Karen’s Testimony
lf there ever were two people with more vastly different backgrounds, they are Karen and me. Only God could arrange for two such people to come together. Karen was born into a wonderful Christian missionary family and was saved by the Lord’s grace at the tender age of seven. Exposed to her parent’s ministry, especially hospitality and Bible teaching, she was encouraged to teach Sunday school and started her first kid’s club in seventh grade. Karen attended Emmaus Bible College and then served the Lord in the Philippines as a single missionary [Karen Engle] from 1990 to 1995. She has been actively involved in ministry with Overland Park Bible Chapel [currently named The Bible Chapel of Shawnee] for over 25 years.
Patrick’s Testimony
The youngest of four children, I was born in Lancaster, California, to a non-Christian family. My family migrated to Germany when I was five-years-old. My parents divorced shortly after that and my dad went back to the States. My mom and all of us kids stayed behind in a small German town and my mom remarried shortly thereafter. Growing up with an illness-stricken stepfather and a mother who had to work hard every day to provide basic necessities, I lacked guidance, discipline and self-esteem. I was shy and introverted and very rebellious. My adult life turned out to be a total disaster and, in February 1994, l finally reached the end of my rope and considered suicide. However, the coward in me decided to leave Germany instead and go back to the United States. ln the US, my sister Tess invited me to an Easter production at her church. A scene at the gate of Heaven caught my attention- a person could not enter if their name was not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. After that, I had many questions for my sister and she graciously and patiently answered them all. She also encouraged me to go to church with her, so l did. During a Sunday morning service in November 1996, in a quiet moment, I realized I was not right with God. I asked the Lord to forgive my sin and to save me. That was when Jesus took charge of my life and changed me inside-out. My life has never been the same.
Together
ln 1998 Karen and I were introduced by a dear friend and were married on July 3, 1999. The Lord’s call became clear as He showed us through Scripture, circumstances and several different events what He wanted us to do with our lives. It all started in 2005 when Ken Engle, Karen’s dad, had a desire to reconnect with the saints in the assemblies he helped establish during his 30 years of service in the Philippines. Karen and I accompanied him and I fell in love with the Filipino people. After that, the Lord instilled in me a desire to serve there as a missionary. About a year later the Lord gave Karen the same desire. After our second trip in 2007 ,we approached our elders regarding our call to serve in the Philippines. They have been with us in prayer, counsel and encouragement from the very beginning. When we visited the Philippines again in 2008, the Lord showed us a small island in the Visayan Sea, called Romblon, which has little evidence of the Gospel. We believe that the Lord wants us to establish a pioneer work on that island. This includes child evangelism, community outreach and evangelistic Bible studies, followed by discipleship training.
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Lately the Lord has shown us Acts 26:17-18, “l am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.”
Please pray for us in this regard!
Our current physical address is:
Patrick & Karen Carder
Barangay Calabogo
Romblon Island
5500 Romblon, Romblon
PHILIPPINES
