March 29-May 6 Joining Hands with Filipinos to Preach Christ
Ron & Donna Halbrook
3505 Horse Run Ct.
Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6954
PLEASE SHARE THIS LETTER ON GOSPEL PREACHING IN THE PHILIPPINES!
February 19, 2022nd Year of Our Lord
Dear brethren,
By God’s good grace Jim McDonald took me to the Philippines in 1995 and March 29-May 6 is set for my 78th trip to preach the glorious gospel of Christ in that land. It will be a blessing to work with Craig Thomas, evangelist with the Westside church of Christ in Bloomington, IN. Both he and his son Ryan have preached in the Philippines and Ryan is married to Jennifer Gumpad, daughter of Rody and Tessie.
The great harvest of souls continues in the Philippines. Preacher training classes are crucial as new men are converted and as young men aspire to preach. Paul urged Timothy, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:1-3, NKJV). We will concentrate on the pressing need to train preachers in the truth and challenge them to endure hardness in this great work.
On March 31 several brethren will meet us at the hotel in Manila to ship boxes to the venues where we will use the Bibles and teaching materials we plan to bring. The next day we travel to Tuguegarao.
Rody Gumpad and the brethren at Tuguegarao, Cagayan will host a month-long preacher training series April 4-29. Classes include how to study the Bible, survey of every book in the Bible, basic Bible doctrine, the New Testament church, a preacher’s life and work, church history, issues that divide churches, Bible geography, preparation and delivery of sermons, and learning to use Bible study tools (a reference Bible, a Bible concordance, and a Bible dictionary). Time will be devoted each day to prayer and memorization of Bible passages. Craig and I will teach the first two weeks (Apr. 4-15) followed by Harry Osborne, Jonathan Carino, and Lordy Salunga the last two weeks. These classes are direly needed because “the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few” (Matt. 9:37). Men of all ages are enrolling.
On the 16th Craig and I will travel with Robin Pulveras to preach at Dubing, Pamplona, Cagayan and other places as we approach the Ilocos region to meet Efran Ramos and other brethren. April 20-22 Efren will host classes for preachers covering the book of Revelation at the church of Christ meeting at Poblacion, Nueva Era. They built simple tables to use in the church building so that participants can open their Bibles, notepads, and copies of Dan King’s workbook on Revelation. We plan to visit many churches in the Ilocos region until the 29th. This will be my first visit to this area since the passing of pioneer preachers Mat Sibayan, Sr. and Vic Domingo.
On April 29 Craig and I will fly to Manila and preach in the area on Sunday-Tuesday. Wednesday is reserved to purchase Bibles in Filipino dialects to ship many places. Two years have passed since my last trip and the need for Bibles has grown like a tsunami! I already have orders for 1,000 Bibles and when brethren hear I am coming it will greatly increase. I can safely estimate needing $20,000-$25,000 for Bibles. We will stretch our budget for the Bibles as best we can, and fly home Thursday, May 5.
In addition to needing about $10,000 for expenses, I need help to cover some of the expenses for Craig Thomas. He will do what he can but does not have a wide circle of contacts.
Thank you for prayers and donations which make these trips possible! Individuals needing a legal tax deduction may write checks to Help A Neighbor. Write all other checks to Ron Halbrook. Mail all checks to 3505 Horse Run Ct., Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6954. For PayPal, the account is Richard Halbrook – indicate “send to a friend” not “pay for item or service.” Donors receive financial reports (2 Cor. 8:21).
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.
P.S.S. Many saints who are victims of the 16 earthquakes & 4,000+ aftershocks in southern Mindanao October 2019-May 2020 are still living in tents. Funds are needed to build small houses of light materials. Donations are being relayed to aid these saints.
To see good Bible study material, go to:
https://www.
https://biblework.
https://truthbooks.com
https://www.truthmagazine.com