The Pate Family: Mission trip to Creede, Colorado

Last thursday we left for Creede, Co, to do some mission work with our church. It was a family mission trip so the kids went with us. I was really apprehensive about a two day drive with the kids but they did awesome the whole way there and the whole way back. We were so proud of them. We loved the idea of going on a family mission trip because we feel it is SO important for our children to see us serve others and to also serve along with us. We hope to do something of this sort each year.

It was definitely different from the mission trip that Ryan and I went on last year with our church to New Orleans because we didn't have alot of one on one contact with the people of Creede like we did in New Orleans. Obviously there is still so much devestation in NO and so much to be done that it was neat to meet the people, listen to their stories, and help them. In Creede the population is so different and there really aren't many children there but we still hope that we were a blessing to the community as a whole by helping improve some of their construction, clean, and hopefully the fire wood will help them have a warmer winter.

Creede is a very small community....I believe in the winter the population is only about 500 or so. When seeing the scenery and mountains it makes you wonder how anyone can question whether or not there is a God.......It is ABSOLUTELY beautiful. Many people come and visit in the summer and quite a few people have vacation homes and some stay the entire summer. It seems if you live there that you either have a good bit of money or nothing at all. The weather was beautiful although it was a bit warmer than we anticipated. Weather.com said the high was going to be like 62 degrees, but it usually reached about 78-85. I guess I shouldn't complain compared to the 102 + degrees Texas had!

Some of the people who have vacation homes or extra space in their homes are who offer to host us and some people from our group took travel trailers and campers. We stayed with a DEAR man name Mr. Jim Davis. Our kids loved him and called him "Mr. Jim." He was 87 but as spry as can be. He lost his wife of 62 years in August and is actually from the Dallas area. They moved to Creede over 30 years ago. He has a beautiful log home on the Rio Grande River, and we had to entire upstairs loft area and two bedrooms to ourselves. We slept with the windows open and from the loft area you could hear the river running.....it was awesome! It was such a joy to get to know him....he was SO generous and sweet to us.

There were several projects that went on while we were there.......construction projects, yard work, log splitting for firewood....Ryan mainly worked with one of the construction groups on a day care center that needed some work and his dad did alot of yard work. Myself and most of the other women there with children were pretty consumed with entertaining them but it was alot of fun. We did a few small projects like cleaning the windows in the elementary school, sweeping around town, did lots of playing at the park, visited the mining museum and gift shop, LOTS of walking, and shopping. Some of the children did plant some flowers for a couple of ladies, but we had to head home a day early because a close friend of mine lost her husband suddenly while we were gone and I needed to get back to be some support for her. We also had a block party one night with live band, games, cotton candy, sno cones, etc.... which was alot of fun for everyone.

It was quite an eventful trip between people injuring themselves, some getting altitude sickness, and we even had to use 2 of Kyleigh's epi pens on a lady from our church who began to have an allergic reaction....the closest hospital is 45 miles away so we went prepared with several epi pens thank goodness. But all in all it was a wonderful trip, and we hope we left impression of God's love on the community of Creede, Colorado.

"Mr. Jim's" home that we stayed in

These were the steps that led to the second floor where we stayed. I thought they were so neat. Mr. Davis built this home himself.

This is the view from the balcony

This a view from The Bachelor Loop that took us up and around a mountain

Sunday was a site seeing day......Creede is ABSOLUTELY beautiful. I have been to CO many times but it has been a long time since I have been in the summer time.......it is so pretty any time of year!