The Mitchells in Bolivia

Birthday Fun!

2012-02-28T09:43:00.000-06:00

It’s hard to believe, but yesterday we celebrated the twin’s second birthday. It is amazing how they have grown and developed over the past 12 months. We held a small party at our house with the kids and a few volunteers.

Please continue to pray for these two very sweet little girls. Pray that their paperwork would be processed quickly and efficiently for them to be placed with their forever families.

Christmas in Bolivia

2011-12-26T07:51:00.000-06:00

Time sure does fly! I can't believe we've just celebrated our second Christmas in Bolivia. This year brought lots of new and exciting firsts for our family. We realized that none of our kids (except Madison) had ever experienced Christmas quite like this. It was so much fun teaching the children the true meaning of Christmas, watching the magic of Christmas on their faces and seeing them just be kids.

Christmas morning reading the story of the Savior's birth.

We have been talking for weeks about what Christmas is. We reiterated it with reading the Christmas story first thing Christmas morning. Pray for the seeds that have been planted over the past few weeks.

After reading about the birth, we opened gifts. What a sight! It didn't take long for everyone to catch on. The excitement in the room was incredible. Check out some of the photos:

Kat working on gift #1

That look is priceless!

JK excited about his new cars

Ali wasn't sure what to think...

And a very excited Candi with her Barbi

And of course, princess Madison had a blast opening her gifts as well:

A few other shots:

We also enjoyed a great feast for lunch that we got to share with several other missionary friends here in Cochabamba.

A few other holiday highlights:

We participated in a luncheon honoring all of the hard working Tias of Casa de Amor

Christmas celebration for all CDA kids provided by a local Bolivian family.

Madison welcomed her new cat, Bella, to the family.

And I must give proper credit for the team of semi-professionals who were responsible for decorating the tree.

Our Christmas was truely a life-changing one. Thank you for your support of our ministry.

Welcome Home!

2011-12-10T19:01:00.001-06:00

After almost 24 hours of traveling, we made it back to Cochabamba safe and sound (and with all of our luggage)! The older kids made this fantastic welcome banner as well as some Christmas decorations for the inside of the house.

I'm not sure I've ever received such a warm welcome. The kids were so excited to see us!

The kids were in very good hands while we were gone. We are extremely grateful to Katrina and her service here at our home in our absence. Check out her blog for some awesome stories and pictures of the kids.

A look back...

2011-10-09T19:33:00.002-05:00

A few pictures of the past several months...

Birthdays and more Birthdays

2011-10-09T19:20:00.000-05:00

With celebrating 3 birthdays in August and 1 in September, there has been lots of partying going on around here. We started with Candi followed by Tammy and Madison in August and Jhon Kevin in September.

La Canchita

2011-10-09T15:40:00.000-05:00

The preschool that Madison and Jasmani attend does a great job teaching the children in fun and innovative ways. In September, they converted the school into a replica of La Cancha, the world famous outdoor market located right here in Cochabamba. Each class had their own section of "La Cancha" that they were responsible for and each child had the responsibility of selling his/her products. The event did a great job teaching the kids the principles of buying and selling. Each child also dressed up in traditional Cholito/a clothes.

A Trip To The Campo

2011-08-24T19:57:00.000-05:00

On August 20th a group of about 35 people traveled 3 hours outside of Cochabamba to a small Quechua village for a 1 day mission trip. The project included a small dental clinic, sharing of the gospel though making salvation bracelets, a time of sharing the Word and playing soccer with the kids.

This woman lives in the village and is 100 years old.

A stop on the way up Mount Tunari

Some of the village houses

Some of the village ladies hearing the story of salvation while making salvation bracelets

This pit was used for cooking.

They would put the food into pots with some of the hot rocks from the fire pit.

The pots then went back into the fire pit.

They covered the pit completely and an hour later we had lunch...

A few of us hiked to the top of a nearby mountain to check out an altar. This is where they would offer sacrifices to Pachamama, or Mother Earth the fertility god who presides over planting and harvesting.

The kids playing soccer

Toro Toro

2011-08-21T20:20:00.000-05:00

I recently got to spend 2 days in Toro Toro National Park. Toro Toro is about 150 kms from Cochabamba and home to some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. Although it was the most intense hiking I've ever done, it was an awesome time of renewal. It was great to be able to be away and relax. The pictures below don't even begin to show the beauty of the mountains.

Yes, we had to climb up a broken tree branch to get to where we were going. What you can't see is that the ledge I'm standing on is very, very small and on the other side was nothing...You fall, you die! Yikes!

Very narrow passage way

Dinosaur foot prints...they are scattered throughout Toro Toro

Found a great swimming spot at the bottom of the canyon...

Amazing waterfalls

Yep, we had to climb through that to get down...

Amazing!

Birthday Time!!!

2011-08-21T19:03:00.000-05:00

We recently celebrated C's 3rd birthday with a small gathering at our home. The celebration, which I'm sure was the first of her life, was filled with cake, gifts and lots of love. We even had the privilege of having Abbey, our special guest from Texas, here to celebrate with us.

FBC McKinney Team Visits Cochabamba!

2011-08-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

We spent a week with an awesome group of friends from FBC McKinney. The Simpson and Montgomery families came to Bolivia to experience our everyday lives. Their mission was simple: to uplift, encourage, support and love on our family. It is impossible to put into words how much of a blessing they were to us.

A few highlights of the trip:

1) Jim doing magic tricks for the kids at house 2

Bubbles that don't pop when you catch them...Amazing!

Brock and Callan the esteemed magician assistants

Card Trick

2) Presenting a donation to CDA on behalf of FBC McKinney

And then playing with the kids at house 1

3) New Clothes!!!! The boys are still excited about their new pajamas!

4) The team experiencing the awesome ministry of baby washing on the plaza

5) Supplies Supplies Supplies!!!

Six of those huge bags were filled with items for our family! Needless to say we were as excited as children on Christmas morning!

Yep...that's right...a bunch of velveeta!

6) The team hanging out with the kids at our house so that we could sneak away for a family day and a date night!

What an amazing time! We are so blessed to have been able to spend time with these 6 wonderful people. Their love for these children and our family was evident from the moment they got here.

¡¡¡Feliz Cumpleaños!!!

2011-06-09T19:48:00.000-05:00

On May 21st we celebrated the 4th birthday of J...This little guy will capture your heart within the first 5 minutes of meeting you. He is very shy and reserved, but when he comes out of his shell he is a fantastic to be around. We were able to rent an outdoor facility with lots of room to run, play and have fun. The facility also had animals such as cows, chickens, goats, rabbits and a few others that the children got to see and touch.

Let the party begin

This must be the trouble makers section ;)

After much convincing, we talked him into wearing the hat!

Bring on the presents!!!

Touring the animal section

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!!!

Poor guy...He's so shy and timid he didn't know how to handle all the attention when we started singing the happy birthday song...He quickly recovered and manged to eat his cake and ice cream.

All in all we had a great day. We had 22 kids and 9 adults in attendance. J walked away with puzzles, cars, building blocks, books and more!

Welcome to the neighborhood!!!

2011-05-20T15:30:00.008-05:00

Someone once told me that it looks like all we do in Bolivia is "play". While we do try to have lots of fun, life isn't always peachy...This week our car was broken into while parked on the street in front of our house. After having a 24 hour all out pity-party, God gently reminded me that my focus should be on Him and Him alone. I knew God was reassuring me that He was in control when I opened my Bible to Matthew 6 and saw the subtitle, "Do not worry". I love the way that God sends reassurance when I need it. He is so good!

Wow! I didn't know that was possible!

Chau, Chau Radio!

Not even sure what was there, but it's gone now!!!

Praising God that the the damage was not greater, or that the whole car wasn't stolen. Looks like we will be out about $1500 to replace all the parts that are gone. While this is a lot of money, it's small in comparison to what it could've been.

Felices Pascuas!!!

2011-04-25T19:31:00.014-05:00

We had a great time with the kids this Easter season. It was great explaining how much God loves us and what Jesus did for us. One of my favorite moments was talking with Jhon Kevin (age 5). He knew the story of the cross, and kept telling me that Jesus was on the cross and that he had nails in his hands. I explained to him that Jesus WAS on the cross, but is not there now...He is ALIVE!

Of course, we had an easter egg hunt as well...A first for some of them...

The egg coloring part!!!

Such concentration!

Let the hunting begin!

O.K., now what do I do???

Madison hunting very competitively

Look on the ground!!!

Counting up the goods!!!

Madison found the prize egg

I crack up every time I look at this photo...Priceless!

All the kids got a toy, chocolate bunny and surprise egg

Boys!!!

2011-04-21T16:51:00.008-05:00

About a month ago, we welcomed brothers age 5 and 3 to our home. Things have been a bit more lively around here with two older children in the house. These guys are full of energy! Please pray for their continued adjustment to our home (their third orphanage) and for their adjustment to their new school.

**Our computer died about a month ago and was in the shop for 3 weeks...We're up and running again!!!**

New Arrival!!!

2011-03-14T12:38:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday we welcomed the newest addition to CDA House III. J is 2 ½ years old and comes to us after living her entire life on the streets. She was found walking alone at 1:30 a.m. in one of the most dangerous parts of the city when the police picked her up. As you can imagine, J’s story is filled with heartbreaking details. We praise God that He removed her from such horrible conditions and brought her to us.

Please pray for J as she adjusts to life with us. Things that many of us take for granted (eating at a table, sleeping in a bed, bathing), she is experiencing for the first time. She also misses her mom terribly and cries for her a lot. Pray that God will give J peace in this time of transition and that He would give us wisdom and guidance.

Happy Birthday!!!

2011-02-28T18:53:00.016-06:00

Turns out the twins weren't 10 months old when we picked them up from the hospital--they were turning 1 on February 28th! With our special guests in town last week, we decided to throw them a birthday party on Friday. Most of the kids from house 2 came to help celebrate along with 2 kids from house 1.

Bring on the party!!!

Anxiously awaiting cake!!!

Yummy!!!

Kat loved the cake...Ali, not so much!!

Jon providing a little entertainment to the kids

Kent crashing cars with the kids...

Bring on the gifts!!! The girls had lots of gifts thanks to Christina, Jenn and Kim from Texas!!!

Que Bonita!

Twins!!!

2011-02-11T10:39:00.009-06:00

Today we picked up 10 month old twin girls from the hospital. We are so excited about the two new additions to our home. We don't know much about them, except they were removed from their parents for neglect and have been living in the hospital for the past 2 months. K was born with cleft lip and pallet. She has had one surgery already to repair the lip and will have another in about a month. Both girls are full of energy and love to smile...

Welcome Home!!! Tia Pauline made a great welcome home banner...

We got to visit them in the hospital yesterday

Tammy and M

T.J. and K

Dressed in matching yellow dresses to leave the hospital.

Madison's first day of Preschool

2011-02-07T16:07:00.009-06:00

Today, Madison attended her first day of preschool--ever...She was so excited to be going. She knew she had graduated to a new stage in life and was proud of her "big girl" status...

O.K., I'm ready!!!

We're here!!!

and I'm super excited...

She had a great first day of school and wants to go back tomorrow--success!

To celebrate her first day of school we went to lunch at her favorite fried chicken place and had a few gifts waiting for her when she got home.

New Cribs!!!

2011-01-31T11:14:00.009-06:00

We are so thankful for our two new cribs and mattresses donated by the
Van Bale family from Holland. The Van Bales are in Bolivia adopting their second child from Casa de Amor. Please pray for their family as they are preparing to leave with their new daughter.

New Years Eve 2010

2011-01-11T09:24:00.008-06:00

For New Years Eve, we went swimming with the kids from house 2. We went up to the top of a mountain where the water from a natural hot springs is put into 2 swimming pools. The journey up the mountain was quite interesting. Besides the washed out roads and driving about 5 inches from the ledge, it was perfect.

The Newest Member of Our Family

2011-01-11T08:59:00.002-06:00

Right before Christmas, we welcomed the newest addition to our family--Domino the cat. (You thought it was going to be a kid, didn't you?) Madison loves her cat!!!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-28T20:16:00.008-06:00

I have so much to blog about since we've been without internet for about a month now. I thought a good place to start would be our Christmas Eve celebration with the kids from house 2. Tammy and I have spent at least 2 days a week with these kids and have really grown to love them all. On Christmas Eve we had the 12 children who live at Casa de Amor's house 2 over to our house for dinner and gifts. After opening their gifts the kids enjoyed homemade chicken and dumplings...What a great time!

We Made It!!!

2010-11-17T12:20:00.004-06:00

WOW! Have we really been here a week??? What an adventure! We traveled for 30 hours, lost Madison at the airport in Santa Cruz and ended up in Bolivia without half of our luggage. Madison was found pretty quickly and the luggage showed up after vacationing in Buenos Aires ;)!

We are getting more acclimated to the city and the altitude each day. We are learning to navigate the public transportation systems and have enrolled in language classes. Our house isn´t ready yet, but hopefully will be soon. More details to come as soon as I can get on my computer...

12 days 'til Departure

2010-10-28T21:58:00.002-05:00

We are now in the scurry and scramble of last minute preparations with only 12 days to go. On November 9th we will board a plane for Bolivia. I continue to be amazed with God. I know I shouldn't be, but He just keeps doing great and awesome things that we never thought possible. As we are only days away from our departure we humbly ask that you pray for us. Here are a few of our prayer requests:

*A home for our 2 chihuahuas
*Safe travel
*Good health now and after we go
*Pray for those family members that we are leaving behind; that they may find peace that only the Lord can provide
*Pray for Madison as she adjusts to life in a new culture
*Financial needs (we are at about 75% of our annual target of gifts/pledges)

Please remember that November 7th is Orphan Awareness Sunday. It also happens to be our send off from the church. I've attached a video for you to view...follow the link below.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12616432&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_por

We have TICKETS!!!!

2010-09-18T11:40:00.004-05:00

It's official...We will be leaving Texas on November 9th and heading for Bolivia. One step closer to this awesome adventure the Lord has set before us. Please continue to pray for us as the days ahead will be busy busy busy! More details to come soon...

Counting down!!!

2010-08-25T21:58:00.004-05:00

They say time flies when you're having fun. We must be having a blast!!! We are about 2 month away from our move to Bolivia and couldn't be more excited. While the reality of our timeline is starting to sink in, we are reaffirmed of our calling everyday. God has been so good to us and has shown up in ways we never would have imagined. Praise Him!

There are still many practical ways to get involved. Would you consider being a partner? Here's how:

 Pray- Pray daily. Pray often. Prayer is the fuel that keeps us going.

 Give- A monthly financial gift will help sustain us in this ministry.

We are facing some substantial start up costs, so even a one time gift would help greatly. For example, we will be purchasing the following items upon our arrival in Bolivia:

Beds- $150-$200 (x 2)
Bedding- $8 per set
Mattresses- $100-$150 (x2)
Clothes washer- $600
Refrigerator- $600-$700
Kitchen Table/chairs- $200
Kitchen Supplies- $150-$300
Car (within 6 months)- $7000

We are humbled to have such awesome prayer warriors standing behind us as we go! Looking forward to celebrating much with you in the days to come.

4 Months Until Departure

2010-06-25T21:17:00.002-05:00

Dear family and friends,

Exciting news!! We are about 4 months away from relocating to Bolivia! Our family has sensed God’s call to go and serve in cross-cultural mission work. We are thrilled about the opportunity that we have been given to make a difference at Casa de Amor, an orphanage and children’s home in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Our role at Casa de Amor will be to serve as house parents for up to 8-10 children. This model is similar to the foster care system we have in the US and will allow us to give personalized attention to each child in our care. By doing this, the children will learn to function in a normal family setting, therefore preparing them for their “forever families” upon adoption.

We eagerly invite all of you to join in this adventure with us! We are stepping out in faith and trusting God to provide all of our needs. There are many practical ways that you can help:

 PRAY- We humbly ask that you cover us in prayer in these days to come. We will be making several decisions very soon regarding the future of our family. Once we are on the ground, we will also need your continued prayer support. Prayer is the fuel that will allow us to be successful as we follow God’s leading in ministry. Without prayer, nothing will happen. (1 Thes. 5:17)
 GIVE- You can make a one time, or recurring monthly donation to support the work we are doing. As missionaries we only receive financial support from family, friends and churches who believe in the ministry. We do not receive financial compensation from the orphanage. (3 John 5-8)
 SHARE- You can be instrumental in sharing our story with your friends and family. The more people we have praying for us the better. Please feel free to pass on our information to anyone you feel would be interested.
 INVOLVE- We would love to come speak at your church, small group or Sunday school class to share about the ministry.
 GO- There will be opportunities to go to Bolivia on short-term mission trips to experience God’s work first hand. More details to come. (Acts 1:8)

Please check out our blog at themitchellsinbolivia.blogspot.com for updates. If you would like to be put on our email list, please send your email information to onmission247@ymail.com. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to support our ministry please send me an email for details.

We are counting down the days and humbly ask that you consider joining us on this journey.

In His Love,

T.J., Tammy and Madison Mitchell

Bolivia 2010

2010-05-01T16:55:00.003-05:00

Sierra Leone- May 2009

2009-07-20T20:08:00.000-05:00

Look Out!!!!

Tom and Becky with the kiddos

Brooke with John

Singing with the kids at Hosetta

Working hard!!

The ladies at Hastings Womens Polio Assoc.

2009-07-10T01:45:00.000-05:00

Sierra Leone- May 2009

2009-07-09T21:28:00.001-05:00

Future home of J-Life Zambia

2009-03-30T21:31:00.000-05:00

An orphanage in Ndola, Zambia

2009-03-30T21:10:00.001-05:00

Natural Beauty of Zambia

2009-03-10T17:49:00.000-05:00

2009-03-10T17:03:00.000-05:00

The students at the MMM camp learning essential life skills (in this case brick making).

Header Photo

2009-03-09T22:03:00.001-05:00

The photo above was taken while visiting an orphanage in Ndola, Zambia. The children there immediately flocked to us and before we knew it we were holding as many as we were able.