Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you all for your prayers for the safe arrival of our little baby. Claire Emily was born in the early morning hours of June 2nd, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces. We are so thankful to the Lord for giving us this precious gift. She is such a sweet baby, and we are all thrilled to finally have her here. We truly serve an amazing God.

We were able to take Kate down to visit an infectious disease specialist, who then sent us to an immunologist. Kate has been tested for many things, and everything continues to come back negative. Yet she repeatedly gets very high fevers lasting for about four days every month, almost like clockwork. The immunologist we visited feels that Kate may have a syndrome called PFAPA, which is basically an illness that causes reoccurring fevers on a cyclical basis. She has some of the symptoms of this, but not all. There is no known cause for PFAPA or really any definitive cure. It occurs in children and eventually goes away after several years. There is a medicine which works to suppress the fevers when they come and also another medicine that should prevent them. Her doctor wants her to try these medicines for two months, and if they are effective, we’ll assume this is what Kate has. If they don’t work, we will start into genetic testing for some other diseases. She did get another fever this past week, but the medicines have not been effective yet. So, we are still waiting on God. We are thankful that we are getting closer to a diagnosis; although it is discouraging to think that Kate may suffer with this for several years.

At this point, we are going to delay our return trip to PNG until after we’ve done this trial run with the medicines for two months and until after we’ve seen the immunologist again. The doctors have counseled us not to return to PNG until Kate is well or at least until we have some plan to treat her problem. This has been extremely discouraging for us, as we all truly long to return home. Our hearts are with the people of PNG, and we grow more and more homesick every day. We are so thankful that we can trust that the Lord has a plan in all of this. Only our amazing God can give comfort and peace in the midst of trials!

In the meantime, we are headed up to New England and will be there through the beginning of August to visit with Dan’s family and our supporting churches in that area. We will also seek additional medical help and counsel for Kate from doctors in Boston. We are still short on monthly support about $300, so please continue to be in prayer for that need as well. Thank you all for your love. You have all been so encouraging to us through this time in our lives. We are regularly told by individuals and families that we are prayed for every single day. We love you all.

Love, Dan, Amy, Tyler, Kate & Claire

P.S. Ty and Kate love their new baby sister. Tyler is quite protective of her, while Kate has become her second mommy. Kate loves to kiss Claire every chance she gets.

The Thyngs

It’s Another Girl!!!

Prayer Needs

People of PNG

* Development of Male Leadership

* Organization of Hosanna Baptist

* Evangelistic Meetings in August

* Local Tribal Unrest

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Personal

* Language Learning

* Missing Home and Friends from PNG

* Adjustment to Life with a New Baby

* Kate’s Health

* Ministry Opportunities While in the USA

Bible College

* Student School Fees

* Student Practicals (Ministry Training Under Pastors)

* Increased Teacher Work Load

*

Clinic Ministry

* Salvation Decisions and Follow-Up Discipleship

* Ongoing Financial Needs for Medicine