Housemates!

Our four housemates (Service Adventure participants) arrived on August 6th and 7th, so they've been here for almost two weeks. We spent almost 10 days leading them in orientation: getting to know the city and each other, envisioning how the year might unfold, and trying to help them figure out how to be away from home. We've had a lot of fun adventures, too.

Our first hike at Cheyenne Canyon

Garden of the Gods one morning

Sunday the 9th (the first Sunday with all six of us here) was Service Sunday at our new church, Beth-El Mennonite, so we spent the morning on a work project in a fellow attender's yard.

Bike tour of the city!

It's hard to describe everything that we've done over the past two weeks, and how it's all felt. I do have to say how impressed I've been with these lovely girls, especially their adaptability and good attitudes. These traits have cropped up again and again as we've gone hiking and biking (relatively new for some), hauled rocks and weeds out of the dirt (nobody's favorite job), and tried foods from quinoa salad to groundnut stew (none of which were weird to me, but I already know that my eating habits are far from mainstream). No matter the situation, these four dove in wholeheartedly and without complaint. I'm feeling thankful for the positive tone this has set for the year, and looking forward to our many adventures to come!