Smokey Mountain is the largest slum and squatter area in the Philippines and by some reports; the world. There are over 30,000 people who live in or make their living from this dump. The dump is so big, that it burns continuously from its own spontaneous combustion (the heat is generated like a giant compost heap from the microbes and bacteria buried in the garbage). These squatters and scavengers make their living by digging through the trash in search of recyclable materials or other treasures that can be sold for money. Most squatters are unable to gain employment in other ways and are barely able to afford food, if the whole family forges together.

This area is also known for its crime and violence. We often have Taxis refuse to take us back to our Mission Base, because the area near our bases at Smokey Mountain is so well known for violence and crime. One particular night we had three Taxis refuse to take us into this area and those that grudgingly do take us, make everyone lock their doors as we enter the area. We regularly walk through these same areas and minister to people on foot for hours at a time, even after dark, without incident. God’s work, done His way, never seems to lack angels for protection.

Squatters in the dump spend all their energy trying to provide for their everyday existence, leaving them no way to break the cycle of poverty, ignorance, despair and hopelessness. YWAM has numerous programs including; malnutrition feeding programs, elementary through college scholarships (school is not free in the Philippines), permanent and semi-permanent housing (a combined government and Christian enterprise), infant care for malnutrition babies, TB clinics with free medicine, and discipleship classes for those receiving the medicine and their children, parental education classes, and exhaustive discipleship courses for all students receiving a school scholarship (they meet three to four times a week and include visitations by YWAM staff to their homes on a regular basis), parents, women, and men Bible studies, orphanage for children rejected by their parents because of deformities, and hospital visitation. Many squatters and their children only escape the dump at death or when hospitalized for the treatment of illness or injury.

The success in Smokey Mountain are now becoming evident, as many of the graduates of these programs have become missionaries back to Smokey Mountain and elsewhere in the Philippines, and the world (working all across Asia). Many of the long term missionaries at our base were raised on the dump scavenging for a living and by God’s grace have been released from the cycle of poverty and more importantly, from the cycle of sin and death, through the grace, mercy and cleansing power of Jesus Christ. They have now planted churches and ministries in the dumps which are living, vibrant, and changing Smokey Mountain. We have been blessed to preach in these churches, teach in their classes, disciple their students, feed children and care for orphans with them.

The Kingdom of God has come to Smokey Mountain! It started as the smallest of seeds and it is growing and will continue to grow until it becomes a great tree growing out of this pile of garbage; changing it and those in it forever. We are proud to play a minor role in this great unstoppable move of God. Praise His name!

Click here to see pictures of Smokey Mountain.

Carl Henderson and family
Mission of Reconciliation,
Missionaries to the Philippines

I want to encourage people to keep praying for us, I have found new power and ability in preaching that I have never known before. I can stand-up and speak on a moments notice now, on nearly any topic and speak powerfully and very effectively.

At first I thought it was my street preaching in Houston and Dallas that had improved my ability to think on my feet and preach without preparation and extensive notes, but I now believe it is the prayers of the saints back home in the states. I believe your prayer support has freed my tongue and mind. I have a freedom in the pulpit and power I have never experienced before. Praise the Lord!

I speak regularly in many different forums (Sometimes five or more times a week!), to all kinds of people and audiences. I rarely have more than 3 to 5 minutes to prepare to speak. When I have prepared a message, God usually changes it and gives me a totally different message just before I speak. Scriptures and illustrations flow from my mind and people are powerfully convicted. Sometimes I sit down and I can barely remember what I just told the crowd.

I asked Nethaniel, my oldest son, how was my sermon, after one of these episodes, he told me, "Dad, these days even a bad sermon from you, is excellent." Last night I spoke to college students in Manila. I had prepared a sermon, but I saw one of the students had a text on the back of her T-shirt, Luke 10:27.

God would not give me peace until I looked up the text in the middle of the song service. As soon as I read the text, God gave me a whole new sermon from the text and the verses that followed it.

Many people were powerfully effected by the last minute and spontaneous sermon that God gave me that night. The first five days in Manila on outreach, I spoke everyday of the week to a different group and never repeated myself. On Sunday morning we were dressing to visit a huge church in Manila and God strongly indicated to me that I was going to preach. This church is so big and sophisticated that they conduct four church services every Lord’s Day. I told Celina that I thought I was going to preach in church that Sunday. She didn’t see how it could happen and neither did I, but I felt sure I was going to preach. I put some old sermon notes in my Bible (just in case) and we left for church.

Through a series of God ordained strange events and coincidences, we went from being seated in an obscure corner of this huge building, to accidentally meeting the pastor. The pastor invited us into his study to talk. A short conversation later, he moved us into the front row of this huge church so he could introduce us. This was changed again as he asked Celina to come up and speak as an American Missionary’s wife and greet the church. Celina and I were shocked and surprised by this unexpected turn of events. Celina bravely extended salutations to the congregation from America and returned to her seat. Then the pastor surprised us again and asked me to come up and preach. I preached with great power and conviction and never touched the sermon notes I had brought along.

As God had indicated, I preached that day to over 400 people with Pastor Marlin the senior pastor serving as my interpreter. God is marvelous and His ways are beyond finding out.

"A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Please continue to pray that God the Holy Spirit will continue to empower and equip us with boldness, wisdom and power.

Now, Lord grant to your servants that with all boldness they speak your words by stretching out your hand.... Acts 4:29

Carl Henderson and family
Mission of Reconciliation
Missionaries to the Philippines

I had a wonderful "Mars Hill" experience which started when I shared my faith with one man. He brought his four friends. I shared the Way of the Master with them and they were so impressed that they invited me to a meeting of their organization called "The brotherhood of Universal Spiritual Seekers." It is a society of "spiritual" people from all faiths who are seeking various ways to know God.

They took him (the apostle Paul) and brought him to Mars Hill, saying, "May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean. For all Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing." Acts 17:19-21

They are Yogis (the man I spoke with first), Animist, Spiritist, Hindus, Buddhist, Bahia, Unitarians, pretend Christians and I also found out their were a few real born again Christians who are using the organization as a means to spread the gospel and a way to persuade others about the true God. I agreed to speak at their societies meeting the next day.

Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and said "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;..." Acts 17:22

The meeting started with local politicians attending the meeting hoping to gain the societies support for the up-coming elections. After they made their pitch to the society, I was asked to speak. I spoke for 35 minutes on the difference between the creator God Jesus, and all other gods. I taught on how creation reveals God’s justice (His irrevocable laws, i.e., gravity), His love (allowing the rain to fall on the just and unjust) and His mercy (allowing sinners time to repent instead of destroying them in their moment of rebellion). This of course eventually led right into the Way of the Master.

I had 35 religious philosophers agreeing with me, that a just God can only be merciful by letting His justice fall on a perfect sacrifice, which I maintained was His own son, Jesus Christ. Making His son (the whipping boy) for unjust humans like us. They all agreed that this is the only solution that allows God to be both just and merciful at the same. It seemed to be a totally new concept to them and it left them amazed and dumbfounded.

I cannot describe how powerful this sermon was with mere words. Everyone told me they had never heard the gospel explained in this way before. Many even told me they did not know that this is what Christianity was about. They were amazed that God had found the answer for the dichotomy of justice verses mercy. Justice requires punishment, but mercy brings the punishment full circle where God himself bares the punishment for His subjects.

I had several other missionaries come to the meeting to pray while I spoke and I asked a South African missionary who had been involved in the cults before becoming a Christian to share about his search for God. The meeting broke up with many questions and answers. They hosted a meal for us and they asked me to bless the food, before the afternoon ended I was asked to pray a total of four times publicly for the group. We were asked to come back and join them and they posed for a huge group photo. We were so well received that one of the animist priest from the mountain tribes played the Star Spangled Banner on his nose flute in honor of our visit.

Please remember the society in your prayers. Pray that the eyes of their hearts will be truly opened and that their hearts will open to the foolishness of placing their hope in anything besides God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God (the Father),and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14.

Carl Henderson and family
Mission of Reconciliation,
Missionaries to the Philippines

We have had big battles with the Cults here in the Philippines. They are not passive and laid back like in the states. Here they are rude, aggressive, rough and even violent. We have had some street preachers assaulted and beaten up in Baguio in the past by members of these cults.

I was showing scripture to one of them in the park in Baguio and he grabbed my Bible and started swinging it around by one cover, throwing the papers I had in it everywhere. I had to let him have it initially because I did not want to rip it in two pieces having a tug of war. After he jerked it out of my hand, I grabbed his arm and retrieved my Bible. I picked up the papers and moved to another area do evangelism, but he came back to argue with me three more times and the last time to mock me by bowing to me Japanese style. This was his response to Thomas confession that Jesus was Lord in Jn. 20:28, and Luke 24:52, Mt. 28:9, Rev. 5, where the apostles and others worshiped Jesus as only God can be worshiped.

This particular cult (there are several new ones here besides those we are familiar with in the states) also bumped into us when we are witnessing (like school bullies), they force their way between us and the person we are witnessing to, and they stand right beside us and try to interfere with the one-two-one evangelism by attempting to intimidate us or the person we are sharing the gospel with. They also pass by us like sharks, moving back and forth, behind our backs while we are sharing the Way of the Master.

We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Cor. 4:7

Carl Henderson
Mission of Reconciliation,
Missionaries to the Philippines