Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Wednesday morning Rody Gumpad drove David, Joel, and me about an hour from our hotel in Tuguegararo City to Remus, Baggao, Cagayan Valley where Abraham and Sammy Paet serve as evangelists.  They have just constructed a new church building which lacks only a few finishing touches in a couple of rooms and on the outside, in addition to putting up a fence to be complete.

71 souls were gathered including visitors, one of whom is a denominational pastor who attended high school with Sammy.  Sammy has been studying with his friend Joel and I have also been sharing study materials with him via email.  He was very happy to be with us today to hear David’s lesson from Ecclesiastes on the three R’s (rejoice, remove, and remember) followed by my sermon “When Peter Confessed Christ.”  Rody summarized our presentations in the dialect because this is another remote place.  These saints want me to relay their appreciation for the financial help which enabled them to construct this new building.

On our way back to Tuguegarao City, Rody took us on a side trip to the interesting Callao Cave.  The natural rock formations are white and there is an unusual skyview opening to the surface deep into the cave.  The guides arranged a picture with Joel Halbrook holding the rest of us in his hand – an optical illusion which looks entirely realistic!

Tonight over 100 souls attended the evening Bible study at the Tuguegarao Church of Christ as David discussed evidence for the existence of God in contrast to atheistic claims.  I gave a short exhortation from Acts 20:32 encouraging everyone to maintain their focus on God and His message of grace, the gospel of Christ.  Jimmy Domingo brought three people to the service with whom has been studying, and all three obeyed the gospel tonight, bringing great joy to heaven and to earth!

Rody took us on Thursday to work with Randy Lamarca in two congregations which have been building new meeting houses with the help of funds donated by U.S. saints.  Both places are in the area of Tabuk City in the Province of Kalinga.  Many tribal groups are represented in Kalinga, some of which used to be headhunters.  Rody grew up in this region and knows the territory very well.  The church building at San Francisco is pretty well completed and was filled with about 60 souls today.

David’s lesson on the imperative of continuing in the things we have learned was well received (2 Tim. 3:14).  I followed with a study of Psalm 23, “The Lord Is Our Shepherd King.”  Rody summarized the sermons in the dialect.  When we sang the invitation song, Randy’s 12 year old son stepped forward to confess Christ and to submit his soul for cleansing from sin in water baptism through the death of Christ.  We rejoice with Randy and his family, and with God and his angels.  There were many expressions of appreciation for the help they have received which made it possible to construct the building.

Next, we drove to Lacnog where we received a very warm native welcome which included handmade appreciation garlands they placed around our necks and a special vest in native colors.  After David and I preached the same two sermons, and Rody summarized them, two men came forward to obey the gospel of Christ.  Once again we rejoiced for the power of the gospel and the manifold mercies of God!

The new church building at Locnog is not as near completion and needs more work, if donations will allow.  Of course, in the meantime they will do their best to push forward with their own limited resources.  These new buildings will withstand most natural disasters and are truly a blessing to the cause of Christ.

Separate from the church’s work and treasury, individual saints organized a thanksgiving celebration according to their native culture.  A big carabao or water buffalo was butchered and cooked, and a native cultural dance was performed.  The men formed a wide circle and began moving in a circle while striking small gongs.  The women formed an inner circle and moved in coordination with the men’s circle while stretching out their arms and moving them slowly like birds gliding through the air.  The men gave me a stick and a gong and drafted me into their procession.

This is not a religious ceremony but simply a cultural expression of joy on any occasion considered a special accomplishment or blessing.  I am often asked in open forums if it is proper for Christians to participate in native dances.  I have always answered that it depends on the nature of the dance.  If it includes lascivious dress or movements, or if it involves inappropriate touching of males and females, Christians can have nothing to do with such activities.  I have seen parades in the Philippines where native dancing falls into this category.  But today I saw a dance which was wholesome and would remind anyone of innocent children simply dancing for joy.  I will be able to refer to this event in future open forums as an example of cultural customs which Christians can accommodate without doing anything wrong (1 Cor. 9:20-21).

On our way back to town we stopped for about 30 minutes at the Bauan church where Robert Pader preaches to view the progress the saints are making on the new building.  What is happening in many of these places is that the traditional light materials used in constructing church buildings is being replaced with concrete and steel.  Bauan is another example of a church building under construction stalled for lack of funds.

Finding funds for church buildings is one of the most difficult challenges in the Philippine work.  Naturally, potential donors see other priorities, in part because we have not experienced worshiping under trees or in buildings often damaged or destroyed by every storm that comes along.

Friday morning Rody took us to preach at San Francisco, Rizal in Kalinga where Luis Nalog labors in the gospel.  David preached the three R’s in Ecclesiastes and my topic was “The Lord Is Our Shepherd King” (Ps. 23).  At least 80 attended.  It was a joy see another church building largely finished, though some work remains to be done if we can find donations.  The saints here expressed their sincere gratitude for the help which has already been given – just as happened every place we visited where church buildings are under construction.

After lunch we drove to the Dagupan church in Tuao, Cagayan Province where Mark Daquioag serves as an evangelist.  Our meeting place was a porch with an extension provided by a plastic tarpaulin.  About 80 people including many young people heard David’s lesson on evidence for God and my sermon directed at the young people entitled “Flee and Follow” (2 Tim. 2:22).  Just down the road these saints have launched out by faith by starting construction on an adequate and strong church building, but financial constraints force them to move very slowly.

Our last visit was with the brethren at the Nangalisan church in Solana, Cagayan which is served by Rody, Flor Constantino, and Lino Darauay. This building is complete and was filled with over 80 people as David preached on the need to continue in the faith and my subject was Psalm 23 again.  Rody summarized in the dialect today.  This church continues to grow in spirit and in members.

One of my main goals in visiting this area including the Province of Cagayan and surrounding provinces was to see firsthand the work being done to construct church buildings.  It is very hard to find donations for this purpose, but recent generous donations resulted in the ongoing construction of several buildings.  I can verify the funds are being used as intended and the results are truly gratifying, although most of these buildings still need donations to complete this good work.

I have been walking for an hour each night about 9:00 but have not managed to spot the moon.  We are preparing to travel to the Ilocos region (northwest Luzon) tomorrow, God willing, and so perhaps I can get a better view there.  If you keep sending your smiles to the moon, I will eventually see them!

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook

To see good Bible study material, go to:
https://www.hebronlanechurchofchrist.com
https://biblework.congregateclients.com
https://truthbooks.com
https://www.truthmagazine.com