On Assignment - at home in Colorado

Visiting with Yumiko

Our next stop was Colorado where most of Scott’s family lives. We only had 5 days to cover Colorado Springs and Denver, so we tried to get in as much as possible within everyone’s schedule. We usually come in the summer when at least the kids are out of school. People cannot simply drop their jobs and spend time with us, but it was great to be able to plan an evening when Scott’s family was able to get together for pizza. A chance to meet the new husband of a niece, talk about plans and school and jobs, and see how everyone has grown. We want to be an encouragement wherever we are and hope the time we spend together is just that.

For the few days in Colorado Springs, we were able to visit with our sister-in-law, do a bit more shopping (shoes!), enjoy a good Bible study evening at the Pikes Peak Avenue congregation and drive around the city visiting old haunts before we headed up to Denver. In the meantime, Scott was also checking his email every morning to make sure that things were going okay back in Maastricht and with son Sean. Technology is great when it keeps us in touch with one another! We were even able to call Willemien (our sister in Christ in Maastricht) one morning. We usually see her every Tuesday afternoon. This time we were only able to give her a call while others are caring so well for her, but it was so good to hear her voice.

We headed back up to Denver to spend time with Scott’s older brother and sister and their spouses. Gathered around the table with good food and lively conversation, memories and stories flowed freely. We all change over time and it is good to see what that change looks like. Imagine if we only allowed everyone to remain as they were when they were our ‘little brother’ or ‘older sister’. We change and we want to allow others to change as well.

We also had a good visit with the Rog family, re-connecting and seeing how they have been blessed. The connection that is shared in Christ is special and exciting. Our visits in Denver hold many of these blessings. Scott’s best friend, Bret Carter, met us for lunch and a good heart-to-heart. The next night we finally got to see one of his musicals performed as well. That evening and the next day at the airport (you try to fill every possible minute) we made the most of the conversations with Ron and Jean Carter and Hans and Julie Oehlert as well (AND we got to see Rachel and Caleb!).

Colorado was a whirlwind family visit full of emotion, nostalgia, beauty and family of all kinds. This leg seemed to fly by and left us slightly gasping for air for various reasons. We were able to get an early birthday/Christmas present for Shirley (an iPad) with the financial help of Scott’s brother, Chris, and generous gifts from church family along the way. But the visit seemed too short. And this will not be the first time we experience this elation and evisceration.