The Confessions of a Reluctant Church Planter's Wife: Part Three

Life has a way of marching on, doesn't it? Since the boys began school, life has picked up a bit for us. Last weekend, we helped out with a multi-ministry tailgate before the very first CSU football game in their brand new stadium. We met a lot of new people, connected with other campus ministries and watched as the thousands of people filed into the stadium to watch Colorado State play Oregon State. Though many things are vastly different here, corn hole is as much a part of tailgating here as it is at home.  One thought runs through my head when we are on campus. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. It feels overwhelming at times when I see the number of students on campus, but I know that God has brought us here and is stirring in the hearts of others to come here, too. 

I know that Fall is approaching, but it's been hard for me to really differentiate between Fall and Summer here because the climate is so mild. The weather really is incredible. The sun really does shine a lot, there's little to no humidity, and the skies are usually always blue. 

The other day I saw these mums at the King Soopers, which is the West's version of Kroger. Talk about sticker shock! 

Where are the boy scouts when I need them? 

A big part of our transition here is learning our new culture. We've tried to learn as much about our new city by being in our city. We try to hang out in places where people are. 

Our time here is much  more intentional, especially where people are concerned. We don't have an established church with automatic community and ministries that we can jump into. Instead, we're starting from scratch. We've tried to be intentional about "hanging out" at places where some of our neighbors might be. This past Sunday evening, we went to this local neighborhood pub. It's just a short bike ride from our house. Such a different way to spend our Sunday evenings than what we used to do in Frankfort!

Part of planting Overland means that we seek first to plant ourselves here. Some days the planting of ourselves here feels really slow. I feel so inadequate. I'd never be mistaken for an extrovert and that hasn't changed here. Beginning conversations is hard for me. So hard. I fumble with my words and usually end up saying something so odd that people just look at me like I have four heads. I know I'm exaggerating a little, but that's what it feels like on the inside. I psych myself up, go over what I'm going to say in my head several hundred times when I know I might encounter some person at the school or around our neighborhood. It's not in my comfort zone, but God has been faithful to go before me and help me learn to be myself. And no one has run screaming from me. Haha!

This is just half the section of kombucha in the natural grocers near our house. Personally, I love this store. I don't buy all of our groceries here because it's really pricey, but I can find all the natural stuff my little heart desires here. And, be still my heart, they have fair trade coffee and chocolate for days. 

Anyone who's known me for any time knows my love of baking. It's been a challenge here to learn how to bake in the higher altitude. These were supposed to be chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, but I'll just call them crispy wafers. lol I've done some research and it's a real balancing act to conquer the elevation when baking, but I know practice makes perfect. If anyone is a pro at this or has any suggestions for high altitude baking, send them my way!!

Mail is different here. We don't have an actual mailbox on our house. Instead, there are mailboxes at the end of the street. It's been a fun adventure going down to check the mail. We love getting mail. It's the highlight of our day to ride to the mailbox and find stuff from our people back home or other places.

John Owen turned eight this week. We celebrated with breakfast at a local place here in Fort Collins called the Silver Grill. If you ever get to visit us, we'll for sure take you there! There's also a neat ice cream place in Old Town that he L.O.V.E.S. He was gifted a scoop a month for a year from dear friends who are family to us. All in all, he's rocked this move out West. I worried that he'd struggle with anxiety or be nervous about making friends, but he's really come into himself. He's changed a lot since we've moved. He's gained a confidence that didn't quite show before. It was always within him, but maybe he just never needed it before.

We cannot plant Overland without you. Mostly, we need your constant prayers. Before we left we held many coffee and dessert meetings asking people to "Hold The Rope" for us. I'm thankful God led us to do this because as we've been here, I've understood that necessity of people back home supporting us through prayer. It's going to take a lot of money to launch Overland next year. It's going to take even more prayer! We're in this together! I see more clearly why God led us to have those meetings and to ask people to hold the rope. Overland isn't just something He's doing through us. It's something He's doing through all of us. Thanks for being on this journey with us!