It has been a busy summer, full of momentous events and God’s faithful sustaining.  On September 1, I will be leaving for Ghana and two weeks of conference ministry.  I am looking forward to seeing the brethren there and continuing the work of the past 12 years.  Please pray for the team as we travel and teach.

GOD'S STEADFAST LOVE

Our Joy, Our Hope and Our Expectation

When I write that it’s been a busy summer, it may be a bit of an understatement.  In the two months since I returned from Belarus, I have made several trips to visit my mom in Illinois, Susan spent 10 days at Lake Junaluska in North Carolina at a conference for Mission to the World, and we have checked in on Susan’s father, Jack Scott, on a daily basis. 

JOY: On August 6, we had the blessing of attending the baptism of our newest grandson, Ransom Hadden Steere, at Perimeter Church in Atlanta.  How encouraging it was to witness this evidence of God’s covenant faithfulness!  Daniel and Victoria (our oldest son and his wife) hosted a wonderful family time after the service, attended by both the Steere and the Horne families.

HOPE: However, we drove to Atlanta knowing that Susan’s father was not doing well.  He had stopped eating several days earlier, and was declining rapidly.  Susan spent lots of time with him over the next several days: caring for him, reading him Scripture and playing a CD of hymns.  Jack’s earthly struggle came to an end in the early morning of August 10.  As he slept, he entered peacefully into the presence of his Lord.  He would have been 94 in December.  We are sad, but are reminded of a section from a Robert Browning poem: 
God, Thou art love! I build my faith on that.  I know Thee who has kept my path, and made light for me in the darkness, tempering sorrow so that it reached me like a solemn joy.
 After making the necessary arrangements for Jack, we left on Friday for Illinois and a joyful celebration of my mother’s 90th birthday!  Family members – including my sister from Washington State – and many from Mom’s church and the community came to wish her a happy birthday.
 We bless the Lord for all of these events – the joyful ones and the sad.  Through them all, He has remained faithful.

EXPECTATION:  As time and focus have allowed, I have been preparing for the upcoming trips.  (Yes, I will be making TWO trips in September!)  I will be accompanied by 5 other teachers to Ghana for the first two weeks of the month.  During that time the six of us will teach four MINTS classes in both Sunyani and Kumasi, along with two conferences.  My main responsibility will be a Romans conference the first week and a Christian Education conference the second week.  We expect about 110 pastors and evangelists to hear Paul’s teaching on grace at the Romans conference.  In a context where so many Christians build their assurance of salvation upon their spiritual performance, this teaching can be revolutionary.
 This second conference is also very exciting, since it will be an opportunity to work with the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.  The Brong-Ahafo region has over 400 Presbyterian churches – many of them with Christian schools.  Many of the leaders and pastors are expected to attend the conference.  Along with the Presbyterians, there will also be attendees from the Ghana Evangelism Committee, potentially opening another door for continuing ministry.
 I also expect to help team teach the Doctrine of Man MINTS class.  I’ll return to the US, God willing, on the 17th.
 On September 26 I leave for Cochabamba, Bolivia to speak at a conference celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.  I will be speaking five times on the causes, struggle and continuation of the Reformation.  The following week, I will teach a course on Early Church History to the students in the Reformed seminary there.   I’ll return on October 10.
 As usual, I will be writing field reports at the end of each week of ministry, but please begin praying now for these trips and all those involved.  God has graciously provided the funds needed for the trips, and the arrangements have come together wonderfully – in the midst of difficult and busy days.  To Him goes all the glory!

For Christ’s Kingdom,
  Dan

SPECIFIC PRAYER REQUESTS:

• For the Word of God to have a powerful impact on those who hear it.  Pray especially for the Ghanaian MINTS students as they will have lots of work to do outside of class in order to gain credit for the four classes.
• Ask God also to expand our opportunities for ministry through the two conferences.  May Biblical truth make a profound impact on hearts and minds.
• Thank the Lord for His grace to our family in our joys and sorrows this summer.
• For safety as we travel by air and road.
• For increased financial support going forward.  Providential circumstances among some of our supporting churches and individuals – including the home-going of Susan’s father – mean the Lord will need to supply other sources of support for 2018.  We believe He will do that, if we ask Him to.