We pulled into sunny Colorado Springs the last week of 2025. We had just left a snow storm in Iowa and our vehicle was covered with ick. The rest of the cars around us looked like they hadn’t ever experienced harsh weather. The snow bird feeling was soon gone as we received 10 inches in a rather short time. We didn’t miss out on shoveling after all, and some accused us of bringing it with us.

The ministry is going well at Rustic Hills Baptist. Their pastor of 33 years was given a very nice retirement celebration and we were able to step into the ministry the very next Sunday. We are humbled by the great amount of work that went into preparing for our arrival. They have also invited us into their homes and lives. Scott preaches each Sunday and is able to do many shepherding ministries including helping the church prepare for their next pastor. Marti is connecting wonderfully with the ladies.

Another goal is to connect with other Baptist churches in the central Colorado area with hopes of developing strong networks. Please pray that God will open doors in February for those important connections.

Scott continues his work with churches throughout the Midwest providing counseling, coaching, training and even a little peacemaking through video calls. He also started his 10 week Advanced Coaching course designed to help him serve pastors and others better.

We wanted to send an update sooner, but we were waiting for official results of the MRI Scott had on January 5. That doctor meeting was this morning. There is concern, however, the next step is to monitor the PSA levels for the next few months. This will allow us to complete our time in Colorado and bring our medical care back to Iowa. We are encouraged that we did not need to make immediate decisions or start treatment. Scott is not experiencing problems, so waiting sounds good to him.

While in Colorado, we will miss some regular events that we attend. That was the hard trade off. Please pray as others are covering those for us.