November 2023

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

May 2023

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.

March 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

January 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

December 2022

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.

November 2022

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

October 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.

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

May 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

April 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

January 2022

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?

November 2021

“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

September 2021

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