Dan and Connie Cooper

Dan and Connie Cooper are both MMR alumni. Dan was one of the first two students of the Apprentice program in 1983 and stayed on staff to head up the Horse Program. He married Connie the following year and they served together on staff for five years and then left MMR so Dan could attend Moody Bible Institute. While at Moody, Dan also joined the Army Reserves, serving for 5 years in the Army Corps of Engineers. Upon his graduation from Moody with a Bachelor’s Degree in Bible Theology, they returned to the Ranch in 1994 and have been on staff since then. Dan now serves as the Director of MMR School of Discipleship (formerly the C.A.M.P. program). He has his Master’s Degree in Biblical Counseling through Trinity Seminary and College of the Bible. Connie has a Bachelors Degree in English through Thomas Edison State College and along with homeschooling one of their three children, is currently heading up the Food Service Department at MMR.

News From The Coopers

Crossing the Jordan…

At the end of the Israelites 40 years of wandering in the desert, they camped at the Jordan River and prepared to enter the land that the Lord had promised to Abraham many years before. For the Israelites, the Jordan River was both an ending point and a starting point. They had left Egypt – ending their time of slavery and oppression – through the miraculous power and sovereign hand of God. Then they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness, learning many lessons from God’s hand about obedience and following Him wholeheartedly. Now, on the banks of the Jordan River, they had before them, a land of opportunity and blessing… if they would simply step forward and walk in obedience to the Lord.

Dan and I find ourselves at our own ending point and new beginning, but our situation is so very different. Instead of a leaving a land of slavery and oppression or a time of wandering, we are leaving behind 30+ years of purposeful, fruitful ministry at Miracle Mountain Ranch and the blessing of serving with like-minded believers in a ministry dedicated to sharing the gospel and discipling others to do the same. But there are also similiarities, for now, as we leave MMR and move to Texas, we are preparing to “cross over” to a new place of opportunity and promise. We are excited about the opportunity we have before us; to continue to encourage other believers in their faith and to also share the love and faithfulness of the Lord with people that need to understand the gospel message and know the hope we have in Christ. And so, we begin our “crossing over”!

Connie moved to Texas the second week of May and has been cooking for the owner and his staff when they come through on occasional visits and taking care of the house while they are gone. For now, her schedule and work load has been very light so she has had time to settle in, work on a few fun projects and enjoy “Shiloh time”! However, a new personal residence/corporate retreat center is under construction, which should be finished sometime in August and Dan will eventually oversee that complex while Connie continues cooking for the owner and staff as they visit or scheduling caterers for other guests/corporate retreats. We are excited to learn the different aspects of our new jobs and were also VERY excited that the ranch hosted their first Wounded Warrior retreat last fall. We have always had a heart for a ministry to the military and we would love to be a part of that in any way. So pray for us to have opportunities to serve and a testimony of God’s faithfulness.

Connie is now back in Pennsylvania packing the remainder of the household items, because by the end of this month, Dan will be moving to Texas as well. We are so very grateful for our many years of ministry at MMR. We have been so blessed… by working with so many different staff over the years… being a part of watching so many apprentice students grow in their relationship with Christ… sharing the love of Christ by serving over so many summer camp seasons… and building relationships with so many friends we now hold so dear. We have accumulated a lifetime of love and friendships, but we know that God will give us the opportunity to continue to share His love in Texas… with people who need to know of His love for them. Some of our fellow employees are believers but others are not, so please be in prayer for us as we begin to develop relationships with the new people God brings into our lives. As always, our prayer is that with every opportunity God brings our way, that God will be glorified.

Garrett and Hannah are doing well in Texas and, of course, are excited to have us living closer. Shiloh loves visiting Grandma’s house and already knows where the toys and snacks are kept! Garrett is really enjoying training horses again and will be starting to show again soon. Hannah is doing well in her pregnancy and is about 6 weeks away from her due date. We are excited to meet our new little grand-daughter. Shiloh is certainly growing quickly; she is starting to talk – sometimes with recognizable words – and is adorable. We are very excited to be living closer and able to be a part of her life.

Joe continues to do well in the Army. He recently spent several weeks in Bulgaria doing a joint training mission with soldiers from other countries. When he returned from Europe, he had some JULY time off and was able to spend some time at home in PA as well as spend a week visiting Garrett, Hannah, Shiloh and Connie in Texas. It was wonderful to have him visit… in both places.

Alana has started her new job as a Collections Technician with the Community Blood Bank and is doing well and enjoying putting her phlebotomy training to good work. She spends many days in Erie at the local blood bank but also frequently drives to other locations in Pennsylvania or New York for regional drives as well. As we prepare to move to Texas, she is preparing to move in with Dan’s parents. Please keep her in your prayers – it is hard for us to leave her behind but we thought it would be best for her to get some experience in her field of training and then after six months or so, she can decide if she wants to move to Texas to be with us or stay in Pennsylvania.

So our lives are changing… but we know we serve a God who never changes. We are excited to settle into our new job and also sad to leave what is so familiar and dear to our hearts. We are confident that God will continue to bless MMR and all our friends back here, and we are also confident that God will continue to do His work and will in our lives! Please be praying for us as we make this move – for a smooth transition and that God would be glorified! We love you all!

Love, Dan, Connie, Joe and Alana

Prayer and Praise:

• Praise for the blessing of so many years of ministry here at MMR… for the wonderful friends we have made, the blessings the Lord has bestowed and His continual faithfulness to us!
• Pray for us as we finish our move to Texas and settle in! Pray the Lord gives us wisdom as we develop relationships and learn the different aspects of our jobs and for continued fruitful ministry for the Lord.
• Praise for the opportunity we have to be a light in the darkness – may God give us wisdom and grace as we get to know our co-workers.
• Pray for Alana as she remains in Pennsylvania – for safety as she works and for God’s continued protection on her life!

We have enjoyed keeping up with so many of you over the years but with our departure from MMR, this will be our final MMR newsletter. Although we will no longer be sending regular updates, I have always enjoyed sending an update on our family around Christmas, sooooooo – if you are interested keeping up with what is happening in our lives, let us know and we will keep you on the Cooper’s Christmas card list. If you have an email, let us know via e-mail at [email protected] or drop us a line at our new address below to let us know to keep you on our mailing list. Or you can keep up with us via Facebook (DanConnie Cooper) although I don’t post a lot… I do occasionally let people know what we are up to.

New Mailing Address: 7485 Santa Rosa Drive, Electra, TX 76360 (This address will change in the fall; once the new house/retreat center is completed, we will move to a different house closer to that complex.) Connie’s new cell phone: 940-886-7010