Canadian Thanksgiving

On Thursday, January 31, 1957, the Parliament of Canada proclaimed: “A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October.” So, today is Canadian Thanksgiving. My sixth grade teacher assigned us a paragraph on what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wrote, “I want to be either a missionary to Canada or a professional baseball player.” I never really became either (although I was reimbursed once with free meals for playing summer baseball for a restaurant sponsored team). However, seminary students who sat in my classes, and especially those who traveled with me to Vancouver, knew of my love for Canada. Sometimes one person’s passion enlightens another’s call. Often when one goes on site, they gain insight. Today I am thankful for those who went with me, those who were already there, and those who went on their own, all of whom allowed me, as their professor, to be a small part of God’s Canadian plan for their lives. So on this Canadian Thanksgiving – for allowing me to fulfill my sixth grade calling to be a “missionary to Canada” – I express thanks to former students who have served or continue to serve in metro Vancouver or on Vancouver Island: Craig, Ellen, Jerry, Steve, Brian, Darla, Eric, Carol, Suzanne, Lisa (and Josh), Nathan, Conrad, Jeff, Victor, Matthew, Brad, Johnny, Nita, plus other former students who serve/have served across Canada. “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you” (Philippians 1:3). Give thanks today, for those whom God used to help influence you along the way.
Join me this week in remembering the following global concerns:

• Pray for the following metro Vancouver, Canada churches that are without pastors: Richmond Chinese Baptist, Westlynn Baptist, Living Word Chinese Baptist, Vancouver Chinese Baptist, and The Bridge Community Fellowship.
• Pray for the Ukrainians of Brazil with a population of 500,000, less than 2% evangelical. There has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.
• Pray for the Tennessee Baptist men’s choir as they perform concerts in Naples, Florence, and Rome, Italy as well as minister in local churches on October 7-16.
• Pray for Hong Kong and the protests over the past weeks related to direct elections.
• Pray for West African countries suffering from the Ebola epidemic and those who serve there.