1. Guatemala in July. This was huge. One paragraph can’t really explain everything (Go here and start at the bottom for the lots and lots of posts). We spent 30 days in a small village in Guatemala and it was amazing. We learned Spanish (some). Learned how to enjoy black beans, tortillas, and hot green sauce. Our kids did great. It was quite a different lifestyle for them–walking everywhere, few toys, different food, different people. And we had a great chance to really launch an amazing relationship with a church and pastor that New Denver will be working with for years to come. We can’t wait to go back. (Oh yeah…and Norton got viral pneumonia for a week with a temperature of 103.8 degrees and four hours from the closest reliable clinic/hospital. A little scary since we didn’t actually know it was pneumonia until later.)

2. Kids are growing up! Townsend started kindergarten in September. He’s going to the local public school just a few blocks from our house and it’s been great so far. Ellory and Marin go to preschool three days a week. Marin is our dancer and most outgoing one. She’s the life of the party. Ellory is usually serious, but loves to paint and play basketball. Townsend is the easygoing guy. He’s learning to read and write and count and can’t wait to go to school everyday. All of them love church and pray every night before they go to bed.

3. Norton in school and teaching school. Norton took one PhD class this past fall: Twentieth Century American Intellectual History. And he taught one online church history class at Denver Seminary and co-taught an Old Testament Preaching class at the seminary too. It all kept him busy, but he wouldn’t change it for anything.

4. Camping. We did some family camping this fall. Norton also took Townsend backpacking with Townsend’s brand new trekking poles (he was so excited) and Norton’s new tent (single-wall, trekking pole supported, 4-season, ultra-light!) We hiked above treeline and woke up to snow in the air and on the tent and ground before trying our hand at a little alpine lake fly-fishing (no luck; too snowy and windy). Ellory and Marin were jealous, so Norton took them camping in October. A bit chilly but lots of fun! Especially with smores. The picture is them climbing on the rocks near where we camped.

5. Not so small group. Last year, we had a small group of four couples. This fall we added six more couples to make twenty people. We break into two discussion groups each week, but so far it’s been really, really good. Everyone is faithful every week and we rarely have less than 16 people. We also just adopted a marginalized family for the holidays, bought them all gifts for Christmas and delivered them yesterday. It’s been a great way for us to serve together.

6. Lots of mentoring. This past semester, Norton mentored two seminary students and Janis mentored two students as well. Each week we get together with out “mentees” and talk through goals they set regarding ministry skills they want to develop and character issues they want to work on. Hopefully, they find some benefit in the little bit of wisdom we have to offer.

7. NDC going great. Amid all this busyness with Guatemala, family, school, and mentoring, we’re still fully invested in the vision and mission of New Denver Church. Norton preached an 8-week series in James this fall and 2-week series on the end times (just in case you want to know the day and hour Jesus is coming back. ) We also both spoke to our young adults group (about 35 people) on two different nights about How to Be Single Well and How to Date Well. Janis stole the show. God continues to change lives through NDC and we couldn’t be more encouraged and excited about the future.

As always–we really are thankful for each and every one of you. Your prayers mean so much. We know so many of you have asked God’s blessings on what we are doing. And your financial gifts are invaluable. Our church is getting closer and closer to full self-sustainability; about 70% of all our funding now comes from local givers. But we could never have gotten to this point without your gifts. So thanks for hanging in there with us and continuing to believe in what we are doing. May God bless you richly during this holiday season!!

Norton, Janis, Townsend, Ellory, and Marin

Here’s a quick update on what’s going on in the Herbst household:

The biggest news for our family is a month-long trip to Guatemala this summer that we’re beginning to prepare for. We’ll be staying in a small village in the Guatemalan highlands from July 1-30. We’re doing this for a few reasons:

• Ever since we brought Townsend and Ellory home, we’ve wanted to take them back to Guatemala for extended periods of time so they can understand the country and culture from where they came. Obviously, that’s been difficult up until now given their ages (and throwing Marin into the mix). But this summer provides a good opportunity to give it a try.
• We’ll spend a significant amount of time learning Spanish. Norton will be taking formal classes and we’ll all be living with a family that doesn’t speak any English. Doing this for a month straight will go a long way toward improving our Spanish skills and introducing all the kids to Spanish.
• We’ll be going to the village where our church has developed a partnership and we’re even going to be staying with the pastor with whom we’re working. We’ll be spending a significant amount of our time attending and working with the church and building our relationship with them. Simply living with the pastor and his family will go a long way toward that.
• The final eight or nine days of our trip, we’ll host a team of seven additional people from New Denver Church on a Partnership Trip (we don’t call them Mission Trips because we really want to make the focus of our goals building a long-term partnership with our sister church in Guatemala). We’ll be doing various kinds of things (construction and health and hygiene education) and also potentially working with the only other organization that’s doing any work in that village (AAZI).

So, even though we’ll only be gone for four weeks, given where we’ll be staying and what we’re doing (and taking three kids all four and under), we’re having to do a lot to just prepare for the trip. We’re exciting about it and hope it’s a wonderful experience, not only for our family, but our church’s new partnership in Guatemala!

Here are a few other quick updates:

Norton – super-busy right now. He’s preaching a new series at church, helping organize a Guatemala Partnership trip (more on that below), just finished co-teaching an online church history class for Denver Seminary, and about to wrap up two graduate classes at the University of Denver!

Janis – had a wonderful time at the NDC Women’s Retreat in April (she helped plan it as well), enjoyed a couple of weeks with her sister who visited us in Denver, and wrapped up her last MOPS meetings for this year.

Townsend – is becoming quite a painter, draw-er, and builder and is so excited about going back to Guatemala this summer!

Ellory – had her 4th birthday and loves being back in her own bedroom with her sister Marin (after a year or so with Townsend).

Marin – has more energy that all of us combined and makes sure that nothing is ever dull in the Herbst household.

Thank you everyone for your continued prayers and support. We’ll try and keep you posted from Guatemala this summer!

–Norton, Janis, Townsend, Ellory, and Marin

• Norton is almost done with his two winter quarter classes and will be starting spring quarter in March at DU. He’ll be taking two courses on American Religious Experience and the U.S. Home Front During WWII. He’s also been busy preaching through the book of Jonah at church (and loving it).
• During the day, Janis takes care of the kids and gets a little bit of a break while they’re in preschool 2-3 days a week. She’s also gotten involved in a Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) group and is enjoying studying the book of Isaiah. Janis is also on the steering committee of a local Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group and has been helping plan a Womens Retreat this spring at NDC. Needless to say, she definitely stays busy.
• The kids are doing great. We’re already having to think about school next year and have applied for Townsend to start kindergarten at the Denver Language School next fall. DLS is a charter school that is part of Denver Public Schools and teaches Spanish (or Mandarin) to children using immersion (the teachers only and always speak and teach in Spanish starting in kindergarten). It’s a lottery system to get into the school, so we’re hoping to hear good news soon. If Townsend makes it in, then Ellory and Marin will join him there over the next two years. If he doesn’t get in, Townsend is planning on attending the local public school four blocks from our house.  
• One other thing: for Christmas, Norton gave Janis a weekend trip to San Diego in January. Norton’s parents watched the kids while we left the snow of Denver for sunny California. We sat on the beach, ate some wonderful seafood, Mexican, and of course In-n-Out Burger, and caught up with our friends Troy and Lisa Leeman. And we just relaxed and enjoyed a couple of days away from the kids.
  

That’s it for now. Stay in touch!

-Norton, Janis, Townsend, Ellory and Marin

• Townsend, Ellory, and Marin are doing great. They go to preschool two days a week and next year, we’re exploring the idea of putting Townsend in a Spanish language immersion kindergarten. We have to apply for it soon, so pray that he gets accepted into a new program that Denver Public Schools is offering.
• Norton finished his first quarter in the Ph.D. program at the University of Denver in November. He’ll be taking two more classes during the winter quarter starting in January: Contemporary Sociology of Religion and Religion and International Politics. Norton has also joined the adjunct faculty at Denver Seminary and will be co-teaching online church history classes starting this spring. It’s a great opportunity to “get his foot in the door” to do some teaching at the seminary level on the side. But the church is still his first priority.
• Janis continues to have her hands full taking care of three toddlers! But she’s found the time to be on the steering committee of a local MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) group and she just joined a local BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) class. She’s also helping with women’s events at the church and will be helping organize a women’s retreat in February.
• Norton has been working with a friend of his, Gabe Lyons, on a new study guide to accompany Gabe’s new book: The Next Christians. It’s a great tool for churches and small groups. Norton has also been wrapping up work on four new curricula from Zondervan that will be published in the spring.
• In spite of everything else going on, we’re still focused on New Denver Church and excited about what God is doing there. We started a new small group this fall with three other couples and have been meeting regularly with them. Norton is currently finishing a five part sermon series on the book of Ruth and is beginning to study for a new series on Jonah in the spring.
• For the holidays, we’ll be traveling to Texas to spend a few days with Janis’ family. After that, Norton’s parents will fly to Colorado where we’ll spend time with them over the New Year’s holiday.

For all of you who continue to support us financially and pray for us, we couldn’t be more grateful. We’re seeing God grow the church in amazing ways and hope to be fully self-sustaining in the next year or two. Please stay in touch and let us know how you’re doing. And don’t hesitate to come visit us in beautiful Colorado!

Norton, Janis, Townsend, Ellory and Marin

Fall is here! Hope you’re doing well. Here’s a short update on our lives in Denver.

As we mentioned in our last update, Norton, Janis and Townsend went back to Guatemala in August. The main reason was to begin initiating a global partnership with a local church in Guatemala. But we also got a chance to expose Townsend to his homeland and we were able to reconnect with the foster family that took care of him for nine months. They were so excited to see him! You can read a whole lot more about what NDC is doing in Guatemala here, and a full trip report here. Norton may be going back in several months to take the next step in building a relationship with a church down there. We’ll keep you posted.

In September, the kids started back to school, and so did Norton! First, the kids. Townsend is going to a new preschool three days a week, Ellory is going two days a week, and Marin started for the first time going one day a week. They all love it, and so does Janis. Norton started classes at DU (the University of Denver). He’s taking one class on theories and methods for studying religion (fairly boring) and one class on historiography (the history of historical studies – actually an exciting class!) He’s really enjoying being back in the university setting. It’s certainly made things more busy, but he’s starting to figure out how to balance it all.

At church, Norton helped lead a men’s retreat last weekend. Great time with a bunch of guys! Janis is helping lead a Ladies Night this weekend and she and others are thinking about putting together a women’s retreat next spring. We’re also starting a new small group this week. We got a bit behind this fall in getting back into the small group rhythm. But, it’s worked out well as there are several other couples who just began attending NDC and live nearby. So, we’re excited about where it will lead.

That’s it for now. Keep in touch. Go Hokies (and Longhorns)!

Norton, Janis, Townsend, Ellory and Marin

Here’s a short update on what’s been happening in our personal lives in the last couple of months.

Camping! We’ve taken several camping trips as a family this summer. Most of them have been for just one night. It’s easy to get an hour or two away from Denver and into the mountains and the kids just love it. We did take a longer trip a few weeks ago that was really fun. We usually try to take a summer vacation each year and rather than go somewhere far away this year, we camped for three nights up in the Steamboat Spring area and then stayed one night at a guest ranch in southern Wyoming (see picture of the girls in front of the Snowy Mountain range in Wyoming). Norton did a lot of fly-fishing and the kids always got excited when he reeled one in! We also took our bikes (we put Marin in a seat on the back of Janis’ bike and Norton pulled Townsend and Ellory in a trailer) and had fun riding around the campgrounds with them.

Family. Janis’ parents came to visit for about a week this July. They drove up from Texas and made it here in time to celebrate Townsend’s fourth birthday. Even though it’s been fairly warm here in Denver, it’s still nothing compared to the heat and humidity they experience in Texas, so they’ve loved just sitting on the back porch and playing with the grandkids.

Guatemala. We’re going back to Guatemala in August with a small team from the church. We’ve always wanted to take the kids back there on a regular basis and now that our church is considering doing missions down there, it’s a great fit for us. Townsend will be traveling with us (Norton’s parents are coming to Denver to watch the girls while we’re gone). He couldn’t be more excited. It’s all he keeps talking about. I don’t think he has any idea what to expect but every few days, he starts setting out all the clothes and toys he wants to take with him on the trip. He’s even packed toys for Michael, Amanda, and Quinn who will be traveling with us.

Church. Summer is usually slower in church world in Denver since everyone is outdoors and having fun, but we’ve stayed pretty busy. Norton is helping to teach a class we’re doing on Wednesday nights and he just started a new sermon series on the thorny issue of creation and evolution. As far as growth goes, we continue to be encouraged. We’ve had a couple of conversations with people who have decided to leave the church because they don’t think it’s a good fit for them. On the flip side, we’ve had many more people from all places in their journeys of faith who have connected well and gotten involved. Our attendance is growing and we continue to see our local giving grow. We knew it would take some time to build a core group of local people who would invest financially and we’re not fully self-sustainable yet. But the trend is moving upward and all indications are that we’re on the right track!

School. This fall, Norton has decided to go back to school part-time to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology. He’ll be studying contemporary American religious history and just taking one or two classes at a time (he’ll still devote the majority of his time to the church.) It will be a long road and probably take 5-7 years to complete since he’s just be doing this “on the side,” but it doesn’t hurt to go ahead and start chipping away at it now. And it’s great that we only live a mile or so from the campus.

That’s it for now. Stay in touch and take care.

~Norton, Janis, Townsend, Ellory and Marin

We celebrated Ellory’s third birthday a few weeks ago. You can read more about that here at the family blog. It’s still hard to believe we have one two-year-old and now two three-year-olds. Marin is talking up a storm, Ellory has now outgrown her brother, and Townsend is his usual easygoing self. Here’s a picture of them enjoying our an Easter Egg hunt in our backyard.

Spring has finally begun to arrive in Denver. The grass is beginning to grow and a few flowers are starting to pop up. We’re still wondering if we’ll get one last snow/freeze, but we might be in the clear. To celebrate the warm weather, Norton bought a new basketball goal for our driveway. Of course, it’s only for Townsend and the kids, but Daddy has begun brushing up on his HORSE skills.

From February to Easter, Norton preached a six-week series at church. It was fun, but it’s nice to take a break and let Stephen and Jason back in the mix. Norton also got the chance to go back to Guatemala for a few days a couple of weeks ago. You can read all about the purpose of the trip here and what happened on the trip here. It was awesome and we’re hoping to go back as a family later this summer or fall. We don’t think we’ll be able to take the girls yet, but we’re hoping to take Townsend down there so he can begin to learn about where he came from. We’re also in the process of figuring out whether New Denver Church should make Guatemala and Healing Waters International a future partnership.

Last week, Norton went to Chicago for a few days to help out with the Q Gathering. He also got to see the brand new curriculum hot off the press that he helped to co-write. It was a good trip.

In the next few weeks, we hope to start camping again as a family. We had several friends come visit us recently…so book your spots now at the Herbst hotel for the summer. Stay in touch!

In family news, a week ago, Marin turned 2! It’s hard to believe that only two years ago we were at the hospital and Townsend and Ellory were meeting their new little sister – a sister that shouldn’t have been born since the doctors told us our chances were virutally zero for having biological children. On our family blog, Janis wrote a few things to Marin that are special about her:

1. you are a talker. don’t know where that comes from.
2. you are a singer. right now you love to sing, “ABC,” “happy birthday,” “twinkle, twinkle,” and some original tunes that only you know.
3. you don’t really like being/playing by yourself. maybe that comes from having two slightly older siblings around all the time. but on days when they go to preschool, you are never more than a few inches from mommy. even in the bathroom. geesh!
4. you love to eat. not so much veggies. but definitely fruit, meat and carbs. we go to the dr. in a couple of days so we’ll see where you fall in the percentiles. right now, according to our scales, you weigh more than your older brother.
5. you are stubborn. and can have a bit of a temper. when you don’t get your way you make your face turn all red and shaky. and you bite. remember when you bit mommy’s cheek this morning?
6. you love going to daddy and getting “orders.”- “go kiss mommy’s nose” “go kiss mommy’s ear” -back and forth you go.
7. you can count to 10 and say most of your abc’s.
8. you love to “help” mommy fold the laundry. thanks.
9. you love to talk on your phone. aunt susu gave you her old one and somehow you can tell that it’s “real” and don’t even touch the fun plastic ones that we have.
10. after the dr. visit we now have the official stats: weight-31lb 7oz 93% WOW!; height- 34.5 inches 69%; head circumference- almost 19inches 29% your little head is just filled with brains!
11. you love talking with ellory at night after we put you to bed. (“elllllll reeeee! townsend bite me!” ) townsend finally got you back the other day for all your biting on him.
12. you love taking off your pants and diapers and running around the house.
13. you are starting to pray and sing “jesus loves me.”
14. you are much loved and adored by mommy, daddy, towney, and ellory.

We’re in a new season at the church. This week, we’ll start meeting at a new location called Bonnie Brae Church – just across the street from Denver’s famous Bonnie Brae Ice Cream. One of the things that has been hard so far is that our church hasn’t really had a sense of “place.” In other words, we’re realizing how important it is to have a place to call home. Not so much a building per se, but a neighborhood and specific area of town that we can feel at home in. This isn’t so important in suburban churches where most people drive a certain distance and churches have more of a commuter feel. But in an urban area, place is hugely important. People don’t drive as far. They find their identity in where they live, what parks they play at, and where they eat and shop. And they walk a lot. With that in mind, our new church location is perfect. It’s in the middle of several neighborhoods that are largely unreached (though it’s still pretty close to major roads for those who live farther away). Very few other churches are nearby; in fact most of the churches that are here are small, demographically older, and struggling to connect with the younger people who have moved into the neighborhoods. So, while it presents quite a challenge to us, we feel like this is exactly where God has called us to be and we couldn’t be more excited.

Other random things happening in our lives:

• Norton went snowshoeing a couple of weeks ago with a group called the Colorado Mountain Club. Eight miles and two thousand feet of elevation! He was tired. But it’s always fun when people find out he’s a pastor and have no clue how to respond.
• Janis hosted a Pampered Chef party last week. Lots of fun!
• The Tar Heels are having a tough year in basketball. But the Hokies and Longhorns are doing okay.
• Norton applied to the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology Ph.D. program. His concentration would be philosophy, theology, and cultural change and his focus would be twentieth century trends in American religion. Pray that he is accepted and offered a good financial package (he has no idea what his odds are!) He wouldn’t go full-time (obviously), but would start taking one class a quarter in the fall.
• Janis has been enjoying a Tuesday morning Bible study with some other women in the church and continues to be involved in leadership at a local MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group.
• Norton will begin preaching a sermon series at church this spring entitled “Last Words.”
• Norton has a couple of snowshoeing trips planned this spring: one with the staff at New Denver and another with other local pastors. Both will be overnighters to a 10th Mountain Division hut.
• We’re planning on going back to Guatemala this summer. We’re hoping to take Townsend with us. The goal will be to visit with ministries down there that New Denver might be able to partner with as part of our Global Missions vision. We’re excited about one organization in particular: Healing Waters International. Their headquarters are in the Denver area and we’ve gotten to know their staff well. Amazing people with an amazing vision.

That’s it for now. Keep in touch!

Norton

So, we’ve been back in Denver for almost a year now and it feels like we never left. A few quick highlights from the year:

• Snow!
• Helping the Reddens and Malecs transition to the Mile High City.
• Reconnecting with friends and family in Austin while Norton attended a conference in April.
• Neighborhood Easter Egg hunt.
• Starting a new church!
• Making some great friends in our new small group.
• Tenth wedding anniversary trip to Portland.
• The kids getting to play with their cousins in Colorado Springs.
• Norton mountain biking with his friend Scott at Beaver Creek (and crashing and vowing never again to take a ski lift up to the top of the mountain and bike down.)
• Family camping in the mountains and Townsend’s first backpacking trip.
• Adding three new part-time staff to our church from Denver Seminary.
• Potty-training Townsend and Ellory; still trying with Marin.
• Townsend and Ellory attending preschool two days a week three blocks from our house.
• Seventy-five degree days in August.
• First trick-or-treat Halloween for the kids.
• Starting worship services this fall.
• Janis joining the leadership team of a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group.
• Cheering on the Hokies, Tar Heels, and Longhorns. And now the Broncos too.
• Bracing for an early winter in Denver with several unusually heavy snowstorms.

The last couple of months have been really busy. Norton has preached a couple of times at church and continues to have more responsibilities now that we have begun regular worship services. He’s also been working hard writing some new curriculum for Zondervan due out next year. And to top it all off, he’s considering getting a Ph.D. (in his spare time!) and has been exploring the options, taking the GRE, and working on application material.

Over Thanksgiving, our friend Mary Gibbons from Austin came to Denver to spend a few days with us. On Thanksgiving Day, we all drove down to Colorado Springs to spend the holiday with the Rolfs. In early December, we took a week off and drove to Austin to spend an early Christmas with Janis’ family. Sixteen hours each way! The kids did great and we had a wonderful time.

This is the first year in a long time that we’ll be staying at home for Christmas (Norton’s parents will come to Colorado to visit). And being that the kids are getting old enough to enjoy the holiday, we’ve had fun with them putting up the tree, setting out decorations, and lining the roof with lights. All three were a great help (except when they decided to decorate the Christmas tree with leaves they had torn off the poinsettias.)

We’ve also been doing Advent devotionals with the kids. We’re never sure if the kids really understand what we’re talking about. But then, the other day, Janis caught Townsend yelling “You die!” at his sisters. Seemed like a pretty mean thing to say and when she asked him why he was saying that and where he learned it, he said, “We died because Adam and Eve ate the fruit” (the advent devotional the night before had been about the garden.) Guess they are listening.

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

The kids are doing great. Townsend and Ellory started preschool last month. They go two days a week to a church about three blocks from our house. It was an easy transition for them, especially since they went to a weekday preschool at North Point when we lived in Alpharetta. And it’s been great for Janis to have some extra time during the week with only Marin to watch. Marin is a bundle of joy and continues to talk more and be as outgoing as ever.

A few weeks ago, we got a chance to go see Thomas the Tank Engine! The kids loved it.  Janis’ sister Susan was in town and we all traveled to the Colorado Railroad Museum to see Thomas, Sir Topham Hatt, and lots and lots of trains.

Earlier this year, we signed up to take part in a CSA (community supported agriculture) in Denver called Farmyard. It’s much like a co-op and the way this one works is that the organizer plants vegetables in people’s yards in central Denver (who have graciously donated their space), and then each Monday night, we pick up our share of the produce. It’s not necessarily cheaper than buying produce at the grocery store, but it’s all organic, locally-grown, and fresh. And we get lots of different vegetables that we wouldn’t normally buy on our own–kale, purslane, and swiss chard. We get lots of normal stuff too–tomatoes, squash, zucchini, corn, peppers, cantaloupe, watermelon, apples, spinach, lettuce, etc. Earlier in the season, you don’t get much produce, but in September and October, it really starts to come in. It’s also been a neat way to meet people and develop relationships outside our normal spheres of influence.

We’ve gotten a couple of good camping trips in with the kids as well. In mid September, we drove into the mountains and camped one night just when all the aspen trees were glowing orange and yellow. The kids loved it! It was cold–got down to 29 degrees that night, but everyone did okay. It’s still a little hard with Marin–she doesn’t understand that she can’t just walk into the campfire and at least once I found here with a whole piece of black-charred wood in her mouth…but it was a fun experience anyway.

The first weekend in October, we started holding regular worship services for NDC and since Norton’s main job is to oversee the worship services, he’s been quite busy lately. But we found a great building to meet in (courtesy of our friends at Hope Community Church) and the first service went off great. About 60 adults and 20 kids were there. Compared to North Point or many other churches in the Bible Belt, this may not seem like much. But as one pastor who’s lived in Denver all his life recently told us–if 80 people show up at any kind of church service on the weekend in Denver (when everyone is out playing)–that’s a huge success! We are definitely encouraged and feel like we have a really solid core group of people. We’ve also gotten one of the best worship leaders in Colorado to partner with us to lead worship. Nevertheless, it’s hard not to have high expectations and so we’re constantly trying to simply trust God with the church. As one friend and fellow church planter told us: be sure to love the church you have and not the one you want to have.

One high point came this past week when we got the chance to have lunch with one of the long time professors at Denver Seminary (an old friend of Norton’s) and the new president who just arrived from Dallas Theological Seminary. Both were very excited about what we are doing and how we are partnering with the seminary (we have three part-time staff that are seminary students). They are both going to visit our church and even asked us if we could continue to meet them and offer our suggestions as to how they can better equip church planters and pastors to reach the lost of this up and coming generation.

Well, that’s it for now. As always, we covet your prayers. We are also so thankful for all of you who have sacrificially given to support this vision. We are beginning to see local people in Denver give to the vision as well and still hope to be fully self-sufficient in a year or two. But at this point, we couldn’t do what God has called us to without your prayers and support.

Some of the ski slopes are already open and we’ve already had our first snow in Denver. So…don’t hesitate to come see us…we’d love to be your base camp for a family vacation!

Norton and Janis