Canadians invented ski-doos, jet-skis, velcro, zippers, insulin, plaid, paint rollers, penicillin, zambonis, the telephone, and short wave radios. When it comes to sports, baseball is Canadian, lacrosse is Canadian, ice hockey is Canadian, and basketball is Canadian. Smarties, Crispy-Crunch, and Coffee-Crisp are Canadian. Apple pie is Canadian. Canada has the largest French population that never surrendered to Germany. Canada has the largest English population that never surrendered or withdrew during any war to anyone, anywhere.

The Hudson Bay Company once owned more than 10% of the earth’s surface and is still around as the world’s oldest company. The average dog sled team can kill and devour a full-grown human in less than three minutes. Canada’s civil war was a bar fight that lasted a little over an hour and the only person to be arrested was an American mercenary who had slept in and missed the whole thing . . . he showed up just in time to get caught. On the UN’s Human Development Index Canada has consistently ranked as one of the world’s best places to live. But most important, all true Canadians have frozen their tongues to something metal and lived to tell about it!

Given the opportunity to live anywhere in the world, Canada will always be my first choice. I love the people, the land, and the lifestyle. I want to express my thankfulness to God for the privilege of being able to live and minister in such a great country.

But why am I sharing this with you? Even if you’re a Canadian you’re probably wondering why I’m getting all patriotic.

It’s because living in Canada reminds me how God places each of us in the place where we’re meant to be. You live where you do and I live where I do because God has a reason for putting us where we are. And what is the reason? We’re where we are in order to be a testimony and a witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We sometimes forget this reality. We think of the mission field as somewhere out there, when in fact it’s right where we live.

So reach out to your neck of the woods. “Go and make disciples” where you are (Matthew 28:19). And as you go, remember to pray. “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” 1 Timothy 2:1-3.

The Canadian National Anthem.

“O Canada! Our home and native land!

True patriot love in all of us command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,

The True North strong and free!

From far and wide, O Canada,

We stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land, glorious and free!

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.”