Two Shocks During Our Home Assignment – Our Story continued, #26

A rather pleasant and uneventful year faced us when we returned to Canada for home assignment. Or was it uneventful? Surely, there’d be time to work on TEE courses and have lots of fun with the family.

We rented a house in Rexdale, in Toronto’s west end, settled the kids in school, and began our deputation ministry. We collated slides, planned presentations, and began to fill up the calendar with dates to visit our supporting churches; three in the US and five in Canada. Although deputation ministry may be viewed as a real drain on missionary energy—and it is—we were blessed in many ways. In each of these churches we were befriended by those who prayed for us and wrote us. Many have continued as our friends to this day. Some other individuals who contributed individually to our support needed a visit also. 

Having a more normal family life was important. During the fall, we stayed in the Toronto area so we could be home every evening for a family meal. Fortunately, the kids seemed to settle in well. The only challenge for Stephen was not being familiar with Canadian sports. But they did have opportunity to ski with my brother David and snowmobile with a friend from church.

Stephen and Deborah skiing with my brother David and his wife Jean Family snowmobiling

Eric’s brother Bruce would often visit with some homeless person he had befriended. Bruce had lost his marriage, his businesses, and was addicted to alcohol. One evening when we had him and an Algonquin friend for dinner, he showed signs of interest in Christ. My other brothers were also more congenial than antagonistic. They didn’t seem to bear any ill-will over mother leaving me the family home.

Two of my brothers, David and Norm

During a visit to Mary Helen’s parents in S.C. over Christmas, we found them reticent to talk about the Lord. Fortunately, Mary Helen’s sister Annie Pearl, who lived near them maintained a strong and consistent witness.

Mary Helen’s family, except sister Annie Pearl, with a couple of imps present

Being on home assignment meant lots of meetings. At International Council meetings in Bangalore India, the council revised the mission’s administrative and financial structure. Dull stuff, huh? Fortunately, they discovered a financial anomaly that needed to be corrected.

My main memory of that February is the biting cold of western Canada. Our Canadian director, Art McHarg, who was to accompany me in a tour of western Bible institutes, had had a heart attack. Concern over the dearth of workers in the Muslim world, led the mission to plan this tour in order to challenge young men and women to volunteer for work in South Asia. While Art recovered, I visited Briercrest Bible Institute and Miller Memorial Bible Institute in Saskatchewan, Prairie Bible Institute in Alberta, Okanogan Bible Institute in BC, and Winnipeg Bible College in Manitoba.

Driving through the prairies in February

In March and April, we visited churches in New Jersey, Michigan, and Illinois. In an attempt to visit all our supporters during this furlough, we put 27,000 miles on the car. Needless to say, the preparation and revision of TEE courses had to be postponed—again. I did manage to attend a two-week workshop.

Frost and shadows of icicles on Bible College window in Pambrun, Saskatchewan

Then we received rather shocking news.

After the International Council Meetings, the mission treasurer had been working overtime to come up with a new support figure. As a mission we believed in a pool system of shared finance. Missionaries, no matter their home country, would endeavour to raise an amount that averaged the cost of living in all the fields. In this way we were all equal. It was complicated. The treasurer had to collate data from our fields in Iran, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh as well as North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand to find an average. He discovered that the mission had been seriously underestimating income and expense, making up the difference from general mission funds and legacies.

In April, he communicated the result. All missionaries had to increase their support figure by 50% with immediate effect.

Suddenly, with our deputation ministry behind us, we needed to pray for our supporters to increase their giving by a large amount. Without the increase we could not return.

Added to this concern was the matter of Mary Helen’s visa. As a US citizen, she needed a re-entry permit and visa to reside in Pakistan. At that time, Commonwealth citizens such as myself were exempt from this requirement. We had submitted Mary Helen’s paperwork to the Pakistan embassy in Ottawa six months previously but had heard nothing. We could not return without it.

We sent out an appeal to our supporters for concerted prayer. With the date, June 30th, set for us to vacate our rented house, and a departure date in July fixed to fly to Pakistan in time for the kids’ admission to Murree Christian School on August 3rd, the time was short. There was packing to do, dentists to visit, physicals to arrange, and injections to update. We faced a host of uncertainties unparalleled since we had left for Pakistan twelve years earlier.

What would God do? First of all, He encouraged us through devotions in the Psalms. “Thou wilt make me to know the path of life.” “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer…I cried to the LORD for help…my God turns my darkness into light” (Psalm 18, various).

On June 16th, after several phone calls to Ottawa, we received the stunning news that all the records at the Pakistan embassy had been burnt. Mary Helen would need to re-apply. We groaned as we thought of the usual three month or more delay.

Meanwhile our support pledges began to trickle in. Then on June 26th, after only ten days, Mary Helen received her visa—the best possible kind! It was a four-year multiple entry visa. Hallelujahs echoed through the house.

With the help of wonderful friends, we moved out of the house on June 30th, drove our sea-freight to Montreal for shipping, and set out for South Carolina for a final visit with Mary Helen’s family.

Once again, God proved Himself no person’s debtor. In short, we arrived back in Pakistan with our pledged support again full and just a few days late for the kids to enrol in school. “None of those who wait for Thee shall be ashamed.”

He leadeth me,

O blessed thought,

O words with heavenly comfort wrought.