B.J., Leah, Willem, Marie, and Nathan had Winter Break from school February 17-20. (I know, I know...it's a Loveland thing. ;-) We spent the long weekend visiting "Grandma Kathy" in Cheraw, Colorado.
In September 2015 Michael, Grandma Kathy's son, was baptized and made confession of faith in our church. He had been converted while incarcerated and learned of the PRC through his subsequent study of the Reformed faith and doctrine of the covenant. He joined our church shortly after he had served his sentence. Grandma Kathy spent a week in our home at that time and has wanted us to come visit ever since. So Michael and we made the trip to his parents' home last weekend.
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| Cheraw is located about 4 1/2 hours southwest of Loveland. |
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| I told my niece Kara that southeastern Colorado reminds me of the first line of the children's book Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch. "As far as the eye could see there was nothing..." On a clear day, however, you can make out Pike's Peak way in the distance. |
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| 208 people currently live in Cheraw. Here is a picture of Main Street. Michael's father, Mike, owns the shop on the left. |
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| We ate lunch at Cheraw's Frontier Diner. |
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| There's another line that comes to my mind when I consider this area of the country: "A place that time forgot." It reminds me of the Rosebud Indian Reservation. The houses are dirty, dilapidated or deserted. Grandma Kathy's home was much nicer than many that we saw. |
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| The kids enjoyed playing in Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Mike's yard. Notice the short sleeves? We enjoyed 70-degree temps for most of "winter" break. |
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| Leah and Marie were thrilled with the playhouse they built out of sticks, brush, and "treasures" they found lying around the property. |
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| Cousin Kara's Flat Stanley came along on the trip. |
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| Enjoying lunch together. |
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| Hi, Sean. |
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| Mike and Kathy had one other son besides Michael. His name was Mark, and he was killed in a car accident while Michael was prison. Neither son married, and they have no grandchildren. Kathy especially loves the girls. She spent time going through her photo albums with them and even showed us her wedding dress. Kathy is a tiny person. She was 20 years old when she and Mike married, and she was 4' 4" and weighed 78 lbs. Her wedding dress looked like a lacy ballgown for someone Marie's size. |
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| Posing with Michael and Mike just before leaving on Saturday afternoon. |
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| Closer views of Pike's Peak from the road. |
I'm thankful for the time we spent in Cheraw. (And nearby La Junta, where we slept in a clean but dated Econo Lodge.) I'm thankful for the joy that our visit brought Kathy. I'm thankful we had the opportunity to meet and witness to Michael's dad, who is not a Christian. I'm thankful for the hospitality he and Kathy showed to our noisy, busy crew. Most of all, I'm thankful for the abundant fruit of the Holy Spirit's seen in Michael's life. Michael has his earthly father's keen mind and shares some of his physical characteristics, but in conversation and godly life he more closely resembles our heavenly Father. Praise Him!
I'm thankful for the time we spent in Cheraw. (And nearby La Junta, where we slept in a clean but dated Econo Lodge.) I'm thankful for the joy that our visit brought Kathy. I'm thankful we had the opportunity to meet and witness to Michael's dad, who is not a Christian. I'm thankful for the hospitality he and Kathy showed to our noisy, busy crew. Most of all, I'm thankful for the abundant fruit of the Holy Spirit's seen in Michael's life. Michael has his earthly father's keen mind and shares some of his physical characteristics, but in conversation and godly life he more closely resembles our heavenly Father. Praise Him!
