Happy Easter from The Mitchells

Dear friends and family,
Easter greetings to each one of you! We trust that you and your loved ones will treasure this holy week as we remember the death of our Lord and celebrate the new life we have in Him! We send this Easter letter from our hearts to your home in hopes that you will rejoice with us in the wonderful things the Lord has done in the Mitchell family this year.

Easter Sunday 2009 was one that will indelibly remain inscribed in my heart and mind for the rest of my life. It was one of those days filled with such raw emotions, exceeding joy and excruciating pain.

On April 10, 2009, as the sun arose signaling Easter morning was upon us, our beautiful, Ansley Elise, arose and awakened in her new home, our home, for the very first time! She was our little Easter miracle, a hope that had become a reality. We were parents, God had given us a child and there we were about to embark on the journey of a lifetime! On that same blessed morning, I also experienced great heartache and pain as Jon gently told me the news he had been harboring in his heart for four days in hopes of protecting and preserving the beauty of the birth of our daughter, the company he was working for was closing and he no longer had a job. How can one solitary moment hold both beauty and sorrow? I can only say that it is by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that I was overcome with a certain hope in that early morning hour that is still simply unexplainable. Sure, I had plenty of questions, some fears and quite a lot of tears, but miraciously I felt an amazing peace preside over me and as I looked at our new little family I knew without a doubt that all was well and that God would be faithful. I was reminded of Job 1:21 which says, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord took away; may the name of the Lord be praised."

For seven long months, our family journeyed through the valley, as Jon consistently searched for a job, as I experienced some sudden and frightening health symptoms, as I underwent countless tests and doctor's visits, as we adapted to life with a newborn, as Jon adjusted to spending the day at home instead of work and as I transitioned back into teaching after being on maternity leave. We also traversed through moments of great joy as we treasured precious quality time together as a new family, as we watched Ansley grow and experience many "firsts" and as Jon was blessed with the opportunity to care for Ansley on a full-time basis and early on build a strong bond with her. Seven is the number of completion in the Bible and eight is the number of new beginnings. We find it no coincidence that after seven months our time of waiting was completed and in that eighth month God blessed our family by providing a new beginning for us when Jon was offered a position with Children's Health System as a Technical Support Analyst!

That Easter morning, we had been given a gift and had one taken away. We had been given the gift of life (Ansley) and had something we thought we had to have (Jon's job)taken away. Isn't that at the very heart of the Easter story? God gave His most precious gift, His only Son, to save the world from their sins but it would come at a high cost, taking His Son's life. Likewise, we must confess our sins and allow the Lord to take them away and give us a new life, eternal life, in Him!

As our family anticipates Easter 2010, we rejoice that we find Jesus to be a supplier of all our needs. He never left our side this year and has given us more than we could ever hope for or imagine. This year, we are counting our blessings! We have a healthy beautiful daughter who will turn one on April 9th, I am close to completing my sixth year of teaching (a job in which I find great fulfillment and purpose), Jon is thriving in his new workplace, we were able to live on one income during half of this past year, we have excellent health insurance with my job which covered the cost of Ansley's birth and my numerous tests and appointments, we were blessed to stay in our home that we love, we have family and friends who would do anything for us and most of all we have Emmanuel, God with us! We are learning the beauty of trusting in His Word and the power of praying together as a family. We pray that you, our sweet family and friends, also know the deep love of our Savior.

God loves you so much that He sent His only Son to suffer and die in your place, taking your punishment for you so that you could live. It's this simple: you broke the Law and Jesus paid your fine. Then, Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death. If you will turn away from sin and place your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, God will forgive you and give you everlasting life in Heaven with Him. This is what Easter is all about...celebrating new life in Jesus Christ!

"If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: old things have been taken away; all things are becoming new!" (2 Corinthians 5:17) This year, let us all desire to become even more like Jesus, the One who so freely gave His life for us!

Happy Easter with love,
Karen, Jon and Ansley Mitchell