Halbrook Philippine Report Apr. 26-30, 2014
April 30, 2014th Year of Our Lord
Dear family, brethren, and friends,
By God’s grace, on this last segment of the trip I have the privilege to work in the Ilocos Norte Province where I have been welcomed for many years by brethren who are dear to me because of their devotion to the Lord and steadfastness in the faith. On Saturday, April 26, Jonathan Carino and Jack Jaco began their journeys back to their homes in Cebu, Cebu and Victorias City, Negros Occidental respectively where their loved ones miss them and wait for them. Meanwhile, I flew from Cagayan de Oro City on Mindanao to Manila on Luzon where I took a connecting flight to Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. Mat Sibayan, Sr. and Junior met me at the airport and brought me to the hotel. It was a joy to see them again!
On the Lord’s Day, my brother and friend Efen Ramos picked me up at 7:00 A.M. to go to two congregations where he preaches in Ilocos Norte. We have done this several times through the years so that I have had the privilege to watch both churches grow and develop. The first service was at 8:00 A.M. at Binacag where about 100 souls gathered including visitors. I preached on “The Prison of Sin” (1 Pet. 3:18-4:11) and Efren translated it into the Ilocano dialect spoken in this region. The next schedule was for the 10:00 service at the Poblacion church. Their new church building has been under construction for about three years now, as funds become available, and it overflowed today with 115 present. Efren asked that I preach the same lesson and it was well received.
A dear aged sister presented me with about 10 eggs laid by her native chickens in appreciation for my visit (just to clarify, it was the sister and not the chickens who appreciated my coming:-) ). Since I have no cooking facilities, I gave them to Efren, but I had my picture taken with this precious saint in remembrance of her love.
After the service, we quickly ate lunch and rushed to Laoag City to the Provincial Jail to meet Mat Sibayan, Sr., Junior, Rex Bayaca, and other brethren who work with the inmates incarcerated there. This work began about a year ago and 70 have been baptized. After my lesson on “The Prison of Sin,” which was translated by Junior, three more came forward to confess Christ and to submit to him in baptism. The countenances of all three were very serious, somber, and sober, and one had tears running down his cheeks. One had been on the “Most Wanted” list as a criminal. Efren and Mia Ramos found they had relatives who were inmates, and one of them was also among the number converted today.
Normally, the people can understand my English, but in some rural areas and especially in jails there are uneducated people who learn more if the lessons are translated. This is the height of summer time in the Philippines and the temperature was 91 with 73% humidity here in the Laoag area. After preaching all day in this heat, I appreciated Efren finding a place along the road where we could buy fresh coconuts and drink the buko juice which helps counteract dehydration. Though I am exhausted while writing this report at the end of the day, what an uplifting day it has been!
On Monday 80-90 people attended the beginning of a two-day series on “The Unity of the Spirit” at the Laoag City church of Christ. Rody Gumpad and I prepared to teach this theme by covering the lessons in Mike Willis’ workbook on “Passing the Torch.” True unity is found in the original teaching of Christ rather than in human ecumenical schemes embracing everything from Hindu to Islam to Catholicism to denominationalism.
After my introductory lesson on the restoration of New Testament Christianity, Rody taught on the missionary society apostasy which played a large role in the formation of the Christian Church denomination in the late 1800’s. The only problem with Rody’s good presentation was that he could hardly talk and would not have been heard at all were it not for the microphone. His next topic was instrumental music, but we mutually agreed he should sit down and I should teach in his place. I later “fired” him for these two days because he has been fighting this infection for over two weeks while traveling and preaching with me. When I had the same problem during my February-March trip, I simply had to cancel two full days on my schedule in order to recover. I fear it will take Rody even longer to recuperate.
In the afternoon I taught lessons on factions created by opposition to Bible classes, to the located preacher arrangement, and to the use of multiple containers in dispensing the Lord’s Supper, and by the premillennial doctrinal system. All these factions have been planted in the Philippines and the brethren appreciated the opportunity to examine them in the light of the New Testament.
At the day’s end there was a good open forum in which the dangers of compromise and questions about cremation and suicide were discussed. It was a good day, but I confess to being slightly tired after being on my feet for seven of the eight sessions today.
Tuesday was the second and final day devoted to “The Unity of the Spirit.” I taught five lessons covering unity-in-doctrinal-diversity, institutionalism, the sponsoring church, grace and unity, and marriage, divorce, and remarriage. Yesterday I gave Mat Sibayan, Jr. my charts on “The Social Gospel” so that he could study this theme overnight and relieve me by presenting that lesson today.
The open forum had good participation. Several of the questions grappled with what is the proper response when false teachers appear. I pointed out there should be thorough teaching to educate brethren to the truth and to expose the false doctrine. We should not receive false teachers and work with them. Also, we should recognize some brethren receive false teachers either because they do not understand clearly the truth on certain subjects, or because they are not aware of the false doctrine the teacher holds. Therefore, there should be patient teaching and forbearance to arm brethren with knowledge of these matters, and also consistent efforts to admonish anyone who receives a false teacher so the mistake can be corrected in due time.
At different times men who embrace error on instrumental music in worship, on liberalism, and on divorce and remarriage have attempted to penetrate the Ilocos region. In past years the brethren have faced the false ideas of Jim Puterbaugh and Wallace Little regarding divorce and remarriage, and regarding unity-in-doctrinal-diversity. More recently, men embracing error on divorce and remarriage have visited the area in the persons of Randy Hilburn (Rosedale church of Christ, Bakersfield, CA) and Don Wilson (Loomis church of Christ, Loomis, CA). When these men work in the Cagayan Province, they work with the same faction that compromised with Puterbaugh and Little in past years. That faction studiously avoided coming to hear sound men such as Jim McDonald and Connie W. Adams through the years. What does the future hold for the Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte provinces? For the most part, Ilocos brethren do not welcome and work with false teachers due to the many years Mat Sibayan, Sr. and Vic Domingo have invested here teaching sound doctrine. No one can predict the future, but I have confidence in brethren in the Ilocos region for the most part.
The last session ended about 6:00 P.M. and I returned to my hotel to pack and go the airport, arriving at 7:45 for the 8:45 flight to Manila. Since the plane comes from Manila, it was delayed for over an hour by the congestion there, but, by God’s grace, I finally got to Manila at midnight and collapsed in the bed for a good night’s rest.
By the time this report goes out, I will be making final preparations for the flight back home. A part of my heart remains in the Philippines, but I greatly miss all of my loved ones and brethren at home, and after 3-4 weeks, the body gets weaker and the longing for home grows stronger. I have been taking my walk at night, viewing the beautiful stars, but the moon has been hiding-I look forward to seeing it again from the other side of the world!
It appears finances for this trip will fall short of the expenses by at least a couple of thousand dollars. Less money was donated this time, likely in part because many brethren had already sacrificed to provide benevolence to relieve saints who suffered the ravages of Typhoon Yolanda. That help was desperately needed and God will bless and reward all who sacrificed to aid in the relief effort. As to expenses for my current trip, I have put a significant amount onto a credit card, trusting that God will help me to find a solution in His own time and way.
Meanwhile, my heart overflows daily with love and gratitude for so many saints who have made 54 preaching trips to the Philippines possible!
In Christian Love, Ron Halbrook
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