Our Dear Friends and Family,
We are getting close to being half done with our second state, Colorado! Annie is a cold weather athlete so it is pretty exciting to watch her get pumped for runs! We can hardly believe how the miles have flown. It has pretty much felt like Kansas until Denver— with the exception of the small living forts that homeowners build with trees they dig up in the Rockies. It’s hard to believe it but the Aspen have already begun to change!
We spent several days earlier in the week camping at a reservoir outside Limon, Colorado. Nick and Annie harvested prickly pear cactus for us to try: pretty much like kiwi fruit and pomegranate seeds. Minus a few cactus thorns, it was a fun try.
We had our first view of the Rocky Mountains, last Friday. What a milestone. The dreaded, the anticipated: a lady told me they hiked in snow on Pike’s Peak, yesterday. There was a fad in the 1920’s of pushing a peanut up Pike’s Peak with your nose. I’ve signed Megan up for the small but proud society that maintains this tradition. I’m pretty sure she’s doing it for the t-shirt.
And now we have tried couch surfing: Ellie Bontrager was a super neat lady that we stayed with in Limon, Ks.
We connected with the Wisener Family through a friend of Anna’s, Adria. They are awesome! We stayed two nights with them. Mr. Wisener pastors Oasis of Hope in Limon— he gave Annie a chance to share the project with the church; after service, we headed back to their house where they grilled burgers for us. We spent the evening sipping great coffee, eating Colorado’s famous peaches, and listening to their son, Nathan Wisener, play guitar.
We spent several days with our Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin– the Shillingtons. It was a fabulous visit! We hiked in Estes Park and recharged. The Aspen are so lovely: the leaves are beginning to fall and they look like so many thousands of rose petals on the trails. Our Uncle Steven helped us with our routing questions, and we are super excited about the changes! The Rocky Mountains have been daunting for months, and he helped us to find a pass, which is great. Our Aunt Audrey took awesome care of us— she is a terrific cook and so funny.
So many great opportunities are opening up for the project! Next week we have a meeting with a director of Focus on the Family, the Creative Director with Save the Storks, and we are going to get involved with 40 Days for Life in Colorado Springs. Annie is set for several speaking engagements at colleges and churches. Please pray for favor and open doors!
We are also VERY excited that our project video is coming out! It has been a year in the making. We are grateful for our friend Andy Gwynn has spent so many months perfecting and working for this.
Thank you for being part of this project! Please pray for us as we cross the Rockies. We value your encouragement and prayers so much!
Much love!
Sarah-Marie Hoduski
And the Project If Life Team