Dear family, brethren, and friends,                      

All day Wednesday was spent traveling from Rosario, La Union to Manila, and from there to Batangas where we caught a ferry boat to Calapan on the island of Mindoro.  It was a 20 hour day from my wake-up in Rosario to the bed in Calapan, but I napped some in the vehicle.  Since Rody took the job of all the driving, I took the job of being tired for him and napping – it worked well and we made it safely here.

At long last a dream of many years has been fulfilled because I am preaching on Mindoro for the first time.  The earliest definite record of a gospel preacher visiting the Philippines is George S. Benson who preached here on Mindoro about 1927 as a side trip while preparing to preach in China.  He baptized Leoncio Adap and Diosdado Menor – Menor in turn baptized Eliseo Sikat who died in May of 2016.  I am finally able to fulfill my promise to brother Sikat to visit and preach here.  His son Daniel and other children along with many other saints through the years have continued doing the work of the Lord in this area.

A two-day program similar to Rosario was prepared primarily for preachers at the church meeting in Aurora, Naujan, but our attendance on Thursday numbered 60 including ladies and young people.  A group even came from Luzon to help us including Jimmy Bobis who serves as translator when needed since some in this rural area do not understand English well.

The series began with my lesson on “The Message of the Bible: Salvation in Jesus Christ,” then Rody discussed the three dispensations of Bible history.  After lunch he presented a thorough study of marriage, which I followed by preaching “The Two Covenants” and “The Great Commission.”  When the invitation of Christ was extended to souls in sin, a young man 14 years old and a young lady 13 responded and were baptized in a nearby stream.  How wonderful to start serving God in the days of youth!  Edwin Depedro who preaches in Metro Manila is from this area and had the privilege of baptizing his own daughter as well as the young man.

The brethren here hunger to learn and grow.  They asked if we could include an evening session, but we are exhausted from yesterday’s travel and needed time to rest and prepare for tomorrow.  So, they proposed an early start for the next day’s lectures.  I was impressed by a 10 year old young man named Sedwick who approached me to shake my hand and thank me for the lessons a couple of times today.  He held my hand as we walked to the stream.  I learned he has already obeyed the gospel and accompanies Daniel in conducting services and preaching various places.  I hope to live long enough to hear him preach.  His mind is obviously more focused than the ordinary 10 year old.

Our Friday session was well attended, but Rody went ahead of me to begin preaching because I felt so tired when I awoke (I am taking medication to fight a sinus infection caused by the heat and answering email keeps me up until 12:30-1:30 A.M.).  An extra hour of sleep was good medicine and I preached on “True Repentance” without any trouble this morning.  We conducted a 30 minute open forum before lunch.

One question was why the church at Corinth had so many problems which Paul addressed: Does it mean they never truly repented before being baptized?  No, the most likely reasons are that the worldly nature of Corinthian culture resulted in converts who needed time to grow and overcome their background, plus false teachers followed Paul at Corinth and tried to undermine his teaching to their own selfish advantage.  Paul’s second letter to Corinth shows there were clear signs of progress.  The truth is powerful and the Lord is patient with His people as they strive to grow.

Rody spoke first after lunch on why Christ will reject people at the Final Judgment, then I preached “Christ Teaches Total Honesty” and “The Gospel Makes Us Right with God.”  I asked several men to read the passages in the lesson including young Sedwick who read as well as anyone else.  During the invitation song a young man and a young lady came forward to accept forgiveness of their sins by God’s grace in the watery grave of baptism, thus beginning a new life in Christ.

Our two days at Aurora have truly been a blessing and I hope to return in the future, God willing.

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