March 6

Philippine Preaching in April, 2018

PLEASE SHARE THIS LETTER ON GOSPEL PREACHING IN THE PHILIPPINES!
February 24, 2018th Year of Our Lord
                                                            
Dear brethren,

God willing, April 3-May 1 will find me in the Philippines for the 70th trip since Jim McDonald first took me there to preach in 1995.  Mark Mayberry from Alvin, TX will arrive on April 11 and we will work together for the remainder of the trip.  This is his 6th trip and he will be a great asset.  The work of evangelism includes converting people out of the world and then training them to be strong, stable, and steadfast in the faith.  God wants our souls to be saturated with His Word, “according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Pet. 1:3).  We aim to save the lost and edify the saved on this trip.

After arriving in Manila on April 4, the next morning Filipino brethren will assist me in dividing six large boxes of Bibles and study materials to be distributed from place to place as we travel and teach.

The April 6-12 itinerary starts in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental and goes east across northern Mindanao to Pagadian City, Zamboanga Del Sur with Jonathan Carino’s help.  Cipriano Carpentero will work with us in visiting churches in the Cagayan de Oro area such as the San Simon church of Christ.  Monday we will visit several congregations while traveling to Pagadian City, where Tuesday and Wednesday will be devoted to lectures on The Inspiration and Canon of Scripture with Ramon Carino.

I had a fruitful visit to northern Mindanao in April of 2017, but in late May radical Islamists took the city of Mararwi in nearby Lanao del Sur.  I cancelled all plans to visit Mindanao after that. Finally, at the end of October the Philippine military was able to secure the devastated city.  Over 1,100 people were killed and about 400,000 fled for their lives.  The estimated cost of rebuilding is over $1 billion (for pictures of the stunning destruction, see https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/marawi-all-but-destroyed-idUSRTX3I4QJ). It is time to return to Mindanao and refresh the spirits of our brethren.  President Rodrigo Duterte has extended martial law as a precaution, but it is now safe to travel in Mindanao on the whole.

Mark Mayberry will arrive in Manila on the evening of April 11 and I will return to Manila the next day.  We will travel next to Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija to work with Jhun Bautista.  We will scatter to visit churches in the area on Saturday and Sunday.  Monday through Friday Lordy Salunga will join us to teach a series of classes on The Home and Family using L.A. Stauffer’s Family Life: A Biblical Perspective and Mike Willis’ Harmony in the Home.  Jhun is a college professor and has been granted vacation time for that week by his college.

Saturday, April 21, we will return to Metro Manila and scatter to preach for congregations in the area on Sunday.  Monday through Friday Jonathan Carino, Mark, and I are scheduled to teach the book of Revelation at Katpitbahayan, Navotas.  It will be a textual study using as a guide Dan King’s workbook entitled The Book of Revelation followed by Mike Willis’ Then Comes the End covering death, hades, the resurrection, heaven, hell, reincarnation, the A.D. 70 heresy, premillennialism, and many related topics.

Then on Saturday and Sunday we will scatter again to preach for congregations in Metro Manila including my typical visit to the Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.  Monday is reserved to purchase Bibles in Filipino dialects at the Philippine Bible Society, which is always a special joy!

Thank you in advance for making all this work possible!  Individuals writing checks to Help A Neighbor can get a legal tax deduction.  Write all other checks to Ron Halbrook. Mail them to 3505 Horse Run Ct., Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6954. Donors receive financial reports (2 Cor. 8:21). God bless you all!

In Christian love,

Ron Halbrook
Phone 502-955-1748 or 957-6726; e-mail halbrook@twc.com

P.S. There is a dire need for songbooks!  I can ship new or used copies very cheaply.




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Posted March 6, 2018 by Jacob Keese in category "Reports