There’s no doubt Wyoming is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Every year millions of people travel from all over the world to explore the wonders of Wyoming and catch a glimpse of the diverse wildlife that many of us have the privilege to enjoy every day as residents. We, too, started out as tourists who traveled hundreds of miles for many years to breathe the crisp, clean air and enjoy Wyoming’s incredible adventures. Then, 13 years ago Wyoming became our home as well.

We are truly blessed to live in a place where all around us we are continually confronted with the majesty of God as seen in His creation. Still, after all these years, our love for traveling the state in hopes of seeing the grizzlies, wolves, and moose yet again has never waned. The sites of Wyoming still take our breath away and remind us Who our God is and who we are to Him!

On our long list of favorite Wyoming sites, one of our very top thrills is to see the beautiful quaking aspens that blanket the mountains around our state, especially in the fall. For years we have made sure that our fall schedules include several days to go on an aspen tour to see the gorgeous golden hues of their leaves as the temperatures begin to fall. It is truly breathtaking!

The beauty of the aspens became even more special to us as we began to study the unique characteristics God had designed into their creation. The design of these trees carries a strong statement about family, which is how we view ourselves in HOPE. In fact, our study of aspens has captivated us at HOPE as we see in their design truths that illustrate who we believe God created us to be as a church. In this initial blog post, we want to share the first two significant characteristics and values of HOPE represented by the aspen:

1. Aspen trees are not solitary trees. They exist in a grove or colony that originates from a single seedling but can grow to cover many acres of land. The grove or colony is made up of many individual trees, all sharing one common root beginning, one common root system, one original parent tree. Each tree within the grove or colony is unique and yet stands as one among a family of trees. Because they are connected through their root system, the entire grove or colony is only as strong as its individual trees. Therefore, we at HOPE, at our core, are a family held together in Christ, who desires to help people live healthy, whole lives through their relationship with God and each other. We are only as healthy as our individual families and relationships that comprise HOPE.

2. The leaves of the aspen are not very large, averaging only 1-1/2 to 3 inches in length and 1-1/4 – 2 inches in width, yet together the leaves make a mighty quaking sound. We believe that God has called us to join our sound collectively with the sound of other Kingdom minded churches to release His mighty sound in Casper and around the world. We believe that God is using HOPE to release a new spiritual sound in Wyoming and around the world.