Without Ceasing

Many things are happening in FoCo. The weather has changed here. Gone are the days of bright sun and warm temperatures. Now the mornings are cold, the afternoons are warm and the evenings are cool. The leaves are changing colors rapidly and the sun is setting sooner.

The prairie is still one of my favorite places to run. You just can't beat the sunrises and the sunsets. It is one of the more peaceful places here in FoCo.

Recently, James asked to buy a birthday gift for a classmate and we picked out Hatch-a-mals. They are the neatest toys and always a surprise. They are all the rage at my house now.

Bible Study Fellowship started and already I feel the conviction of studying Romans. I was struck by Paul's opening lines to the Romans, people whom he's never met at the time he's writing them a letter. He says that he does not cease to mention them in his prayers or to ask God that he might get to visit them.  It took Paul several years to get to Rome and when he went, he went as a prisoner. I can't say that I've prayed for people like that, especially people I've never even met, BUT as I thought about this passage, I thought about all of you who are praying for people you've never even met. How blessed I am by that knowledge!!!

The boys were out of school last Friday and a sweet friend was visiting us for a week, so we took another trip to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). It's about an hour drive away from FoCo and as you can tell, we were excited and a few of us a little carsick. We drive through Big Thompson canyon, winding our way through the foothills to RMNP. It's a breathtaking drive. Just imagine the movie Planes: Fire and Rescue and you'll get a picture of what we see as we're winding our way to RMNP. 

This was taken in the low country which is still almost nine thousand feet above sea level. I wish you could see it in person. It truly is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. 

A funny thing about RMNP is that you never know what the temperature or weather is going to be. We hopped out of the car to take a picture and as you can tell, we were freezing. It's pretty windy there and snowing in the high country. 

The elk were in full bugling mode. If we heard one elk bugle, we heard six or seven bugle. It really is amazing to see wildlife doing their thing in the wild. 

Can you spot my wild creature? I love my baby boy so much. He had a rough weekend this past weekend. Zack made a trip back to Kentucky and we stayed here. Change can be challenging for James and the beginning of this week, it hit him hard. He's better now and it's just another opportunity for God to show Himself in a big way to our baby boy. Good grief, I love him!

We don't have much of a backyard at our house now, but when you have places like RMNP, it doesn't really matter much. 

The boys adventured hard while we were there. They climbed boulders, hid from spies, hunted elk, jumped off rocks and picked up sticks. At the end of the day, they declared it to be a really special day! I often think of how different their childhood is now. They do miss their friends and the people we left behind. They speak of you often and wonder how you all are, but they are on the frontline of God doing some pretty incredible things! And they live in one of the most beautiful places in the world!

Surprisingly, I had to coerce James into taking this picture with the park ranger. John Owen was all about it and so was the park ranger. We asked him only for a picture, but he gave us so much more, guiding us to the best spots to see bear, moose, bighorn sheep, etc. He even gave us a heads up about heading up to the high country before they closed the roads. We like to think of him as Smokey. lol

And the high country! There are no words. I remember reading in Revelation about when John saw Jesus in His glory and John fell down as if he were dead. I cannot even imagine what heaven will be like if earth is like the high country in RMNP. It really is incredible and stirs my soul in a way that other things do not. I hope you get a chance to visit us and make this trip to the high country with us. I can't promise there'll always be snow, but I can promise an incredible view!

Thank you for praying for us. God is answering your prayers. I hope you know that and I wish I could share the very specific ways He's answering your prayers. Maybe one day here on earth, or maybe it'll be the next side of heaven when I introduce you to the people who are there because you sacrificed, because you did not cease to mention people you don't even know in your prayers, because you came and saw, because you believed and hoped. One day...