Dear family, brethren, and friends around the world,

This trip was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, February 29.  Monday shortly before noon Delta Airlines notified me that I should leave that very afternoon to avoid the danger of the approaching winter storm which might trap me in Atlanta and prevent me from reaching London.  Donna and I went into emergency scramble mode to finish all the preparations and Doug Rush rushed me to the airport at 5:30 P.M.

I had a couple of hours layover in Atlanta and then flew all night to reach London.  England is five hours ahead of the U.S., and we arrived at 10:00 A.M.  Tuesday found me in a fog – I answered several emails, went to the exercise room, and took a nap.  A weather report here also predicted ice and snow, so I am just thankful to be here.

Wednesday found me still adjusting to the time difference but also plowing ahead preparing for the lessons to be presented.  An airline pilot from Spain flying for an Arabian nation commented on the elevator here in the hotel that he hoped I was not flying the next day because snow is coming.  I explained I will not leave until next week because I am here to teach the Bible.  I explained when we got off the elevator that churches of Christ teach people how to study the Bible for themselves and not depend on Popes and human organizations to “filter” the truth.  After my evening exercise, I sat down at the restaurant to eat, and he and a friend were at the next table.  Their background is Catholic but neither of them is active.

We had another good conversation because they were curious about what I teach and where.  One commented that he did not know if he believed in God or not anymore but that Bible principles work well in life.  I observed that they work well because the God who made us designed those principles to guide us.  He responded, “Now that is food for thought.”  They had to leave before we got into more details, but I hope God will open another door for them, especially the one with sad searching eyes.

Time flew by like a whirlwind Thursday as I reviewed and tweaked my lessons, checked out the function room, quickly answered some email, and worked on my lesson entitled “Helping Each Other” in preparation for the Truth Lectures in Athens, AL the last week of June.  I took a mid-day walk and saw a small grocery store where I found some grapes to snack on, and, lo, and behold, there were three cans of Dr. Pepper mixed in with the soft drinks.  It is fortuitous that I bought one.  When I later went down to supper, the restaurant was overflowing with people, so I went next door to an Indian restaurant and ate spicy lamb ribs – oh, so spicy!  My head was sweating as I walked through the falling snow back to the hotel.  Ah, just the time for Dr. Pepper – just what the doctor ordered.

I was hoping the snow and ice would not hinder our participants from arriving for the next two days of study.

Our study of the series on The Authority of Christ got off to a good start on Friday in the function room.  We studied all day except for a lunch break and finished at 5:30 P.M.  I had hoped to cover four lessons but covered only three.  The lessons moved slowly because there were so many good questions, comments, and discussions – the participation could not have been better.

It was good to see Teddy and Bing Gumpad (she is four months pregnant – congratulations to both Papa and Mama!).  Adrian Limb from the Nottingham church and I have corresponded for years but this was our first chance to meet.  Kyle Campbell had introduced me on email to Constant Coulibaly, an African from the Ivory Coast living in London and preaching for the Brighton church of Christ.  He and his wife were deeply interested in our studies.

This day’s lessons included “The Authority of Christ Expressed in Scripture,” “The Authority of Christ as Savior and Head of the Church,” and “Gradual Departures from the Authority of Christ” resulting in the development of Roman Catholicism.  It snowed off and on today, but our area was not heavily hit and all of our participants arrived safely.

Our number increased to seven on Saturday as we studied about a “Gradual Return to the Authority of Christ,” first by the Protestant Reformation in reaction against the corruptions of Roman Catholicism, and second by the Restoration Movement in reaction against the errors of denominationalism.  This took the whole morning because considerable time was used answering questions and discussing applications of the truth involved in the work of restoration.   Careful attention was given to clarifying that Christ did not authorize churches donating funds to missionary societies and other institutions to do the work for the churches.  The local church is organized by God to be its own missionary society, edification society, and benevolent society.  The organization, work, and worship of the church were analyzed in great detail.

We appreciated Kenneth Peters leading our songs very effectively.

This line of study about the distinctiveness of the New Testament church continued after lunch as I presented lessons on “Avoiding Apostasy Today” and “Two Attitudes Toward God’s Word: Conservative and Liberal.”  We literally ran out of time before all of my material was covered, but all the key points were fully explored.  For some of the participants, our studies covered a lot of new ground.  Though there were points needing discussion and clarification all along, there was no spirit of resisting or fighting against the truth.

I admit to being quite tired after teaching 6 ½ hours today, but the joy of studying with saints who love the truth lifts my spirit and I thank God for every moment we shared.  And I know the brethren were quite tired also after studying all day.  What a wonderful way to be tired – serving the Lord!

Next came a wonderful Lord’s Day meeting with saints gathered at the Brighton church of Christ (11 Oxford St., Brighton).  The meeting house was built in 1890.  The 16 souls gathered included people from England, India, the Ivory Coast, the Philippines, the West Indies, and the U.S. – how is that for international?  Our first lesson in the Bible class period was “Jesus, The Bread of Life” (Jn. 6:35), then during the worship period “Why Saints Assemble” (Heb. 10:24-25).  We sang before the Lord’s Supper Isaac Watt’s hymn “Not All the Blood of Beasts,” a beautiful song I had never heard emphasizing the sufficiency of the blood of Christ.  After the service it was a joy to visit with several members, and then Kenneth took us to a seaside restaurant for “fish and chips.” He is originally from the West Indies but has been in Brighton for many years.  Our visit was most enjoyable.

Constant and Philis invited Adrian Limb and me to share Monday lunch with them at their apartment.  Philis started by serving a large shrimp salad – when I finished I thanked her for the delicious meal – then she announced the main dish was ready to serve!  I was already stuffed, but she brought each of us a serving of salmon which was so tender it melted in my mouth almost without chewing.  After that, she served apple pie with custard.  From 2:00-5:00 P.M. we were at the table eating, visiting, and discussing various questions and issues of the day.  I definitely do not need supper tonight.

When we left the table, we continued sharing a lot of spiritual food discussing the social gospel, institutionalism, the nature of man made in God’s image, errors of evolution, the nature of God (including the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), the sin of eating blood, and God’s Almighty power to open doors for precious souls who seek Him so that they can find Him even in the most remote places (Acts 17:26-27).  We must prepare ourselves and be alert to every opportunity because God uses His people to teach those who are seeking Him!

This is my first time to preach in England and it has been a great blessing to meet new brethren and to see a door open for Teddy and Bing Gumpad to finally locate a place to worship.  Please give thanks to God for blessing us here in London for the past week, and pray for the next leg of the trip to Paris where I will meet with a congregation composed of Filipino brethren.

During the week I will spend time with Edwin Cortez.  If you have contacts in or near Paris, invite them to join us on Saturday, February 9, for Bible study at Number 8 Rue Alphonse Kappler, Asnieres Sur Seine at 6 P.M.  On Sunday, February 10, the saints will meet at the Gourmet Grill , 6 Boulevard Ornano, 93200 Saint-Denis at 3:00-6:00 P.M.  For additional information, contact Edwin Cortez (cell phone 02307-6863 if calling from France, or 0033-62-307-6863 if calling from other parts of Europe).

The “moon watch” is on but I have not been able to see it yet.  Stay tuned!

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook

To see good Bible study material, go to:
http://www.HebronChurchOfChrist.com
http://www.biblework.com
http://www.truthmagazine.com
http://www.CEIbooks.com