad for continued playground expansion.
Sweet Lucy has been visiting with her family for several years. You’re never too young to serve!
For Student Day, all of the teachers dressed up as students and recognized them for their hard work and dedication.
For Christmas, we bought Aylin a Pete the Cat book. She was a bit terrified of his big eyes in the book. I think the sunglasses help here! 😉
Two beauties! Yuleisy and 10th grader Esterlina during the Independence Day celebration.
The fantastic mayor of the town of Ramon Santana, Santa. She is a Freedom mom and supporter!
Reenacting significant moments in Dominican history
This was our first year participating in the Ramon Santana march with other schools
Marcia and Mairelys leading the group with flags. I had both of these gals in my mentorship groups for a semester.
This little man is almost 5 months old. Hard to watch him grow up from afar, but I’m thankful for pictures.
Back in the cold, the occasional painting session still breaks out for Caleigh gal.
My trio at church, waiting for mom and dad to quit yakking
Before we moved to the DR, Scott loved to surprise me with flowers. Perhaps the tradition is back? 😉
This ones still loves the snow days! Cal and her “emotional support volcano.” (I have no idea.)
Cal accidentally swallowed her loose tooth! It got stuck in a piece of bread and went straight down the hatch. No tooth fairy for her! Hah.
Some new church friends had a foster shower this month!
Date night at home: 2-player card game and ice cream for the win!
Noah let Caleigh fix his hair for church one morning. So cute!
Leyton got in on the hair-fixing action
The boys recently asked Dad to start reading through the Bible with them. Love seeing their hearts soft towards learning about the Lord.
The 3 resident cats always bring some lively moments to our days. Fletcher decided to help me photograph one of my board game blog posts.
It got warm enough one day to throw some baseball!
So… I started this fall sampler, well, in the fall. I’m not even halfway finished. Perhaps I need to narrow down the number of hobbies I enjoy.
The weather is playing tricks on me! Sometimes it’s spring, sometimes it’s winter. Either way, a little sunshine while I work is good for my heart.
Online gaming, anyone? This takes us to a whole new level of nerd, I know. But what else are we supposed to do when our game-playing friends live across an ocean?!

See you at the end of March!

January ’25 in Pictures

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These monthly photo dumps may look a little different since we’ve relocated, but hopefully the mix of ministry pictures and family happenings can still give you a good idea of what’s going on – both with the Mitcheners and with our favorite ministry in the DR. Enjoy these 31 January shots!

We took a quick trip to Ohio to visit family. Cal has claimed this kitty as her own and treats him like her dollbaby.
A winter wonderland! All 3 kiddos loved the snowy fun this month!
Cal got a fancy paint set for Christmas and has enjoyed trying her hand at some canvas painting.
Back in the DR, many of our teachers, staff, and admin attended an ACSI conference in town
Kids were happy to return to school after a 2-week Christmas break
Ms. Rosa warmly welcomed her secondary students back to class
Krista and I were able to take a trip back to Freedom this month to help with some projects on the ground!
We helped deliver a good number of sponsor letters
We met the newest member of the Freedom ground team!
Some afternoon iced coffee and computer work overlooking my favorite school building
I would never admit to having favorites, but Cristofer has always made me feel like I’m HIS favorite with his big hugs and sweet smiles
Our high schoolers are already preparing for their Independence Day celebration
Luis Manuel and Enmanuel asked me to take their picture – Roger enjoyed photo bombing
Oh.my.word. I couldn’t get enough hugs from these two sweeties! This little family has my heart for sure.
Commence the food photos! 🙂 A typical school lunch at Freedom.
Gotta catch a “sunrise over Freedom” shot, of course
Yuleisy fixed us a huge spread of Dominican deliciousness. Locrio is a fave, and my family was salivating back home when I sent them the pictures.
Salami and peppers served over bollo
This is heaven on a plate for me: Dominican avocado and fried plantains
I was able to spy on Scott playing bass Sunday morning from a couple thousand miles away
Anllelo has just 1 1/2 years left before graduation. He was one of my kindergarten babes! He helps the kitchen staff with breakfast jobs each morning before the majority of our students arrive.
Jhoan! We miss this guy!
Krista and I timed our trip perfectly! Some wonderful friends were also visiting while we were there!
Exciting to see some work happening on a new playground area specifically with our pre-schoolers in mind
Austin talked to the student body one morning about evaluating what is in your heart – whatever is found there will come out in your words!
Ms. Diana working with her group of girls in English tutoring
Soaking up those cuddles!
Sweet dreams, little man!
Headed back to IN
For my birthday, my family indulged my board game obsession by getting me some fun new titles. Now, to find the time to play them! 🙂
I know this little gal will very soon exchange her Barbies and doll-playing days for more grown-up activities. I’m dragging this season out for as long as I can because little girls don’t keep.

See you at the end of February!

June ’24 in Pictures

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Wow, what a hot June. Crazy that this is “the end of the road.” In just 10 days, we touch down on midwest soil for good. We got to say lots of goodbyes and finish most of our packing this month. God is good!

Noah spent this school year running sound for morning assemblies. I’m proud of his hard work!
Marcia came over one last time – we had some good conversations. She braided Cal’s hair!
Cal made a new friend the first week of summer!
The aftermath of the braids
Our friends are still dropping off plastic babies all around our apartment
Caleigh’s purple stripes are sadly going away! It was a lot of work painting them, but she loved them!
A few more beautiful sunsets to enjoy this month.
Cal enjoyed one last summer program – and the fun obstacle courses that came with it!
Paper plate reminders from summer camp
Claire loves Freedom, and we were so glad to see her one last time in the DR!
We went with our summer interns on a boat trip down the Soco River
Where we stopped on the riverbank for some coffee
Ethan teaching Leyton a card game
Fishing on the river
Coffee!
Jade and I enjoying our coffee on the riverbank
Goodbye, sun!
Hello, sun!
Our Kindergarteners got some extra English practice from some Ohio friends
A friend came to visit, and she cooked our family dinner for the week!
Saying goodbye to delicious fruit!
Leyton listening to the morning devotional time with Alberto
Aylin loving a horsey ride
So fun to play one last game of Dutch Blitz with a few of the best!
Memory verse scramble!

See you in the States!

May ’24 in Pictures

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May 2024 in pictures! Just 6 more weeks until we get on our one-way flight back to the United States. We’re doing our best to treasure each moment as we continue packing and saying goodbye.

Leyton had to make a 3D model of the solar system as one of his last science projects for his online class.
Celebrating the end of homeschool!
Leyton finished up his 6th grade year of online school!
Cal is happy to celebrate her brothers if french fries are involved!
Cal doesn’t have many more days of hanging with this cutie.
Uh oh! Someone found some mud!
Those are not long sleeves… All dirt!
Scott and I are trying to finish up some one-time play games so we don’t have to pack them in our suitcases. We escaped the Sultan’s castle with 10 minutes to spare!
This girl loves to help cook!
We bought some of those gender reveal baseballs for Joan and Yuleisy!
Will Aylin have a baby sis or baby bro?
It’s a Boy!
Yahoo!
Our apartment is well-loved by the lizards – inside and out. I don’t get grossed out by them like I used to 12 years ago, so that’s something!
I will miss watching Elena walk to feed the animals in the evenings when I go on my walks/runs.
Cleaning up the walls before we move
Leyton helped remove his bunk bed from the wall
More dinner prep – burgers!
We had week-long Mother’s Day celebrations – our students’ moms spent time with their kids at school!
Cal recited a part of a poem with her friends
Little sis and big bro
Austin has a running club with a few of our older students. Joan’s partner didn’t come, so Noah jumped in and ran 3km without any training!
We cheered the kiddos on as they emerged from the woods!
Jade planned a fun ladies’ event for us before summer season begins
Our family walk didn’t last too long -the boys got bored, but at least we got a selfie together before they left
These little pups have been all the rage among the MKs
Another baby tooth is gone!
This is what a garage sale looks like for a family of 5 and a family of 7 after spending a whole lot of years in a foreign country!
Our missionary team prepared a goodbye celebration for us – we loved reminiscing by watching some fun clips of the boys from a few years ago
The Freedom staff put on a luncheon as we get ready to head back to the States – there was singing, dancing, laughter and dessert! Thankful for their dedication to this place!
We will most certainly miss our fun-loving Mery!

Until June!