Halbrook Report: 49th Philippine Trip. Feb. 12-Mar. 9, 2013
March 27, 2013th Year of Our Lord
HALBROOK REPORT: 49th PHILIPPINE TRIP
FEB. 12-MAR. 9, 2013
Dear brethren,
My 49th preaching trip the Philippines since Jim McDonald first took me in 1995 was completed February 12-March 9 , including several days work in Australia. Christ exercised his divine authority to complete God’s plan for our salvation and we must submit our lives to him to receive salvation: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:17). The lessons on this trip varied from the most basic first principles of the gospel to family life to detailed lessons on the history of how men changed the original gospel and found their way back to it. All of these 40 lessons stressed the necessity of our submitting to Christ’s authority in all things! By God’s grace, 31 precious souls submitted to Christ in baptism.
After my safe trip to Manila and on to Cebu City on Cebu Island, the first appointment was with the church at Sitio Marupa, Subabasbas, Lapu-lapu City in the Metro Cebu City area. Pablo Espinosa has preached here for years. Fifty attended including a large number of Roman Catholics to hear lessons on “God Created All Things,” “The Purpose of Our Lives,” and “The Gospel Makes Us Right with God.” Jonathan Carino and Fred Ogario summarized the lessons in the local dialect to an attentive audience.
The Labogon church of Christ is located in Mandaue City which is part of Metro Cebu, where we spent Saturday preaching with Roy Matta, previously a Baptist preacher. He does a good work.
On Sunday Jonathan and I took an early morning ferry to reach Ormoc City, Leyte to worship with Willie Pelino with the Linao and San Vicente churches. Having lost his support, he teaches school but continues to preach as best he can. About 25 attend each place and he works with a new third group also.
February 18-22 was dedicated to a study of the home and family at the Cebu City church of Christ where Jonathan Carino preaches. Jack Jaco from Negros Island and Lordy Salunga from Luzon came to share in the teaching load as we studied about 9 hours per day covering all the lessons in L.A. Stauffer’s Family Life and Mike Willis’ Harmony in the Home. Additional lessons examined “Man’s Leadership in the Home” and the celebration of passionate love in marriage in the Song of Solomon. About 40 attended including preachers from as far away as Mindanao. A young Baptist preacher attended and was baptized.
Saturday and Sunday we drove to Bogo City to work with Gil Suico who gathered a group from a nearby village at a rented room. These were Roman Catholics who had never studied the Bible. We baptized 26 precious souls and now they are now trying to gather funds for a small meeting place in their village!
The newly converted Baptist preacher, Julius Labura, and Fred Ogario gathered 127 souls on Monday at Talisay, Metro Cebu . I taught very basic lessons since most of them were hearing the truth for the first time: “God Created All Things,” “The Purpose of Our Lives,” and “The Gospel Makes Us Right with God.” Fred and Julius planned to do follow up work among them.
Wednesday I flew from Cebu City to Manila, where I took an all-night flight to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. After arriving there Thursday morning, I flew on to Brisbane, Queensland State, where I took another plane on to Gladstone. From there I traveled by car to Rockhampton where there is an established church of about 30 souls. We conducted a gospel meeting on the theme of “The Authority of Christ” reviewing the history of the church from its establishment to modern times. The brethren worked hard and several visitors came for the whole series. Colin West, Daryl Johnson, and his brother Neville have worked hard through the years to keep this church in the strait and narrow way of truth.
While in Rockhampton I received an email message from Jojo Tacbad in the Philippines saying that his brother Emmanuel was working in Gladstone and looking for the church. I spent March 4-6 in Gladstone, located Emmanuel and his family (four souls), and held a study with them in the home of Jamie and Deborah Williams. The Tacbad family makes a wonderful addition to the little Gladstone church. On my last day I conducted a home study with a lady Deborah befriended and was well received.
By God’s grace I arrived home safely on March 9 to be with Donna and all the saints at the Hebron Lane church. My heart overflows with thanksgiving for the sacrifices and encouragement of so many saints who make these trips possible. “To God be the glory, great things He has done!”
In Christian love, Ron Halbrook
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