Dave and Karen Lampinen

Mobilizing the Philippine Church for Cross-Cultural Missions

Originally from Michigan and Wisconsin, Dave and Karen met in June 1987 at the OMF Language Center in Batangas City, Philippines. Dave was a student there and Karen back for a language refresher course at the beginning of her third term. They were engaged in July and married six months later. Each of them accepted Christ in the early 1970s when challenged by the life and testimony of committed Christians. They were both a long way from home at the time: Dave in the U.S. Navy in California and Karen in England working for an American university.

From 1973 to 1976 Dave studied at Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland and Karen at All Nations Christian College near London. Karen went to the Philippines with OMF in 1977 and spent two terms in church work, urban church planting and helping in the mission's language program as Tagalog Language Advisor. Dave spent those years working in short-term mission programs in Canada, Alaska, Mexico, Ireland and Germany. When he applied to OMF in 1985 he was ready to make a long-term commitment to missions.

As a couple, Dave and Karen led a church-planting team which established Lord of Life Christian Fellowship in Quezon City. Having transferred leadership of this church to an able Filipino pastor, they sought the Lord's direction for future ministry. He led them to the Philippines Missions Association (PMA) where Dave served as Director for Mobilization, involved in missions mobilization in local churches and Karen in training Filipinos for cross-cultural ministry.

Three years ago their son Ben was diagnosed with leukemia and the family was forced to return to the U.S. for medical treatment. Ben passed away in February of 2004 at age 11. In July of that year Dave and Karen, with their older son Wil (10/25/90) returned to the Philippines to resume their work with PMA. But in April of 2005 Karen was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and once again they have returned to the Portland area for medical treatment. Karen is presently undergoing chemotherapy. The Lampinens are presently seeking to minister to Filipino congregations in the Portland area and seeking to mobilize these and other churches for cross-cultural missions.