48 hours left...

We are within 48 hours of pulling onto I-90 West and leaving the incredible Missoula valley for the last time as Montana residents. We have been packing and getting ready for the move for the past 3 weeks or so but it really has been over a year since we have known this is what God has planned for us. We are excited about moving "back home" and are eagerly anticipating what God has in store...but man this is hard.

Jessie and I made a bucket list of sorts of things we wanted to do before we moved from Missoula. We had planned on checking off several of the last remaining items these last two weeks but......we all got sick. Lucie got a form of bronchitis, I needed antibiotics to suppress pneumonia like symptoms and Jessie has had a nasty cough.

Needless to say we were not able to do some of the things we had hoped to and it has really been a bummer. I think we had scripted these final two weeks in Montana a certain way and for them to not go at all as planned has been frustrating to say the least. We will never been residents of Montana again. Yeah we hopefully will be able to visit many times in the future but it won't be the same.

However, over the last few days I have reluctantly been sensing something that God has been trying to get through to me. I have been putting these Montana experiences, this Missoula lifestyle, on such a high pedestal that it has really become more important to me than God Himself. I have been more focused on seeing, doing and experiencing Missoula, Montana in these remaining days than I have been on experiencing God. So in a sense I am relieved that it was God's idea that we not hike the Sentinel trail one more time or that I not throw one more fly into the waters of Rock Creek. I know how much joy those things bring me but I also know the infinitely greater joy that comes from knowing God and experiencing Him.

Candle in the Corner ----WELCOME!!

Thanks for taking the time to swing by our blog and hear about the ministry God has called us to. It has been so fun being a part of Candle in the Corner and learning about different missionaries all over the world.

My husband Justin and I work with Campus Crusade for Christ at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana. We have worked with Campus Crusade for almost 6 years and absolutely love it!! After attending college ourselves and then working after graduation we both realized we wanted to be involved in students lives and be on the front lines of ministry.


College students are so unique in that they can have a huge impact on their non-believing friends and they will be our future leaders. We think this is such a vital time in their lives because the decisions they make now will set the trajectory for the rest of their lives.

Our vision on Campus here is just as the seal on the university oval says "lux et veritas" which in latin means "light and truth" It is such a great visual for what we want to see on campus and around the world. We want to see the light and truth of the gospel permeate the lives of every student that sets foot on this campus.


Our hearts are to turn lost students into Christ centered laborers and we do this by winning students to Christ, building them in their faith and sending them out to do the same wherever God calls them.

Every year we invite freshman to join us on a float trip down the Blackfoot river. Many students have never been rafting before. We have found that this annual trip is a great way to meet new students.


I'm donating this adorable fall colored little teapot and 12 made in Montana teabags. 6 tea bags of "Montana Gold" and 6 of "Evening in Missoula".


Thanks so much for participating in Candle in the corner, and coming to visit us! I look forward to hearing from all of you!

Visit this website to be a part of this fun creative giveaway!  Missionaries from all over the world have purchased things to be raffled off.  Spain was yesterday and Portugal is today, go check it out there are some really cool things.  We are participating on the last day, Nov. 10th so check back to see.

Finally home

After 55 days of being away from home, we are finally back. It is great to be in Missoula. Sawyer Brown played a concert tonight at the Western Montana Fair. We were to cheap to pay the $25 to get in so we sat on a berm outside the arena and listened. I think I saw his head once over all the paying concert goers. Then the evening got good because we went to Dairy Queen. Thin mint blizzards are the best.

Cherry Slushes

Sonic is just down the street from our apartment here in Ft. Collins and it is impossible to drive by without getting a cherry slush. Lucie has found her fondness for cherry slushes as well. That a girl. Look at that death grip.

On a side note, this morning Lucie's diaper leaked on our bed so I put her on the floor and took off her diaper. A minute later she pooped on the carpet....and stepped in it. sick!

A Saturday in Denver

We have been in Ft. Collins for three weeks now and decided to head down to Denver for some fun. We first went to a Mexican restaurant called Casa Bonita. If you have been there before or even heard of it, you are probably laughing right now. This place is known to have bad food. I mean terrible, really bad Mexican food. So why go there huh? Well because there is a 25 foot indoor waterfall that performers cliff dive off of. There is a costumed gorilla that runs around the restaurant messing with the guests. There is a jungle theme throughout the place that makes you feel like you are in some Disneyland restaurant. It is really a crazy place. I think it is a must see at least once in your life. The best part though was the dessert, all you can eat sopapillas!


After the Casa Bonita dining experience we headed to Coors Field and watched the Rockies take on the Braves. We went with a group of Crusade friends and had a great time enjoying some MLB in downtown Denver. I think when I grow up I still want to be a Major League Baseball player. Lucie did great at her first Pro game. Thankfully, there is a playground just over the left field wall.

Settling in to Ft. Collins

We are getting settled in to out apartment in Ft. Collins, CO and ready to start a four week leadership training course. We are sharing a four bedroom apartment with our good friends the Rapeljes. They have a little girl as well and so it will be a mad house around here. This is going to be a great four weeks as we get to spend time with staff friends while sharpening our leadership skills.

Yesterday we arrived here after driving through lonely Wyoming. At one point we were desperate for a bathroom stop but could not find a rest area. We came across this compound of buildings that included a fireworks stand, an antique store and a food mart with generic oreos that looked 15 years old. Thankfully we saw an outhouse. The bummer thing is the outhouse was padlocked. Nearby was a sign, littered with misspellings, that basically said that if you wanted to use the outhouse you had to pay the lady at the store $.50 and if you didn't like that then to hit the road. We were desperate and so forked out the dough. It was an odd experience all around.