Story of the Week: The Best Day

Peace, for Davin, isn’t the absence of hardship. It’s the presence of gratitude, one day at a time.

“I have so much peace,” Davin Torjesen shares. “I could think about my condition negatively, because it’s only ever going to get worse. But I think differently: Every day is the best day ever for me.”

Seated in a wheelchair he’s relied on for nearly five years, Davin smiles easily. His voice is steady. His sense of peace isn’t born out of denial or naïve optimism. It’s a posture he’s chosen, day after day, even as his body has slowly changed and weakened, reshaping the rhythms of his life. God’s Peace has taken root in places where fear might have won.

EARLY DAYS

Davin grew up half a world away, in China. As the son of missionary parents, he learned to see the world through God’s eyes. His childhood was shaped by days of ministry and cultural immersion, and an understanding that faith and calling were often meant to stretch beyond personal comfort.

During high school, he moved to Colorado. In 2011, Davin married his wife, Rainy. Not long after the wedding, Davin asked Rainy a question that would shape their trajectory for the next decade: “Would you be willing to go to China for a year?”

One year turned into ten.

They taught in local schools, built friendships across cultural gaps and welcomed two daughters into their family. Everything felt steady, until the world shifted underneath them.

HARD DAYS

In 2020, while still living abroad, Davin was riding his scooter when he was hit and dragged by a car. The accident could have cost him his life, but miraculously, he was able to return to work three days later.

Within a week, Davin noticed a strange weakness in his left hand. He brushed it off at first, assuming it would pass. But when weakness crept into his other hand, then his legs, it was clear something was wrong.

Seeking medical care in the midst of the COVID pandemic proved nearly impossible. But as the weakness spread, doctors began taking notice. They initially tied his condition to the scooter accident, but his symptoms didn’t seem to line up with the injuries he’d sustained.

Another physician suspected ALS and performed surgery in hopes of slowing the rapid muscle loss. It didn’t work.

More doctors followed. More tests. More theories. Still no answers. All they knew was that Davin’s condition was progressive and there was no end in sight.

DAYS TO SERVE

In 2024, Davin, Rainy and their girls moved to Colorado Springs, settling on the northwest side of town. Before long, Davin started attending Woodmen’s Rockrimmon campus.

His job search led him toward a position teaching math — a familiar space for Davin. But before he accepted, he sensed a nudge from God to explore a different path.

“Teaching would have been easier,” Davin admits. “But I felt God prompting me to prioritize serving over having my ideal job.”

Unsure where to begin, he reached out to Lori Dick, Woodmen’s point person for Kids Hope USA. Davin soon began mentoring a student. Then he connected with Emily Hess, who oversees Access — Woodmen’s ministry reaching individuals with special needs.

Emily shared about an opening on the Access team. Davin was excited about the chance to answer God’s call to serve. Today, as part of the Access team, he’s helping to ensure that every individual with special needs is welcomed, known and valued at Woodmen.

DAYS OF GRATITUDE

Davin’s diagnosis remains uncertain. His body continues to weaken. Tasks that once came easily now require help. Independence looks different. Yet instead of focusing on what is lost, he’s attentive to what’s been gained.

“I can either be super depressed because it’s only ever going to get worse, or I can choose to be grateful. Davin shares. “Because every day is the best day I’m going to have.”

A DAY TO COME

Someday, if God leads, Davin hopes to return to China to teach special education in a place where the need is great and resources are scarce. “China has very poor special ed,” he explains. “Many children with special needs are treated as outcasts.”

He dreams of shining a light into that space, creating belonging where there has only been rejection, dignity where there has been shame. Davin hopes to offer love to others, just as Christ has done for him.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

These days, Davin doesn’t know what his future holds. The journey isn’t easy or predictable.

But every morning, he wakes up with the same perspective: This is the best day ever. Not because it’s painless, but because God is present. Peace, for Davin, isn’t the absence of hardship. It’s the presence of gratitude, one day at a time.

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