Okay...cheesy title I know, but it really really was! Not 'heavenly' because it was perfect (though it sure was close!), but 'heavenly' because it was a GIFT FROM GOD!
The night we got engaged, we met the sweetest newlywed couple from Colorado who offered to help us find a good place for a honeymoon. We were thankful, assuming they would help us find a less expensive place since they knew the area. We had no idea that they would find us a FREE CABIN!
That's right- I said FREE! Meet Shelley & Mike Krause, the generous couple. Having never met us, they volunteered to let these two poor missionaries use their cabin for FREE! We were blown away!
So, off we went to Colorado. We spent almost a week in our beautiful free cabin in the mountains. We also got a FREE upgrade in our rental car, and spent 2 days in a condo in Breckenridge for 1/2 off!
THANK YOU GOD!
The trip was wonderful, with the perfect balance of relaxation and adventure. We enjoyed the beauty of Colorado, took drives in the mountains, walks in the snow, and a shopping trip here and there. We also had plenty of time to rest, hang out together, and catch up on our movie watching :)
At the end of our honeymoon we took a couple of days to spend with some of our supporters in Colorado, some of our AIM/World Race family, and with Mike & Shelley (the couple who let us use their cabin). That's when we found out some very exciting news!
Mike fixes computers and sends them overseas to missionaries in need. He happened to send one to Swaziland. Little did we know, it was to our AIM Discipleship team in Swaziland! Then...it got better. It turns out Mike & Shelley go to
Vanguard Church, where Rick Clapp is pastor. Rick and Rusty met in Swaziland (the same year Rusty and I met in Swaziland). Rick and his wife just adopted 2 babies from, you guessed it, SWAZILAND!!!
It is extremely difficult to adopt from Swazi, but Rick found a new organization that made it possible,
Hawaii International. We decided to go to church on Sunday and luckily, we got to meet the two children from Swaziland! It was amazing to see that little boy and little girl in America! I could barely hold back the emotion. Seeing their success was so encouraging, and we are praying more children are adopted from Swaziland soon! Please pray along with us, as well as praying for the Clapp family
as they adjust to having 2 new children.
Overall, it was an incredible time. I couldn't think of a better way to start our marriage! Thank you to all of you who made it possible. Mike and Shelley- we hope to celebrate this new friendship for years to come! To everyone else we got to spend time with in Colorado, THANK YOU! You refreshed our spirits!
