Dear friends,

March was a VERY  rough month!  Some of the “big events”:

  • Feb. 28  Left for support-raising trip to Oregon and Washington.
  • March 5  Went to the emergency room with a kidney stone.
  • March 13 Flew from Portland to Flagstaff to deal with a campus crisis, leaving my family  in Oregon; returned to Spokane on March 18 to retrieve my family.
  • March 18 Arrived back in Flagstaff with a flu bug picked up in Spokane.

Over the last four weeks we have lost two students and one staff member (Jeff McWhorter, the newest staff member from Texas) due to student sin issues.  The staff and students are hurting over all this but still pressing on!

A couple of praises:

  • We had two student teams go to two different reservations for the annual “Ministry Immersion Trip”.  Both trips went exceedingly well and the students demonstrated their incredible dedication to service and ministry.
  • I did a surprise visit to the team on the Yavapai Apache reservation and the students did a spontaneous group hug around me.  One of our Native staff commented on how significantly that showed their affection for me, as Native people don’t trust quickly or easily.
  • We have the best candidate for the Academic Dean position we have ever had.  Kevin Newman has worked in Alaska with Native peoples there, has been an Academic Dean, understands accreditation really well, is gifted in administration and teaching, and already has some support.  He is coming to campus to “candidate” later this month.  We also have an applicant for our library position, which I have been trying to fill for over a year now!

Some prayer requests:

  • Pray for the staff and students as they deal this week with the loss of yet another student because of sin that she is unwilling to address (whenever we can we OFFER a restoration process based on Galatians 6:1, but it is not always accepted).  Please pray especially for me, as I am discouraged and emotionally spent.
  • Pray for the family and I as we travel to and from Kansas City, MO for the annual board meeting and conference of the Association of North American Missions; we will be traveling April 12-21.  Pray for safety, sleep, and spiritual strength.
  • Pray for Kevin and his wife as they come and candidate at the Indian Bible College for the Academic Dean position April 27-May 1.  Pray that it will become clear to them and to us what the Lord’s design is for their potential future at IBC.  

We are so thankful for all the encouragement that comes from knowing that so many are standing with us in prayer—thank you!