April 5, 2015th Year of Our Lord

Dear family, brethren, & friends,

My 58th trip to preach in the Philippines is well under way with the welcomed help of Mark Mayberry, an elder and evangelist with the Adoue St. Church of Christ in Alvin, TX. The flights March 31/April 1 from Louisville to Atlanta to Narita, Japan went well. There Mark and I met to complete our trip to Manila in the Philippines.

The next day, Thursday, was busy as we went to a moneychanger, made arrangements for Elias Cruz to ship boxes ahead, and prepared for our lessons on Revelation. At 4:00 PM Lordy Salunga arrived to take us to Angeles City, Pampanga which is 2-3 hours north of Manila. It was unusual and pleasant to see light traffic in Manila, the result of many people returning to their home provinces for the Easter holiday. Also, the heat and humidity are not as high and severe as normal (I hope mentioning that does not cause a jinx!).

At the Southside church of Christ in Angeles City, Friday and Saturday were devoted to a verse by verse study of the book of Revelation. Lordy had requested this series a few years ago and we finally got it done. Dan King’s new workbook on The Book of Revelation served as an outline and resource guide. It thoroughly documents the Roman emperor worship which generated the persecution of Christians in the early centuries which is the backdrop for John’s letter to the churches of Asia Minor.

The attendance was 70 and the audience was very attentive. One sister repeatedly thanked us because she had come from a background in Herbert W. Armstrong’s Worldwide Church of God with its doctrine of Sabbath observance. They pervert Revelation with their own special brand of premillennialism including preposterous claims of horrifying persons, grotesque creatures, a cataclysmic battle of Armageddon, and other assorted end-time events. Her fears of the future are allayed by the truth and by a growing faith that as Christ delivered the 7 churches of Asia from their cruel Roman persecutors, he will deliver us through all our trials to our home in heaven. The Armstrong doctrine even claims we have no eternal home in heaven but can only hope to live on this physical earth forever which will be refurbished and renewed.

Willie Pastor, Jerry Toreja, Elias Cruz, and other brethren from near and far came and it was a joy to study and worship with all of them.

Just before leaving for the Philippines we learned that typhoon Chedeng was approaching and building to a category 5 level with the potential of seriously crippling our itinerary, not to mention the potential damage to millions of Filipinos. Fortunately, it was downgraded to categories 2 and 1 by the time it made landfall in the Philippines late Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

On Sunday, April 5, Mark preached at the Southside church of Christ in Angeles City where Lordy labors. I went with Ric Darasin to preach at the church meeting in the Casmor Subdivision, Mabalacat City, Pampanga. My lesson was “The Prison of Sin” (1 Pet. 3:18–4:11). Lordy, Mark, and I took a van to Manila to catch an evening flight to Cebu City, Cebu. Thank God, the typhoon had already passed north of us, hitting Isabela in central Luzon.

Thanks to God’s protection and care, the first leg of our trip is complete. I have been seeing a beautiful full moon each night as I take a walk, reflecting on the day’s activities, praying, and thinking of all of you.

In Christian love, Ron