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!
See you at the end of February!
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!
See you in the States!
We’ve all experienced goodbyes at some level. They can be hard; the people or places you leave behind are so special. I could never share about all of the wonderful friends I’ve made here in the DR, but I’d be remiss not to tell you about sweet Eunice.
Eunice came to us in 2019. She entered the teacher training program that year and began working in “inicial” with our littlest students. Right away, I noticed her integrity, her hard work ethic, and her positive attitude.
When I began to work with our elementary coordinators a little more closely in 2022, I got to know Eunice even better. And I loved everything about her: the way she cared for her teachers, the way she humbly asked for help and advice, and the way she infused God’s truth into each situation she encountered. There were many days that she entered my office for our weekly meeting, and I left more encouraged because of her perfectly timed words of wisdom and hope.
I have gained another kindred spirit in Eunice, and I don’t like that we’ll be so far apart. But that’s the good thing about kindred spirits – you can pick up where you left off as if no time has passed. I’m not sure when I’ll see this wonderful lady again, but I am thankful to call her friend.
See you later, Eunice!
The goodbyes continue as we prepare for our return to the States. Just a few hot weeks of summer stand between us and a new chapter, but I knew I couldn’t leave without sharing about our amazing and fantastic Mery!
If you haven’t met Mery, you’ve missed out. Mery is the first Dominican teacher to ever be employed by Freedom, and she’s still a part of our team! That is just an incredible testament to her heart, and I am so thankful to know her.
Back in 2013, Mery and I had the privilege of co-teaching together in Lima. We shared a classroom of sorts – a small, open-air room up in the top of Lima’s Catholic church. (Lima is an anomaly because it has 3 different church buildings. Most other bateys have 1 church – or none.) Mery and I learned a lot about working together in those days. At times, there were language and cultural barriers, but I couldn’t have picked a better person to spend my days with. She taught me a lot!
Mery has quite literally been with us through it all – from not having space of our own to rejoicing at where we are today! This wonderful gal has done much to help this ministry become what it is. She has been so flexible, so willing to do whatever is needed. She’s taught first grade, helped with camp programming, and worked as the technology teacher. In recent years, she’s moved out of the classroom and is handling our front office as the school secretary. Her decorating and organizational skills are often put to good use when we have events at school or in the villages. She really takes her job seriously, and we’re blessed to have such a hard worker on staff.
I love that Mery taught both of my boys in first grade. She did her best to make their class time fun and exciting. I often remember walking by their classroom to see her leading everyone in a song or other fun, dynamic activity.
On top of all she’s done to make Freedom a better place, I just love who Mery is as a person. Her happy personality is contagious! She is fantastic at getting people to rally behind a cause. One memory of her that I’ll always treasure is watching her beat on a drum on the back of our safari truck – the kids were riding home on Independence Day, laughing and singing along with her. It was a “small” moment, but it communicated her love for our students. She is such a fun-loving young lady, and she always has a smile on her face!
I haven’t been able to spend as much time with Mery in recent years, but I still feel connected to her. We share a common goal: wanting to see students grow in their knowledge of and love for Jesus. Lots of seeds have been planted and watered because of her efforts. God has done some pretty neat things through Mery because of her willingness to be used by Him.
I must say goodbye for now, sweet Mery! So thankful to know you!
If heaven and earth meet anywhere, it just might be right here where I’ve lived for the last decade. I am convinced that Dominican skies are the most beautiful to exist. Maybe it’s because we’re away from the smoggy city. Or perhaps it’s because it rains so often. It could be due to the fact that there aren’t buildings to block my view. Whatever the reason, I’m all about the beautiful blue ocean I see when I look up.
The sheer quantity of rainbows we experience is incredible. The colors are so pronounced that people can’t help but pause to appreciate them. God has certainly used nature to show me how much He cares for me.
I don’t care how good of an iPhone you own, there’s no way to perfectly capture the majesty of these seas of blue and pink.
And don’t get me started on the sunrises and sunsets. I know those yellows and oranges aren’t created simply for my benefit, but sometimes I pretend that they’re secret messages just for me.
There are so many beautiful things in my home country, and I am excited to marvel again at the mountains and the forests and the rolling plains. But for now, I’m reveling in the beauty of these stunning Dominican skies.
No, I’m not saying goodbye to a person today. But God has very clearly shown me his handiwork – and his love – through the paintings he creates on the fresh canvas of each day. And for that I am forever grateful.
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Psalm 19:1-3
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!
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.
Until June!
When we moved to the DR 12 years ago, one of my first roles was teaching kindergarten to our oldest group of students. At that point, we didn’t have a school building of our own; we were borrowing churches in village Lima in order to teach our little band of 90ish students.
Those days seem so far away now. Life was awfully full back then. I had 2 little guys of my own at home. I was learning Spanish, writing lesson plans, welcoming a teenager into our family, and attempting to control an unruly group of 6-year-olds each weekday. While I was definitely pushed to my limits, I loved what I was doing. Looking back, I wouldn’t change the fact that our team was gifted the opportunity to love on those precious little souls.
One of our precious little souls was Marcia.
As a 6-year-old, Marcia was so very spirited. She often found herself in the “time-out” corner in my makeshift classroom for some defiant act or another. I remember once it got so bad that I went to her mom to ask for her help. She shook her head and said, “Marcia won’t listen to me either. Go find her dad. He can help. He lives on the other side of the village.”
I went to visit Dad to explain how Marcia had been behaving. He told me he’d be in my classroom first thing after the weekend to observe her.
When Monday arrived, I wasn’t sure if Marcia’s dad would actually show up. We went through a good portion of the morning without seeing him. But right as we started our Bible time, he walked in. When Marcia saw her dad, she sat up ruler-straight, hands clasped, barely moving a muscle. The kids were reviewing the verse of the week. I looked for volunteers, and several students raised their hands to recite it in front of the class. As we closed out our time, I asked if anyone else would like to try. Marcia’s dad piped up from the back: “Marcia, get up there and say your verse.”
Marcia solemnly and reluctantly headed to the front of the room. She repeated the verse perfectly, then slowly returned to her spot on the mat. I congratulated her but didn’t want to draw too much attention. She was embarrassed that she had a visitor.
The ironic thing was that Marcia’s dad was the witch doctor’s assistant in Lima. He was always very nice to us, but he was involved in a lucrative business. Lima’s witch doctor was well known for miles around, and he had many clients. And there, sitting in my classroom, was the brujo’s “right-hand man”, supporting us in the teaching of God’s Word to his daughter.
Like most kids, Marcia has had her ups and downs over the years. As we built our own school building and hired more teachers, Marcia had varied experiences with each of the people who were put in authority over her. She has obviously connected with some more than others, but hopefully she has felt loved and safe as she has grown up with us. Incredibly, she’s just finished up her 10th grade year! What a beautiful young lady she is.
In 2022, I had the privilege of working one-on-one with Marcia in our high school mentorship program. We had the space to talk about life: church, boys, school, emotions, family, and faith. It was so refreshing to “reconnect” with her after having been involved in other facets of the ministry.
In 2026, Marcia will walk across a graduation stage to receive her diploma. She has learned a lot of truth over the last 12 years. She has been armed with much knowledge of her Creator, of her world, and of who she is in Christ. But her beautiful story is unfinished. While I’m so sad that I’ll only watch it unfold from a distance, I am forever grateful to have been a part of these few “chapters” of her life.
Since it’s oh-so-hard for me to truly say goodbye, for now, Marcia, I’ll just end with “See you later.”
When I left Queen’s my future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road. I thought I could see along it for many a milestone. Now there is a bend in it. I don’t know what lies around the bend, but I’m going to believe the best does. It has a fascination of its own, that bend, Marilla. I wonder how the road beyond it goes–what there is of green glory and soft, checkered light and shadows–what new landscapes–what new beauties–what curves and hills and valleys further on.
We’re leaving. Leaving the place we’ve called home for the past 12 years. It feels as if a “super stuck” band-aid is painfully being ripped off, taking with it a layer of skin that wasn’t quite ready to be removed.
Hmm. That started off as a good analogy, but now I’m not sure that curvy paths and band-aids really have all that much in common.
Back to the fact that we’re leaving the Dominican Republic. It was 12 years ago today that we boarded a plane with a 22-month old, a 4-month old, and way more suitcases than we could physically carry. A whole lot of life has been lived since that bittersweet day. But if there’s something I’ve learned, stepping out in faith is always worth it – as long as God is leading the way.
Here we are again–at another crossroads. This time, too, the path ahead is uncertain. But as Anne says, this new road “has a fascination of its own” as well. I’m nervously excited to see what the future holds in store!
We all process a little differently. It’s going to take me a long time (or maybe forever) to get accustomed to life back in the good ol’ US of A. And that’s OK. But saying words to my journal has always helped me make sense of my little corner of the world. So, here I am, starting this #goodbye series on the blog.
There is sadness that things are changing, but there’s thankfulness wrapped up in this move too. How grateful I am that I was given the opportunity to love this country, this ministry, and the precious people that were placed in my path.
Follow along as I walk down memory lane in the coming weeks and recognize many of the wonderful ways that God blessed me in this season.
March in the Dominican was both full and fun!
See you in April for another round of pictures!
The Mitcheners 