Sunday, December 16, 2007
Update - December 16, 2007
Last Lord's day (December 9) was a wonderful time of celebration for the work at Navy Base Christian Fellowship. They celebrated 32 years of God's faithfulness to them. It was a great time of remembrance of our Lord, followed by singing and praise to the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness. Then one of the elders shared the history of the Lord's work among them. He spoke of Ken and Marylou Engle whom the Lord used to begin the work, then of Cyril and Anna Brooks who continued it on, then of Ken Brooks and others who came behind to teach and help in the work. What a wonderful testimony of faithfulness to the Lord that these servants of the Lord demonstrated to the saints in His work here in Baguio. Then Dave Harvey gave a stirring message regarding the responsibility of the assembly to live lives that are pure and given over to the Savior. That "we are not our own, but we have been bought with a price. Therefore (we are to) glorify God in your bodies..." This was followed by a delicious dinner and an afternoon concert put on by the young people of the assembly. It was a long day, but a delightful time.
This coming Sunday I will be speaking for the first time down in Baguio Gold, for their anniversary. We pray that this will be the first of many opportunities to share the Word with them. Please be praying the same for us. Please pray that the Lord would use me in some small way to encourage the saints there this coming week, and that the Lord would open up doors for me to continue to share the word with them.
It appears that the rainy season is finally, completely over. It seemed to linger on a bit longer this year. With the drying season now upon us, Lord willing, we plan on taking our first trip up to Sagada at the end of January. We will be heading down to Manila the first week, to have some repairs done on the truck, and for a visit with the saints there, then the third week we will begin the bible school sessions at the assembly, then the last week we will head up the hill and scout things out. Please keep these things in your prayers.
Continue to pray for Winie, Josie and the family. Winie hit a 5 year old child with his car while doing visitation in the neighborhood and the child has been in the hospital for about a month now. He is improving but has needed two operations! All the burden falls on this poor family who have given themselvesto the work of the Lord full time at the assembly for the past several years. Winie has been visiting the child in the hospital, and has had several opportunities to share the gospel with them. Pray for Salvation to come to this family, and pray for the Lord's provision for the Mata family.
We have a fund set up that helps the poor with medical needs and for situations like this. We are so thankful to those who have sent along funds specifically to help the poor, the Lord is making good use of them to encourage His people here on a regular basis. It is helping those with ongoing medical needs, such as diabetes and those who simply would never go to a doctor because of lack of funds. It has been used to purchase medicines and help purchase food. It is all channeled through the local assembly. Please pray that the Lord would give us wisdom in the use of these funds, for His glory.
Thank you all for praying. Have a wonderful time remembering the birth of the Savior. So often the world will say..."Christmas is in the heart" And for us that is such a reality. For Christ...IS indeed in our hearts 365 days of the year. What a Wonderful Savior!!
This coming Sunday I will be speaking for the first time down in Baguio Gold, for their anniversary. We pray that this will be the first of many opportunities to share the Word with them. Please be praying the same for us. Please pray that the Lord would use me in some small way to encourage the saints there this coming week, and that the Lord would open up doors for me to continue to share the word with them.
It appears that the rainy season is finally, completely over. It seemed to linger on a bit longer this year. With the drying season now upon us, Lord willing, we plan on taking our first trip up to Sagada at the end of January. We will be heading down to Manila the first week, to have some repairs done on the truck, and for a visit with the saints there, then the third week we will begin the bible school sessions at the assembly, then the last week we will head up the hill and scout things out. Please keep these things in your prayers.
Continue to pray for Winie, Josie and the family. Winie hit a 5 year old child with his car while doing visitation in the neighborhood and the child has been in the hospital for about a month now. He is improving but has needed two operations! All the burden falls on this poor family who have given themselvesto the work of the Lord full time at the assembly for the past several years. Winie has been visiting the child in the hospital, and has had several opportunities to share the gospel with them. Pray for Salvation to come to this family, and pray for the Lord's provision for the Mata family.
We have a fund set up that helps the poor with medical needs and for situations like this. We are so thankful to those who have sent along funds specifically to help the poor, the Lord is making good use of them to encourage His people here on a regular basis. It is helping those with ongoing medical needs, such as diabetes and those who simply would never go to a doctor because of lack of funds. It has been used to purchase medicines and help purchase food. It is all channeled through the local assembly. Please pray that the Lord would give us wisdom in the use of these funds, for His glory.
Thank you all for praying. Have a wonderful time remembering the birth of the Savior. So often the world will say..."Christmas is in the heart" And for us that is such a reality. For Christ...IS indeed in our hearts 365 days of the year. What a Wonderful Savior!!
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
“…the poor you have always.”
I live and labor in a land that has many poor. It is one of the first things that strikes a new visitor when they first venture out past the airport’s custom stations. From the moment they leave the security of the airport in this land they are surrounded by the sights, smells and sounds of poverty.
A new visitor discovers people living in conditions that far exceed anything one might find in the slums of the prosperous countries of our world. Beyond the surface, there are similarities and common denominators such as discouragement, despair and a sense of hopelessness.
Education, perhaps, is the key to moving beyond these confines. But then the “catch 22” of college expenses, and the means to pay for their higher education, assaults them. Many will be born into these conditions and live in them all their lives. They will raise their own families here, and watch their grandchildren grow up in the same conditions they did. Many of them are squatters, living and growing up with the uncertainty of how long they will be able to live where they currently dwell before some major company desires the property they call “home” for another shopping center or lofty overpass.
The Lord stated to His disciples an undeniable fact. “…the poor you have with you always.” The question then, for us becomes: What is our responsibility as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ towards these less fortunate men, women and children? Do we have a responsibility at all? Or, can we simply watch, see the conditions, express our sadness, shed a tear, then turn the channel or divert the eye so as to avoid the pain and twinge we feel in our soul.
The scriptures, which we read and seek to obey, have a great deal to say about how our Lord feels about the poor and His concern for them. It is easy for us to say, “Oh how sad…how very sad that so many must live in such desperate conditions. But what can I do? I cannot meet the needs of the world. After all, are there not many Christian and Non-Christian humanitarian societies working selflessly to meet these needs?” “Are there no prisons, are there no workhouses?”, is what Scrooge, in Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol”, said in response to men seeking charity for the poor. Do our hearts respond in the same manner? We may say, “There are many useful institutions which meet the needs of the poor, and from time to time I have given my dollar to help. What more can I do?” We must learn to be Biblical.
The Lord made provision for the poor, by using the resources of His people, from the blessings they received from His hand: “And when you reap the harvest of your land, thou shall not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shall thou gather any gleanings of thy harvest; thou shall leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger, I am the LORD your God.” Lev 23:22
You will quickly notice whose harvest it is, whose fields they are, and who owns the gleanings. They are the people’s fields. They are the ones who own the fields, the ones who work them, who labor in planting, watering, and harvesting. They are the ones who pay the laborers. Of their labors, of their harvest, be it great or small, they are to be sure they give to the poor so that those who lack may glean, harvest and eat.
But, they may retort, “But they didn’t work!” The poor, the stranger, didn’t plow their fields; they had no field to plow. They didn’t labor in the fields; they had no one hire them. They are the truly needy, not the lazy or the sluggard, but the poor among you. The LORD said, “care for them.”
“For the poor shall never cease out of the land, therefore I command thee saying, thou shalt open thy hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to the needy in thy land.” (Deut 15:11)
“Open thy hand wide unto thy brother, to the poor and needy” I think, sometimes, my heart is haunted by the words of James. “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also your faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead.” (James 2:15-16)
When we live in a land of great prosperity and build walls to shelter ourselves from the slums of the inner city; when we willfully and knowingly separate ourselves from our own brothers and sisters in Christ living in other countries who are in deep need; when we pray for those unable to get the hospital care they need, those unable to put healthy food on the table each day, those unable to meet the meanest of needs, how dwells the Love of Christ in us, if we lift no finger to help? We often times think, I suppose, that in some mysterious way God will bring manna from heaven to feed the poor. We pray for the Lord to meet their every need, but in reality we say with those in James…”Be warmed, be filled…”, and do nothing to help.
Shanties, beggars, the crippled and the maimed line the streets in many sections of the main thoroughfares of this land, as they do in many throughout this world. The sad thing I have experienced, is that after a while you do not see them anymore. They are now blended into the regular fabric of daily life and our soul’s grief for them is jaded. But the word of God and the Spirit of God will just not let it be so. “For the needy shall not always be forgotten, the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever” (Psalm 9:18) “For the LORD hears the poor….” (Psalm 69:33)
In Deut. 15:1-11 we read of the Law regarding the Lord’s Release.
Once, again, the LORD, in concern for the poor, lest they be perpetually in a state of indebtedness, makes provision for them. In this provision of His mercy, He commands that every seven years they would be free from their debts to their brothers. Their brothers could not, according to this law, try to retrieve money lent to them. This did not mean that there was no moral obligation on behalf of the people to seek to repay, but it relieved them of the burden of continued debt. It was the LORD’S release. He provided it for them.
Verse four of this chapter seems to tell us that this law would keep the poor from being constantly in debt and getting further in debt. But, every seven years the poor would be given a fresh start. What a wonderful provision from the Lord! It is not designed to help the lazy and the sluggard, but those genuinely in need.
The chapter goes on, and in the Lord’s continual advocacy for the poor He says to them, “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open you hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.” (15:7ff)
The next few verses in Deuteronomy seem to echo the words of our Lord in Luke 6:34-35 when He said, “…and if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks is it to you? For even sinners lend to sinners that they may receive the like. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return, and your reward shall be great and you shall be sons of the Highest.”
In Deuteronomy 15:9-10 He says: “Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart saying, “The seventh year, the year of release is at hand, and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing and he cry out to the LORD against you and it become sin among you. You shall surely give to him and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.”
Paul, under inspiration of the Spirit, says…”God loves a cheerful giver…” (2 Cor. 9:7) Once again we see the same theme echoed that were in the words of verse 10 above.
Deuteronomy 15 continues with verse 11; “For the poor will never cease from the land therefore I command you saying you shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy in your land.”
Again, the LORD is making careful provision for the brethren. Those with abundance are to recognize the poor brother and open their hand….not stingily, nor tightfisted; not with a list of questions as to the “why?” of their poverty, but open it wide and meet the need. Further questioning and help can be given later to improve the situation , first meet the need. And, they are to give without usury. They are to give without the expectation of profit to themselves.
“The poor shall never cease from the land…” “For you have the poor always with you...” (Mathew 26:11) 1 Samuel 2:7 makes this rather startling statement: “The LORD makes the poor, and makes the rich, He brings low and lifts up”. This is found in Hannah’s song of thanksgiving to the LORD after she gave her son of promise unto the Lord for His service.
I realize that it falls among a group of similes, where one thought is placed against another for emphasis. Yet the truth of the verse remains. Does the LORD make the poor so that the rich can have compassion on them? Does He allow there to be poverty in order to give others an opportunity to serve Him, by not closing their eyes to the poor? Does He allow the rich to have abundance so as to give them an opportunity to share with those less fortunate? These are not only interesting but things to meditate on, but necessary to spiritual growth.
Wealth often is a relative thing. You may not consider yourself to be wealthy when you measure yourself against your neighbors or against others who live in more affluent areas of your country. But, when you place your wealth beside one in Uganda, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Peru or the Philippines, you may indeed appear quite affluent by comparison. In those countries, even a few dollars can make a significant difference.
Proverbs 22:9 states: “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.” Matthew Henry, in his classic commentary on the whole bible, says of this verse:
“The description of a charitable man; he has a bountiful eye , - an eye that seeks out objects of charity, besides those that offer themselves, - an eye that, upon the sight of one in want and misery, affects the heart with compassion, - an eye that with the alms gives a pleasant look, which makes the alms doubly acceptable. He has also a liberal hand: He gives of his bread to those that need - his bread, the bread appointed for his own eating. He will rather abridge himself than see the poor perish for want; yet he does not give all his bread, but of his bread; the poor shall have their share with his own family. 2. The blessedness of such a man. The loins of the poor will bless them, all about him will speak well of him, and God himself will bless him, in answer to many a good prayer put up for him, and he shall be blessed.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible. Matthew Henry (1662-1714)
The writer of one of the Proverbs adds to these thoughts, in that, “He that gives unto the poor shall not lack; but he that hides his eyes shall have many a curse.” (Proverbs 28:27) These words are certainly a challenge to my heart and to any open heart. To learn to have a “bountiful eye”, to pray that the Lord would remove the scales if scales there be. To learn, by His grace, to give willingly and with a cheerful heart, lest the poor be further saddened in their plight. To allow the Lord to create in us a heart that; “…considers the cause of the poor...” and does not respond like the wicked and unregenerate made who “…regards it not….” (Proverbs 29:7)
It is said of the Proverbial woman…”She stretches out her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches forth her hand to the needy.” (Prov 31:20) She puts action into her pity. She reaches out with more than prayer.
When the saints in Macedonia and Achaia heard of the need of their brethren in Jerusalem, having never met them, Paul could say of their charity; ”For it has pleased those of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are in Jerusalem” (Romans 15:26)
One of the requests of the elders of Jerusalem, after meeting with Paul and Barnabas to discuss issues concerning the gospel presented by them to the Gentiles, was that they “remember the poor.” And that was, according to Paul, “…the same which I was forward (diligent or zealous) to do.” (Gal 2:10)
The statement of David to Araunah the Jebusite, I suppose, may be a fitting way to end these few thoughts. The story is familiar to us all. David said to Araunah, in response to his offer to give David the threshing floor wherein he was to make his offering unto the Lord for the sin he done and the suffering he had allowed to the people of Israel, “I will surely buy it from you for a price, nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which cost me nothing…”
Does our offering to the LORD come from that which will cost us nothing? May we search our hearts and count the cost, then give freely and with a cheerful heart. For it is the Lord that we serve, and He will be no ones debtor.
KHH
Ken & Joyce Hardisty serve as missionaries in Benguet Province Baguio, Philippines
I live and labor in a land that has many poor. It is one of the first things that strikes a new visitor when they first venture out past the airport’s custom stations. From the moment they leave the security of the airport in this land they are surrounded by the sights, smells and sounds of poverty.
A new visitor discovers people living in conditions that far exceed anything one might find in the slums of the prosperous countries of our world. Beyond the surface, there are similarities and common denominators such as discouragement, despair and a sense of hopelessness.
Education, perhaps, is the key to moving beyond these confines. But then the “catch 22” of college expenses, and the means to pay for their higher education, assaults them. Many will be born into these conditions and live in them all their lives. They will raise their own families here, and watch their grandchildren grow up in the same conditions they did. Many of them are squatters, living and growing up with the uncertainty of how long they will be able to live where they currently dwell before some major company desires the property they call “home” for another shopping center or lofty overpass.
The Lord stated to His disciples an undeniable fact. “…the poor you have with you always.” The question then, for us becomes: What is our responsibility as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ towards these less fortunate men, women and children? Do we have a responsibility at all? Or, can we simply watch, see the conditions, express our sadness, shed a tear, then turn the channel or divert the eye so as to avoid the pain and twinge we feel in our soul.
The scriptures, which we read and seek to obey, have a great deal to say about how our Lord feels about the poor and His concern for them. It is easy for us to say, “Oh how sad…how very sad that so many must live in such desperate conditions. But what can I do? I cannot meet the needs of the world. After all, are there not many Christian and Non-Christian humanitarian societies working selflessly to meet these needs?” “Are there no prisons, are there no workhouses?”, is what Scrooge, in Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol”, said in response to men seeking charity for the poor. Do our hearts respond in the same manner? We may say, “There are many useful institutions which meet the needs of the poor, and from time to time I have given my dollar to help. What more can I do?” We must learn to be Biblical.
The Lord made provision for the poor, by using the resources of His people, from the blessings they received from His hand: “And when you reap the harvest of your land, thou shall not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shall thou gather any gleanings of thy harvest; thou shall leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger, I am the LORD your God.” Lev 23:22
You will quickly notice whose harvest it is, whose fields they are, and who owns the gleanings. They are the people’s fields. They are the ones who own the fields, the ones who work them, who labor in planting, watering, and harvesting. They are the ones who pay the laborers. Of their labors, of their harvest, be it great or small, they are to be sure they give to the poor so that those who lack may glean, harvest and eat.
But, they may retort, “But they didn’t work!” The poor, the stranger, didn’t plow their fields; they had no field to plow. They didn’t labor in the fields; they had no one hire them. They are the truly needy, not the lazy or the sluggard, but the poor among you. The LORD said, “care for them.”
“For the poor shall never cease out of the land, therefore I command thee saying, thou shalt open thy hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to the needy in thy land.” (Deut 15:11)
“Open thy hand wide unto thy brother, to the poor and needy” I think, sometimes, my heart is haunted by the words of James. “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also your faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead.” (James 2:15-16)
When we live in a land of great prosperity and build walls to shelter ourselves from the slums of the inner city; when we willfully and knowingly separate ourselves from our own brothers and sisters in Christ living in other countries who are in deep need; when we pray for those unable to get the hospital care they need, those unable to put healthy food on the table each day, those unable to meet the meanest of needs, how dwells the Love of Christ in us, if we lift no finger to help? We often times think, I suppose, that in some mysterious way God will bring manna from heaven to feed the poor. We pray for the Lord to meet their every need, but in reality we say with those in James…”Be warmed, be filled…”, and do nothing to help.
Shanties, beggars, the crippled and the maimed line the streets in many sections of the main thoroughfares of this land, as they do in many throughout this world. The sad thing I have experienced, is that after a while you do not see them anymore. They are now blended into the regular fabric of daily life and our soul’s grief for them is jaded. But the word of God and the Spirit of God will just not let it be so. “For the needy shall not always be forgotten, the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever” (Psalm 9:18) “For the LORD hears the poor….” (Psalm 69:33)
In Deut. 15:1-11 we read of the Law regarding the Lord’s Release.
Once, again, the LORD, in concern for the poor, lest they be perpetually in a state of indebtedness, makes provision for them. In this provision of His mercy, He commands that every seven years they would be free from their debts to their brothers. Their brothers could not, according to this law, try to retrieve money lent to them. This did not mean that there was no moral obligation on behalf of the people to seek to repay, but it relieved them of the burden of continued debt. It was the LORD’S release. He provided it for them.
Verse four of this chapter seems to tell us that this law would keep the poor from being constantly in debt and getting further in debt. But, every seven years the poor would be given a fresh start. What a wonderful provision from the Lord! It is not designed to help the lazy and the sluggard, but those genuinely in need.
The chapter goes on, and in the Lord’s continual advocacy for the poor He says to them, “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open you hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.” (15:7ff)
The next few verses in Deuteronomy seem to echo the words of our Lord in Luke 6:34-35 when He said, “…and if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks is it to you? For even sinners lend to sinners that they may receive the like. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return, and your reward shall be great and you shall be sons of the Highest.”
In Deuteronomy 15:9-10 He says: “Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart saying, “The seventh year, the year of release is at hand, and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing and he cry out to the LORD against you and it become sin among you. You shall surely give to him and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.”
Paul, under inspiration of the Spirit, says…”God loves a cheerful giver…” (2 Cor. 9:7) Once again we see the same theme echoed that were in the words of verse 10 above.
Deuteronomy 15 continues with verse 11; “For the poor will never cease from the land therefore I command you saying you shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy in your land.”
Again, the LORD is making careful provision for the brethren. Those with abundance are to recognize the poor brother and open their hand….not stingily, nor tightfisted; not with a list of questions as to the “why?” of their poverty, but open it wide and meet the need. Further questioning and help can be given later to improve the situation , first meet the need. And, they are to give without usury. They are to give without the expectation of profit to themselves.
“The poor shall never cease from the land…” “For you have the poor always with you...” (Mathew 26:11) 1 Samuel 2:7 makes this rather startling statement: “The LORD makes the poor, and makes the rich, He brings low and lifts up”. This is found in Hannah’s song of thanksgiving to the LORD after she gave her son of promise unto the Lord for His service.
I realize that it falls among a group of similes, where one thought is placed against another for emphasis. Yet the truth of the verse remains. Does the LORD make the poor so that the rich can have compassion on them? Does He allow there to be poverty in order to give others an opportunity to serve Him, by not closing their eyes to the poor? Does He allow the rich to have abundance so as to give them an opportunity to share with those less fortunate? These are not only interesting but things to meditate on, but necessary to spiritual growth.
Wealth often is a relative thing. You may not consider yourself to be wealthy when you measure yourself against your neighbors or against others who live in more affluent areas of your country. But, when you place your wealth beside one in Uganda, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Peru or the Philippines, you may indeed appear quite affluent by comparison. In those countries, even a few dollars can make a significant difference.
Proverbs 22:9 states: “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.” Matthew Henry, in his classic commentary on the whole bible, says of this verse:
“The description of a charitable man; he has a bountiful eye , - an eye that seeks out objects of charity, besides those that offer themselves, - an eye that, upon the sight of one in want and misery, affects the heart with compassion, - an eye that with the alms gives a pleasant look, which makes the alms doubly acceptable. He has also a liberal hand: He gives of his bread to those that need - his bread, the bread appointed for his own eating. He will rather abridge himself than see the poor perish for want; yet he does not give all his bread, but of his bread; the poor shall have their share with his own family. 2. The blessedness of such a man. The loins of the poor will bless them, all about him will speak well of him, and God himself will bless him, in answer to many a good prayer put up for him, and he shall be blessed.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible. Matthew Henry (1662-1714)
The writer of one of the Proverbs adds to these thoughts, in that, “He that gives unto the poor shall not lack; but he that hides his eyes shall have many a curse.” (Proverbs 28:27) These words are certainly a challenge to my heart and to any open heart. To learn to have a “bountiful eye”, to pray that the Lord would remove the scales if scales there be. To learn, by His grace, to give willingly and with a cheerful heart, lest the poor be further saddened in their plight. To allow the Lord to create in us a heart that; “…considers the cause of the poor...” and does not respond like the wicked and unregenerate made who “…regards it not….” (Proverbs 29:7)
It is said of the Proverbial woman…”She stretches out her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches forth her hand to the needy.” (Prov 31:20) She puts action into her pity. She reaches out with more than prayer.
When the saints in Macedonia and Achaia heard of the need of their brethren in Jerusalem, having never met them, Paul could say of their charity; ”For it has pleased those of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are in Jerusalem” (Romans 15:26)
One of the requests of the elders of Jerusalem, after meeting with Paul and Barnabas to discuss issues concerning the gospel presented by them to the Gentiles, was that they “remember the poor.” And that was, according to Paul, “…the same which I was forward (diligent or zealous) to do.” (Gal 2:10)
The statement of David to Araunah the Jebusite, I suppose, may be a fitting way to end these few thoughts. The story is familiar to us all. David said to Araunah, in response to his offer to give David the threshing floor wherein he was to make his offering unto the Lord for the sin he done and the suffering he had allowed to the people of Israel, “I will surely buy it from you for a price, nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which cost me nothing…”
Does our offering to the LORD come from that which will cost us nothing? May we search our hearts and count the cost, then give freely and with a cheerful heart. For it is the Lord that we serve, and He will be no ones debtor.
KHH
Ken & Joyce Hardisty serve as missionaries in Benguet Province Baguio, Philippines
Monday, December 03, 2007
Dec 3, 2007 Fatima Home Assembly - select picture to enlarge
pics looking toward Baguio Gold, and out the window of the home the assembly meets in
some of the saints of Navy Base Chapel walking to the Fatima assembly
another good view toward the home
pic of the area the assembly meets in
inside of the home Fatima assembly meets in, and a few of the Saints.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Update - Nov 27, 2007
Greetings to all,
It has been a very good and profitable time since last we wrote. The Lord has opened up some nice opportunities for the teaching of His precious word. We are currently planning to begin the Mini Bible school format starting in January. The elders have decided to have the book of Hebrews taught during these first sessions. The sessions will run Monday through Friday, from 7 to 9 in the evenings, one week each quarter. The book of Hebrews will probably take the first year to complete. Sign up for the classes will begin in December, so please be praying.
I was able to visit with the saints down in Baguio Gold this past Lord's Day. What a blessing it was to meet them. The chapel is down a very steep road that is partially paved and partially mud in the rainy season. So we were able to drive part of the way down, then we walked the rest. It is a beautiful location nestled in the valley with mountains all around. This Lord's Day the most recent typhoon was drawing close so the clouds were hanging low among the mountain ranges, it was just beautiful. The Lord used our brother Bong to bring a good word of encouragement to the saints. I am scheduled to speak at their anniversary Sunday on December 23rd, so please be praying.
The work in Fatima is going on well. This week, due to the rain we were unable to visit with the saints there. But the Lord is blessing there as well and a few of the women from that work will be joining the ladies from Navy Base to go to the women's conference in Malolos Bulucan next weekend.
I continue to teach on Wednesday nights and the saints seem to be encouraged, so please continue to pray. One of the men was mentioning on Sunday how the study has helped him during a recent trial that has come into his life. How good to know that the word is encouraging the saints hearts and strengthening them for the walk of faith.
Last week we were informed that our visas had been approved. They have granted us two years, which is good. This is a 9G visa and is renewable up to ten years. We are still considering our options with a permanent resident visa. There are pros and cons in obtaining one, so we continue to pray for the Lord's direction.
Thanks for all your prayers. The Lord is opening up doors and making the path before us plain. What a wonderful savior!!
Ken
It has been a very good and profitable time since last we wrote. The Lord has opened up some nice opportunities for the teaching of His precious word. We are currently planning to begin the Mini Bible school format starting in January. The elders have decided to have the book of Hebrews taught during these first sessions. The sessions will run Monday through Friday, from 7 to 9 in the evenings, one week each quarter. The book of Hebrews will probably take the first year to complete. Sign up for the classes will begin in December, so please be praying.
I was able to visit with the saints down in Baguio Gold this past Lord's Day. What a blessing it was to meet them. The chapel is down a very steep road that is partially paved and partially mud in the rainy season. So we were able to drive part of the way down, then we walked the rest. It is a beautiful location nestled in the valley with mountains all around. This Lord's Day the most recent typhoon was drawing close so the clouds were hanging low among the mountain ranges, it was just beautiful. The Lord used our brother Bong to bring a good word of encouragement to the saints. I am scheduled to speak at their anniversary Sunday on December 23rd, so please be praying.
The work in Fatima is going on well. This week, due to the rain we were unable to visit with the saints there. But the Lord is blessing there as well and a few of the women from that work will be joining the ladies from Navy Base to go to the women's conference in Malolos Bulucan next weekend.
I continue to teach on Wednesday nights and the saints seem to be encouraged, so please continue to pray. One of the men was mentioning on Sunday how the study has helped him during a recent trial that has come into his life. How good to know that the word is encouraging the saints hearts and strengthening them for the walk of faith.
Last week we were informed that our visas had been approved. They have granted us two years, which is good. This is a 9G visa and is renewable up to ten years. We are still considering our options with a permanent resident visa. There are pros and cons in obtaining one, so we continue to pray for the Lord's direction.
Thanks for all your prayers. The Lord is opening up doors and making the path before us plain. What a wonderful savior!!
Ken
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
In Baguio - October 23, 2007
Greetings to you all from Baguio! We moved up last Saturday and are safe and sound. Joyce is still busy unpacking and sorting through things, I am busy repairing things and cleaning, there is much to do. The former tenants left a few pieces of furniture so that has been a help since we brought none of our own over with us. Joyce is making the place look like home.
I spoke this past Sunday at the assembly at Navy Base. We have begun a series on some highlights in the life of Abraham. On Wednesday nights we will be beginning a series on the love of the Lord for Israel and for the Church, using the book of Song of Solomon. Please pray that the Lord would uses these times to the encouragement of His people. For the meantime I am going to concentrate on teaching the saints and wait on the Lord to begin to open up other doors of opportunity. Pray with us for His leading and guidance.
Once the raining season is over we will plan to make a trip up the mountain trail and see Sagada. Pray with us as we pray that the Lord would give clear guidance.
Thanks for all your prayers. The Lord is blessing and encouraging our souls. His name to my heart is "...as ointment poured forth. Therefore...we love Him."
Ken
I spoke this past Sunday at the assembly at Navy Base. We have begun a series on some highlights in the life of Abraham. On Wednesday nights we will be beginning a series on the love of the Lord for Israel and for the Church, using the book of Song of Solomon. Please pray that the Lord would uses these times to the encouragement of His people. For the meantime I am going to concentrate on teaching the saints and wait on the Lord to begin to open up other doors of opportunity. Pray with us for His leading and guidance.
Once the raining season is over we will plan to make a trip up the mountain trail and see Sagada. Pray with us as we pray that the Lord would give clear guidance.
Thanks for all your prayers. The Lord is blessing and encouraging our souls. His name to my heart is "...as ointment poured forth. Therefore...we love Him."
Ken
Friday, October 05, 2007
Tia Elizabeth Oct, 2007
Tia Elizabeth sitting outside for the first time in over 8 months. She laughed all the way out her door and across the small bridge and praised the Lord as she went up the hill to visit with her friend....thank you all for your prayers for her.
Friday, September 28, 2007
September 27, 2007 Tia Elizabeth's Home and the upcoming move to The Mountains
Greetings to you all once again from Manila. We wanted to send a short update for those who have been praying for and concerned for Tia Elizabeth, an elderly, poor saint, who was bed ridden 8 months ago because of a fall she took outside her home. Due to the generosity of a married couple who just wanted to help her, we were enabled by the Lord to pour a concrete slab in front of her home and extend a bridge over the small ditch beside and continue the slab to the other side. Next week, Lord willing, we will be purchasing a wheel chair and she will be able, for the first time since her fall, to be mobile. She will be able to be pushed out, across the bridge to visit with the saints! She is so excited. This dear couple provided all that was needed to pour this slab and provide some food and meds for her. She thanks her brother and sister for their kindness to her. The wheel chair was made possible by an assembly in the midwest which send a gift to "help the poor among you". The remainder of that kind gift has been set aside in a fund to be used for emergency medical needs for the poor in the future. Thanks you all for praying.
I have been teaching a series in Antipolo for the last several Wednesday nights, it has been well attended and the saints seem encouraged. This past Sunday I spoke my last message in Cogeo and finished the series on Ephesians four with them. This Sunday I will be speaking in Quezon City, it will be good to visit with the saints there as it has been several years since I saw them last. The following Sunday I will be speaking twice at the anniversary meetings in Antipolo on the topic of "knit together in Love" The following Sunday in the mountains!!
Please continue to pray for us as we make our transition to the mountains. We are so looking forward to finally being settled, we are looking forward to what the Lord has for us in the years to come, if He not come. Once we have made the move we will send another update for you all. Thank you so much for your prayers for us.
I have been teaching a series in Antipolo for the last several Wednesday nights, it has been well attended and the saints seem encouraged. This past Sunday I spoke my last message in Cogeo and finished the series on Ephesians four with them. This Sunday I will be speaking in Quezon City, it will be good to visit with the saints there as it has been several years since I saw them last. The following Sunday I will be speaking twice at the anniversary meetings in Antipolo on the topic of "knit together in Love" The following Sunday in the mountains!!
Please continue to pray for us as we make our transition to the mountains. We are so looking forward to finally being settled, we are looking forward to what the Lord has for us in the years to come, if He not come. Once we have made the move we will send another update for you all. Thank you so much for your prayers for us.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
September 2 - Ministry in Angono, Baptism in Cogeo
Greetings to you all once again. It was such a joy to spend this morning among two groups of saints. I spoke this morning in Angono, Rizal and finished up a series of messages. I trust the Lord will use them for His glory and for the edification of the saints. Following that meeting we quickly drove over to Cogeo for a baptism and to celebrate their 24th anniversary. I had the joy of baptizing seven, a older husband and wife, who just recently accepted the Lord as their Savior. As a result of their conversion and testimony now their entire family have come to Christ, even their daughter in law now is a believer. What a joy to see. Then I had the joy of baptizing some younger believers, some whom I have know since they were babies....and now they have matured into nice young Christian men and women. It was such a time of blessing for me personally. Rejoice with me!!!
Friday, August 24, 2007
August 24, 2007 - Baguio Trip 2
Greetings to you all. Thank you so much for your prayers and for checking in on this site from time to time to keep updated as to our activities for the Lord.
We traveled up to Baguio once again last week in order to get some work done on the new place. It began raining on Monday afternoon after we arrived and continued to rain almost non stop for the next seven days. Super Typhoon Egay (Cat 5) was swirling in the Philippine Sea off the east coast and moving North toward Taiwan. It never made landfall in the Philippines but greatly enhanced the South West Monsoon rains and dumps several inches on the main island of Luzon. This caused several landslides on the roads leading out of Baguio and some bad flooding in the lowlands. We had planned on leaving Baguio on Friday morning but due to the conditions we had to extent until the rains subsided. We were finally able to pull out at 5:15 Monday morning. The trip down Kennon Road was absolutely beautiful. The rains had caused all the rivers to swell producing, what seemed to be, hundreds of waterfalls of various sizes. Some which actually fell over the road and had to be driven through. We arrived safely home in the late morning hours, thankful to the Lord for once again giving us safety as we traveled.
While in Baguio we were able to once again meet with the saints there both on Wednesday night and Sunday morning. I was asked to speak at both meetings and was glad to do so.
Rebecca Coburn arrived from Pennsylvania on Thursday the 23rd and will be staying with us for the next six weeks. She is a delightful young lady and will be doing some student teaching at Faith Academy. She is a much needed PE teacher. Pray for her that this experience would both be helpful for Faith Academy and may be a learning and rewarding experience for her. She will be staying until October 9th. We will be moving up to Baguio on October 13th.
Things, for us, are going well. We continue to study Ilokano twice a week and are busy speaking in the local assemblies. Our hearts continue to yearn for the mountains, both for Baguio and beyond. To finally be settled into a place we can call “home” and to be able to finally unpack all our things will be a blessing.
I am scheduled to speak in Cogeo this tomorrow on the Lord’s Day. Next week I will be speaking in Angono in the morning then traveling quickly over to Cogeo, once again, for their anniversary celebration. Since we served the Lord in that assembly for many years they have asked if I would come and baptize several new believers, which of course I am delighted to do.
Thanks for all your prayers and support. The Lord has blessed us and challenged us in the work here. We look forward with grant anticipation to what He will do in the mountains.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Morning Glory Assembly- Baguio
Brother Ruperto Jaleco and his wife, were among the first ones in the assembly after Evelyn Balanag was saved in 1968. Today, they are still faithful to the Lord, and the assembly.
Numbers were down this Lord's day because of a typhoon that was nearby
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Baguio - August 5, 2007
Greetings to all.
We were able to visit the mountain city of Baguio last week and the Lord answered several of our prayers on that very first visit, for which we give Him thanks.
When we first arrived we were told how difficult it may be to find suitable housing in Baguio as several others have tried and been unsuccessful in securing housing. We spoke with another single missionary who had been looking for a place, just to get some tips on how to proceed. She spoke of a place she had"checked out" but that was not going to work out for her, but perhaps it would be nice for us. She gave us the name of the owner and directions to it. We visited it, and by the following day we had secured it. What a blessing. It will need some work to make it livable for us, but it will meet our needs nicely.
The following day was the Lord's Day and we visited with one of the assemblies in Baguio. This is the assembly called Navy Base Gospel Chapel, a work the Lord allowed Ken Engle to start back in the 60s. It is the work we have been praying about helping, and felt led of the Lord, for this past year, to work with. When we arrived on Sunday morning we expected that word of our desire to live and work among them in Baguio would have reached them. But to our surprise they had no idea of our plans. One of the elders met us at the door, he is a man I have known for years,and he was so excited to see us. Then when he learned of our plans he was almost in tears he was so happy. Then when he shared it with the assembly there was clapping and excitement all around. We felt so warmly welcomed. What a blessing and confirmation from the Lord to our hearts. Then they read a letter that Ken Engle and his son Kevin Engle had written by way of introducing us to the assembly and they were just so happy to know of our plans. The Lord has indeed blessed us!! Thank you for all your prayers.
We head back up the mountain in a week to do some work on the new place. Our plans are still to move up in October, and we can't wait to finally get settled in there Lord willing. Continue to pray for our visas. We are still awaiting a hearing, and the issuing of our 9G visas, after which we will begin the process of acquiring Permanent Residence Visas.
I spoke in Angono this morning here in Rizal Province. The saints there seemed to listen with much interest to the word of the Lord. We pray that in some small way He will use us to encourage them in their walk for Him. Next week we will be once again in Molabong.
Again, thank you all for your prayers and support, it has indeed encouraged our hearts.
Ken
We were able to visit the mountain city of Baguio last week and the Lord answered several of our prayers on that very first visit, for which we give Him thanks.
When we first arrived we were told how difficult it may be to find suitable housing in Baguio as several others have tried and been unsuccessful in securing housing. We spoke with another single missionary who had been looking for a place, just to get some tips on how to proceed. She spoke of a place she had"checked out" but that was not going to work out for her, but perhaps it would be nice for us. She gave us the name of the owner and directions to it. We visited it, and by the following day we had secured it. What a blessing. It will need some work to make it livable for us, but it will meet our needs nicely.
The following day was the Lord's Day and we visited with one of the assemblies in Baguio. This is the assembly called Navy Base Gospel Chapel, a work the Lord allowed Ken Engle to start back in the 60s. It is the work we have been praying about helping, and felt led of the Lord, for this past year, to work with. When we arrived on Sunday morning we expected that word of our desire to live and work among them in Baguio would have reached them. But to our surprise they had no idea of our plans. One of the elders met us at the door, he is a man I have known for years,and he was so excited to see us. Then when he learned of our plans he was almost in tears he was so happy. Then when he shared it with the assembly there was clapping and excitement all around. We felt so warmly welcomed. What a blessing and confirmation from the Lord to our hearts. Then they read a letter that Ken Engle and his son Kevin Engle had written by way of introducing us to the assembly and they were just so happy to know of our plans. The Lord has indeed blessed us!! Thank you for all your prayers.
We head back up the mountain in a week to do some work on the new place. Our plans are still to move up in October, and we can't wait to finally get settled in there Lord willing. Continue to pray for our visas. We are still awaiting a hearing, and the issuing of our 9G visas, after which we will begin the process of acquiring Permanent Residence Visas.
I spoke in Angono this morning here in Rizal Province. The saints there seemed to listen with much interest to the word of the Lord. We pray that in some small way He will use us to encourage them in their walk for Him. Next week we will be once again in Molabong.
Again, thank you all for your prayers and support, it has indeed encouraged our hearts.
Ken
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Update - July 12, 2007
Greetings to you,
Just a brief update for all of you who have been praying....we will be beginning our Ilocano language study on Tuesday!!! Praise the Lord He has provided a school, about 45 min drive away, where we can take some classes for the next few months. Thanks for praying.
I will begin teaching additional studies at the end of this month at Hill Crest, for their midweek meetings. So between language school, Wednesday night studies and Sunday speaking we have a pretty full schedule right now so would appreciate your continued prayer...
Ken Hardisty
Just a brief update for all of you who have been praying....we will be beginning our Ilocano language study on Tuesday!!! Praise the Lord He has provided a school, about 45 min drive away, where we can take some classes for the next few months. Thanks for praying.
I will begin teaching additional studies at the end of this month at Hill Crest, for their midweek meetings. So between language school, Wednesday night studies and Sunday speaking we have a pretty full schedule right now so would appreciate your continued prayer...
Ken Hardisty
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Update, July 1, 2007
I just arrived back from speaking at the assembly in Angono in Rizal Province. It was good to remember the Lord with them and be able to share with them from the Word of our Lord. We began what will be a four part series in Romans 6 thru 8. We will be speaking there on the first Sunday of every month until October when we will make the move up to Baguio, Lord willing. Last Lord’s Day we were with the saints in Cogeo, and the week before I spoke at the assembly in Antipolo called, Hill Crest. My messages have been all in Tagalog and it seems to be coming back quickly, thank you for all your prayers.
We have purchased an older car that we pray will meet our needs for the next few years. Thank you for praying. It seems to be a solid car and in very good shape.
We will make our first visit up to Baguio on the last week of July and will visit with the assembly at Morning Glory and will begin to scout out places for us to live when we finally make the move up in October. We plan, Lord willing, to make a trip up each month. Be praying with us that the Lord would open up a secure place for us to live in Baguio that we can use as a base for reaching further up into the mountains in the coming years.
We had planned to take some language classes here in Manila to study Ilocano but that is not going to be possible since the school currently has no one to teach that language. So the Lord obviously has other plans. Keep us in your prayers as we seek His guidance for the months ahead.
We have purchased an older car that we pray will meet our needs for the next few years. Thank you for praying. It seems to be a solid car and in very good shape.
We will make our first visit up to Baguio on the last week of July and will visit with the assembly at Morning Glory and will begin to scout out places for us to live when we finally make the move up in October. We plan, Lord willing, to make a trip up each month. Be praying with us that the Lord would open up a secure place for us to live in Baguio that we can use as a base for reaching further up into the mountains in the coming years.
We had planned to take some language classes here in Manila to study Ilocano but that is not going to be possible since the school currently has no one to teach that language. So the Lord obviously has other plans. Keep us in your prayers as we seek His guidance for the months ahead.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
June 12, 2007 Settled in Manila
We arrived in
We are finding our way around with out much difficulty through the heavy unpredictable traffic. We are in the beginning of the rainy season so although it is hot and humid most days an afternoon thundershower often cools things down.
It will meet our needs nicely until we make the move up to the mountain city of
Monday, May 21, 2007
May 21, 2007 Enroute to the Philippines Today
Today we leave for the
We will arrive in
We pray that we will be able to move into our apartment before the end of the week. It will be nice to have a place to call home again.
We plan to take up language study to brush up on our Tagalog those first months, before we take up the challenge of a new language. Be praying that the Lord would guide and direct us and that we would be sensitive to that direction, lest we run ahead of Him or lag behind.
We do covet your prayers. “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise be glory and honor for ever and ever Amen”
We will write again from
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Update - April 25, 2007
Greetings to all. The Lord graciously provided someone to purchase our car here in Chicago. We never needed to post it in a newspaper or online, the Lord provided in an interesting way. One of the men from Warrenville Bible Chapel had an accident on the highway a few days back, he was sideswiped as he attempted to enter the highway. His family was in need of another car, and I had one that seems to fit their needs. So the Lord met two needs at the same time, and answered two prayer requests using the same vehicle. The funds we receive from this sale, along with some funds we have been able to put aside, will go toward the purchase of another vehicle in the Philippines. Pray.
From the writing of this letter we have 25 days left before we head for Manila. Next week we will be heading up to Dubuque for Abby and Daniel’s graduation. We will be renting a car, since ours will no longer be ours come this Friday. We will spend the week with them, and Rachel, Kim, Larry and the grandkids will be joining us up there for the weekend of Graduation. It will be nice to have the whole family together one last time before heading overseas. It will be hard to say goodbye this time, since we do not know when we will see them again. We leave that in the Lord’s hands.
As things seem to be falling into place, it appears that we may be planning a move to Baguio in the Mountains sooner than we originally planned. Please be praying that the Lord would give clear guidance in this. Pray that He would provide a place for us to live in Baguio, if it is His desire for us to move up there in November.
Thank you for all your prayers.
From the writing of this letter we have 25 days left before we head for Manila. Next week we will be heading up to Dubuque for Abby and Daniel’s graduation. We will be renting a car, since ours will no longer be ours come this Friday. We will spend the week with them, and Rachel, Kim, Larry and the grandkids will be joining us up there for the weekend of Graduation. It will be nice to have the whole family together one last time before heading overseas. It will be hard to say goodbye this time, since we do not know when we will see them again. We leave that in the Lord’s hands.
As things seem to be falling into place, it appears that we may be planning a move to Baguio in the Mountains sooner than we originally planned. Please be praying that the Lord would give clear guidance in this. Pray that He would provide a place for us to live in Baguio, if it is His desire for us to move up there in November.
Thank you for all your prayers.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Update, April 9, 2007
It has been a while since I updated you on our progress. It is Easter Sunday morning and I am amazed once again that our blessed Lord of glory came into this world to save sinners like you and me. “who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification.”
We have been quite busy since last we wrote. We had a wonderful time of fellowship with the saints in Dallas. Each assembly we visited demonstrated to us the love and warmth of our Savior. Our hosts, while in Dallas, were so very kind to us. They opened up their home to us for nearly a month, and it was such a wonderful time of fellowship each and every day. We will miss them. They have been, for years, such good friends as well as our brother and sister in Christ. We look forward, in the will of the Lord, to be with them again soon.
We arrived in Kansas City, Kansas a little over a week ago and spoke here last Lord’s day and will do so again this Easter Sunday morning. As always, everywhere we go, the people of the Lord are so gracious and kind. Again the couple we are staying with are good friends and it makes us feel so relaxed and rested.
We spent the last couple of days in Detroit speaking at a conference at Grace Bible Chapel. What a joy! Not only did I have the opportunity to speak three times, but I had the privilege of hearing several other brothers speak. Ahhh, what a blessing to be under the sound of the word of God. Often, because you are doing so much speaking yourself, you miss this wonderful blessing. I was so refreshed!! We were in Detroit from Thursday until Saturday, and arrived back in Kansas City Saturday in the early evening, quite exhausted, but renewed in spirit. A special thanks to all those dear saints in Detroit who welcomed us with open arms into their fellowship.
At the time of this writing it is just 42 days until we leave for Manila. We are becoming anxious, in the good sense of the word. Ready, oh so ready, to return.
From here we will be traveling to Chicago and Dubuque for the graduation of our daughter Abby and her husband Daniel from Emmaus, as well as visiting some dear friends and family in the assemblies there. Our daughter Kim and her husband Larry and our two grandchildren live in the Chicago area and we are looking forward to being with them again. It is the last leg of our very long time of travel. We thank you for keeping us in your prayers.
Detroit Pics - Good Friday 2007
Joe Wooten, seen with Joyce, was a classmate of Joyce's dad Ken Brooks, at Emmaus Bible School in Toronto in the late 1940's. Ken visits with Mrs (Hilda) Joe Wooten (splendid pianist) between meetings.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
Hardisty Update Feb 23, 2007
Just a short note of praise. Yesterday we purchased our tickets for our return to
We will be leaving the
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
February 7, 2007 Update
Greetings to you all once again. We thank the Lord for a very encouraging time in the Carolinas and Georgia. We left Chicago on the 5th of January and our first stop was in the mountains of West Virginia, at Hinton. The work of the Lord there has a wonderful history, which Harry Pilkington shared with us. From that little assembly in the mountains of West Virginia over 50 have gone out, over the years, into the Lord’s work full time, in missions or work here at home. What a testimony to the faithfulness of the Lord! It was a blessing to get to know some of the dear saints there, and to be so welcomed into their homes.
From there we were off to South Carolina. We stayed with Joyce’s brother Dale and his wife Lois while in that area, and we thank them for their warm hospitality to us. During our stay we were enabled by the Lord to share at the assembly of the Lord’s people in Winston Salem, where we were blessed to visit briefly with Jason and Angela Beverly who once served the Lord in Russia, and are now serving Him with Child Evangelism Fellowship. It is always good to see His people going on for His glory, serving as He directs.
While in South Carolina we were blessed as well by being able to fellowship with the saints at the assembly at Charlotte, where Rex and Nancy Trogdon are currently laboring for our Lord. What a lovely assembly of the Lord’s people. It was a blessing to be with them, at Believers Bible Chapel.
During our stay in South Carolina we were also able to travel over to Greenville and spend some time with our dear friends Joe and Ramona Marquez, missionaries to Paraguay. It was a blessing to my soul to be able to spend some time in the word with Joe, he, as always, challenged my heart with his love for the Savior. It was good to catch up with what the Lord is doing in their lives. During our time with them we were given the opportunity to share of the Lord’s work in the Philippines with the saints at Overbrook Gospel Chapel. After the meeting we spend a couple of hours over the home of Paul and Carol Bramsen, missionaries to Senegal, along with the Joe and Ramona as well as several students from Bob Jones. It was an encouraging evening to hear of what the Lord is doing in the lives of each. Paul’s new book should be hitting the presses soon. It is another work on Islam which we are praying will be used of the Lord to the saving of precious souls.
Following our time in the Charlotte we traveled over to the west side of the state to North Augusta. There we stayed with Klaas and Francis Vietje. What a wonderful couple. It was such a blessing to be so warmly and lovingly cared for by these dear saints. We cannot thank them enough for their hospitality to us. While there we spoke at a missions conference in Augusta GA which was held at Bethany Bible Chapel. On the Lord’s day I was privileged to once again speak at Bethany. The saints, as in every place we go, warmed our hearts and made us feel welcomed as their own. On Tuesday we had the wonderful blessing of spending time North of Atlanta with John and Helen Best, and their son Nathaniel. It was good to see them again. The assembly which that evening met in their home, was an encouragement to our hearts. Special thanks to John and his dear wife for the warmth of their hospitality to us.
The following day we were in Lincolnton GA for an evening meeting, again we were welcomed and encouraged by the saints in fellowship there. Just before the meeting we had dinner with a lovely family. I look forward to the Lord giving us another opportunity to meet with that family so that I can witness their maturing in the things of the Lord.
We left the Carolinas on Thursday the 25th of January and arrived in Florida at Park of the Palms that afternoon. It was good to see the Dan Bursons again. What a wonderful work is being done by our Lord at Park of the Palms. The improvements made since the last time we were there are truly amazing. That evening we shared the slides of the work in the Philippines. Mr Muchmore, a former missionary to Africa, much encouraged me following the meeting as he stood in the aisle talked with me. I am thankful to the Lord for those few minutes he gave to encourage my soul.
We have now settled into Joyce’s parent’s home for the next month. It felt good to finally unpack. We spent the last two Sundays at Hiawassa Bible Chapel in Orlando, where I was given the opportunity to speak both mornings, and to share the slide of the Lord’s work in the Philippines on the second Sunday evening. Hiawassa is one of our commending assemblies and it was so good to be with “the family” again.
We also enjoyed an evening over near New Port Richey on the Gulf Coast this past week at the assembly in Holiday. They graciously opened up the apartment at the chapel for us to spend the night, and encouraged us in the Lord.
I know in the course of this long update I have used the words “blessed” and “encouraged” over and over. It is the genuine way that I feel as we travel around. To my heart they are not worn out words but experience from the hand of our wonderful Lord.
Thank you all for your prayers. He is faithful and we will not forget your labor of love….
From there we were off to South Carolina. We stayed with Joyce’s brother Dale and his wife Lois while in that area, and we thank them for their warm hospitality to us. During our stay we were enabled by the Lord to share at the assembly of the Lord’s people in Winston Salem, where we were blessed to visit briefly with Jason and Angela Beverly who once served the Lord in Russia, and are now serving Him with Child Evangelism Fellowship. It is always good to see His people going on for His glory, serving as He directs.
While in South Carolina we were blessed as well by being able to fellowship with the saints at the assembly at Charlotte, where Rex and Nancy Trogdon are currently laboring for our Lord. What a lovely assembly of the Lord’s people. It was a blessing to be with them, at Believers Bible Chapel.
During our stay in South Carolina we were also able to travel over to Greenville and spend some time with our dear friends Joe and Ramona Marquez, missionaries to Paraguay. It was a blessing to my soul to be able to spend some time in the word with Joe, he, as always, challenged my heart with his love for the Savior. It was good to catch up with what the Lord is doing in their lives. During our time with them we were given the opportunity to share of the Lord’s work in the Philippines with the saints at Overbrook Gospel Chapel. After the meeting we spend a couple of hours over the home of Paul and Carol Bramsen, missionaries to Senegal, along with the Joe and Ramona as well as several students from Bob Jones. It was an encouraging evening to hear of what the Lord is doing in the lives of each. Paul’s new book should be hitting the presses soon. It is another work on Islam which we are praying will be used of the Lord to the saving of precious souls.
Following our time in the Charlotte we traveled over to the west side of the state to North Augusta. There we stayed with Klaas and Francis Vietje. What a wonderful couple. It was such a blessing to be so warmly and lovingly cared for by these dear saints. We cannot thank them enough for their hospitality to us. While there we spoke at a missions conference in Augusta GA which was held at Bethany Bible Chapel. On the Lord’s day I was privileged to once again speak at Bethany. The saints, as in every place we go, warmed our hearts and made us feel welcomed as their own. On Tuesday we had the wonderful blessing of spending time North of Atlanta with John and Helen Best, and their son Nathaniel. It was good to see them again. The assembly which that evening met in their home, was an encouragement to our hearts. Special thanks to John and his dear wife for the warmth of their hospitality to us.
The following day we were in Lincolnton GA for an evening meeting, again we were welcomed and encouraged by the saints in fellowship there. Just before the meeting we had dinner with a lovely family. I look forward to the Lord giving us another opportunity to meet with that family so that I can witness their maturing in the things of the Lord.
We left the Carolinas on Thursday the 25th of January and arrived in Florida at Park of the Palms that afternoon. It was good to see the Dan Bursons again. What a wonderful work is being done by our Lord at Park of the Palms. The improvements made since the last time we were there are truly amazing. That evening we shared the slides of the work in the Philippines. Mr Muchmore, a former missionary to Africa, much encouraged me following the meeting as he stood in the aisle talked with me. I am thankful to the Lord for those few minutes he gave to encourage my soul.
We have now settled into Joyce’s parent’s home for the next month. It felt good to finally unpack. We spent the last two Sundays at Hiawassa Bible Chapel in Orlando, where I was given the opportunity to speak both mornings, and to share the slide of the Lord’s work in the Philippines on the second Sunday evening. Hiawassa is one of our commending assemblies and it was so good to be with “the family” again.
We also enjoyed an evening over near New Port Richey on the Gulf Coast this past week at the assembly in Holiday. They graciously opened up the apartment at the chapel for us to spend the night, and encouraged us in the Lord.
I know in the course of this long update I have used the words “blessed” and “encouraged” over and over. It is the genuine way that I feel as we travel around. To my heart they are not worn out words but experience from the hand of our wonderful Lord.
Thank you all for your prayers. He is faithful and we will not forget your labor of love….
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Jan 10, 2007 Notes from the Hardistys
Greetings to you all once again in that name which is above every name, the name of our blessed savior the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you all for your prayers on our behalf. He, by His grace, has brought us safely into South Carolina where we will be staying for about a week. We left Chicago on January 15th and traveled to West Virginia for the weekend. What a beautiful trip through the mountains. We arrrived in Hinton West Virginia, nestled into those beautiful mountains, on Saturday the 16th and were greeted warmly by Harry Pilkington who has lived and served the Lord in that area since the early 60s. We learned in our discussions with him that the Lord, by His wonderful grace, used that small assembly to send out over 50 men into His service full time over the years. That is quite remarkable, and stands as a testimony to the faithfulness of the Lord and to the faithfulness of His bondservants. We were privileged to share from the Word of the Lord on the Lord's day there, both morning and evening. We much enjoyed our time and the warmth of their hospitality to us.
We left the Hinton on Monday to head for South Carolina. The continuing trip through the mountains was absolutely breathtaking. We arrived in Lancaster SC late in the afternoon and will be staying with Joyce's brother Dale and his wife Lois for a week or so. The Lord in His grace, has provided opportunities for us to share in the assembly in Winston Salem on Wednesday night, then in Charlotte NC on the Lord's day both in the morning and evening. Then we have a Wednesday night meeting in Greenville SC where we will have opportunity to visit with our good friends Joe and Romona Marquez, mssionaries to Paraguay. Then we are off to Georgia for a missionary conference in Augusta on Saturday and to speak at the assembly on the Lord's day as well. The following week we have a meeting at Lake Lannier Bible Chapel north of Atlanta, on Tuesday. On Wednesday we will have opportunity to share of the work in the Philippines in Lincolnton GA, before heading down to Florida, for a meeting at Park of the Palms on Thursday. So we have a rather busy schedule ahead of us, so please keep us in your prayers.
We left the Hinton on Monday to head for South Carolina. The continuing trip through the mountains was absolutely breathtaking. We arrived in Lancaster SC late in the afternoon and will be staying with Joyce's brother Dale and his wife Lois for a week or so. The Lord in His grace, has provided opportunities for us to share in the assembly in Winston Salem on Wednesday night, then in Charlotte NC on the Lord's day both in the morning and evening. Then we have a Wednesday night meeting in Greenville SC where we will have opportunity to visit with our good friends Joe and Romona Marquez, mssionaries to Paraguay. Then we are off to Georgia for a missionary conference in Augusta on Saturday and to speak at the assembly on the Lord's day as well. The following week we have a meeting at Lake Lannier Bible Chapel north of Atlanta, on Tuesday. On Wednesday we will have opportunity to share of the work in the Philippines in Lincolnton GA, before heading down to Florida, for a meeting at Park of the Palms on Thursday. So we have a rather busy schedule ahead of us, so please keep us in your prayers.
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