Can't Relate

So all my little life I wished for a sister and begged my parents to have another child in hopes that it would be that sister I wanted so desperately (I never thought through the fact that we would be a minimum of 10 years apart, but that's beside the point). So when that never happened I decided that I would have two daughters (and some sons thrown in there) to be the sisters that I never had. Somehow God thought my plan had some flaws in in and to date (though I haven't given up on the hope of having two daughters someday) I have FOUR BOYS. Yes. Four boys. Boys are something. These are just a few ways I CANNOT RELATE.

*Boys love wrestling. They adore getting tackled to the ground, having others jump on your head, knee you in the stomach, pull your hair, tickle you, etc. What about this sounds fun? 

*Boys eat VAST amounts of food. It is not uncommon for Cole to eat 2 bowls of cereal, applesauce, an English muffin, a banana and a left-over turkey leg for breakfast. And he's SIX. I am planning on getting a job in about 10 years to supplement my husband's surgeon's salary, just to pay our grocery bill. 

*Holes in pants. I have owned a lot of pants in my life.  I don't think I have ever gotten a hole in the knee of a single one. And yet, another pair of pants bites the dust around here on a daily basis. I try to tell them that they are still going to wear them, that they are actually in style that way, but they aren't buying it. The alternative I fear, is that I am going to be forced to open a sweatshop in my basement, using child labor and make my own pants. No matter how much I try to convince them not to dive on the ground, it is to no avail. I think it all comes back to #1. 

*Boys love the word TOOT. Or any bathroom humor, which I abhor. Enough said.

*Boys hate all things pink and glittery. How do they know at age 2 that pink is a girl color? I guess I should clarify that they do indeed like glitter, especially all over my kitchen floor, just not PINK and glittery, which I for one, think is very pretty.

And yet, God in his mercy has given me boys that DO like some of the same things I do. Cole reads like it is going out of style, taking after his mother. We can share our passion for the written word and someday race to finish the same book. They all love baking and cooking with me. (a little too much at times as they fight over who gets to pour the flour into the bowl......oh, there goes the flour all over the floor). Cooper loves to shop. He especially loves to be my grocery shopping buddy (maybe it has something to do with #2?) So while the boys beg for daddy to come home and play with them (which I love) they still will give old mom the time of day every once in a while ;) And maybe someday I will get that little lady (or ladies) to cover in pink glitter.  

Snippits of Kenya

I was procrastinating yesterday (pretending I was studying for oral boards) and I came across a few YouTube clips about Kenya and Tenwek.  The footage allowed Erin and I to get a glimpse of what life will be like in 10 months, and we thought we should share it with all of you.  I've pasted the links below.

It is amazing how much smaller the world has become in the past 50 years.  As the missionaries of the 50's and 60's prepared to travel across the globe, they had only a few photographs, letters, and stories of what they were getting into.  Now days Erin and I have video clips, Facebook relationships with current missionaries, blog posts describing daily life, and conversations with missionaries at Tenwek over the phone.  (Who would have thought that Kenyan cell phones had good rates on intercontinental long distance?)  I feel fortunate to have these resources, and have even more respect for the past generations of Christ followers who walked by faith into the complete unknown...following a calling... led by the light of His word... seeking to increase the number of worshipers in His kingdom.

The four hour ride from Nairobi to Tenwek condensed into 4 minutes   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP6TNOFQnxs

A video put together by 3 families who just finished their 2 years at Tenwek and are now headed onto bigger adventures.  Jason and Heather Fader have become a huge blessing to us as an excellent resource of information for what is to come.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEfeX1cdRQc&feature=related

Grocery shopping a.k.a. Horror Show

Grocery shopping with your kids. That's enough to make any mom's blood run cold. Who needs a haunted house this time of year? You want a horror show? Come grocery shopping with me. So today was that day for me. I subject myself to this torture once a week. Why? Because if I don't we run out of fruit and milk and my kids starting eating wood chips and toilet water. 

Anyways, we get up and at 'em bright and early this morning, put the baby down for a nap, wake the baby up from nap (b/c of course he decides to take the longest morning nap of his little life TODAY), and head out. Four year old doesn't want to wear a coat, even though its 40 degrees. Who cares? One less thing to keep tract of. Get to Meijer and try to find one of those Ginormous carts with a bench. That are next to impossible to steer. That make you bump into little old ladies and knock over displays of mascara. And why? Because your children beg you for that cart. Even though, ironically, you spend the whole time reminding them to get back ONTO said bench, not to lay on the ground, please stop dragging your feet and sit down, if you fall off this we are headed to the hospital WITHOUT a free Meijer cookie. 

First thing we have to do is stop and mail a package at the Customer Service. I wait approximatley 20 years in line, which makes it only slightly better than my arch nemesis, the Post Office. Finally we mail our package (Happy Birthday, Geneva- you BETTER like it! ;) We then head for the non-food side of the store b/c we need a few things. I always debate this, it adds precious time, but without this stop I will have no conditioner for my brittle, dry hair and no light bulbs to replace the ones my kids broke by throwing pillow pets at their ceiling. So we go. We have to stop to examine the 75 off clearance Halloween section (I can't blame that on the kids), pick up the rack of clothes we knock over, remove the clearance Halloween skulls that end up in the cart, pick up some Halloween sprinkles (let's face it, I'm a sucker for sprinkles. Hush you sprinkle haters.) and move on to the food side. 

Pick up toy baby drops on ground. Cringe that I have nothing to clean them off with, but then remember I probably wouldn't take the time to even if I had a sink and soap right there. Try to keep children in my vicinity. Where's my list? Refuse their desire to buy 16 varieties of yogurt. Try to get them to sit down on that dang bench. My BP is slowly rising to dangerous levels that will land me in the hospital.....Yeah! Maybe then I won't have to finish this shopping trip!

Then we reach the bakery. I use the free Meijer cookie as a total bribe. So they have been good enough to get a cookie (and by good I mean "what can I possibly do that is insane and yet not get my cookie taken away?")

We are almost done! (with store #1- yes, I am so cheap that I subject myself to this again at Aldi) We get to the check out and I tell them they can go ride the Horsey (to avoid having them touch every item in the check-out line) I give them a penny, which Alex seems to like more than the horse and throws/retrieves numerous times before rubbing it all over his face. Note to self- pack wipes next time. 

We make it out of Meijer in one piece, only forgetting one thing (which I will not go back for- don't worry, it's not one of the children, even I'd go back for them). We then have to stop and feed the baby in the van, during which the children redeem themselves by being super cute and singing me songs and telling me jokes. 

We then head to Aldi, where the baby seat does not fit in the baby portion of the cart, so he has to sit in the big part of the basket, and I have to stuff any groceries around him. There is no bench cart (which they don't sit in anyway) so the other two must "walk" (read: run and crash into things). I love that Aldi is small and we can be in and out of there in 20 minutes. We make it out with my sanity hanging by a thread, but still there. What has kept me from leaping over the edge? (this is the part you should have been waiting for this whole time!)

I was reminded of my Bible study lesson from this week. My Side By Side Bible study is studying Linda Dillow's book Satisfy My Thirsty Soul (which I HIGHLY recommend) and our chapter last week was I Bow My Attitude. So as I would get really frustrated, I would remind myself of these truths:

At least you have these insane precious children to take with you. You have a grocery store in which you can buy any food item you would ever need. You have money to buy groceries. You have electricity to light your way and keep your food safe. You have a van to drive it home in. You are healthy enough to do this trip, which you could never imagine 6 months ago. You have a God who can sustain you through even this. You are soooo totally blessed. Get over this grumbling attitude. 

The culprits 

Breathe. Okay, we're home now, Diet Coke downed and kids taking a nap. We will make it. Thank you, Lord for that reminder. 

Free At Last!

It all started with a sweet little boy who loved animals. Big, small, you name it, he loved it. His name was Cooper.  The problem was, this little boy had a mother who did NOT love animals. Big ones, small ones, the only way they were getting into her house was in a book. Fast forward to Labor Day weekend, camping with church friends at Camp Mishawana. Mama and sweet little Cooper are swimming in the lake, when Mama makes her first mistake. "Look, Cooper, a tiny turtle!!" This began a love affair, a boy and his turtle. He scooped it up and put it in a bucket. 

Within moments he was a celebrity among the throngs of children. "Can I see your turtle?" "Can I hold him?" "What's his name?" Poisy. Don't ask me. First thing out of his mouth. So Cooper and Poisy spent the weekend together. It is a miracle that he made it through all of the "love" he received those first days. When it was time to pack up, Cooper turned those big blue eyes to daddy (he knew better than to come to Mama) and asked if he could take him home. Overcome by a moment of weakness (didn't we have a no pet policy in place??), sleep-deprived and ready to go, Cooper hit the jackpot. "Yes". And off he went. Mind you, who held that turtle in a tupperware all the way home? Mama. In the midst of unpacking and getting ready to start the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL in the morning, we had to make a trip to Meijer for turtle food. 

Poisy survived, though I would hardly say, thrived in his tupperware (later turned fishbowl- thanks Katie).

 We fed him and changed his water. We looked at him and talked to him. But Poisy was lonely. :( He looked sad all of the time, despite the three ring circus all around him, just outside his bowl. He was a prisoner in our house, when he longed to be in the wild. We started leaving hints to Cooper that maybe we should set Poisy free. Honestly, we were waiting for him just to die of boredom. But he hung on. We even left him for a week and went on vacation without him. (I know, we didn't take him?! Don't report us to PETA!) We came back, Mama and Dad hoping Poisy had bit the dust, but there he was to greet us. Finally, we had enough of his sad stares. We told Cooper it was time. So last evening, Cooper made a hard choice. He chose to love Poisy enough to set him free in the creek by our house. So Dad took all 4 boys on a life lesson journey. They set Poisy free. I think from my house I could hear an echo of Poisy's song as he crawled into the water, "Free at Last! Free at Last! Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last!". And then a fish swam by and ate him. Just kidding. 

We're just hoping the old adage doesn't ring true, "If you love something, set it free, and if it comes back to you, it's yours to keep." I'm not too worried, by the time little Poisy made it back to 4730 Millhaven Dr., we'll probably be in Kenya. :) 

Road to Kenya part III - PACS

Before I describe World Medical Mission I will first write a little about another amazing organization that is doing great things.  In this blog post I will give some information on the PAACS program that is responsible for the organization of surgical resident education at Tenwek.  I'll post on World Medical Missions in the next episode.  

PAACS stands for the Pan African Academy of Christian surgeons, and was birthed in the late 90s after exhausted missionary surgeons realized that their mission hospitals were going to die a slow death after they retired and return to the states.  (Mission hospitals are similar to all other businesses in that your company's future depends on the leadership and if they train their successor.) The surgeons concluded that the only solution was to train and disciple African surgeons within the continent of Africa.  Their hope and desire was to start a training program for African surgeons that would eventually become self-sufficient and provide for the immense surgical need in Africa. More than 15 years after its inception, PAACS now trains and disciples 40 national physicians at eight hospitals across Africa and teaches them not only surgical concepts and techniques, but also teaches them God's word and gives them a vision to serve and proclaim Christ among the poor.  One of these training programs is at Tenwek hospital, where Erin and I will be spending the next two years.  It will be my privilege to assist in training ten future surgeons who will eventually meet the needs of their own people.  These future surgeons will have a huge impact on an entire continent, and change the face of surgical care in Africa forever.

The surgery residency program at Tenwek is structured very similarly to surgery residency in the states.  Much like surgical residencies in the United States, the residents will complete five years of training under the direction of experienced board-certified surgeons.  They take yearly examinations as well as fellowship (board) examinations during both their second and fifth years. However, a few differences are that candidates for PAACS training must be African graduates of recognize medical schools, and be open and unashamed followers of Jesus Christ.  These prerequisites go along with the desire to train up Christian surgeons to both treat patient's spiritual needs as well as physicial needs. PAACS programs have an affiliation with Loma Linda University in California and are also endorsed by the governing bodies of surgery in East, Central and Southern Africa.  The parent organization here in the states is the CMDA, which is very involved in organization and fund raising to support these residents.  

The PAACS program remains dedicated to fulfilling its mission: "PAACS exists to train and disciple 
African surgeons to glorify God and to provide excellent, compassionate care to those most in
need.". 

If you want more information about PAACS, their website is www.PAACS.net 

Comfy in My own Skin

Disclaimer: This is full disclosure. Don't judge. 

So 33 has been a big year for me. I had my 4th baby. Eric graduated residency. I had a near-death experience. But what I want to write about is how it has taken me 33 years to finally come to the point where I am learning who I really am and am becoming confidant in that. I wouldn't say that I was necessarily an insecure person, but there were a lot of things in life that other people thought or did differently than I, and it always made me want to rethink my position. I just wasn't confident in being different. I felt that if other people felt strongly about something, then I should consider thinking the way they do. That is fine, to an extent. But I am learning that there is no "right way" in most cases. (Unless we are talking about sin, there there is a right and a wrong) My opinion can be different than my friends, my peers, my family, even than people I respect. I have felt pressure (self-imposed for the most part) to be a certain way. But God has created me uniquely, with different likes, abilities, desires, goals and gifts than anyone else. I have seriously struggled with guilt over some of these things for a long time. But God is giving me freedom from that. So here are some things I have learned, first what I used to believe, and now what I have realized is true for me: (some are big things, some are not so important) 

I should read more of the classics--> I've tried. I just don't like them. I have a hard time understanding old language. So what? I can read what I want!

I should buy/feed my family organic food---> I would love to. I think it is great, I really do. But I can't afford it. So we'll just eat a balanced diet of pesticide laden food and pray for mercy. 

I shouldn't drink pop.---> It's not the best thing for ya, but a Diet Coke every other day just makes me happy. And keeps me from falling asleep while reading Wild Animal Babies for the 18th time.

I should not buy anything processed, but make all my own bread, can all my own food and avoid all 

preservatives---> Again, I love to homemake things, but at this point in life, I am thankful for Meijer Unsweetened Applesauce. 

I should be on the ground playing with my kids all the time ----> I am more of a boardgames, books, puzzles, baking kind of girl. I am no WWF wrestler. I hate getting my hair pulled and elbows in my eye. And I have a husband for that! 

I should have my baby on a schedule----> In most areas of life, I am super organized, scheduled and together. But this baby #4 seems to like to go with the flow, and that works for us this time, with carpooling, grocery shopping and 3 other kids. 

I should like (and use) the cloth diapers I have---> Okay people, I've tried. And I hate them. I am NOT the pioneer woman after all.  I will have to use them in Africa (Lord have mercy), so I am going to take a little hiatus from them until then. Don't judge. Who really likes scraping poop?

I should stay home more days and not go out so much---> I am who I am. I am an out and about kind of girl. I have passed that on to my kids. So we LIKE to go out most days. And that's okay.

 

I should be able to clean the house, make dinner, play with my kids, do the grocery shopping, write thank-you notes, and sew curtains----> I can't do it all. (and I don't even know how to sew a button, let alone curtains!)

After 4 years of running, I should be able to go faster and farther than I can---->I know this is shocking, but I do not have a runners body. I pant, gasp for breath, do my absolute best, and still snails pass me. So I will just go my own speed and be thankful that my body works. After all, just 6 months ago I couldn't walk up the stairs!

For my height, I should weigh a certain amount-->So what girl do you know that doesn't struggle with this on some level? Thanks a lot, American culture! Still working on this one, but trying to love the body God gave me. (scars and all!)

I should decorate my house--->I love all of your beautiful homes ( I really do!) but I've been called to a simpler life. And I am super cheap. And nice stuff is expensive. 

I should be a deep thinker---> I wish I were, I really do, but for Heaven's sake, I occasionly get lost in my Sunday school class. (Heidi Vriesman, back me up here)

I should have strong opinions about everything--->I just don't. I am middle of the road about most things and that's okay. 

So there you have it. What is God teaching you??

Beans, anyone?

Eric and I recently had a discussion while driving to Ohio about how we would like to take some steps to practice self-discipline in certain areas of our life.  So we came up with a preliminary plan, a way to practice self-discipline. We decided that from Aug-Dec. we as a family would give something up or add something to our diet in regards to food. So, we decided to go meat-less in August. 

We would eat meat if it is served to us at someone's house, or if we go out (so we're not SUPER strict), but at home we were eating no meat. We were not doing it to save money, or to be healthy, but simply to recognize that there are people in the world who cannot afford to eat meat, and though we can afford it, we want to give up that right for a while. The most interesting parts has been our kids reactions. One day at lunch Cooper asked for pepperoni with his cheese and crackers. When Cole reminded him, "Coop, we aren't eating meat!" Cooper said, "Pepperoni isn't meat!" Me: Well, Cooper, what is it? Cooper: A vegetable! Oh, doesn't he wish! I have had to get a little creative in my menu planning, but nothing too crazy. There are a lot of meals you can just take meat out of (Chicken pot pie) or substitute beans in (tacos). 

The month is now over and we survived, and without too much trouble. We did learn a few things though. First, kids adapt. When I started this I thought I'd be fighting my way through most meals. And some we did. But I learned to give an encouragement (read:lecture) before the meal started about how they would eat it, and why we were doing this, we aren't going to complain, etc. Only one meal did one child have to leave the table for saying it was "gross". They ended up liking most meals (many were things we eat anyway) and even had them for lunch the next day sometimes. This gives me hope for our time in Kenya, since we will not be able to get a lot of the foods that they are used to eating (CHEESE!)

Another thing that we learned is that we like variety. The hardest part for me was that I only had about 8 choices and I made them over and over. I know I could have researched more recipes, but I wanted to make it simple and do things I thought my kids would eat. But man, I realized I don't often repeat a meal more than once or maybe twice in a normal month. There was no "throw some chicken on the grill" if I hadn't prepared for dinner. In Kenya, we will probably eat a lot of the same things over and over, so this was good practice. 

The last thing that we learned is that we really enjoy eating. :) Sometimes we really look forward to a meal, even the kids occasionally ask "what's for dinner?" and then get excited if it is something they really like. But I realized that when you have the same things over and over, or you aren't super excited about what's for dinner, you just eat and move on. Probably more the way it should be :).
Overall, a good experience for our family and hopefully we will learn something from the other disciplines we choose to inflict upon ourselves. 

If you are looking for a good read that goes a little bit along these lines, I highly recommend the book Seven: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker. It was very convicting and funny too! 

Road to Kenya Part II

It is interesting how people refer to "Africa" as a place.  Yes, it is a place, but only slightly more descriptive than saying planet Earth is a place.  Africa is an entire continent with many counties, people groups and climates.  I rarely hear someone say they are going to "Asia", "North America", or "South America."  Usually the traveler refers to somewhere more specific, like the country of China, Canada, Peru, etc.  I mean, Canada and Mexico are pretty much the same right?  Vietnam and Kazakhstan?  Perhaps it is because the continent of Africa and her nebulous countries are relatively unknown to us across the pond in "North America".  With this in mind, the Mitchell's indeed are traveling to "Africa" next year to serve as a missionary surgeon and family.  Hopefully in this blog post we can share some insight into exactly where we are going, and who we will be serving.

In August of 2013 the Mitchell tribe is going to Kenya, which is a country in East Africa, just south of Ethiopia and west of Somalia.  Kenya was a British colony until they gained their independence in the 1963.  Since then, it has been one of the more politically stable countries in East Africa.  However, there is an election coming up in January 2013 that may lead to some unrest.  (Pray for a stable election!!)


Tenwek Hospital is located in Bomet, Kenya, which is about a 3 hour drive west of Nairobi.  If you look at the map above (or look up Bomet in google maps), Tenwek is just north of the Masai Mara Reserve.  The weather is quite nice year round as the location is near the equator and Bomet is at an elevation of about seven thousand feet. 

Tenwek Hospital began in the 1930's as a medical dispensary and maternity ward.  Through the years it grew into a hospital, and surgical work began in 1959 with the arrival of Dr. Ernie Steury.  (Dr. Steury's biography "Miracle at Tenwek" is a great read and is inspirational for all those interested in missionary surgery.)  Currently Tenwek is a 300 bed hospital and also includes a nursing school, chaplain school, and has community health outreach.  One of the reasons Erin and I chose to go to Tenwek is because it is known throughout the world as being one of the best run missionary hospitals.  In order to be the best, you have to train with the best.  Plus, I will get the chance to teach and mentor Kenyan surgery residents that are training to alleviate the paucity of surgical care in Eastern Africa.  Our goal is to spend two years there serving, teaching AND training under those who know how to provide good care in an impoverished area.  I will be one of three general surgeons and will provide surgical care to a population of about 750,000.  To put this in perspective, this number is similar to all of Grand Rapids plus the rest of West Michigan.  (In this area of Michigan we have close to 75 general surgeons.) The largest group of people served by Tenwek Hospital is the Kipsigis, who are mainly rural farmers.  However, Tenwek is a referral center for a much larger area with many other people groups.

So now you know a little more about Tenwek Hospital, located in the Rift Valley Provence of Kenya, which is a country in "Africa."  If you catch me telling someone we are going to Africa next year...you can correct me!!

I found this map on another missionary surgeon's blog and thought I'd re-blog it.  It is a great representation of the disparity of health care throughout the world.

This map scales the regions of the world to show the proportion of physicians working in that area.  Southern Africa is arguable the neediest part of the world.  Rwanda, for example, has 1.9 physicians for 100,000 people.  The USA, by comparison has 549 physicians per 100,000 people.  The surgical workforce is even smaller.  In the East/Central/Southern African region, there are 400 trained surgeons for 400 million people.  Compare this to 1 surgeon for every 2,000 people in the USA.  The need to train physicians, including surgeons is Sub Saharan Africa is desperate. 

Next episode:  Some background on the organization we are going with: World Medical Mission, a division of Samaritan's purse.

And I would walk 500 miles...

And I would walk 500 miles…

     ….to not have to drive 5 hours in the car with my kids for a very long time. Eric had a busy week at work, so I decided to take the 4 kids and go visit my parents for a few days before Cole starts back to school. Now, I have taken the kids on trips by myself before, but never with four….the day after we get home from camping. We got home Sunday evening, unpacked, did laundry, went to bed and got up Monday to leave. Oh yeah, but first I may or may not have had to take all 4 to the dentist. Oh wait, I did. The beginning of the visit was okay, but by the end, they were probably only flossing every other of our teeth just to speed up the process of getting us OUT OF THERE.

     Then I embarked on our 5 hour drive….well, only 30 minutes of it, because then I had to stop and feed Tucker. And since we were stopped we got everything out and set up to have a little picnic lunch at a picnic table at a rest stop…only to have multiple children have to go #2 all of a sudden. And what can you do in that scenario, but abandon your picnic lunch, hope no one steals it, and head off to the rest room. We came back and finished and headed off to our first pit stop, visiting friends in Toledo. That was a great little stop, then off to my brother’s, where we had to stop again on the side of the road (there were no rest areas to be found), to feed the baby, who by the way, screams whenever he is not sleeping in the car. The irony of this is that it bothers Cole the most, who, if you remember, screamed the entire first 3 months of his life.

     We were able to have a nice 3 day visit in Ohio without much drama except sleepless nights, my mom vomiting all night the second night we were there, Cooper getting a HUGE splinter deep in his leg that Eric by phone tried to talk us through doing surgery on him with a razor blade to get out, myself getting a stiff neck that made switching lanes very tricky, a side trip to a friends house with 40 min of detours, and forgetting pj’s for the baby. Then we headed for home around 4 p.m. on Thursday, stopping at my least favorite/children’s most favorite (I’ll let you figure out where) dining establishment, trying to feed/change the baby, make my kids eat, take all four of them to the bathroom 3 times, (why do they ALWAYS have to go right after we get all their shoes off to play in the play area?) and burn off some energy. Then it was on the road again for the last leg home. Praise the Lord we made it home by 9:30 and were all able to sleep in our own beds last night!
Good thing we really love our Ohio friends and family! But I think it will be a little while before I attempt that again! 

The only pictures I took (I wonder why). The boys with my nephew Kael. 

Chocolate Tornado Boy. 

Eight is GREAT!

Tomorrow (8/7) Eric and I will celebrate 8 years of marriage. Crazy, crazy, crazy all that has happened in the past 8 years! We have survived 3 out of 4 years of medical school, 5 years of residency, gained 4 little boys (never thought I'd write that!), moved to a new city, bought our first house, and survived a near death experience and made preparations to move across the world. There's no one I'd rather do it with! If you don't know, I was in love with Eric long before he ever saw me as anything but his crazy friend. (I won't let him forget that) God blessed me more than I could have asked for by giving me my dream come true. I used to tell Eric all the time when we first got married, "I can't believe you actually married me!?!" Who knows what is in store for the next 50 + years, but I am so excited to do them with my hard-working, generous, loving, sacrificial, brilliant husband! Sorry ladies, he doesn't have a brother! 
Here's a little walk down memory lane....the pictures aren't very good quality b/c I scanned them, but you get the idea! Our wedding was by far our favoritest day, it was SO, SO fun. We both wish we could do it again, but our parents aren't willing to help pay for another one, can you believe that?! So we'll just talk about it and relieve the memories as much as we can! 

 My bridesmaids, (top) Crista, Amy, Tina, Sandy, (bottom) Leah and Susie

The groomsmen, (top) John, Joel, Joel, Doug, (bottom) Jason, ringbearer Trey,and Dan

Me! Wasn't I cute?!

We like 'em crazy!

Our candle would NOT light, no matter what we did!

Our picture in a tombstone

Was there really any doubt we'd be cake smashers?!

Me and my sweetie

Can't wait for the future with you, my love!!

Road to Kenya Part I

Many of our friends, family, and colleagues have desired to know more about the Mitchell family's plans for this year as well as our plans for Kenya and beyond.  Erin has been doing a great job at detailing the fun we've been having, so I'll update you on the work to be done.  Keep reading and stay tuned for plenty of information about surgery, Kenya, World Medical Missions, and the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS). In a four part series, I'll begin to describe where God has called our family to serve, what we'll be doing in Africa, and how YOU can  help!!


Where we are now.

Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids

The sign from atop the hospital

Where we are going.

                                     

A picture of Tenwek Hospital in Bomet, Kenya

The sign out front of the hospital

Part I:  July 16, 2012-July 16, 2013

Erin and I loved Grand Rapids so much that we decided to stay here one more year before heading off to Kenya.  Living here and working for one year will give me time to take my surgery board exams (written exam on August 9th, and oral exam sometime in November or January), pay down my medical school loans (a lot of $$), and spend time with various specialists learning surgeries I will have to do in Kenya but did not learn during my general surgery residency.  For example, here in the USA I function as a general surgeon...operating on the abdomen, neck and occasionally the chest.  ENT, urology, neurosurgery, pediatric surgery, hand surgery, and OB/GYN all are separate training programs that dedicate 4-7 years of time learning surgeries in these areas.  However, at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya I will be the ENT surgeon, urologist, pediatric surgeon etc. as well as general surgeon.  A little daunting, but exciting at the same time.  Erin and I hosted Jason and Heather Fader (a surgeon and family that just finished two years at Tenwek Hospital) for dinner a few weeks ago and he gave me a long list of surgeries I will have to be familiar with.  Therefore, for the next year I will work as a general surgeon with Spectrum Health here in Grand Rapids, and my free time will be spent with various specialists learning as much as I can about each specialty.  For example, I have a parotidectomy (taking out a tumor in a salivary gland), nephrectomy (taking out a kidney), and lung lobectomy coming up soon.  Spectrum has been very supportive of my desires to serve in Africa and has facilitated my working with all these specialties.  What a blessing!!

Erin and I will also be using this time to prepare for our service in Kenya.  We have a long reading list to get through, passports and visas to obtain, and many logistics to work on.  As far as finances are concerned, the mission organization we are going through (World Medical Mission) will provide a stipend to help defer the cost of our travel and living expenses, but we will also need to raise some support (Ahh, the joy of being a missionary!!)  God has already blessed us with people's verbal commitments for support (even though we haven't even asked yet), but we have a long way to go.

Part II will include information on Tenwek Hospital and give you all a little flavor of Kenya.  I'll then give some background on the post residency program sponsored by World Medical Mission (a branch of Samaritan's purse) and finish off with information about PAACS, which is a revolutionary surgery training program that will change the face of surgical care in Africa over the next 20 years.  Stay tuned!!

They've Taken Over....

So I have four little boys, right? So I assumed that we would spend our time playing trucks, building forts, building with Legos and racing cars. They like these things, but what they LOVE, what they spend most of their time doing....wait for it....Beanie Babies. Yes, stuffed animals. I kid you not. These kids go crazy for those stuffed little creatures. We happened upon a garage sale last weekend where they were selling every Beanie animal imaginable and they were so excited, they stood there for 15 min. trying imagine how they could pick just ONE! So imagine their delight when the lady running the sale said they could Buy one Get one free! Oh glorious day! So here is our collection, what we could round up (sometimes they are good at hiding). We also find those pesky creatures (they all have a name, that even I know) in some crazy places. 

Nuts ready to roll

Chocolate sneaking a treat

Spike trying out the potty

Knuckles sipping some H2O on a hot day

Slippery in his special spot

Zip taking a snooze

Stretch going for a ride

Strut working hard

Zip and Stinky playing cars

Zip has stolen the remote AGAIN!

I wonder if I had girls, what they would play with??!

Dr. Husband

My extremely talented, hard-working husband FINALLY graduated from 26th grade on June 16th! He finished his surgery residency (5 years) after 4 years of med school and 4 years of undergrad. It has been a long road, and even though most days were VERY long, overall the journey seems to have flown by. I have to say I am so proud of him. He worked so hard, studying many nights of the week on top of working 80 hours/week, always did AWESOME on his yearly tests, and was able to minister to many, many patients.
On top of all this doctor-duty, he is also an awesome husband and father to our 4 crazies. He comes home most nights, eats dinner and then plays with the boys for 2 hours before they go to bed. They adore him. He is their favorite playmate by far. One question you can always hear around here is, "Daddy, can you play with us?". He is also an awesome (though not perfect :) husband, letting me have girls nights once or twice a month, helping me with bedtime, diapers, and cleaning the shower (his "chore").
He has given up most of his hobbies, making his family his hobby. We love it when he is home and hope now that he has a "real job" we'll see even more of him. We were able to celebrate at graduation which was a really nice dinner with all the surgery residents, some attendings and our families. Each of the 6 graduating chiefs got "roasted" by a 4th year resident and Eric's was super funny. Then we had a big 'ole graduation party here at our house with about 60 adults and 5 million children (well, that's what it felt like). It was great fun (you know how we love parties!!) and hopefully Eric felt honored as he should. Here are some pictures of our celebrating!
Congratulations Dr. Mitchell, we are SOOOO proud of you!

Me and my handsome guy

Eric's parents, his sis and bro-in law and my parents

The 6 graduating chiefs, headed out all over the country

The cake I made him

The first wave of kids

Eric with some of his guy friends 

Me with some of my favorite ladies

We did it!

Vacation!

We just got back from a very restful, relaxing week away. Our friend Paula's mom has a little cabin on a lake about 20 minutes from South Haven and she let us go and spend the week there. We didn't do much besides swim, eat ice cream and keep Alex from drowning relax all week- it was great! The boys love the water and crazy Mr. 2-year old was jumping off the end of the dock by the second day. The boys tried out fishing and all they caught was a pair of swim trunks (still attached to Cole's body, mind you) and Cooper's ear. Ouch. Thursday evening our BFF's Paula and Joel came and spent the night and we had a delightful time on Friday playing and swimming. Overall, a winner of a vacation!

Cute, but deadly, WATCH OUT!

 Maybe a future career in Olympic diving?

Thank the Lord for life jackets!!!

Our annual swing picture

Whose bright idea was Blue Moon ice cream??

We do like each other, don't know why we are feet apart in the only picture of the two of us. 

Stay tuned, a post about my super smart Dr. husband's graduation coming soon!!!