First and foremost…
We would like to say Thank You! Melissa and I want to sincerely express our continual gratitude for your incredible support and love as we work in the trenches with hurting couples and individuals through our ministry with DFR.
We honestly couldn’t do what we do without you!
We realize it’s been a while since we sent an update and we wanted to give you an idea of all the things YOU are a part of and how you can continue praying for us. We also want to remind you of all the things that your financial support is going towards. Although there are honorariums and fees for some of what we do, they don’t come close to covering our salary or living expenses – so from the depth of our hearts THANK YOU!
Leigha and Josiah were AMAZING in their production of Beauty and the Beast!
Counselling ministry
- Since opening the DFR Care Centre in September I (Dave) have been running 2 support groups for men struggling with porn and sex addiction. One of the groups is with single college age student striving to purify their lives before it impacts their future marriages. The second group is for married men who have come forward and realised the degree of their problem as well as the true impact that their involvement with lust (in varying degrees) has had on them and their marriage.
As you can imagine, tackling this kind of issue can be a pretty heavy burden – I (Dave) deeply value your prayers for protection for our family and us personally as I tackle the devil’s attempts to destroy the family head on.
- Melissa and I have been meeting with 4-6 couples, some for premarital counselling, others for relationship check ups and some with more significant issues. This is both enriching and discouraging at times, but God is sustaining us throughout, and we are honoured to be given an opportunity to minister to them.
- I (Dave) have been doing individual recovery counselling and pastoral care type counselling with men (approx. 8), both young and old for varying issues in their lives including relationship, lust, and spiritual ones.
- Family mediation; working with 2 individual youth and their parents, and multiple families as they have needed to come up with plans to protect and guide their children through the issue of online pornography.
- Personal Mentoring – I (Dave) have been asked to be involved in 3 personal mentoring relationships. These are different than the above because they aren’t necessarily issue-specific but rather requests for someone to walk them through character development as husbands and fathers.
Speaking
Melissa and I have been pretty busy with speaking this fall. With Melissa being in school and two of our kids being homeschooled it’s been VERY busy. God has been good and has given us the stamina and grace to manage it all.
Here is a list of the events and topics that have been recent, along with our summer schedule:
January 31 Dave and Melissa spoke to the Bakerview Church Youth on pornography
February 5 Dave and Melissa spoke in the morning at Jericho Ridge Community church
February 12 Dave and Melissa spoke to the parents of Jericho Ridge on Raising Kids in a Digital Age
March 10-11 Dave and Melissa spoke on Rest, Burnout and Accountability to the leadership team at Bear Creek Community church @ Charis Camp in Chilliwack, BC.
March 13 Dave taught a class at Columbia Bible College in the “effective relationships” class re: Blended families, conflict resolution, and family dynamics
April 4 – Dave attended a panel discussion to follow the “Over 18” documentary
April 9 Dave and Melissa spoke to the Bakerview Church caregroups on porn awareness and recovery
April 12 – Dave spoke to the Hillcity Church Youth on social media/social life
April 22 – Dave spoke at a Men’s breakfast on accountability in North Langley, BC
April 28-30 Dave and Melissa McVety were keynote speakers @ the BC Christian Home Educators Convention in Kelowna, BC
May 6 – Dave and Melissa spoke at a parent workshop on Raising Kids in a Digital Age in Hope, BC
June 2-4 Dave and Melissa spoke at Timberline Ranch family camp in Maple Ridge, BC
July 16-21 Dave is speaking at Gardom Lake Bible Camp in Enderby, BC
July 30 – Dave is preaching at Grace Church in Abbotsford, BC.
July 30- Aug 4 Dave is speaking at Stillwood Camp in Chilliwack, BC
August 13-18 Dave is speaking at Gardom Lake Bible camp in Enderby, BC
Horse Back riding at Family camp @ Timberline Ranch in Maple Ridge
Additional prayer items
- Continual stamina and focus as Melissa starts her internship for her last year of her Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy through ACTS Seminary.
- Dedicated rest both personally and as a family, especially given that so many of our weekends are taken up with speaking.
- Wisdom as Melissa and I navigate some parenting challenges with Josiah specifically. We have been receiving counsel on how to best work with him amid our family, as we adjust to the all the different challenges and changes involved.
- Balance with the juggling of some significant new additions to my job (Dave) with the counselling and groups that have begun, while still managing my other roles.
- Spiritual protection for our family.
- Focus for Dave as he writes and produces applicable content that is Christ-centered.
- Last but not least, our account. Around this time of year our personal account does get low. Melissa’s checks are not covered at all and pay for Dave is touch and go as well. That said, we KNOW that God will continue to be faithful, and we thank you for your prayers and donations! Again, in all sincerity and with deep appreciation we couldn’t do this without your support!
God Bless,
Dave, Melissa, Leigha, Josiah and Toby!
Dave with his daughters waiting to go and see NEED TO BREATHE in concert!