"Home" Again

We had a very smooth transition back to Toronto. Our boys are amazing travelers and we were not surprised at how well-behaved they were during the trip. We saw a miraculous answer to your prayers when we went through customs. The customs official was actually a believer and was very excited about our work! After we figured out he was genuine and wasn't just testing us, we had a good conversation about immigrants in Canada and persecution of Christians around the world. He gave a us a generous four-year minister's permit and said he would be praying for our ministry. How great is that? God is faithful indeed!

The rest of the week was a whirlwind as we had only three and a half days to find a house and vehicle. We only saw six houses total, but one of the houses was perfect. It's in Mississauga (a city of nearly a million right next door to Toronto) and in a brand new neighborhood near the downtown area. We've driven through our new neighborhood a few times and haven't seen even ONE white person! Everyone is a visible ethnic minority and that gets us very excited (actually, we're the visible minority now!) . Almost all our immediate neighbors are Indian. Our house fits within our company's 1600 sq. foot limit, and it's brand new -- we will be the first to live in it. The only downside we can see is that there is no yard for our boys (well, there is, but it's about the size of a closet), and there isn't even a park nearby. It looks like our boys will have to play with the other kids in the street -- just like they did in India! We also found a good used van with low mileage. We are very blessed!

We have thoroughly enjoyed reuniting with all our old friends here! We arrived just in time for Canada Day celebrations and spent much of the day with friends in Milton. This past Sunday we joined the Milton Sanctuary for their first day in their new location, followed by a picnic (great food and great fellowship). Our old friend Trung just happened to be here on vacation (from Vietnam) and we got the chance to spend an evening with him and all of his relatives. It was exciting to hear an update from him and all that God is doing through him in Vietnam. We also arrived just in time for the annual Canadian National Baptist Convention, which means we will get to see many of our friends and colleagues from across the country this week! God's timing is always perfect.

It's good to be "home" again. As you know, two of our boys are Canadian (Isaac and Caleb) and our older two boys' best memories are of Canada and the time we spent here. April and I could hardly wait to down an extra large "double double" at Tim Horton's and to pig out on all the ethnic food that's available in the area. We have a deep peace that we're in the right place and we hope we will be allowed to stay here a long time!