Van Minutes

Hello everyone,

I promised a number of people, especially back in Dallas, a quarterly update at minimum if I wasn’t writing them personally. Even for those of you who have emailed me in the last week, thanks for your patience and here’s the update!

First the main issue. I appreciate the prayers, questions, concern, repeat, concerning me, Karin and our marriage. There are really no new developments as far as divorce or reconciliation that have happened between us. I have been emailing and we did exchange a few times, but nothing I could call news has happened. I hope for a resolution soon, but really that’s all I can tell you. If you email or call I may be able to provide a little more background of why things are how they are from my end, but we are still separated and have not spoken (just emailed) since the one time in May.

Am I okay? Yes and no. I had five needs/goals coming back: church, job, family,  house, counseling. God has blessed me with a good church in Knox Presbyterian downtown Toronto (2 pics on right). I didn’t have to do any church hunting thankfully and I am looking forward to joining a cell group and possibly the ESL outreach in September. I need to see about the job situation (below) first. God has blessed me with a really good living situation in Toronto. Room, board, utilities some nice landlords to eat dinner with (the wife is a committed, helpful Christian) and now free underground parking for a practically unbeatable price. I walk a lot (sunset building pic from one of them) and love hitting the nearby beach regularly to watch the sun go down over the CN tower and pray there on the shore.

This place is a fifteen minute drive from my new job! I went through a one-year English as a Second Language (ESL) course crammed into a 4-week intensive course in a bid to get into teaching where I’d like to be. This idea worked – I am now a Canada Christian College ESL professor! I am not going overseas, but on September 12 they’re coming to me (pic on right: nearby Chinatown @ U of T). My position couldn’t be a better one: I was hoping for some kind of large language institute at best. God again blessed me with a wonderful academic Christian environment teaching college students who are about to go into ministry! Talk about appropriate, or the blind leading the blind :) I will get a chance to guide these young people also, much like my college profs did to me.

My family has supported me as families do – in the most important ways. God has blessed my darkest times with rays of light due to their support. Special mention to Stephen, a college friend. The way we have talked, it’s like I never left, buddy. The last thing I need to arrange is the counseling which will be payed for by my first paycheck. I start work on September 12, so I’m looking for a counselor now. If I go by God’s most recent track record of blessing me then this will work out just fine too.

I supposed that’s the ‘yes’ part of ‘yes and no.’ I’m still quite lonely, need to make new connections in every last corner of my unexpectedly new and regularly difficult life. Sometimes I wake up and wonder either where I am or sometimes how I am doing this well. I have fought with and prayed to the same God. I’ve sweated over the price of some of my learned lessons, and whether I learned them enough. I suppose that’s to be expected.

I do have some idea why I’m not doing worse. I keep hearing voices… good ones. Voices like Chuck Swindoll in chapel saying, “Don’t give up. Satan is targeting you, finish (ministry) strong.” Or of family giving a compliment, or friends saying, “I’m praying, how’s your time in the Word?” These are people inspired by our gracious God. He’s the one who never quits. He’s the one who always invites you back. It does sound like bible thumping but “I know what plans I have for you, says the Lord,” is no less true for me than it was written by Jeremiah to Israel. I know whom I have believed and he is able… this transcends (m)any feelings I’ve had to the contrary. I love my God but more importantly for my ultimate end He loves me.

I must get going. Feel free to drop a note and say hello, ask a question, give a blessing. I would like that, even if it’s just a line or two.

God bless,

Dan

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