putting names to faces…

Laura Burns came to South Dakota in 1999 (with husband Kerry and son Logan) from Ketchikan, Alaska to work for the Black Hills National Forest in Custer. After an exhaustive search for a home, the family settled near Pringle which provided access to both communities of Custer and Hot Springs. Laura had 40 years of service with the Forest Service in a number of places and retired in 2017 as a Supervisory Forester and Kerry served as the Forest Wildlife Biologist until 2019.As new retirees they spend a lot of their time in the outdoors to travel, camp, kayak, bike ride, hike and garden. Their favorite son, Logan, was three years old at the time of their move and is now attending graduate school in Tallahassee, Florida.  

Laura grew up in a Mennonite church in southeastern Iowa yet it was in college that she accepted the free and loving grace of God with salvation in Jesus Christ, “once for all.”   “It is such a relief to know that it is not what I do but what Jesus did on the Cross that has saved me for eternity with Him.” Laura visited many church when first arriving in South Dakota and is so very thankful to have been drawn to Calvary Baptist Church. It is a gospel focused church with Bible study from the pulpit, study with teachers and Christians that continue to draw her closer to her Lord. “I love the beauty of the Black Hills and the loving people of Calvary.”