Thaw Out Tour Part 3

We had a fun time visiting Chris' parents and Shell's brother,Jon, in Lafayette, La.

First Baptist Pine Prairie Louisiana is proof that the church in rural America isn't dead. We were so blessed to reconnect with the pastor and his wife who have both been to Galena. Unfortunately we did not remember to get pictures at this church.

While we were in Lafayette, we spent a few days camping with Chris' parents and his aunt and uncle brought their camper out as well.  The kids were also glad to play with second cousins!

We've been getting very settled in the camper and its a really good fit for us.

From Louisiana, we traveled to Lucedale, MS. God's providence was evident to us through a flat tire.
Our truck indicated that we had a low tire and it was getting lower by the second. Since we were pulling the camper behind us Chris needed to quickly look for a suitable place for us to pull off the highway. We saw a gas station and pulled in. When we got out of the truck we could hear air escaping the tire. We saw a large screw embedded in the tire. It was only then that we realized that we had stopped right next to a Napa Auto Parts store...that just happened to have a tire repair kit on clearance...and a trucker who pulled up next to us and offered to let us use his air compressor to air up the tire. From warning alarm on the truck to pulling out of the gas station with a repaired tire...LESS than 30 minutes. God's timing was Perfect.

We then made it to Lucedale to visit Jennifer, Kegan, Bri, and Kara Wager. It was wonderful to reconnect after many years apart. The Wagers discipled us when we were teens.

While in Lucedale, we connected with a couple of Jennifer's friends, and Chris was able to share at a ministry lunch at the local community college.

Bri Wager was able to drive home from college one night during our stay and we were happy to get to spend a little time with her. The girls enjoyed getting their nails done by her.

Kegan, entertaining Evelyn. 

Kara Wager and Cara Kopp

Following our Lucedale visit, we headed to Jackson MS to spend a little time with Chris and Brandy Courtney and their kiddos.  The Courtneys have been dear friends for over 12 years and have been ministry supporters since we moved to Galena.

Our next stop in Mississippi was Meridian where Chris was able to share with Fellowship Baptist Church.  Chris met the pastor, Corey Fontan during his time in seminary.

To date we have driven over 2800 miles across four states. 

We have raised 32% of our goal. 

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. Next Stop Ville Platte Louisiana. 

Part 2 of the "Thaw Out" Tour

We had a wonderful time visiting Shell's parents in Katy, Tx. The camper we purchased need some repairs and Chris was able to fix a list of items. The kids got to spend the weekend in Katy while we traveled to speak at Stevendale Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, LA.

We've known Kegan Wager since he was very young.  So good to see the man he has grown up to be!

Hardie and Melissa Midkiff serve at Stevendale Baptist Church.  We enjoyed getting to know them better after many years of connection without a face to face meeting.

We also connected with the pastor of First Baptist Beaumont and they will be prayerfully considering supporting us starting their next budget cycle. This week we are in Lafayette, Louisiana.  We are grateful the Lord has graciously given us safe travels.  For those that are curious, we are up to a total of 3,500 miles traveled by air and 1,250 miles traveled by road.

This past Sunday Chris preached at First Baptist Milton.  We were also very happy to see many church family friends from our time pastoring in Lafayette.  It was a blessing to be reminded that church is not about the building, but about God's children and the relationship we all share.

Through our meetings so far, we have raised 15% of our target goal.

Please continue to pray for good health, safe travels, and that the Lord would be glorified as we share the calling He has placed on our lives to share the gospel.  We share next at Pine Prairie Baptist Church (2/24).

The "Thaw Out Tour"...Part 1

Eight years is a long time for missionaries to go without doing a significant trip to connect with financial and prayer supporters. And so we were long overdue for this trip. Because we don't talk about it a whole lot, many people don't know that, though we pastor an established church, we live on missionary support. What this means is that 90 percent of the funds that make up our salary come from individuals and churches who faithfully give month after month.

Months and months of planning have gone into this three month support and partnership development trip. And we hope to keep you updated along the way.
So here we go!!!!!!

Two of our church members were there to see us off at the airport in Galena and captured our "Going away" on the 1900 otherwise known as the "BIG" plane.

Upon arriving in Fairbanks we crammed our family of 6, a dog,12 pieces of luggage, 5 backpacks, and a violin case in a minivan...

After two days of errands in Fairbanks we flew to Anchorage where we had a full schedule of meetings with friends, and supporters. 

Galena Bible Church partners with SEND North to see Gospel Centered Churches and northern disciplemakers planted in every village in Alaska. So we stopped into the main office to say hi. 

One joy and sorry of ministry in Galena is that a lot of folks have come and gone. We make great friends and then life has moved them on. Many of those friends have moved to Anchorage. This was a sweet time to visit with former Galena folks and catch up with them.

Kaleo Church is a supporting church and sister church in the PlantAlaska network. What a joy to begin our trip preaching there!

Also visited with our friend Kyle who is the Outreach Pastor for ChangePoint Church. Another Anchorage supporting church.

Chris and Anna Cha, dear friends and Pastor of Kaleo Church

The transition from Alaska to our "home away from home" was a multi step process. First stop Shell's Aunt and Uncle's home just outside Dallas TX where we flew from Anchorage.

Then via our third rental vehicle, to Kilgore TX where Shell's grandparents live.

Finally to longtime friends who generously drove from Texas to Colorado and back to get our camper and truck in the same location!!

And here it is... the...well we're not sure what to call it. The "Kopp mobile" doesn't have a great ring to it. Maybe you have suggestions for us. Drop us a note in the comments. Thanks for following our journey.

Pray for us as we preach at Stevendale Baptist Church tomorrow (2/10) and then meet with First Baptist Beaumont on Monday (2/11).

We Wait For Him

We Wait For Him

Proverbs: Who is my neighbor?

Proverbs: Who is my neighbor?

Proverbs: Oh be careful little mouth what you say

Proverbs: Oh be careful little mouth what you say

Proverbs: The Weakness of Words

Proverbs: The Weakness of Words