We believe we have been called to complete Mihir’s Masters of Divinity (MDiv) in person at The Master's Seminary (TMS) and will do so, Lord willing, over the next two years. We have created this page to share some information about our calling, how you can pray, and if you are led to, how you can support us financially.
A Note from Mihir
God has placed a call on my heart to pastoral ministry, and my goal is to be fully equipped to preach and teach His Word faithfully. By learning to rightly handle the Word of God at The Master’s Seminary, I can then share it with others from home to home and in its public proclamation (2 Tim. 2:15; Acts 20:20). I believe now, more than ever, our world needs the clear preaching, teaching, and ministering of God’s Word.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."
This verse always reminds me that the Lord’s Word alone is sufficient for equipping believers in all areas of our lives, and that His Word is able to minister to us in every season. I seek to share the gospel with the lost and help edify and mature fellow believers into completeness in Christ (Col. 1:28). As we continue to grow in our own faithful living, we pray that the Lord will use us as a family to minister to others over the years ahead (1 Cor. 1:30).
Though our prayer is to return after fully completing my M.Div, Victoria and I are both only children with aging parents here in the GTA, so we recognize that the Lord could call us back sooner. Yet, if the Lord allows us to finish before returning, my desire is to return equipped and sent out by the elders at Grace Community Church to minister through simple verse-by-verse preaching and teaching of the Bible. I pray that I can truthfully, lovingly, and accurately proclaim the Scriptures in order to glorify our Lord and bear much spiritual fruit in myself and others until He returns or I go home to be with Him.
Our family is driven by a deep desire to serve God and His people for His glory.
At TMS, I will receive the biblical and pastoral training needed to serve as a pastor. We feel led to take this step of faith now, while our children are still young (ages 3-9), and we believe God can provide all that we need.
By God’s grace, I have been blessed to serve on staff at Hope Bible Church Markham for the last five years. For thirteen years prior to that, I was in the financial industry, where much of my years were spent wrestling with the Lord, trying to discern my call to ministry. When the elders at Hope provided me with an opportunity to join staff, it was a time filled with anticipation and joy when other pastors affirmed my calling before I accepted the position.
Serving on staff has allowed me the precious opportunity to preach, teach, baptize, officiate weddings and funerals, counsel, and shepherd both new believers to leaders in our church. This season has been one of the greatest honours of my life and a gift from the Lord, for which I am eternally grateful. The leadership and heartfelt congregation at Hope has blessed us immensely over the years as well. Unfortunately, at my current pace of working full time, studying online, parenting our wonderful four young children, and ministering to others, seminary would take another nine years to complete at a realistic, manageable load. My eldest son would be 18 years old by the time I completed the program!
Now, we would have still accepted this timeline with joy if it was the Lord’s will for us, but we believe that He has provided us with an opportunity to take a giant leap of faith and move forward with completing my studies in person in order to complete my MDiv. sooner. We also believe that by being immersed in both the school and church in person, it will be a special time of growth for the whole family, but traveling with our four young children (ages 3-9) will bring unique challenges and expenses.
Our Financial Needs
Moving a family of six to California is a big step financially. Between travel expenses, housing, seminary supplies, and day-to-day living costs, we are trusting God to provide. We are hoping to raise funds to help cover:
Travel
Gas, meals and lodging for our move via drive to Los Angeles.
Housing
Rental housing plus utilities for two years in the North LA area.
Living Costs
Daily living expenses (e.g. food and gas) for our family.
Seminary Supplies
Books and resources for Mihir's studies at The Master's Seminary (TMS).
Homeschool
Curriculum required for the children for the next school year.
California is an expensive place to live, much like Toronto but in USD, and between travel expenses, housing rental costs, seminary supplies, and day-to-day living for our family of six (as well as ensuring Victoria’s father is okay here in Canada), we know that our needs will be great. Our current plan is to live partially on our savings, and for myself to obtain a part-time job while attending seminary. Though we know a part-time position won’t cover all of our monthly living costs, we are trusting in the Lord to provide for our every need (Matt. 6:25-34).
As an international student in the US, I will be permitted through my student visa status to work up to 20 hours a week on campus only. Victoria will be legally unable to work under my international student status, but she will continue to homeschool our four children and take on the brunt of caring for them, while faithfully attending and getting involved in the ministries of Grace Community Church during our two-year stay.
Given all of the above, we are hoping to raise funds to help us over the next two years with the following:
Travel
Gas, meals and lodging for our move via drive to Los Angeles.
Housing
Rental housing plus utilities for two years in the North LA area.
Living Costs
Daily living expenses (e.g. food and gas) for our family.
Seminary Supplies
Books and resources for Mihir's studies at The Master's Seminary (TMS).
Homeschool
Curriculum required for the children for the next school year.
We know this will likely be the most challenging two years of our lives — managing full-time studies, part-time work, parenting, and daily living, while being separated from our family and friends — but we trust that if the Lord wills, He will sustain and carry us through to the end! We simply seek to be faithful to His call and count all else as a loving sacrifice to follow Him wholeheartedly.
We would be incredibly grateful for any support you can provide, whether it's through prayer, a donation, or simply by sharing this page.
If you would like to support us financially, we simply ask that you please first pray about this decision and support us only as the Lord leads you to. We have decided that the safest method is to give directly via e-transfer to mihirvictoria@gmail.com with “Support for Seminary” as the subject. If you’d like to support us via credit card, or to set up a recurring amount, we kindly ask you to use our GiveSendGo Campaign. Thank you for supporting us however you can! God is so good.
* Kindly note that, as this is a love offering, a tax receipt will not be available.*
We would be incredibly grateful for any support you can provide, beginning with your prayers. Our current prayer requests are:
- For the Lord to provide financially and grant us the daily strength, grace, and perseverance needed to complete my MDiv.
- For us to have clarity and unity on what to bring as a family, as we will only be taking what will fit in our van, including Callie (our now 40lb puppy) and her crate.
- For our children to have peace and comfort, but to also grow in their own faith as we leave all that they know to embark on this calling.
- For good weather during our travel dates, and for no one in our family to be sick/get sick/have motion sickness on our trip.
- To find a three bedroom rental home in a safe neighbourhood that is financially reasonable and within a decent distance to the seminary. (California housing and fire safety laws state that a family of six must live in a minimum three bedroom home, which unfortunately increases our monthly costs. We are praying that we can find a unit through the property management company that partners with TMS as we could possibly receive a bursary through the seminary and property management company if this is the case.)
- For God to prepare God fearing friends for our children and ourselves in this new community.
- For the Lord to take care of our parents (Mihir’s parents and Victoria’s father) while we are away.
While we have found it incredibly difficult and humbling to open ourselves up to receiving financial support from others, we were led to leaving this open in the Lord's hands because we do believe He has called us to this.
If you would like to support us financially, we simply ask that you please first pray about this decision and support us only as the Lord leads you to. There is absolutely zero pressure to support us financially and your prayers alone are worth more to us than words can express. Through prayer and deliberation, we have decided that the safest method is to give directly via e-transfer to mihirvictoria@gmail.com with “Support for Seminary” as the subject (to keep a log of, for income tax purposes). However, if you’d like to support us via credit card for points, or to set up a recurring amount, then we kindly ask you to use our GiveSendGo Campaign. We thank you for supporting us in any way you can and we pray that our lives would bring glory to Him alone.
Lord willing, we are planning to leave on December 10th, 2024, so please pray for us as we prepare for this transition!
FAQ
What is Seminary?
Seminary is a graduate level institution that prepares individuals for full-time vocational ministry. At TMS, Mihir will be trained in biblical theology, pastoral care, and verse-by-verse expository preaching, equipping him to faithfully handle the Word of God and serve the local church. The courses at TMS also include Greek and Hebrew (the original languages of the Bible), and the serving opportunities at Grace Community Church will act as a living-lab to use the skills being learned in seminary to minister to others on Sundays and throughout the week.
Who has affirmed this call?
Mihir’s call to pastoral ministry has been affirmed by multiple sources:
- Elder Affirmation: The elders of our church have prayerfully and thoughtfully affirmed Mihir’s calling to ministry and supported his seminary training.
- Congregation and Ministry: Over the past five years, believers both within and outside of our church have affirmed Mihir’s call to ministry and seminary.
- Mihir’s wife and friends support and affirm his call to ministry as well.
Accountability
We will become members of Grace Community Church during our time in Los Angeles to be accountable to the local church. Mihir will also maintain regular communication with our church elders back home. As mentioned above, if you would like to stay connected with us for updates and prayer requests, please subscribe to our email list and we will do our best to update you via email regularly.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and we pray that God is glorified through this mission.
We are leaving on December 10, 2024 — please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for this journey!