Update - Dec 10, 2010

“Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed. Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.  The LORD is my portion says my soul.  Therefore I hope in Him!  The LORD is good those who wait for Him.  To the soul who seeks Him.  It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”  Lamentations 3:22-25

When we consider the background of these wonderfully inspiring verses we realize that all our struggles and discouragements are small compared to what the people of God were facing at that moment in time.  And in the midst of all the struggle Jeremiah could look up and know that the LORD sees and knows.  That He remains his “portion”.  Each day we see the new wonders of the mercies he demonstrated for us on Calvary, each day we experience His grace yet again.  Each day our souls experience His goodness.  He is so very faithful.  May we always remember to wait quietly for Him.  May our souls always seek Him.

We had a very good men’s conference last Saturday, for which we thank the Lord.  When I arrived on Saturday I was told that I would be speaking for two hours that morning from 10-12.  When I finished I was asked if I could speak another two in the afternoon.  The response to the messages was very good, so we thank the Lord for His guidance.  The following day we were back down in Baguio Gold to speak both in the morning and to conduct the bible school in the afternoon.  It was a wonderful weekend and very encouraging. 

This weekend is the anniversary Sunday of the work the Lord began at Navy Base back in the 60s through Ken Engle.  They have a special meeting planned for both the morning and the afternoon.  The children have a program planned and we have a special speaker coming for the morning.  In the afternoon several of the saints have been practicing for a cantata which is being used as an outreach to the neighborhood.  Invitations are going out especially to those who attended the last medical, dental clinic at the chapel.  Following the cantata I will be sharing a gospel message.  Pray for the Lord’s blessing, and for the salvation of souls.

The following week I will be speaking twice in Dau Pampanga at their assembly anniversary.  The on the 26^th I will be speaking at the anniversary Sunday down at Baguio Gold.  On the 28^th I will head down to Malolos Bulucan to speak at the Men’s conference there.  Then on January 6^th we leave for a couple of weeks of meetings in Seoul Korea.  Please be praying.  I have a lot of preparation to complete in the next couple of weeks.  I will be speaking five times at the women’s conference in Korea, which I am very much looking forward to, and then at the various assemblies there as well.

Two Days Later

Update November 9, 2010

As some of you are aware from the last update, a dear saint from the Baguio Gold assembly lost her home a few weeks ago in a fire.  All that she had was destroyed.  Since then a small makeshift home has been constructed from the remnants of her old home.  The old burnt metal sheet roofing has been used to construct a small one room house.  The Lord has enabled us to purchase some building materials to supplement what has already been used.  The roofing was leaking badly so we are going to be able to replace that.  Plus, some of the inside is now being replaced as well, making a sleeping area for her and her seven children. We hope to have them back into this place by the end of the week.  There is still much that needs to be done.  If you would like more information or are willing and able to help this dear sister and her family please let me know.    

Update, November 2, 2010

Greetings to you all in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today, November 2, Joyce and I are celebrating our 36^th wedding anniversary.  What a wonderful blessing she has been to my life.  Without her the ministry that we have carried on these past 23 years would not have been possible.  She has been my constant source of encouragement.

This Friday we will head back down to Manila for a Saturday morning CMPI board meeting then turn around at noon on Saturday and head back to Baguio for a Bible Study on Saturday early evening and to teach on Sunday morning and afternoon down in Baguio Gold.  We hope to, Lord willing, begin the next semester of Bible School there on Sunday afternoon, which will run for the next 5 Sunday afternoons.  We will be continuing our study in ecclesiology this time focusing on the Spiritual Gifts and the Role of men and women in the local assembly.  It should be a challenging few weeks.

            Some of the weekly bible studies were canceled last week due to the holidays and some had traveled back to the province to be with family.  We pray that things this week will get back to normal.  I am trying to be good, and listen to my doctor, and not attend all the various studies as I once did, but to be more selective.  Please pray that the Lord would give me guidance in this. 

            December will be a rather full month for us.  I will be speaking at the men’s conference in Pangisanan on the 12^th, then at an church anniversary on the 19^th, and at the men’s conference in Malolos on the 28^th, my wife’s birthday.   That added to the regular schedule of studies and Sunday morning teaching will keep us busy.  We are praying that the Lord would give us a good and fruitful couple of months.

            Our plans are to return to Sagada in January.  We are still seeking the direction and leading of our Lord in this area.  Please continue to pray with us.

            Maria and her family are still without a place to live since their home burnt to the ground almost a month ago now.  Please continue to keep this family in your prayers.  Pray that the Lord would provide all that is needed in this situation so that this family can be settled once again. 

              Thank you all for your prayers. 

October 1, 2010 Safely Back in Baguio

Greetings to you all in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  How wonderful it is to be possessed by such a wonderful Savior.

We arrived back in Baguio yesterday, (Thursday) and it feels wonderful to be home after two months of travel.  We very much enjoyed our time at home visiting with family and with the saints in different parts of the country, but there is really “no place like home”.  We are looking forward to getting back into the swing of things and seeing the saints here once again.  I am looking forward to teaching a home bible study again this week as well as speaking on the Lord’s Day.

October is going to be a busy month for us.  In a couple of weeks we will head back down to Manila for the annual CMPI (Christian Missions in the Philippine Islands) retreat.  We have missed this gathering for the last couple of years for various reasons and are looking forward to some time with other missionaries who are serving the Lord in various other location throughout the islands. Jim Fleming, who served the Lord for many years in Columbia, and is currently the Director of the Emmaus Correspondence work world wide, will be our speaker.  He is also the father of our daughter Abby’s husband Daniel, so we are looking forward to spending some time together.  Following the retreat Jim and Sharon will be traveling up to Baguio with us for a couple of days and then we return to Manila for the 60^th anniversary of the Emmaus Correspondence work in the Philippines, which will be celebrated at the Emmaus Bible Camp in Malolos. This work was started by Cyril Brooks back in 1950 and is the largest overseas Emmaus correspondence work in the world. 

Following that we will be beginning our second semester of Bible School for the assembly down in Baguio Gold on ecclesiology, as well as the regular weekday bible studies and Sunday teaching. 

Be praying for all the traveling we will be doing this next month.  I will have the car in the shop over the course of the next couple of weeks to have several things repaired.  Please pray that the work will be done well and that the car will be back in tip top shape for these coming months.  We plan, Lord willing, another trip up to Sagada soon and need the car to be in good shape before we attempt that 6 plus hour trip across the Mountain Trail. 

Ken Health Update June 12, 2010

Health Update:

     Thank you all so very much for your prayers concerning my health over the past eight months.  Yesterday I had a check up at my cardiologist and for the second month in a row I had a perfect EKG, perfect blood pressure, and my heart sounded strong with no irregularities in its rhythm.  She changed my medications to a low maintenance program and scheduled a stress test for this morning.  I passed the stress test this morning with flying colors.  All was within the normal ranges for which we praise the Lord.  She has canceled the need for an angiogram, angioplasty and any need for by-pass surgery.  I am feeling great.  I have been back to walking over an hour on most days, up and down the many hills at Camp John Hay, even doing a bit of jogging, with no ill effects.  So once again I thank you all for your prayers.  I have lost over 30 lbs and reached my goal weight last week.  We had been praying since the beginning of this new adventure that the Lord would allow, if it was His will, for the meds to do the job so that we could avoid the cost of surgery or angioplasty, He seems to have graciously answered those prayers.

     The work is going well.  This week I am teaching on Wednesday night in the book of 1 Peter, Saturday night on Propitiation, and three times on Sunday.  Once on “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus…” from 2 Timothy 2.  Once on Exodus 35, both down in Baguio Gold.  And then once on the Ordinances of the church, at the bible school session at Navy Base.  So we have been keeping busy with preparations.

      Kim, Larry and the grandkids are now visiting in the States for a few weeks.  The end of the school year for them at Faith Academy was, as always, a hectic time.  It was a bitter sweet time, as they had to say good bye to several seniors and yet it was good to have another year completed.  They had to move into a new dorm before leaving for the summer, which added more stress to an already stressful time of the year.  We are praying that they will have an enjoyable and restful time at home. We spent last week in Manila helping them with the transition.

      While in Manila the transmission on our car went.  We were so very thankful to the Lord that it occurred while we were IN Manila and not on the roads coming down.  We have had a surplus transmission installed and it seems to be working fine.  The selector is messed up a bit, but the transmission itself seems to be working and shifting well. 

       Thank you all once again for your prayers…The Lord is so very good and kind to us, to give us so many friends and family who pray for us.  Thanks as well to those who have supported us, the Lord has used you over and again to meet the needs of not only us, but many of your brothers and sisters here.

In Christ Jesus our Lord,

Ken
    

Update, May 2, 2010

Greeting once again to you all from Baguio City.  We thank you all for your continued prayer and support of the Lord’s work here amongst us in Baguio and the surrounding areas. 

This past Saturday we had a wonderful time at a resort being built by one of the brothers and his family down on Marcos Hwy, one of the main routes in and out of Baguio.  The site is located in the mountains and is actually surrounded by mountains and affords beautiful views in all directions.  This resort has been dedicated to the Lord and we were the first to be able to use it for our assembly outing.  It was actually a combined outing this year with both assemblies, Baguio Gold and Navy Base.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship and singing.  In the morning we had a brief meeting which was followed by a baptism in which 12 young people were baptized.  All those baptized were in their teens or above and there were six girls and six boys.  Four were from the Navy Base assembly and eight from Baguio Gold. What a blessing!!  Following the baptism we had a brief time of prayer to dedicate these young lives to the Lord.  It truly was a blessed time. Then it was a time for swimming, lunch and relaxation.  A few of us got together and began to sing…I enjoyed that time very much.

On Sunday this week I spoke down in Baguio Gold both in the morning and afternoon, and used three languages to communicate the Word.  I am truly blessed to be able to spend time with those lovely saints.  This week they asked if I would be willing to come down two times a month on Sundays to speak.  We had already been thinking and praying about asking them if they would like us to come down an additional Sunday, so it was really a confirmation to our hearts when they asked.  So beginning next month we plan, Lord willing, to spend both the first and third Sunday of each month with the saints down in Baguio Gold.

We have one more week of bible school to teach at Baguio Gold to end the first semester of classes with them.  Then we will take a two or three week break from teaching the bible school classes and then begin the third semester with the folks at Navy Base.  It really has been a joy for me to teach these classes, we pray that they have been a help and encouragement to the saints.

I was asked this week to speak later this month at a local Baptist church.  So we will be speaking there on the 23rd of this month, please keep these things in your prayers as we prepare all the lessons for the bible studies and Sunday morning meetings.  Please also continue to pray for the ongoing bible school sessions. 

The school year is winding down at Faith Academy in Manila so Kim and Larry are very busy for the next several weeks.  Please remember to pray for them as they finish out the year and have to say good bye to 7 of the boys who will be graduating this year from their dorm.  Please continue to pray for them as well as they contemplate a move to a different dorm for next year.  They will be moving from an off campus dorm to an on campus dorm and will be changing from an all boy’s dorm to a co-ed dorm.  So there will be new challenges ahead for them.


Thank you all so much once again.  It is through your kind prayers and support that we are enabled by our Lord to continue in our service here for Him.  May the Lord richly bless you all and may you continue to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our wonderful savior.  

May 3, 2010 Pics

April 6, 2010 - Pics

Easter Sunday morning we gathered together at the chapel at Navy Base for an Sunrise service, Breaking of Bread and breakfast.  It was a sweet time of remembering the Lord and of fellowship.  This was followed by the family bible hour. 

Pics below as follows:

Mr and Mrs. Badilla, They were both in fellowship when the work began back in the 1960s

Ronald, Lean, and Joyce following Sunrise Service

Wini Mata, and Tatay and Nanay Badillia
Breakfast following Sunrise Service Easter Sunday morning
Breakfast, nice and hot.
Family from the bible study at Tip Top. 
Jethro and Jairo Mata
Some of the Young People at the assembly
Zeny, such a blessing
Wonderful, sweet fellowship

Update - March 30, 2010

He is risen!!!   What wonderful words to still proclaim.

Someone the other day said, “I think the symbol of Christianity should be the empty tomb”  This coming week here in the Philippines men and women will be reenacting the story of the cross.  Some will whip their backs until they are open bloody wounds.  Others will carry crosses in long processions down the main streets of many towns and cities throughout the country.  Some will even have themselves literally nailed to crosses.  The words of the great hymn come to mind as I type.  “Jehovah lifted up His rod, O Christ it fell on thee.  Thou was’t sore stricken of thy God, there’s not one stroke for me.  Thy blood beneath that rod has flowed.  Thy bruising healeth me.”   He has done it all.  Oh how we praise Him.  So sad to see many who have been deceived and who are deceiving themselves into believing that somehow they can atone for their own sins.  So the message of the gospel of grace still goes out to a lost world.

  The work here in the mountains of Central Luzon is going along well.  We continue to thank the Lord for His faithfulness. It seems to me, that so often I begin letters this way.  It is wonderful to continue to experience His hand at work and to see His blessing in His work here.   This past Lord’s Day the worship time, as we remembered our Lord, went on for an hour and twenty minutes, and no one seemed to mind.  One of the men of the assembly arose after the meeting and was so surprised that we had spent so much time…and he said; “That was a sweet time of worship.”   It was such a blessing.  Several men shared and the lifting up of Christ was so very evident.  We praise the Lord that when many are abandoning the worship time or changing it into a more “organized” time that the saints here still simply enjoy allowing the Spirit to lead and that the men are standing and participating.  It is a blessing.  We also have a new hymn book we are using for that time which contains just hymns of worship.  So every song given out is exalting our Lord and His finished work.  The men’s fellowship is still working through the book “Worship” by A.P. Gibbs, it also has been a blessing.
 
We recently finished the second “semester” of classes of mini Bible school at the assembly at Navy Base. We call them “semesters” for lack of a better word.  Each “semester” runs for five consecutive Sunday afternoon, each lasting between one and a half to two hours.    In the first “semester” we covered the universal church, the local church, elders, deacons and the priesthood of all believers.  In the second “semester” we covered spiritual gifts, and the role of men and women in the assembly of the Lord’s people.  The third “semester” will be starting sometime in May, Lord willing.   Next week we will begin teaching the same course down in Baguio Gold, so we would appreciate your prayers.
 
The weekly home Bible studies continue to do well and are producing fruit for His glory.  There are studies in homes each night of the week with the exception of Sunday and Monday evenings.  Different men are taking up the responsibility for these various studies.  I am currently teaching the Friday study down in Fatima, a small village about 20 minutes east of Baguio.  Last week we had 13 out at the study which was an encouragement. 

The men’s fellowship, ladies fellowship, couple’s fellowship and youth fellowship are meeting on Sunday afternoons on various Sundays throughout the month.  We are much encouraged at what the Lord is doing in the lives of His people.  The saints here are such a blessing to us.  They love the Lord and it is so evident in their lives.

Many have asked regarding my health.  I am doing much better, for which we thank the Lord.  However, I will need to get some issues with my kidneys taken care of before any further treatment can be sought for my heart.  We appreciate all who have been praying for us, and for your kind emails and words of encouragement.   Joyce continues to do well, and to date remains cancer free.  Thanks to all of you who have prayed for her. 

Update - Feb 27, 2010

Once again I send you all our greetings from Baguio, which this past month has been celebrating Pangebenga, the flower festival. Today is the day of the big parade in town which will feature several floats made entirely of flowers. This also means that there are lots of tourists and visitors in town which makes getting around a bit more difficult.

Last Lord’s day we began the second semester of classes in Ecclesiology at the assembly at Navy Base. We had 11 out for the class, which is encouraging, and there are others who will be joining us this coming week. Currently we are studying Spiritual Gifts which often times sparks lots of questions. Our desire is to see the saints focused on what the gifts are and if they are exercising their gifts than to focus on the controversial gifts. But we will see how the Lord leads. Following the study on Spiritual Gifts we will look at the New Testament ministers, and those who serve the Lord on a full time basis to see what the scripture teaches concerning them.

Last week one of the former elders from the assembly in Baguio Gold was called home to be with the Lord. He had been sick with cancer for several years, so it came as no surprise. Although I personally did not know him well, he was a source of blessing to many over the years. I was disappointed that I was unable to attend the services for him, since they were down a steep set of stairs, which I am still unable to climb. We drove a group to the location, but after examining where the home was, I had to turn back. This is very discouraging to me, but I know the Lord has His purposes, and we will continue to trust in Him for our health issues.

The mid-week studies are continuing on. Wini, one of the elders at Navy Base, is teaching at the studies at Tip Top, and with the Reed Basket parents. Reed Basket is a pre-school program held at the chapel. Ronald has been teaching the study at Mines View, and I have been teaching the study at Fatima, and on Wednesday nights. Wini and Ronald have been sharing the study at a home in the former Navy Base compound. We still see fruit from these studies and so are encouraged. So please be praying for these dear brothers in Christ as they prepare and teach these classes.

The youth group had a good outing last Sunday afternoon up at Camp John Hay, the former US base here in Baguio. They enjoyed a good time of singing, and sharing and many were out so it was an encouraging time for those leading the group.

We had a lovely couple’s fellowship at our home a couple of weeks ago. We hosted a sit down, candle light dinner for the couples, which was preceded by a time of singing hymns and followed by a time of sharing from the word as we sat around the table. It was a nice relaxing and enjoyable time of fellowship. The couple’s fellowship will be attempting to meet every couple of months. Next time we will be beginning a study in marriage with them, so you can keep this in your prayers as well.

Many of you have inquired about my health. The result of the heart monitor I had to wear for 24 hours was not good. So my cardiologist wants to schedule an angiogram to find out exactly where the blockages are, and then follow that up with angioplasty as needed. The only problem is that in order to do the angiogram I had to have my kidneys tested. I had an ultrasound and blood work done both on my kidneys and liver a couple of weeks ago. The results were not good. I have two rather large stones and my Creatinin levels are high. So the cardiologist said that if she did an angiogram on me now I would have immediate renal failure. So now I am going to a urologist. He has prescribed some meds to take to try and soften or dissolve the stones which may be the reason for the high levels of Creatinin in my kidneys. On the bright side, my liver was good, which is important because the meds I need to continue to take for my heart can have an adverse effect on my liver, which does not seem to be the case at this point. Thank you all for your prayers. It has been an eventful month and your prayers carry us through. We are looking to the Lord for all of these things trusting Him for His care and will to be done.

Again thank you all so very much for your prayers and support of the Lord’s work here in the mountains of Central Luzon. It would be nice to hear from a few of you, just to know that you are reading the updates and are praying. That would certainly be an encouragement to us.

Update January 28, 2010

Greetings to you all in the matchless, peerless name, of our wonderful Savior, who provided for us the propitiation for our sins. Now we can approach our Holy God without fear and know that we will always be accepted there because of the propitiation that our Lord Jesus Christ has provided for us.

We finally finished up the final session of bible school for the saints down in Baguio Gold this past Sunday. I was there for three messages this past Sunday. We looked at Exodus chapter 20 and the law, fear and access, in the early morning. Then we shared on 2 Tim 1:13 in the late morning, finishing up with the bible school session on Heb. 12-13 in the mid afternoon. Needless to say I was a bit tired by Sunday evening.

The mid week studies continue to go well. This past Wednesday night we continued in our series on 1 Peter with a reminder to continue to “Gird up the loans of our mind”, and the need to always be prepared. Then on Friday we continued in James and were reminded by the scripture of the sin of favoritism in the local assembly, as well as loving our neighbor as ourselves. The other studies are also moving along well, and we are encouraged.

We will be beginning the next semester of classes on Ecclesiology at Navy Base in a couple of weeks. We had planned to start on the 7th of February but we have encountered a couple of schedule conflicts. On the 7th we will be having our men’s fellowship, women’s fellowship and youth fellowship all at the same time at the chapel. This is something new we are trying with the hope that more will be able to attend. Then on the 14th Joyce and I are hosting a Valentines couples dinner at our house with the couple’s fellowship.

I had my last check-up with my cardiologist on Monday. She has cancelled the stress test that was planned for Saturday instead I will be wearing a holter monitor for 24 hours to check other irregularities that she is noticing with my heart. So please keep these things in your prayers, I so want to have the restrictions, I am under, lifted. But it looks like they will stay in place for the present.

Again, thank you all for your prayers and support of our Lord’s work here in the mountains of Central Luzon. If all things work out, we are planning to take another trip up to Sagada in February or March. Much of this decision rests on being sure the car is in tip top shape for hitting those mountain roads without breaking down in some isolated area.

Update for Jan 8, 2010

The hectic holiday season is over and we are getting settled back into the regular routine once again. We did enjoy a rather relaxing time in Manila with family over Christmas and into the New Year. The Philippines celebrates the New Year with massive amounts of fireworks. From our perch above the city, at the dorm Kim and Larry live in, we could see all the firework displays simultaneously. It was quite a show, everywhere you looked across the entire city of Manila there were fireworks. But being high above it all we faced little of the noise and breathed little of the smoke, which was a blessing.

While in the Manila area I had the opportunity to speak at the assembly in Antipolo, Rizal. The saints there are a wonderful group of believers, always so happy to have you come and share the word with them. This week, back in Baguio, I am back to the regular schedule of meetings and studies. I taught at the Study on Wednesday night, continuing a series in 1 Peter. Friday I will continue to teach the book of James at the home bible study in Fatima, Saturday morning we will have our Men’s early morning fellowship at the chapel beginning at 6 AM. We are continuing our study of Worship, using A.P. Gibbs book “Worship The Christians Highest Occupation.” It continues to be a source of encouragement and challenge. Sunday I will be continuing the mini bible school sessions down in Baguio Gold. Then in a couple of weeks we will begin the next “semester” of classes at Navy Base on the Church. So things are back in full swing again.

It is only a couple more weeks now until my next series of tests on my heart. Please continue to pray that the meds I have been taking now for almost three months, will have the desired effect and that some of the restrictions I am currently under can be lifted so that I can return to the other weekly studies.

Thank you all once again for your continued prayers for us and the Lord’s work here in Baguio. May the Lord richly bless you in this new year. Perhaps this year we will be caught up to meet Him in the air and be always with the Lord. But until that day may we continue to be active in our service for Him.