March 29-April 3 in the Philippines
Dear family, brethren, and friends,
March 29-31 initiated my 78th preaching trip to the Philippines – a blessing made possible by God’s grace and providence. Craig Thomas and I left Louisville, KY early Tuesday morning expecting to arrive in Manila at 10:00 PM Wednesday. In Detroit we learned a schedule change would prevent us from catching our flight from South Korea to Manila – we could be delayed 24 hours. Delta Airlines flew us to San Francisco instead, where we waited 8 hours to transfer to Plhilippine Airlines to catch a 15 hour flight to Manila. All is well that ends well, thought it meant arriving at 5:30 AM Thursday.
When we stepped off the plane wearing masks, the extreme humidity mixing with my breathe immediately covered my glasses in a dense fog, blinding me! We finally got to the hotel about 7:30 AM after jumping through hoops with the health and immigration departments. I was filled with joy and thanksgiving because God has reopened the door to the Philippines.
There was no time to rest. Elias Cruz, James Paet, and other brethren met us at the hotel to re-pack 8 boxes of study materials we brought on the plane to ship ahead to the places where we will teach and preach. Then we went to a mall to gather some needed supplies and got back to the hotel about 5:30 PM. Exhausted, yes, and thankful for God’s good help in every way!
At 4:30 AM on Saturday we got up and caught a plane to Tuguegarao City in the Province of Cagayan, arriving at 8:00. Rody, Tessie, and Jay Gumpad warmly welcomed us. After checking in at our hotel, we were blessed to eat a boxed breakfast provided by Tessie while riding to our first preaching appointment.
About 50 souls welcomed me to Barocboc under a tarp during a steady rain where I preached on “To Seek and Save the Lost” (Lk 19:10). Edgar Lingbawan, a convert from Pentecostalism, labors with them. They are struggling to complete a meeting house because of a lack of financial resources. In the afternoon I visited the church at Casabang where Ben and Kernal Vistro preach, challenging them to “Work While It Is Day” (Jn. 9:4). About 60 people filled the building and 4 submitted to Christ in baptism. Meanwhile, Craig Thomas was preaching at other congregations, where 4 were converted to Christ.
On the Lord’s Day the Metro Tuguegarao church welcomed us, where Craig spoke on God’s power to overrule trials for our good and I taught from Psalm 27:14, “Wait on the Lord.” The attendance was 147 including 31 men who came to participate in the preacher training program. After dismissal 2 where baptized followed later by another 2 converted by Jimmy Domingo. After Tessie fed us a delicious lunch, Craig and I were taken different directions. Mark Daquioag took me to two congregations where he labors. They are Palca, where a full building heard “Precious: The Death of God’s Saints” (Ps. 116:15) and Dagupan where 50-60 met at the side of a brother’s house with the aid of a tarp to hear “Work While It Is Day.”
It is obvious that the harvest of precious souls continues unabated though made more difficult by the pandemic. The planting of new congregations plus the steady growth of established congregations has resulted in a growing, pressing need for church buildings. We visited the following places where brethren are struggling with all of their might to construct and complete buildings: 1. Minagbag where Jayjay Gumpad preaches, 2. Barocboc where Edgar Lingbawan preaches, 3. Casabang, served by Kernel Ralph Vistro, 4. Centro Rizal, where Geronimo Ganela is the evangelist, 5. Kinama, where Gerald Ganela preaches, 6. Moleg,, served by Luis Nalog and Sagrado Addamag, and 7. Nangalisan, where Rody labors. Are there individuals who would like to help these faithful brethren?
Our trip is off to a good start by the grace of God and with the help and prayers of many saints. I am watching for the moon while some of you are watching for it as our common reference point while separated by thousands of miles. So far it is hiding from view in this unseasonable rainy spell which cools the atmosphere to bearable levels. Thank God for all blessings large and small!
In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook
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