By Callie Mitchell, SAVED News International Correspondent, Jerusalem, Israel
This past December, Devin and I were blessed to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary. Time has flown so quickly. We first started dating while I was a graduate student in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Devin grew up. Devin had already been living in Israel since 1999, minus one year he spent in China. He went home for his brother’s wedding, and with the encouragement of mutual friends, we started dating on his visit. We became engaged beneath the Hanukkah candles later that year.
Accepting Devin’s proposal meant accepting life in Israel, where he was called to live, and wanted to plant roots. We were married in North Carolina and spent the first three months in Cincinnati before officially moving to Jerusalem in March.
With Devin’s Aliyah, obtaining Israeli citizenship, the government provided certain benefits for the first three years. With his benefits, we were able to send a container shipment over without import taxes or tariffs. We shipped our wedding gifts, furniture, and books. I was amazed to realize we had also received just the right amount of monetary gifts from our wedding to cover the shipping expenses! The Lord knew exactly what we needed, and He provided graciously through our loving community of friends and family.
It took almost six months for our shipment to arrive in Israel, but when it did, it was such a joyful event! I was finally able to nest in our apartment and use the gifts that I treasured so much. All this time later, I still have nearly everything we brought over in our shipment, aside from the couch that we managed to get in but could not get out of our first apartment!
It’s been quite an adventure. In 14 years, we’ve welcomed four children, we suffered one miscarriage, and I’ve had two neurosurgeries to treat Cushing’s Disease. We both completed master’s degrees without loans! Devin has grown in his career and calling as a school principal. I’ve chosen to be at home with our children, doing a little architecture here and there, a lot more bible teaching than I ever imagined, and even more laundry!
And about the laundry: We started with only a small clothes washer that took hours to wash a load and a clothesline outside our bedroom window in our third-floor apartment. We also didn’t have a dishwasher or a car. Now we have a fast clothes washer and dryer, a dishwasher, and a small van, just big enough for our family of six! These things might be small, but they remind me of how we’ve grown and how the Lord has provided for us over the years.
We’ve had times of want, and times of plenty, but my favorite time is the moment each day that Devin Mitchell walks through the door after work. I am so grateful to say that I love him as much, if not more, than the day we said: “I do”. My life has been poured out for the Lord differently than I ever imagined because Devin invited me to join him on this journey. I hope our story has been and will always be a blessing to you all!
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