Another full month in the DR! Highlights: Day camp for 2nd/3rd grade and more construction progress!
October 2016 in Pictures
Tag: DR life
September 2016 in Pictures
Three more months, and 2016 will be history. It’s funny how days seem long, yet the months and years just fly. At the close of each day, I fall into bed so very exhausted. But, the Lord! He’s so faithful and constant and near. As difficult and full as each day is, I’m thankful for His presence and strength. You can pray that our family would keep our eyes solely on our Jesus as we make our way through each day.
Enjoy some pictures of this past month in the DR!
July and August 2016 in Pictures
Tick-tock! Time marches on – our babies are growing, our ministry is changing, our students are maturing. There’s nothing we can do but take advantage of each moment. Here are some pictures of life in the DR from the last two months!
May and June 2016 in Pictures
Wow! Life. So full! Two months of pictures. Praising the Lord for all He has done!
April 2016 in Pictures
February 2016 in pictures
Time is flying! A few pictures from our busy February.
Our Colorful New Home
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
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.
Table for Five, Please
Surprise, surprise! The Mitchener family is growing by one!
We’re praising the Lord that our third little munchkin will arrive sometime in August. God’s timing is always perfect. We are already excited for all the adventures this new little life will surely bring to our family.
It looks as if we will be heading back to the States for the birth. With Ang’s history of preeclampsia, we honestly feel most comfortable seeing the midwife who delivered Leyton. Our plan is to extend our August furlough a bit as Angela won’t be allowed to travel after being 8 months pregnant. Ang and the boys will leave for the States in early July, and Scott will join a couple weeks later.
We’ll head back for another checkup here in the DR in a few weeks to find out the gender and make sure baby is still developing properly. Prayers appreciated as we prepare for the arrival of Baby Mitchener #3!
An Eventful Christmas
What an excitement-filled Christmas! I cooked my first turkey, Noah gashed his head open, and Leyton threw his brand new train cars in the toilet after a tiny tiff with his brother.
We are so thankful for the time to relax, laugh, and celebrate together. We’ve loved watching the boys come to a fuller understanding of what Christmas is truly about. (Well, Leyton is still learning. But we’ve all got room to grow, right?) Noah is starting to repeat the Christmas story. The other day, we headed to the Capital to pick up some packages from our family. Noah asked where we were going, and we told him that there was another gift or two coming for him. He said, “Mom, we don’t need a LOT of presents.” Love my growing boys.
I still don’t feel quite right not being in the same room enjoying the hours with friends and family, but I remember that God has so richly blessed me. He’s been teaching me lots about feelings and how they play into my walk with Him. As much as it’s not about the gifts, neither is it necessarily about the other comforts or traditions or “normal” that I associate with Christmas. I’ve been contemplating on Luke 14:26 and Matthew 10:37 recently. To follow Christ means I have to be willing to give up those things (like family) that I hold so dear – even when it hurts, even when I don’t like it, even when I feel like I “deserve” to have our parents and siblings close by. I’m thankful that He walks with me through the hard times (and that He gave us Skype so everyone doesn’t seem so very far away.)
More than anything, I’m thankful that God sent His precious Son to this world as a little babe. Talk about an eventful Christmas! What did that first night look like for Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds? It’s incredible to think that Christ willingly laid down His throne to be born in a humble manger. Why? So that He could one day take a heavy trip to an old, rugged cross to pay a sin debt. For my boys. For my students. For my family. For me. What good news! What a Savior!
The Mitcheners 