2020

Yellowstone National Park is uniquely situated so that it spans 3 states: Wyoming (96%), Idaho (1%), and Montana (3%). So all week we were bouncing back and forth between these states! (Fun fact: Wyoming is the 9th largest state in the U.S. in terms of land size, but the least populated of all 50 states. Montana isn't much different, ranking 4th largest in land size and 44th in population. No wonder this is Big Sky Country--there are no people or businesses or homes to block your view!) After leaving Yellowstone through Cooke City, we took the Beartooth and Chief Joseph highways into Cody, Wyoming. I can't tell you how many people we've met in the last few months who have told us to go to Cody. No one ever said what we were supposed to do there, however, they just said to go. We found a town full of history and museums, guns and graves. And I couldn't muster up the energy for any of it.  I sent Randy and Van off to explore while I took a nap (the ...

Because we were having so much fun hiking the Redwoods, we left California late on Saturday afternoon and rolled in to Portland, Oregon, around midnight. While there was much to see in between, we rushed to get to Portland so we could go to church with Randy's brother and sister-in-law the next morning. Roy and Suzanne were enjoying a neighborhood progressive dinner while waiting up for us, so we all mutually agreed to go to the late (11:30 a.m.) service the next morning. I was so glad we were able to make it to church. Many of you know that I’ve been claiming a “ word of the year ” for the past 5 years. This year’s word is “fierce.” While I no longer dislike the word like I did in the beginning, I haven’t exactly owned it either. So I was thrilled when the band started playing a song I’d never heard of – one called “ Fierce ” – that was all about the fierce nature of God’s love for us. (Apparently I've been living under a rock – or in Mexico – because this song came ou...

Neither Randy nor I have spent much time in Colorado, so when we started looking at the map, we were overwhelmed by how much there was to do. From National Parks to state parks to monuments and museums, it seemed like we could spend a month here and not even begin to see all that Colorado has to offer. Not to mention the sheer beauty of just driving down the highway, passing one mountain range after another. And yet, what we really wanted to do was go to church in Parker with a group of people who had come to San Felipe last October on a mission trip. We made so many incredible friends while in Mexico and we were anxious to see some of them. To reminisce about what an amazing place Sonshine Hacienda is, and to pray together about what God is doing next. So we made a beeline from Albuquerque to Denver, stopping southwest of the city to go to Crossroads Community Church on Sunday morning. The church has 4 services—so a ton of people go here—yet while standing in...