The temperature today in Manila was 95, (Wednesday the 15th) but with the heat index it felt like 108. I am not looking forward to traveling back into that heat tomorrow morning. We have been back and forth to Manila so much these last few weeks that I am growing a bit weary of the trip. But we thank the Lord that He has continued to give safety and blessing on each of our ventures down.
Laarni has had her surgery and all things went very well. Thank you all for praying. The nodules on her vocal cords have been removed and tomorrow in Manila we will learn if she can speak again. It is then that we will learn whether or not the surgery has been a total success or not.
The last session of evening bible school at Navy Base went very well, for which we thank our Lord. We were able to finish up the book of Hebrews and the saints have found the 40 hours we spent in study profitable to their spiritual growth. We still have two remaining classes to teach down in Baguio Gold. This Sunday and next we will finish up the third session for them. Again, we are much encouraged in the desire of the saints to study the word.
Our daughter Rachel paid a short visit to us these past two weeks. It was a joy to have her here with us. She spent a week in Manila with her sister and us and a week here in Baguio.
This morning we had another two hours of Ilokano, and it is beginning to click. I am able to form sentences relatively easily now and our vocabulary is expanding for which we thank the Lord. On my last visit to Baguio Gold I did the entire introduction to our lessons in the letter of Paul to the Ephesians in Ilokano. Again, we used a combination of four languages as we shared with the saints there last week. This week I will be speaking to the assembly at Navy Base. We will be beginning a new series on the life and ministry of Elijah.
Joyce is doing much better. Thank you for all your prayers for her. The medications she is on seem to have really made a difference. The Physical Therapy for her neck continues as well and she goes for several days with out headaches now, which is a blessing indeed.
Some of you will remember Tia Elizabeth Bundok. She is the woman for whom a wheel chair was purchased over a year ago. She has gone home to be with the Lord she loves after so many years of hardship and struggle.
Thanks again for all your prayers, and may the Lord richly bless you.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Update March 25, 2009
Up date 3-25-09
Greetings to you all in the precious name of our wonderful Savior.
I just finished over three hours of translating my next message for the saints at Baguio Gold from Tagalog into Ilokano. So my brain is just a bit fried right now, but I did want to get an update to you all because we can use your prayers.
I am in the midst of teaching the last ten hours of Evening Bible School to the saints at Navy Base this week. We are attempting to finish chapters 10-13 of Hebrews during the course of the week. It is the fourth and final session of this segment of the Evening Bible school. At the end of this week the saint would have received forty hours of lessons in this wonderful book which so exalts our Savior. Currently we are in the practical application part of our study and I am very much enjoying teaching it. Please pray for these next two nights. We have a lot to cover and we want to be careful to keep a good balance and not, in our haste to make sure we cover the material, leave out that which the Lord would have the saints to learn concerning Himself.
On Saturday we leave in the early morning for Manila. Some of you have been praying for Laarni, one of the women from the assembly at Navy Base, who is in need of surgery on her vocal cords. This Saturday she and her husband Bong will travel with us to Manila once again for a final check up and blood work, so that we can schedule her surgery hopefully for sometime in mid April. Continue to keep this in your prayers.
As many of you also know Joyce has been dealing once again with a host of medical problems. After much testing, X rays, ultra sounds etc she has been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, GERD, and she has deterioration of the bones in her neck, which is the cause of her many headaches. So she is now on meds for her hypothyroidism, which has been the cause of many of her other problems, and she is on meds for the GERD problem. She has been on these meds for a couple of weeks now and we are already seeing some positive results for which we thank the Lord. She is going weekly, three to four times a week for Physical Therapy and traction for her neck, and the results there have been mixed, so please continue to keep her in your prayers.
Our daughter Rachel arrives from the States for a brief two week visit next week. We are so very looking forward to having her with us. It has been 14 long years since she was here last. She is looking forward to seeing all her old stompin’ grounds. Pray for a safe trip for her. She leaves on Sunday and will arrive here late Monday night.
Again, thank you all for your interest in the Lord’s work here among us, and for your prayers. May the Lord richly bless you.
Greetings to you all in the precious name of our wonderful Savior.
I just finished over three hours of translating my next message for the saints at Baguio Gold from Tagalog into Ilokano. So my brain is just a bit fried right now, but I did want to get an update to you all because we can use your prayers.
I am in the midst of teaching the last ten hours of Evening Bible School to the saints at Navy Base this week. We are attempting to finish chapters 10-13 of Hebrews during the course of the week. It is the fourth and final session of this segment of the Evening Bible school. At the end of this week the saint would have received forty hours of lessons in this wonderful book which so exalts our Savior. Currently we are in the practical application part of our study and I am very much enjoying teaching it. Please pray for these next two nights. We have a lot to cover and we want to be careful to keep a good balance and not, in our haste to make sure we cover the material, leave out that which the Lord would have the saints to learn concerning Himself.
On Saturday we leave in the early morning for Manila. Some of you have been praying for Laarni, one of the women from the assembly at Navy Base, who is in need of surgery on her vocal cords. This Saturday she and her husband Bong will travel with us to Manila once again for a final check up and blood work, so that we can schedule her surgery hopefully for sometime in mid April. Continue to keep this in your prayers.
As many of you also know Joyce has been dealing once again with a host of medical problems. After much testing, X rays, ultra sounds etc she has been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, GERD, and she has deterioration of the bones in her neck, which is the cause of her many headaches. So she is now on meds for her hypothyroidism, which has been the cause of many of her other problems, and she is on meds for the GERD problem. She has been on these meds for a couple of weeks now and we are already seeing some positive results for which we thank the Lord. She is going weekly, three to four times a week for Physical Therapy and traction for her neck, and the results there have been mixed, so please continue to keep her in your prayers.
Our daughter Rachel arrives from the States for a brief two week visit next week. We are so very looking forward to having her with us. It has been 14 long years since she was here last. She is looking forward to seeing all her old stompin’ grounds. Pray for a safe trip for her. She leaves on Sunday and will arrive here late Monday night.
Again, thank you all for your interest in the Lord’s work here among us, and for your prayers. May the Lord richly bless you.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Update March 2, 2009
Greetings to you all in the precious name of our wonderful Savior. Things here are going quite well, for which we thank our Lord.
The week of Special Studies down in Mololos Bulucan was fun to teach and the students were enthusiastic. There were about 28 who came out for this week of special teaching. They are all those students who in the past have completed the three year bible school at the camp, so are well versed in the scripture which made it a very enjoyable time. We taught eight hours on Servant Leadership. It seemed to be well received.
Also, during that week in the Manila area we had the next series of tests and doctors visits for Joyce and are happy to report that currently she is cancer free. We thank you all for your prayers for her.
Last Lord’s day I spoke at the assembly at Navy Base, this Sunday I was down in Baguio Gold both in the morning and afternoon. This Sunday morning I actually used three different languages in my morning message. That was a new experience. I am attempting, as the Lord allows, to use more Ilokano in my message preparation, for when I speak especially down in Baguio Gold. I prepare my message, then do some translation work, our tutor corrects it, and goes over my pronunciations, then I try to integrate it into my speaking. It is the process I used when learning Tagalog so many years ago. Thanks for praying. We, Joyce and I, were also able to greet the folks down there in both Kankanaey and Ilokano. So we actually used four different languages to communicate with the saints yesterday. My mind is tired just thinking about it.
In the afternoon we began our third session of bible school with the saints in Baguio Gold. This session we are studying chapters 7-9 of Hebrews. Yesterday we were “considering how great” the man Melchizedek was. It was fun to once again consider the wonderful types and antitypes we see in these most enlightening chapters. We had two hours of study yesterday and have another 8 needed to complete this session.
The regular weekly studies are going well. Last Thursday night we looked at the second prayer of Paul in Ephesians chapter 3, as we work our way through that wonderful book.
We are planning to schedule surgery for Larnni in April. Thank you for praying for her. We are praying the upcoming surgery will restore her voice.
Thank you all again for your prayers.
The week of Special Studies down in Mololos Bulucan was fun to teach and the students were enthusiastic. There were about 28 who came out for this week of special teaching. They are all those students who in the past have completed the three year bible school at the camp, so are well versed in the scripture which made it a very enjoyable time. We taught eight hours on Servant Leadership. It seemed to be well received.
Also, during that week in the Manila area we had the next series of tests and doctors visits for Joyce and are happy to report that currently she is cancer free. We thank you all for your prayers for her.
Last Lord’s day I spoke at the assembly at Navy Base, this Sunday I was down in Baguio Gold both in the morning and afternoon. This Sunday morning I actually used three different languages in my morning message. That was a new experience. I am attempting, as the Lord allows, to use more Ilokano in my message preparation, for when I speak especially down in Baguio Gold. I prepare my message, then do some translation work, our tutor corrects it, and goes over my pronunciations, then I try to integrate it into my speaking. It is the process I used when learning Tagalog so many years ago. Thanks for praying. We, Joyce and I, were also able to greet the folks down there in both Kankanaey and Ilokano. So we actually used four different languages to communicate with the saints yesterday. My mind is tired just thinking about it.
In the afternoon we began our third session of bible school with the saints in Baguio Gold. This session we are studying chapters 7-9 of Hebrews. Yesterday we were “considering how great” the man Melchizedek was. It was fun to once again consider the wonderful types and antitypes we see in these most enlightening chapters. We had two hours of study yesterday and have another 8 needed to complete this session.
The regular weekly studies are going well. Last Thursday night we looked at the second prayer of Paul in Ephesians chapter 3, as we work our way through that wonderful book.
We are planning to schedule surgery for Larnni in April. Thank you for praying for her. We are praying the upcoming surgery will restore her voice.
Thank you all again for your prayers.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Sagada Visit Feb 6, 2009
Joyce and I returned Wednesday from another trip north to Sagada (pictures will be up soon). We were quite surprised when we arrived to find a street festival on going and crowds filling the streets of this normally quiet mountain town. The noise of stereos and live music filled the air until well after curfew, when things finally settled down on that first night. We were able to make a few new friends at a couple of the local establishments that first evening as we tried out our new Ilokano and Kankaney phrases on them. They were quite surprised and giggled at the fact that we were learning. I was quite surprised at how well most of them understood and spoke some Tagalog also, something that was not true only a few years ago. English still works very well as they are very well educated and converse easily and comfortably in English.
On our second day in town we traveled down to Bulugan to try and find a couple of Mike Smits’ old friends who are in the Lord work there. It was quite a drive down some pretty rough roads over some fairly large rocks and over a few sections of very narrow rutted roads. But we slowly descended into the beautiful valley of rice terraces. We found John and his brother Roy doing well and happy to see us. We were invited into the house and sat for a while and reminisced about the past and the days when Mike and Bev Smits served the Lord in Sagada. We saw the small chapel building where over 15 family meet each week to hear the word taught. It was quite an encouraging visit. Roy rode with us back into town and we stopped along the way to visit with another old friend of the Smits, Nancy Likigan. She welcomed us as well, into her home and we sat and chatted a bit and learned the whereabouts of her sister who lived with the Smits family for many years. The morning was quite encouraging for Joyce and I. It was nice to have some warm and friendly contacts in town with whom we can visit when we return. John and Roy warmly opened up their homes to us and desire that we return again for a visit next time.
We arrived back in Baguio Wednesday very tired but refreshed in spirit. Then we learned that the dates that we had been given for the Special Studies sessions down in Manila (Malolos Bulucan) were incorrect and that I would be teaching next week and not the week after. So tomorrow we must head down to Manila a little over a week earlier than we expected. This has put a bit of stress on Joyce, but she is doing well. I will be teaching each day next week for two hours a day on the subject of Servant Leadership. A subject that is near and dear to my heart. We would ask that you pray for me that the Lord would use me to speak to the hearts of the men and woman who will come for this special week of studies.
We had a very nice Bible Study last night in the home of Florie Rimando. Last night nine were out to hear the word. We continued our study in the book of Ephesians, last night completing the first half of Chapter three.
Thank you all so much for your continued prayers. We are still unsure of what the Lord’s plans are for us regarding Sagada, but we will continue to make trips over the trail and wait to see what He will do. And we continue to study both Ilokano and Kankaney which we can use here in Baguio as well.
Joyce will have some further doctor visits and tests the week following Special Studies. Pray that the Lord’s will be done. We are praying that no further cancer will be found. But our lives are in His blessed hands.
Larnni will definitely be needing some surgery on her vocal cords so please keep that in your prayers as well.
May the Lord richly bless you all for His glory.
On our second day in town we traveled down to Bulugan to try and find a couple of Mike Smits’ old friends who are in the Lord work there. It was quite a drive down some pretty rough roads over some fairly large rocks and over a few sections of very narrow rutted roads. But we slowly descended into the beautiful valley of rice terraces. We found John and his brother Roy doing well and happy to see us. We were invited into the house and sat for a while and reminisced about the past and the days when Mike and Bev Smits served the Lord in Sagada. We saw the small chapel building where over 15 family meet each week to hear the word taught. It was quite an encouraging visit. Roy rode with us back into town and we stopped along the way to visit with another old friend of the Smits, Nancy Likigan. She welcomed us as well, into her home and we sat and chatted a bit and learned the whereabouts of her sister who lived with the Smits family for many years. The morning was quite encouraging for Joyce and I. It was nice to have some warm and friendly contacts in town with whom we can visit when we return. John and Roy warmly opened up their homes to us and desire that we return again for a visit next time.
We arrived back in Baguio Wednesday very tired but refreshed in spirit. Then we learned that the dates that we had been given for the Special Studies sessions down in Manila (Malolos Bulucan) were incorrect and that I would be teaching next week and not the week after. So tomorrow we must head down to Manila a little over a week earlier than we expected. This has put a bit of stress on Joyce, but she is doing well. I will be teaching each day next week for two hours a day on the subject of Servant Leadership. A subject that is near and dear to my heart. We would ask that you pray for me that the Lord would use me to speak to the hearts of the men and woman who will come for this special week of studies.
We had a very nice Bible Study last night in the home of Florie Rimando. Last night nine were out to hear the word. We continued our study in the book of Ephesians, last night completing the first half of Chapter three.
Thank you all so much for your continued prayers. We are still unsure of what the Lord’s plans are for us regarding Sagada, but we will continue to make trips over the trail and wait to see what He will do. And we continue to study both Ilokano and Kankaney which we can use here in Baguio as well.
Joyce will have some further doctor visits and tests the week following Special Studies. Pray that the Lord’s will be done. We are praying that no further cancer will be found. But our lives are in His blessed hands.
Larnni will definitely be needing some surgery on her vocal cords so please keep that in your prayers as well.
May the Lord richly bless you all for His glory.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Update January 28, 2009
Greetings to you all once again in His precious name. Yesterday we began what will be a very arduous study of Kankanaey along with our study of Ilokano. Kankanaey is the language of Sagada, and of many in the Cordillera, but it is also spoken by many here in Baguio, particularly down in Baguio Gold. Ilokano has little in the way of exhaustive dictionaries as only small and incomplete ones are available, but it does have the complete bible translated and available. Kankanaey, on the other has neither. No dictionaries and no complete bible, as far as I can ascertain. There are, however, portions of the Old Testament translated and the New Testament has been translated and is in print, so that will be helpful. So unlike in the past where we had very good and very complete dictionaries in Tagalog and several good and dependable translations of the scriptures we have much less to work with in Kankanaey. So we become very dependant on others to teach us. We will definitely need your prayers as we continue to learn Ilokano, and begin this long study of Kankanaey. It will be years before we are comfortable in either, but feel we must begin even though we understand the difficulty and challenges of this new beginning. It took many years to become fluent in Tagalog, and it will take many again to become comfortable in teaching in these new languages. But begin we must. Please keep us in your prayers.
We are heading, Lord willing, up to Sagada once again on Monday for a short visit. We will begin scouting out a place to live this time around. We are not in a position to make the move yet, but we do want to see what is available and what it will cost to make the move. Pray with us in this as well.
Things here in Baguio are going very well. It is a continued blessing to be here with the Lord’s people. They are a constant source of blessing to me. The studies are going well and I will be teaching down in Baguio Gold this coming Lord’s Day.
We will be heading down to Manila in a couple of weeks for Doctors appointments for Joyce and we will be staying in that area while I teach at Special Studies at the bible school. I never look forward to going to the lowlands, but having Kim and Larry there along with our grandkids makes the visit most enjoyable. Keep Special Studies in your prayers as I will be handling a subject that is near and dear to my heart. Pray that the Lord would use my time there as a source of encouragement and challenge to His saints.
We are heading, Lord willing, up to Sagada once again on Monday for a short visit. We will begin scouting out a place to live this time around. We are not in a position to make the move yet, but we do want to see what is available and what it will cost to make the move. Pray with us in this as well.
Things here in Baguio are going very well. It is a continued blessing to be here with the Lord’s people. They are a constant source of blessing to me. The studies are going well and I will be teaching down in Baguio Gold this coming Lord’s Day.
We will be heading down to Manila in a couple of weeks for Doctors appointments for Joyce and we will be staying in that area while I teach at Special Studies at the bible school. I never look forward to going to the lowlands, but having Kim and Larry there along with our grandkids makes the visit most enjoyable. Keep Special Studies in your prayers as I will be handling a subject that is near and dear to my heart. Pray that the Lord would use my time there as a source of encouragement and challenge to His saints.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Update January 18, 2009
Greetings to you all, once again, in the precious name of our Lord and Savior…Jesus Christ.
I was moved once again this morning when reading several passages of holy scripture….Isaiah 52:14; “Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage (face) was marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men.”
Matthew 26:67 “Then they spat on His face and beat Him and others struck Him with the palms of their hands”
It is in that beloved “face” that we find “….the knowledge and the glory of God.” It is that “face” that we will once day behold. (1 Cor 13:12, Rev 22:4) And the “face” from which the earth and the heavens will flee away, when Judgment strikes. And those who reject Him shall call upon the mountains and rocks to fall on them and hid them from the “face” of Him who sits on the throne.
Oh my friend, how wonderful that His perfect love has cast out fear for us. And that we now long to see His face, and do not fear His coming. What will it be like to look into that beloved face that was so marred for us, that suffered the degradation of spitting and buffeting? “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement for our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed.” Oh what a wonderful savior.
Today, Sunday Jan. 18, I will be speaking at Navy Base in the morning and Baguio Gold in the afternoon. This morning I will be continuing the series on the priesthood of all believers, looking specifically at our consecrated hearing, service and walk. This afternoon we will finish up the second session of Bible School in Baguio Gold completing, Lord willing, chapter 6 of Hebrews.
We now have reservations at a guest house in Sagada for the first week of February, since nothing was available in January. Continue to pray that the Lord would open doors of opportunity for us there, if this be His will. We will also be looking for a place to rent, so that we can begin to spend more time in that town in the weeks and months to come. So we would appreciate your prayers in that regard as well.
Dave Johnson will be coming for a brief visit with us this week and we are looking forward to catching up with, learning about what the Lord has been doing in his life and through his ministry. He will be speaking at a cottage meeting on Wednesday night here as well.
Larnni’s voice shows little improvement, but there is some. So continue to keep her in your prayers. We continue to pray that she will not require surgery, but we leave that in the Lord’s hands.
Thank you all for your prayers, He is indeed at work among us.
I was moved once again this morning when reading several passages of holy scripture….Isaiah 52:14; “Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage (face) was marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men.”
Matthew 26:67 “Then they spat on His face and beat Him and others struck Him with the palms of their hands”
It is in that beloved “face” that we find “….the knowledge and the glory of God.” It is that “face” that we will once day behold. (1 Cor 13:12, Rev 22:4) And the “face” from which the earth and the heavens will flee away, when Judgment strikes. And those who reject Him shall call upon the mountains and rocks to fall on them and hid them from the “face” of Him who sits on the throne.
Oh my friend, how wonderful that His perfect love has cast out fear for us. And that we now long to see His face, and do not fear His coming. What will it be like to look into that beloved face that was so marred for us, that suffered the degradation of spitting and buffeting? “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement for our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed.” Oh what a wonderful savior.
Today, Sunday Jan. 18, I will be speaking at Navy Base in the morning and Baguio Gold in the afternoon. This morning I will be continuing the series on the priesthood of all believers, looking specifically at our consecrated hearing, service and walk. This afternoon we will finish up the second session of Bible School in Baguio Gold completing, Lord willing, chapter 6 of Hebrews.
We now have reservations at a guest house in Sagada for the first week of February, since nothing was available in January. Continue to pray that the Lord would open doors of opportunity for us there, if this be His will. We will also be looking for a place to rent, so that we can begin to spend more time in that town in the weeks and months to come. So we would appreciate your prayers in that regard as well.
Dave Johnson will be coming for a brief visit with us this week and we are looking forward to catching up with, learning about what the Lord has been doing in his life and through his ministry. He will be speaking at a cottage meeting on Wednesday night here as well.
Larnni’s voice shows little improvement, but there is some. So continue to keep her in your prayers. We continue to pray that she will not require surgery, but we leave that in the Lord’s hands.
Thank you all for your prayers, He is indeed at work among us.
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