Missionary stories filled with the heart of God. Please keep them in your prayers.
Suddenly I was aware of someone standing in my office doorway. I whirled around in my chair, expecting to see one of the girls heading upstairs to the dorm, just stopping by to say hi. Instead, I was immediately aware that this was a student in distress. Her tear-stained face and dejected demeanor spoke ofContinue reading November 2023
The pine needles are falling. The wind has picked up. Most days the sky is a beautiful blue and the sun warm in preparation for a potentially frosty night.
In a few hours, Lord willing, I will be heading for Phoenix in preparation for flying out Sunday morning to attend the Getty Sing! Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. If you are not acquainted with Keith and Kristyn Getty, they are probably the world’s foremost English-speaking hymn writers. One of their first hymns to become well-knownContinue reading September 2023
Change. Unpredictability. Upheaval. Is it just that I am getting older and notice that life is permeated by these characteristics, or has it always been this way? Record snowfall this past winter has been followed by record heat this summer. Things you can count on, like monsoon rains, might or might not come, or mightContinue reading July/August 2023
June 2023 Thank you again for praying for us! God blessed through all the end-of-the-year events. I believe He was honored.
Thank you so much for your prayers! Everyone who was on the ministry trip returned safely from cold, snowy South Dakota. Only God knows what lives were touched for the sake of Jesus.
It was still snowing yesterday but today is fairly calm and a bright blue sky and warm sun promise that God has not forgotten to send spring even here in northern Arizona. I believe we broke the record for the snowiest winter with 162.6 inches as of yesterday. Compare that to last year’s 56.2 andContinue reading April 2023
Yep. God continues to send moisture to drought-stricken Arizona. As of yesterday, the total snowfall for this winter season was 142”. That’s approaching 12 feet! I’ve been able to get a good full-body workout shoveling day after day. The Picture above was the view from my front window a few mornings ago when we receivedContinue reading March 2023
The snow is coming down hard as I write. They said we were going to have a dry winter this year, but they have been wrong so far. While where I live has not experienced nearly as much snow as the west side of town, we have been blessed with good moisture recently, especially duringContinue reading January 2023
It is a difficult class, for sure. We don’t do a lot of lecturing. The students do most of the teaching, first investigating examples of contextualization in the ministry of Jesus, then in Paul’s epistles, and finishing out the class exploring their own culture.
He was tall. He was strong. He was my brother, and he was my hero. When we lived in Lakeville, Massachusetts, and I shared a room with my little sister, Esther, Steve’s bedroom was directly across from ours. When he was on his way to bed he would frequently stop in the doorway of ourContinue reading November 2022
It was a perfect day yesterday—blue sky with a smattering of clouds, light breeze, and warm temperatures. I left from home close to 9 and wandered back in at 5. My phone recorded I had hiked 16.78 miles. Wow! That’s the farthest I’ve done alone, I think, and I was still feeling well.
First there was one lone woman making her way up the hill toward my house and the neighborhood block party to which I had invited her. Then there were several more, and then families with kids started up the hill. Yes! God was answering our prayers! We prayed and God sent the neighbors! I forgotContinue reading September 2022
The trees were amazing! Tall spires reached to the heavens. Birds of various colors and sizes started each morning with a variety of songs. An abundance of wildlife reminded me of God’s care.
June 17, 2022 Today smoky haze follows the horrendous winds of yesterday that threatened to uproot the giant Ponderosa surrounding my little house. And before that, there were fires. Driven by ferocious gusts of up to 70 mph, they chased hundreds of families from their homes for weeks at a time. People are angry, confused,Continue reading Late June 2022
Blessed day to you. Amid the constant barrage of bad news, let me share some good news with you! Thank you for praying for the end-of-the-year events and for the Koppen family as they worked through moving back into their sooty, dusty, fire-impacted home. Good progress is finally being made, though they are still waitingContinue reading June 2022
Dear friends, Thank you for your prayers for Jason and others affected by the Tunnel Fire in Flagstaff, AZ. I understand that the fire is 92% “contained,” and those who were in the path of the fire have been allowed to return to their homes. Unfortunately, many of those homes that were not destroyed orContinue reading May 2022
Thank you for praying for the students as they went on their Ministry Immersion Trip (MIT) last week. This ended up being the most diverse and internationally focused trip the school has ever sponsored! What a variety of opportunities the students enjoyed as they ministered to (and were ministered to by) Congolese, Afghan, Burmese (ofContinue reading April 2022
Dear friends, With Ukraine captivating our attention these days, it is surely God-ordained that our mission conference this year focused on international student ministry in Ukraine.
Is your heart heavy? Is it breaking with what’s happening in our world, with the divisions in our nation, and with the continuing trauma of COVID? Is it hard to say “Happy” New Year? Indeed. It seems like I started out my January 2021 letter similarly. Is there no end?
Longevity. That has been one of my goals throughout my life. When I was five years old, I told my parents I wanted to become a missionary to American Indians, whatever that meant. As I grew in understanding, my desire was to devote my life to something bigger than me, to something meaningful, and, ifContinue reading Christmas greetings and an update
“Even though I’m not actively coaching at IBC this semester, I’ve found the principles and techniques I learned through coaching at IBC to be helpful in raising my teenage son,” shared one of the coaches. “How cool is that!,” I thought. I oversee the coaching program at IBC. We have five active coaches and twoContinue reading November 2021
Thank you for praying for us! I gave my last presentation for the summer at my home church here in Flagstaff on Sunday and am now concentrating completely on the Fall semester at IBC, well, almost completely.
Dear friends, Remember this spring and early summer when Arizona was so dry that one spark would have set the whole state ablaze? Remember when there were over 60 wildfires burning in the state? You prayed with me for rain. Well, God sent rain- 5.66” in July and 3.5” in August, at the Pulliam airportContinue reading September 2021
It has been a beautiful, mostly restful summer. It will soon be winding down as I head home starting Friday. Here are a few photos to sum up the summer. I have traveled to the island of Martha’s Vineyard, walked on the beach, gone kayaking three times, and tried out a paddleboard. People have blessedContinue reading August 2021
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