May Update 2016

Dear Family and Friends,

Laurie, Lyndi and I are back in the USA for the months of June and July. We arrived back a day before Mitchell’s graduation from Calvin College in Civil Engineering. It was a delight to share that time with him and his friends there in Grand Rapids, MI. He begins an engineering job this June and will continue to make Grand Rapids his home. We are amazed at and thankful for the blessing of God upon his life.

Anna is back with us for this summer after finishing her junior year at Covenant College down in Georgia. Benjamin lives and works in Minneapolis and so will be with us often through out the summer. Seth & D’Evan will be back from Senegal for the summer and will spend some of that time with us in Minneapolis. We are truly thankful for the grace and blessing of our God. You might pray that this will be a time of strengthening faith in our God as we reconnect as a family only to be scattered once again as July comes to a close.

Our work in Peru with Scalpel At The Cross is quiet for a few months. There will be a work organizational team going in July to systematize the many medical devices in our storage center. We will then host two medical teams coming in the fall. You can be asking Father for grace in all the details of government permissions and hospital coordination for these medical campaigns.

Laurie’s work at SAM Academy closed with her elementary kids performing three musical numbers as the prelude to the school play. The comments of many parents encouraged her as they spoke of how much their children have enjoyed learning from Laurie. Pray for wisdom as we think about possible involvement at the school this fall over and above her responsibilities with Scalpel.

One more prayer item as you pray for us. Pray for the churches of Pucallpa. I have sensed so much potential for the kingdom in harnessing the mission of Scalpel At The Cross with the church in this great city for the purpose of following up our patients with the love of Christ. A group of pastors with whom I meet regularly are eager to begin this work as our teams come and go this fall. Ask Father to work through his people in Pucallpa to the end that our patients and their families might know that God has been in their midst and that many might be added to the church.

The brevity of life struck me again as one of our patients from our November campaign recently died of health issues unrelated to his surgery with us. Though we had spoken of the Lord together and prayed with him, he did not know the Lord. How we need the larger family of the church rallying with us to bring good news, hope, and practical help to these who benefit from the ministry of this medical expertise. Pray with us for the gospel to be glorified in Pucallpa through the church.

Ask continually for our hearts to be tender before the Lord … listening to his leadership … obeying every word spoken to us. He still leads his people!

We are thankful for all of you!

Peace,
Dan … for the Porch Clan!