Dear brethren,

God poured out His blessings again by sending me to preach the gospel of Christ in the Philippines for the 77^th time since 1995 when He used Jim McDonald to introduce me to this work.  Kevin Stilts on his first trip took to the work like a duck to water.  He is a deacon in the Lord’s church at Elizabethtown, KY.  I taught 45 lessons and 26 precious souls confessed Christ and were baptized to wash away their sins in his blood.  Many other lessons were presented as well by Kevin, Jonathan Carino, and Jack Jaco.

Luke described Paul’s audience at the synagogue in Thessalonica as “more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).  Many Fillipinos manifest that same noble character.

Our flight from Louisville took us to Atlanta and we proceeded to Tokyo, Japan and on to Manila in the Philippines on February 4-5.  The next morning Elias Cruz, Andrew Romero, Ely Ebuenga, Jhun Gumpad, and James Paet helped us repack 10 boxes of Bibles and study materials we brought on the plane to be shipped ahead to points where they would be used.

Friday we flew from Manila to Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.  Our first appointment was an all-day gospel meeting at the Escalante church where James Berden has preached for years.  220 people heard Kevin teach lessons on the hope of heaven and how to prepare for it, while Jonathan Carino taught the necessity of submitting to God’s conditions to receive His grace.  My subjects were “God Created All Things,” “The Purpose of Our Lives,” and “When Peter Confessed Christ.”  Three obeyed the gospel.

Sunday Jonathan Carino and I preached all day at the church in Talisay City where Bob Senining labors while Kevin went to Victorias City with Jack Jaco in the morning and to the Cawayan church of Christ in Bago City with Shem Tagapan in the afternoon.  A total of eight souls responded to the gospel call.  Next, “How to Study the Bible” was the theme of a two-days lectureship for preachers conducted at Victorias City hosted by Jack.  The attendance reached 71 and the lessons were well received.

Tuesday evening we took a ferryboat from Bacolod City on Negros Island to Iloilo City on Panay Island to hold three days of lectures on “How to Study the Bible” and “The Authority of Christ” for the benefit of denominational preachers.  There were 76 in attendance and only a few were our brethren, but the audience was intensely interested in hearing the pure and original gospel of Christ.  The open forums produced few questions because the attendees said the lessons were clear and they preferred to hear more lessons.  Three were baptized and one was restored to the Lord.  Jack has already returned to Iloilo City to gather a congregation and already he is learning that others want to obey the gospel.

On Saturday, February 15, Jonathan returned to his home in Cebu City and Jack to Victorias City while Kevin and I traveled back to Manila.  Sunday Kevin preached at the Edsa-Pasay church where Jhun Gumpad and James Paet labor, but I went to the Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City where Ely Ebuenga tries to help a struggling congregation.  About 50 inmates attended and 12 responded to Christ.  Ely  continues to visit them, but his time is limited by a lack of support which forced him to start driving a taxi.

Monday James Paet and Jhun Gumpad took Kevin and me to historical sites such as the American Cemetery and Memorial to over 53,000 servicemen lost fighting for the Philippines and the Pacific theater of W.W. II, the Jose Rizal National Monument, and Fort Santiago built by the Spanish in 1593.  That evening Jerry and Teresa Toreja joined Kevin and me for supper, and Kevin flew home Tuesday.

On the 19th-20th Rody Gumpad, Lordy Salunga, and I conducted a preachers’ lectureship at the Edsa-Pasay church on the theme “United to Proclaim Christ” attended by 64 from several provinces.  The deaf mute church now meets in that same facility and Lordy helped me teach a three-days series to them on “Then Comes the End.”  Leonel Jumawid, a Christian who teaches in a deaf mute school, signed for us.

Monday I ordered 830 Bibles in various dialects to be shipped throughout the Philippines.

May God be honored and praised as noble souls are saved in the Philippines – and may He bless all on both sides of the ocean who uphold the cause of Christ there in any way!

In Christian love, Ron Halbrook