i finally Mustard the Strength to Ketchup on Times we Relish...

Monday, September 8, 2014

Hot dog! (Charis groans!!) We have made it to Colorado. So many things have happened in the past month. Sorry for neglecting the blog. Highlights:
1. Our house is in escrow. A week ago Saturday we had a "Take it Away" event in which we invited friends to come on over, take what they wanted, and leave a donation. Donated money would be used for our road trip to Michigan. We collected just over $2000 from some very generous people! 

Zion National Park

2. On Wednesday, September 3, we said good-bye to California and started making our way east. First stop: Zion. We stayed in Zion for a few days. Spectacular! If you haven't been there, it is a must see place!

3. After Zion, which we thought must 
be the most beautiful place in the United States, we took off for Colorado. The drive was breath-taking with hours and hours of open land, mountains, rivers, and stormy skies

Colorado!

followed by rainbows. Colorado challenged Zion as the most beautiful place. Beth, Dakotah and I started belting out patriotic songs from ages past. Charis just rolled her eyes and then decided to record our music for posterity. Reaching our destination, we crashed in on our cousins (and most gracious hosts), Melanie and Joel, and their crew of four boys, spending the weekend at their home. 
     Yesterday we were driving around to visit the old places from when from when Charis and I had lived here and we also planned a visit with Uncle Bill.

Uncle Bill and Charis in Denver

Unfortunately, I had set the parking brake earlier that day and neglected to release it when we took off again. Guess what happens to your brakes and brake fluid when you drive around with your parking brake on for about an hour. As we were exiting the freeway, I realized I had no brakes! The signal light turned green at the end of the exit and I was able to veer onto the street without hitting anyone. When the light turned red at the next intersection, I ended up driving up onto a sidewalk between a few trees where our car came to a rest. Good part: noone was hurt. Bad part: no more brakes! Today we are getting the brakes fixed before heading down to Oklahoma City to visit more family. 
Prayer Praises and Requests:
1. We are so thankful for God's provision throughout many unexpected circumstances. Thank you for praying for safe travels! 
2. We are blessed with family and friends who are going out of their way to make this journey a reality and our transition a pleasure. We love you! 
3. There has been some political unrest in Lesotho, and particularly Maseru, the capitol city where we will be living. We are watching the situation and have been advised to wait until September 19 (when parliament reconvenes) before booking our flight. Please pray for the country of Lesotho and the Geurink family with whom we will be working.