Our story

I grew up in Iowa, the son of a preacher and teacher at the Midwestern School of Evangelism. I met Vikki at Bible Camp and loved music. The Sing for Christ Quartet was the first step into singing and sharing and eventually that would evolve into the Gateway Singers, which Vikki joined when we married. It was in Nashville, Tennessee July of 1974 when my life changed forever. I had a brain aneurysm which would result in paralysis and eventually through an accident in surgery, I lost the use of my good vocal cord. God has been good to us. We have continued to minister as half of the Gateway Singers and Coping with Crisis has evolved out of learning to find the blessings in the valley’s God allows. In 2017, Vikki was involved in an accident which resulted in her bottom legs being amputated. Because of God bringing us to and through our valley’s, our encouraging others to keep walking, keep trusting and keep praying, is what Relief Ministries and Coping with Crisis is all about. We have three grown children, fourteen grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Life is good but that is because God is good.