Dear family, brethren, and friends,

After a day of rest and work in Manila, on Wednesday the 6^th I flew to Iloilo City on the island of Panay in the Visayan Islands in the central Philippines.

Fortunately, shortly before I left Manila I received more precise and accurate information which should be corrected from the previous report about our visit to Malaysia.  The report should have read:

1. “Nick was born of a European and Asian background and married a Sino-Kadazan, but they were converted by Andy DeKlerk during Nick’s education in Iowa from 1983-1987.”

2. “To be legally recognized in Malaysia, churches must be organized under a Registrar of Society which puts them all under government scrutiny and regulation.”

3. The saints rent a room on the 2^nd not the 4^th floor of a building in a strip mall, but after climbing the 47 steep steps, you will surely think it is the 4^th floor!
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Rody and Tessie Gumpad and I arrived at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia at 1:40 A.M. Saturday, took a short rest, and proceeded to the place where the saints meet at 9:00 A.M.  Nick Rowe and his wife welcomed us at the airport and assisted us in every way possible for the three days we labored with them and the other saints.

Many Filipinos work in Malaysia and we are trying to spread the word about the church in Kota Kinabalu because living in a country which is officially Muslim makes it difficult for the brethren to do normal advertising of their presence.  A Filipino sister working in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia traveled about 1,000 miles by air (over twice that distance if by land and sea – Malaysia is a widespread nation) to join our studies.

Nick was born of a Jewish and European background and married a Malaysian, but they were converted by Andy DeKlerk during Nick’s medical training in Iowa about 1983.  Though he has benefitted from his association with U.S. saints through the years, he struggles against great odds unknown to us because of the constraints of life in a Muslim culture.  We are not well equipped to guide brethren in the best ways to navigate such challenges, other than teaching them the general principles of Scripture which God designed to penetrate all nations.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

This 84^th Philippine trip began with a plane leaving Louisville, Kentucky at 6:00 P.M. Sunday and arriving about 11:00 A.M. Tuesday in Manila (12 hours ahead of U.S. time).  The flights to Atlanta, then to South Korea, and finally to the Philippines were smooth, allowing me to get a lot of work done and to sleep as much as possible.

On the final leg, a Filipino man seated next to me noticed I prayed before eating.  This led to an opportunity to explain I come to teach the Bible and how the church of Christ has no hierarchy but simply guides people to study and obey the Scriptures as our map to heaven.  This ended with him asking for my contact information before we parted ways – so typical of Filipino people, which is why I must continue to come!

I traveled under a beautiful, clear, full moon, proclaiming again the glory of God to every open eye and open heart.

On Wednesday James Paet and Elias Cruz joined me at the hotel to repack the six boxes of Bibles and study materials I brought on the airplane to ship them ahead to various places I will teach.  Several other errands such as exchanging dollars to pesos were attended to, making for a busy but productive day.  After seeing the moon’s brilliant, gorgeous light, I finally got to bed about 12:30 A.M.
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September 2, 2023^nd Year of Our Lord  

HALBROOK REPORT: 83^rd PHILIPPINE TRIP JULY 26-SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

Dear brethren,                               

A merciful God used Jim McDonald to take me to the Philippines in 1995 and my 83^rd trip has now been completed July 26-September 1.  July 26-August 8 was spent working with Paul Coffman in Kenya and the rest of the time I labored in the Philippines.  I taught 82 lessons.  47 souls submitted to Christ in baptism.  784 Bibles in Filipino dialects were purchased and shipped to the saints.

The kingdom of darkness cannot withstand the light of the gospel.  “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). That light is shining brightly in Kenya and the Philippines.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

The journey which began July 26 to Kenya and the Philippines was completed tonight, September 1, about 11:00 PM under a beautiful full moon.  My heart overflows with thanksgiving for the blessings of God in travel and in these labors for His kingdom.

One of the greatest blessings of being a Christian is the fellowship, inspiration, and encouragement of other Christians.  I extend my love and thanksgiving to brethren in Kenya and the Philippines who have been co-workers for the cause of Christ for these past several weeks, and to all who have helped to make  this work possible with prayers, donations, and words of encouragement.  47 precious souls were baptized into Christ through these joint efforts.

I barely made my connecting flights because of delays in the flight schedules (my suitcase is still in transit somewhere).  Andy Alexander and Keith Greer should have reached Louisville ahead of me because they left Manila several hours before I did, but their flights on different airlines were also delayed and they arrived here shortly after I did.  You will be glad to know their travels were also safe.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Dondon drove us from the hotel in Pagadian City out into the country on Saturday to meet with the church at Lower Sambulawan, Ramon Magsaysay where Ernie Collado has established a new congregation during the last couple of years.  About 30 souls were assembled in their building as I taught the lesson “Work While It Is Day (Jn. 9:4).”  After greeting everyone, taking pictures, and having a short visit, we proceeded to the church at Lower Pulacan, Labangan where Ernie lives and has preached for many years.  A study of Jesus as “The Bread of Life” in John 6 was presented to about 35 people who were most attentive.  Ernie provided a very fine lunch in his house.

Then we drove to the church at Manga where James Armada continues the good work of his father Leo who passed away a couple of years ago. After preaching to 25 souls on “Work While It Is Day,” I was requested to bring an additional lesson – I preached “The Bread of Life.”
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

We went to the airport on Tuesday at 8:00 A.M. to catch a plane which did not fly until 2:00 P.M. after several delays.  When we finally arrived in Cebu City to go to our connecting flight to Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, the plane we should have missed was also delayed so long that we hurried to the gate and made it!  Dondon Masaba was kind enough to meet us at 5:00 P.M. when we landed and used his large pickup truck to bring us to the hotel.

But as we traveled about an hour toward the hotel, sheets and torrents of rain inundated us.  Every article of clothing in my suitcase was wet.  I did not realize until later that the water had leaked into every nook and cranny, even into plastic bags which I thought were sealed.  Fortunately, the hotel laundry had not yet shut down and they promised to have everything dried and pressed by 7:00 A.M. tomorrow.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

All of Saturday was devoted to travel.  A flight from Davao City took us to Manila. After a couple of hours, another ;plane brought us to Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur on the island of Mindanao.  Alvin Miguel met us at the airport.  By the time we got settled into our hotel, it was getting dark, and Alvin guided us to a restaurant noted for excellent seafood.  This is my first time to return here in about 20 years.  At times it has not been safe because of Muslim rebels, but things are peaceful now.  Ramon Carino was with us last time and he took me to the cathedral where a group of fanatical Catholics including himself gathered Bibles to burn.

Because of the large attendance expected, the saints the Canelar church arranged for worship and lectures for two days at a rented function room.  On the Lord’s Day 126 souls filled this large room at 8:00 A.M. including about 40 visitors.  “From Wretched Man to More Than Conquerors” was the first study.  After worship and a short break, I preached on “The Resurrection of Christ.”  After lunch, we reconvened to study “Nailed to the Cross,” showing that Christ offered himself as a perfect sacrifice for sin and replaced the Old Covenant with the gospel.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

On Tuesday, the 15^th, we began a service about 9:30 A.M. at the Glamang church in Polomolok, the Province of South Cotabato where Toto Samson preaches.  About 35 people heard sermons this A.M. on “The Resurrection of Christ” and also “Finish the Race,” translated by Joy Julom and Billy Gripo.  Four people confessed Christ and were baptized into his church.  Toto fell back to the world about 20 years ago, but he never forgot the truth and this led him finally to repent and to renew his service to Christ a couple of years ago.   He is doing a good work in this community.

In the afternoon we traveled to the Purok Tribal church in Maasim, Sarangani Province where Romel Dazon labors and a new building is under construction.  It was filled with about 80 people and they were very attentive to the studies about “The Resurrection of Christ” and “When Peter Confessed Christ” as translated by Salvador Parbo and Joy Julom.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Our Lord’s Day activities involved 11 hours of travel and visits to four congregations.  Salvador Parbo picked up Jonathan and Nanette Carino and myself in a four-wheel-drive truck which negotiated roads of all kinds as we traversed the mountains including concrete highways, washed-out roads filled with large random rocks, muddy roads with deep ruts, and one-lane paths.  Without four-wheel-drive, we would still be somewhere in those mountains tonight!

Our first stop was at the Kiongok church in Maasim in the Province of Sarangani where Salvador preaches.  Over 100 people participated in this service as I preached on “The Resurrection of Christ” from Mark 16. Jonathan summarized this sermon in the local dialect.  Nine people ranging in age from 23 to 12 confessed Christ and were baptized into him.  Many Muslims inhabit this area, but Salvador has befriended them and converted some of them to Christ.
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