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Ken Hamel/Artikel

Dari SABDA Labs

< Ken Hamel

Kenneth Warren Hamel was born December 28, 1957 in Lancaster, Wisconsin, the first child of his parents, Warren and Anneliese Hamel. Kenneth's childhood was spent in Wisconsin where he had his elementary and secondary education. Kenneth was always an excellent student and showed a great love of mathematics and computer science. He spent a large portion of his youthful savings on an "assemble yourself" computer.

Much of his time was spent on the small Hamel farm in the country just outside of Watertown, Wisconsin. Here Kenneth helped take care of the animals, garden, and yard-where he played with his two brothers, two sisters, cousins, neighbors, and friends.

Kenneth attended Laurelbrook Academy his sophomore year in high school. This was his first introduction to the self-supporting work in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and his love for this work only grew as he became older. He would later attend and work at Weimar Institute and Uchee Pines.

After high school, Kenneth joined the United States Air Force where he graduated from his training in computer engineering. His parents were informed that he had completed his testing with the highest score ever achieved to date.

Kenneth used the scholarship from the Air Force to attend the University of Wisconsin, River Falls where he continued his training in the growing field of computer and information sciences.

It was during this time that Kenneth challenged his sister Maureen to read a beautifully bound-in-red set of the Conflict of the Ages series. He motivated her by saying if she did read them he would give her the set. His plan worked and Maureen read the books every morning as she was going through the last years of elementary school. Everyone should have a big brother like Kenneth!

After finishing his studies at University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Kenneth programmed for a variety of computer software companies and was delighted to put aside enough money to launch into the work he loved the most-developing computer software for the Bible and the writings of Ellen G. White.

In 1991, Kenneth, who loved his Lord and His Word, was prompted by necessity to create a Macintosh software version of the Bible. Being a Macintosh programmer he embarked on what became a long-term commitment to create quality Bible software.

"I was a Bible student and a Mac user," he once said, "but I couldn't find anything that was usable for serious Bible study on the Macintosh. The only programs available that I felt were functional and offered the resources I needed were PC based. As it turns out, I wasn't the only Mac user looking for such a program." Ken developed Online Bible for Mac. Its distribution is based firmly on the principle of grace not greed which, as in all areas of his life, was Kenneth's philosophy of service. Along with many others who have worked on this project, he did so with a desire to make God's Word readily available to computer users in a form that will enhance their Bible study.

Probably the one thing that most amazes those who know him personally, is the tremendous effort he has gone through during the last two years to develop the newest Universal application of Online Bible for Mac, considering the debilitating health problems and pain he was suffering. Now, just as the work is virtually complete, he has been able to pass the torch to a team who are blessed with the privilege of carrying on his vision and ministry.

It was about 15 years ago that Kenneth first visited the White Estate's Branch Office at Andrews University, to lobby for and offer his services to help produce a Macintosh version of Ellen G. White's Writings. Being a skilled programmer, Kenneth offered to do for the Writings of Ellen White what he had done for Online Bible, pioneering the development of an Apple Macintosh application.

From that time onward, Kenneth, with his programming expertise and Macintosh savvy, became an incredibly valued partner of the White Estate. Between 1995 and 2005, Kenneth's dedicated help as consultant, programmer, beta tester, and problem solver, was critical to the White Estate's successful production and support of three successive revisions of a Mac version of the CD. For all of his indispensable work, Kenneth never asked for any recompense. He did it all as a labor of love-Kenneth's free-will offering to his God, his church, and his fellow Macintosh users.

Kenneth moved to Beersheba Springs, Tennessee, in 1997 where he made many friends in the community and in the church. He enjoyed many walks in the wooded mountains and many bicycle rides on the country roads. Still, most of his time remained committed to the Online Bible and Ellen White reference media.

In 2003, handheld PDAs had become very popular among many users. Kenneth owned a Pocket PC and wanted to be able to take to church or Bible studies, all the writings of Ellen White on a handheld device. He had a dream to be able to read, search, highlight, make personal notes or bookmarks in these writings, anywhere he traveled without been tethered to his computer. He contacted Laridian, a handheld Bible Software company, and forged new relationships with them. This enabled the White Estate to embrace yet another innovative form of distributing the writings of Ellen G. White on Palm and Pocket PC devices. Kenneth spent the next two years of his life developing the Ellen G. White Writings PDA eBook Collection for release at the 2005 General Conference session.

When this was completed, Kenneth then embarked on tagging all of Ellen G. White's published writings, Manuscript Releases, Biographies, and Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary. Many challenges lay ahead with creating this software, but every challenge was met with Kenneth's masterful expertise. Nothing ever made him stumble or give up. Each day was a new challenge that had to be mastered. His positive attitude, kindness of spirit, and tenacity allowed Kenneth to accomplish more in a short period of time than a team of people could accomplish in a year. Such was his dedication and skill. Kenneth developed for the White Estate three successive upgrades to the PDA eBook collection. His gift and legacy to the White Estate will live on. Countless numbers of users have benefited from Kenneth's software development. We will never know until we join together in the kingdom of God, how many friends Kenneth has brought closer to Christ through his lifetime of dedicated service to the spreading of the Gospel electronically. Kenneth was a software evangelist pioneer. Kenneth was ever so thankful and humbled that God saw fit to use his talent in developing software to spread the Word of God through Online Bible and his work with the White Estate producing both Macintosh and PDA versions of Ellen White's writings.

Kenneth friendship always extended way beyond, indeed above, his generous and competent technical help. When you met him it didn't take long before his primary motivating force became apparent-Kenneth's love for God, His Word, and the special light entrusted to the remnant church through the Gift of Prophecy. All who knew him personally came to a deeper, closer, stronger walk with God. Kenneth's commitment to working for his Lord and His church has left a software legacy for many to enjoy for years to come. Kenneth's faith-filled, conscientious life of devotion, obedience, study, challenged us all. His service and dedication impressed, inspired, and brought those he interacted with to a closer relationship with their God.

Kenneth began to have pain about two years ago and sought numerous medical consultations. He learned just weeks ago that he had lung cancer that had metastasized throughout his body, including his spine-the cause of his high intensity of pain.

Kenneth will be remembered as a loving brother and son, a caring friend, a dedicated Christian, a servant of God, a scholar of the Bible and the writings of Ellen G. White. "And I heard the voice from heaven saying, `Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them.'" Revelation 14:13

Kenneth's family and friends look forward to the soon fulfillment of the promise that "Jesus will come to save His children and to give them the finishing touch of immortality. `This corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality.' The graves will be opened, and the dead will come forth victorious, crying, `O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?' Our loved ones who sleep in Jesus will come forth clothed with immortality.

   "And as the redeemed shall ascend to heaven, the gates of the city of God will swing back, and those 
   who have kept the truth will enter in. A voice, richer than any music that ever fell on mortal ear, will be heard saying, 
   `Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' 
   Then the righteous will receive their reward. Their lives will run parallel with the life of Jehovah. 
   They will cast their crowns at the Redeemer's feet, touch the golden harps, and fill all heaven with rich music."
         -Ellen G. White, Signs, April 15, 1889.

Biografi disadur dari

• http://www.onlinebible.us/kenhamel.html
• http://www.online-bible.com/ken.html