Before I came to Bethlehem College and Seminary, I served for thirteen years as the preaching pastor of a church I planted in India. During these years, I wished I had gone to seminary. Well-meaning pastors comforted me by calling seminaries “cemeteries,” impractical and unhelpful for day-to-day pastoral work, and (my personal favorite) reminding me that Spurgeon never went to seminary. My time at Bethlehem did not kill my faith but nourished it. It is a gift to someone who loves God and his word to spend four years studying it alongside others who treasure Jesus. My family got to serve at our local church in Minneapolis and grow in our faith. I got to lead a small group, apprentice with the church’s pastors, and preach frequently. The time away from the pastorate only strengthened our family’s resolve to return to our ministry in India. We have been back at our church in India since June 2025. It is such a boost to the cause of the gospel in India that we did not have to be debt-ridden to acquire an education in serious joy. For this, our family and our church are grateful to God.

Pictured: Allegra, Edison, Lauren, Amelia