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 yearThere 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 lunchtimeThe 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 yearsOf course I had to be greeted by at least 1 “cacata” during the weekCrazy that I worked in this heat for 12 yearsOne of Krista’s big projects for this trip was to work through each class to get their next sponsor letter finished upI 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 FreedomKrista encouraging one of our inicial students one afternoonHard 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 differenceSeniors 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 DRWe’ve had a big adjustment heading back to school – trying to get back into the swing of reading before bedWhile 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!
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 productBittersweet 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 bagsTwo 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 teamKrista 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 yearThere they are: the Freedom team members for the 2025-2026 school yearI 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 zooThe 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 JoyrideThis 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 neighborhoodOne 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 picnicSilly kitty shenanigansParent meeting before the start of schoolFirst day of school!Waiting for the brothers to get done with soccer practiceCal made some homemade slime – this girl is obsessed with this stuffSpeaking 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!
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 ministryThe 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 woodsLeyton 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 smoothiesHappy 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 placesNoah 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 issuesFolding laundry and getting some Roo cuddles
Thanks for following along on our picture journey!
Our Juniors are already beginning to think about life after graduationThey recently took their first college visit – a monumental moment!Our annual Freedom Talent Show hosted by Rony and AlfredoThree of our sophomores getting ready for their performanceRyan 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 yearThe 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 momThe ladies in this row all have students in our school, and they are all so special.A cutie in village LimaGroupwork with phonicsAs 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 usMy absolute favorite Sunday afternoon activityAwards Day – we are proud of Cal finishing year 1 of school in the USUntil next year!Enjoying a walk at the park with Gracie the gooberCaleigh got to spend a fun afternoon with a couple of friendsCaleigh has claimed this fuzzy little kitten as her own when we make the trek to OhioWalking in the woods is the perfect balm for my heartBaseball Noah!Bored Cal at a baseball gameSome 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!
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 twinsOn “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 kiddosTwo 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 possibilitiesWe 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 smilesWe had an “all-hands-on-deck” yardwork day!A good game of hangman with Memaw!Cal and Leyton made some Easter bunny pretzel treatsWedding 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!
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 hoursTeams bless us in all kinds of ways – sometimes it’s by organizing our closets for us!3rd Qtr Parent-Teacher ConferencesParents waiting patiently to talk with members of the Freedom teamBetsaida came to us a few years ago – she is now one of our elementary coordinators!Esther, one of our kindergarten studentsEven 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 joyMy old apartment building got a much-needed facelift!Honoring firefighters in morning assemblyThe 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 MariaLove that Marcia is still getting to meet new friends and practice English!
Family
Saturday morning breakfast by CaleighWe’re trying to make a weekly game night a priorityGod paints some beautiful sunsetsThis beef stew was *chef’s kiss*A little baseball since the weather is trying to warm upA couple days later, Leyton got hit in the nose by a high fly ball and had a bum eye for awhileFeels so good to get some jogging in!It’s baseball season, but these boys still love their basketballSpring has sprung!Whenever we visit my parents, Cal is so happy to see “her” kittyAn early egg hunt!Leyton with his stashNoah’s goodiesThis 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!
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 historyThis was our first year participating in the Ramon Santana march with other schoolsMarcia 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 yakkingBefore 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 actionThe 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?!
The Mitcheners 