NEWSFLASH: We're moving!

New Year's Eve Jody and I went up into the mountains to celebrate the end of 2013 and to prepare for 2014. We had a blast snowshoeing and taking in the beauty of the quiet.

We so love snowshoeing. We went exploring, made lots of tracks in the snow.... and finally found a spot to land at a high point overlooking the valleys below.

We had to take the typical selfies. :)

And we brought some hot coffee and beef jerky to munch on. :) It was awesome.

Up at that beautiful spot, we thanked God for His incredible provision in our lives in 2013, and we prayed and asked the Lord to make His plans and purposes for us clear in the next year. And He has.

We are moving to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin in June! Jody has accepted a new position with a church, and we are now preparing for a huge shift in our world.

It is a bittersweet time, as we prepare to say goodbye to those whom we love so very dearly here in Colorado. There are no words to adequately express the love and gratitude we feel towards those who have loved us so well in this season. I am so sad to leave. Yet, I recognize that in order to receive what is next, my hands must relinquish what I'm currently holding. So I am excited to see what is next on this grand adventure that God has us on...

We have much to do in the next month, lots of decisions to make (i.e. we need someone to take our chickens! *snif*), and there are so many things that need to come together in order for us to make this move. Please be praying for us in this transition season.

Much love,

The Beens

Jody in Nepal

Jody's off to Nepal!

I just got back from the airport, having dropped Jody off with a team of 11 from Southeast. He is heading on a mission trip from Nov 3-16 to serve alongside an organization called MountainChild at work in the remote areas of the Himalayas. We learned about the organization from our time spent in Korea, as our pastor who started LifeChurch in Korea, Jack Reid, also founded the organization.

Since Jody and I returned to the States and I have been working at Southeast, I was able to introduce MountainChild to the SE Missions/Outreach department. It has been a divine connection, and I'm thrilled to see how God has strengthened the growing partnership. I am sure it has everything to do with a mutual love of the mountains and the deep desire to see God's Kingdom expand to the most unreached of peoples.

In fact, these villages MountainChild is trying to reach really do bring a whole new meaning to the word 'remote.' For some of these peoples, it takes a long bus ride from Kathmandu to a stopping point, and then several days trekking just to get to some of these villages. Incredible. I love MountainChild, and I'm so glad my husband is up for the adventure!

We started marketing the trip at Southeast back in May/June, and I knew from the very beginning that Jody had to go. I mean, it includes all his favorites:

Jesus.
Our friends from Korea who are living in Nepal.
Friends here in Colorado.
Hiking/Trekking.
Mountains.
Did I mention mountains?

Mid-July he made the commitment, and we began the process of preparing him for this trip. God was incredibly faithful, and Jody was able to raise all the support he needed, including covering the cost of the equipment he needed for trekking (though he had a lot of what he needed already from our various adventures over the years). We are humbled and grateful for everyone who has stepped up to support us. We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts!

I am very excited about this trip from a professional and a personal standpoint (in ministry it's really hard to separate the professional from the personal, because isn't it ALL personal?!), as the team will be doing several things. First, they will be constructing a bio-sand water filtration system at MountainChild's newly acquired School of Frontier Missions right outside Kathmandu (seen in picture below).

Then, the team will be trekking into the remote village of Gatlang to assess the needs of a clean water facility there, as well as do an assessment of any other long-term needs there. Thirdly, there will be a soccer camp for the children in the slums of Kathmandu, using awesomely indestructible soccer balls that we purchased from One World Futbol Project.

As always, our heart and MountainChild's mission is that through such tasks as providing clean water, hygiene and sanitation training, and ultimately through all of MountainChild's 5 CORE ISSUES (Health, Education, Trafficking, Child Labor, and the Environment), that the Gospel might be preached and the name of Jesus would be heard and proclaimed to people that have never heard of Him!

Here's a few glimpses of the awesomely precious faces they'll see when they trek in to Gatlang.

Please be praying for Jody and for the team. And for me and the dogs and chickens... that we don't get too lonely around here. ;)

Celebrating the gift of marriage

Last Sunday, Jody and I celebrated six years of marriage. I can't believe it. On the one hand, it has been the greatest gift and joy ever. On the other hand, it has been a tough six years.

I am so grateful for my husband. Jody is a gift from God, and I truly do love him more and more every day. He serves, sacrifices sleep and comfort and works so hard. But most importantly, he strives to obey the Lord in everything.

I could not ask for more.

Our wedding date six years ago was Saturday, August 25, 2007. And unlike anyone we had heard of at the time, we decided that we would wash each other's feet during the wedding ceremony. We felt - and still do feel - that marriage is best described with one word: servant, and Jesus best explained that Kingdom principle to His disciples in John, chapter 13, by washing their feet.

And while we had mentally prepared ourselves for the actual process, we didn't realize how cumbersome it would be during the wedding ceremony. Untying shoe laces. Taking off socks. Wetting and then drying the feet. Then trying to put the socks back on after you wet and dried the feet. Then we had to switch places! It took a lot more time than we thought. I felt so clumsy in my huge dress.

And everybody was watching.

Six years later, I realize now more than I did then that the footwashing during our ceremony truly is a perfect metaphor for marriage. :)

Life with Jody is wonderful, and I am truly blessed. But marriage can be hard and messy... and with social media and life in ministry, I am realizing how people are watching Jody and me to see how we will handle the stresses of life.
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Jody decided we should celebrate our anniversary with a wonderful surprise trip to Snooze, a breakfast joint in downtown Denver. It was so much fun to get out of our little bubble and to make the trip downtown. We never go into the city, it feels like, so I really enjoyed the novelty of a new area and, of course, the good food!

Then, Jody surprised me even more with such a great gift - the first three seasons of my current favorite show, Downton Abbey. The package was waiting at our door when we got back from Denver. I was so excited that I squealed and squealed and jumped up and down with excitement. It truly was not on my radar; I had no idea what he had up his sleeve.

Jody's response to my response was: "You didn't get this excited when I proposed." Hahaha!

And now, as I look to Year #7 of marriage to Jody, I am reminded of my calling as his wife - to submit to him, as I submit to the Lord and to pray for him.

I praise God for you, Jody Been!

Buckhorn Cabin

Since our honeymoon, Jody and I have developed a love for minimalist backpacking and camping. Every trip has now become a new opportunity to test some lightweight gizmo or gadget. It gets a bit addicting, I confess.

First, the tent. It has to be super light-weight, since you're carrying it on your back (or rather, Jody is). We got the REI Half Dome 2 Plus tent. It looks like this:

There's our stove and pot (below).

Even the dogs' bowls are purchased with weight and size in mind. Lightweight and flexible, they don't add much weight at all to our packs.

BUT... 

This spring Jody and I decided it was time to do something new.

Yes.

It was time to rent a cabin and do something that was more along the lines of car camping. Where you stay in a place that's not a little tent. And you eat food that you would actually eat in your kitchen at home. Shocker, I know. And you don't worry as much about weight.

Jody found a cabin near Monarch Pass (285 South - Hwy 50), and we decided to make a long weekend of it. We drove up to the small summer town of Whitepine, and from there, Matt and Adrienne (the caretakers of the lodge and cabin) drove us up in the snowmobile. Very fun! (click on the picture for a bigger view)

After about a mile of flying (!!) and a short trek up a hill, carrying/pulling our cooler on a sled, we arrived at the Buckhorn Cabin. It was the most picturesque little thing ever! Very well built, very clean, and the best layout for a little cabin.

We loved it! Here are snapshots of the downstairs:

And the stairs leading up to the loft, which so reminded me of the stairs leading up to the attic in my parents' home back in VA. Haha. I'm a pro at balancing myself going up and down these things!

And then the upstairs loft, with the queen-sized memory foam mattress. Awesome!

Every little detail of the place was SO fun. The wood-burning stove. The windows. The lanterns. The pans. Everything.

And then there was the outhouse. Totally loved it, too. Everything I feared... it wasn't really that bad. It even had hand sanitizer and a book about outhouses in Alaska. I found myself wanting to go back to the outhouse just to read more about those amazingly awesome Alaskan outhouses. No joke.

Since we were in such a gorgeous place, we had to go for a hike. Of course. It was so, so beautiful.

The stream right next to Buckhorn Cabin. Spring thaw levels!

Looking up.

Where we're headed...

Spring thaw. Muddy grass right next to 3-4 feet of snow.

The view as we got higher

Jody, in a deep crevice

The view looking back

The panorama at 180 degrees

The mountains to our left

Looking up

On our way down, Jody just couldn't resist.

Food is a very critical component of camping, so Jody and labored over what to bring with us. Even though we weren't carrying everything on our backs, we still had to consider weight and space. We bought a cooler, and we carried in 3 gallons of drinking water. Overall, the meals were a success.

Sandwiches for lunch

Chicken tamales

Chili dogs!

Popcorn!

It was a fantastic trip, and we loved it. We topped our trip off with a stop at the Continental Divide. We had to get the token tourist pictures. Of course.

And our trip ended with some spectacular views.

The kind of views that get deep inside of you and won't go away.
The kind that stick with you and make you dissatisfied with any other kind of place.

I just might be ruined for any other kind of place after seeing these.

Heaven on earth, I think. It makes seeing Denver come into view a little depressing. Never thought I'd say that, but it's true. I'm ready for the back country, I think!