Greetings everyone – as Peter says, “May grace and peace be yours to the fullest measure.” I would like to thank you up front for continuing to read our updates and pray along with us who are here at DTS in the southern US training to become competent expositors of God’s word; to teach truth and live well. We think and pray for all of you guys, especially when we hear the ups and downs and how God is working in your lives.

As crunch time descends upon us students, we look forward to a two week stretch of rest and catch up, starting only one week from now. One week for reading break, one for American Thanksgiving, and then a mad dash for the finish line of first semester at Christmas! It is weird to have reading break so late (in contrast to Redeemer University), but nice to be two full weeks. Speaking of breaks, for those interested the exact times of seminary breaks throughout the year are as follows:

Friday November 14, 4:00pm – Sunday November 30.
Friday, December 19 – Sunday January 11.
Friday, March 13, 4:00pm – Sunday March 22.
Saturday May 9 – Commencement ceremony. Summer begins.

(We each plan on taking a class in the winter term, Dec 29- Jan 8. The Lord willing. Unfortunately, for financial reasons we do not intend to come home for Christmas or at other times before summer.)

It’s crunch time around here in more ways than one. Although we as students pay to attend DTS, we’ve been told that our tuition is less than half of what it should be, thanks to the many donors that give generously to the seminary. For example, there are a few hundred prominent businessmen in the Dallas area who love the Lord deeply and have given greatly; our president does a Bible study with them and he’s told us of their love and respect for DTS. And then the economy tanks. There’s a hiring freeze on campus (no new student jobs). Donors are re-thinking the amounts. People who work at this school are losing their savings. Chaplain joked last week in chapel that “our 401k’s are now our 201k’s” (for the Canucks that’s RRSPs). The board met and discussed the way forward. But God is faithful.

As the board was here meeting they also dedicated the new student dorm, Washington Tower – for single students. (It’s named for the street it’s on, not the president) “Prof” (Dr. Hendricks) remembers the great depression, WWII, Vietnam, the oil crisis, etc., and he reminds us that we men and women of God are going to graduate into one of the most fascinating times in history. He told us that we would be bringing the hope to the world that they need. He said the seminary has survived and has us convinced that these events are far bigger than money. And he asked us all to pray that the seminary as a whole along with it’s students would make it through crunch time. Prof was excited about our prospects because of the God we follow, and so am I!

Loving your neighbor has been sort of a theme of our last month that God has shown me especially. First, a neighbor loved us by inviting us to American Thanksgiving with them. Second, I am reading about it in 2 classes. Third, whites and blacks especially on campus, in the wake of a historic election, discussed the way forward in loving each other in America in a godly way. I am coming to appreciate the sensitivity of this issue even on campus. Even Dallas Theological Seminary was segregated! This ended within the lifetime of most of the older professors here. Make no mistake, Canadians, Obama is a big deal for political and social reasons bigger than Democrat, Republican, and even America. If you saw Obama’s acceptance speech you will have understood when afterwards Tom Brokaw remarked, “The magnitude of what has happened here tonight has not hit us yet.” And finally, we students were challenged in relation to that emerging global race and culture to have a heart for the world of Islam. What?

Our chapel speaker all week is Dr. Phil Parshall, a leading conservative evangelical thinker and missionary to Muslim peoples in Bangladesh for over 40 years. He has authored at least 10 books on the subject including: Lifting the Veil: The World of Muslim Women with his wife co-authoring. He was there in 1971 when Bangladesh was formed amid armed conflict. He challenged the students against racism and bigotry (but not to total acceptance) toward Muslim peoples and to get the audience to understand he spoke of his own racism growing up in Florida against blacks. The room was very quiet when he told of how mean he was to anyone black before becoming a Christian; you could have heard a pin drop. He was pushing us intentionally in this direction: okay so we are getting over segregation, who is our next target to love?

Dr. Parshall correctly pointed out that Muslims will be the biggest “Samaritan” on the radar in the 21st century. Many in the US hate them more than they hated blacks. (Consider the ‘Arab’ accusations some used to try and take down Obama.) Parshall was nearly shot by a Muslim who hated him for being Christian, yet he spent all week here very carefully trying to convince a Republican leaning seminary audience that we should join him, even to the extent of being the next to spend 40 years in Muslim countries, and to in fact love Muslims and share Jesus with them, not repeat the past. This is a room full of people that will influence large numbers of Christians all over the US and the world. What does that message of love and forgiveness really look like? Can we students handle it? Can you handle it? Who’s your Samaritan?

Behind all the thoughts about what world we are headed for is the ever-present training. Classes are still good. Even though I am finished one class already, I am falling behind in the others – thank God for reading break! I try hard. To study, and to grow up in the Lord. Karin is the biggest reason I have great marks instead of simply decent ones. She is taking care of me and finding her way more. There is always the sound of a sewing machine going now as she is taken on quilt production as a money maker/hobby. We are still looking for a church and we trust that God will bless our efforts. I am very happy Karin went through my mission class with me, and we are making friends with the mission prof Dr. Waters and his wife. They have already proved valuable mentors and very encouraging toward me and Karin as we consider what our future holds. God is faithful and good to us, no matter what. I believe it!

Good bye, everyone! We hope that this letter finds you in good health and in good spirits. Even if it does not, as Peter says, we are “protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice…” 1 Peter 1

Love,

Dan and Karin from Texas