Our Dear Friends and Family,
Hosts upon hosts greeted the team in the heights of Colorado. One host home in Montrose, Colorado was the Welches. The team felt as if they had found home amongst the steep slopes surrounding them. While the team was staying with the Welches, they enjoyed drinking coffee while seeing the depths of the black canyon. The team also took a little time to take pictures in their new project t-shirts. The Welches also opened their church for Anna to speak and their home for the team to stay. They provided the team with their own rooms, showers, delicious home cooked food, and an over all wonderful place to stay. The team spent relaxing nights enjoying the company of Pastor and Mrs. Welch while watching movies, eating home baked cookies, and even watching the election. Their home was refreshing, full of good company, and a deeply enjoyable home. When time came to leave, the team felt as if they were leaving family behind. A lot of times while Nick and Anna run, they will stop and have snacks along the way. While running past Montrose, they stopped at a gas station to buy a treat and take a quick break. Nick left Anna to pick the treat. She ended up purchasing a half gallon of chocolate milk for the two of them. They both grabbed cups and began to drink the milk. In their hunger, they consumed the whole milk jug and got up to begin running again. A quarter mile in, they were doubled over in stomach pain. Every step for the next mile made them regret that milk.
The team also had another host, thanks to Megan’s ability to coordinate and organize. The hosts were the Tabors and Ilas. This family took Megan, Anna, and Nick into their home with such kindness. They fed the team with delicious food, took the team’s van to the mechanic, let Anna speak in their church (Solid Rock Foundation Ministries), got the team an interview with the Montrose Daily Press, gave us several donations of money, gave us numerous contacts, and looked into as many possible avenues of being the biggest blessing they could.
Life Choices Pregnancy Center was also a huge blessing to the team. The ladies at the pregnancy center gave the team a tour of the center and told the team about the wonderful work that they do at the center. This work ranges from pregnancy tests, to counseling, to classes, to baby clothes, to diapers, to even a food pantry for struggl ing mothers. We went to the pregnancy center to be of help to them, but they blessed us in numerous ways. One was getting us an interview with the Montrose Mirror. Another was a huge blessing (considering the barren land ahead) was when they did a food drive for the team. The ladies gathered tons of canned goods and dry goods for the team. This food was canned by hand and included beef, peaches, beans, fruit, oatmeal, and many other items.
Running continued to go well as the team progressed through the remainder of Colorado. Mile after mile were conquered as November began to fade into December. A few cold spells made Nick and Anna’s breath white against the mountain landscape, but overall, God kept the weather warm. Many counquered miles brought the team close to a beautiful San Juan Range. Tucked in a valley by those mountains was the home of a Swiss-American family called the Zauggs. They provided the team with home cooked meals, a relaxing hot tub, money to continue fixing up our van, and routing information. Mr. Zaugg put in in many hours with Megan as they worked to find the best running route possible. The Zauggs also connected the team with a men’s Bible study where Anna shared. She was able to challenge the men to be mentors to young fathers. They also connected the team with the United Church at the San Jauns where the team was introduced. They also helped with another speaking engagement at Calvary Communtiy where Anna spoke for twenty minutes about the importance of being an active prolife citizen. The family also treated the team to a tour of the Million Dollar Highway, a highway up through the mountains with no shoulders and frequent avalanches. They also fulfilled one of Nick’s lifelong dreams when their son Johnnie and his friend took Nick outdoor rock climbing in Ouray. Nick described the climbing as perfect.
While the team was in Ridgeway, they also got to go the True Grit Café and see the park where the opening scene of the movie was filmed. The team also watched the movie True Grit and were able to identify the mountains and some of the scenery in the movie. As the team continued to progress through the mountains, Nick and Anna ran a steep hill called Dallas Divide. After much effort, they conquered the hill and continued onward.
Another place they enjoyed visiting for their Sabbath was Telluride, Colorado. Pastor Keitrich Steger offered them two bedrooms, a shower, and a kitchen in his church. The team was able to bake brownie, have good coffee, enjoy seeing lots of snow, and have a relaxing day exploring Telluride. As the mountains rolled into canyons, Anna and Nick lowered in elevation while running for ten miles until they came to Norwood hill. The terrain became steep and the weather cold. They looked ahead and saw a threatening hill looming. Up and up they ran as Norwood hill was slowly climbed. Ice and snow covered the narrow road as cars crept passed the runners. Eventually, the sun peaked over the top of the hill, and they completed it. They then found themselves looking upon open fields that whispered a reminiscence of the Kansas plains.
They were pushing for fourteen miles that day and ended in a stranger’s driveway as the temperature dropped and the sun set behind the distant mountains. They planned on van camping that night, and were going to cook over their camp stove. As they were shivering and awaiting Megan to pick them up, a woman pulled into the driveway where they were waiting. She asked if she knew them, but they replied that they weren’t from around that area. She then replied that she was supposed to be their next host the following night and that she had arranged it with Megan previously. By the grace of God, Nick and Anna had accidentally ended up in the driveway of their upcoming host. The hosts were the Olivers. They took the team in, brought out warm electric blankets and hot cocoa for the team to cure their shivering bodies of cold. Mrs. Oliver then made homemade soup and then provided the team with hot showers and warm beds. Anna was able to speak in their church, Norwood Christian Church. At Norwood Christian church, Mrs. Oliver introduced the team to Alan and Pam Brownlie to see if the team could possibly go horseback riding. Mrs. Brownlie agreed to take Nick and Anna out on her horses. The three of them first had to catch the horses, put on lead ropes, and load them in the trailer. After that, the horses were brought to the Brownlie’s house where Anna and Nick were taught to ride with a saddle and bare back. Mrs. Brownlie proved to be an excellent teacher as she instructed Nick and Anna about riding. This privilege of riding was not taken lightly. Just as Nick had dreamed of outdoor rock climbing, Anna had dreamed of horseback riding. God has a marvelous way of granting us the desires of our heart.
One of the most difficult legs of the run took Nick and Anna through twelve miles of Disappointment Valley and then six miles of switch backs up Slick Rock Hill. Some hills feel like bumps in the road, and some hills feel like mountains; Slick Rock Hill felt like a mountain. Mile after mile of switch backs passed, yet Nick and Anna did not reach the top. Only after those six miles of switch backs did they reach the summit of that never ending mass. Finally at the top, they neglected stretching, and merely sat completely exhausted and waiting for Megan to come and get them from the side of the road.
After staying with the Olivers and conquering Slick Rock Hill, the team drove down to Durango, Colorado to spend Thanksgiving with Nick and Anna’s cousin, John Shillington. John warmly opened his home, and the team had a wonderful visit celebrating the holiday with John. For Thanksgiving, they all woke up and enjoyed coffee during the morning hours. Afterwards, they went to the store to pick up some last minute cooking items. For the rest of the day, they enjoyed cooking and baking for the celebration. They made a turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, chocolate pecan pie, and apple pie. After enjoying the dinner, they a movie and ate pie and drank coffee. Overall, they had a wonderful time with John, and were sad to leave his company and get back on the road.
The team finally reached the last leg of Colorado, and stayed in a little town called Dove Creek with a Pastor named Gregg Liming. He turned out to be such a man of God who really showed Christ-like living in every way. The team loved getting to know him, hearing his story, and their stay with him. Evenings were spent relaxing with him with cappuccinos he made, homemade desserts (brownies, rice crispies, and chocolate chip cookies), a roaring fire, and his two sweet dogs. The comfort of his home was a real treat. The team spent their nights in his guest home and spent their days running. The team finally crossed over the boarder of Colorado into Utah as the snow fell and the wind blew. Pastor Liming blessed us in so many ways including firewood, a six gallon water container, more oil for our van, dry food for our camping, and much more. He also allowed Anna to speak for his whole morning service about the importance of life in the womb. A man at his church broadcasted the service on the radio (kdov.us) three times. The pastor also allowed Anna to speak to a group of third to ninth graders. The children were challenged to begin filling a jar of coins to support mothers who had chosen life for their babies. The kids are already filling it! The pastor ended the team’s stay with him by treating them to paninis and coffee and taking them to a canyon overlook. The canyon was delicately decorated with snow. Everyone then engaged in an all out snow ball fight. The stay with Pastor Liming was such a treat. The team cannot thank everyone in Colorado enough for blessing them and enabling them to cross into Utah.