Dear family, brethren, and friends,

The 27-hour trip on April 22-23 from Louisville, Kentucky to Atlanta to South Korea to Manila in the Philippines was safe and without incident except for some turbulence on the last leg of travel.  I studied and took several naps.  I emerged from the Manila airport about 11:00 PM in sweltering heat and humidity.  But the moon has been over-the-top beautiful the last few nights!

James Paet and Elias Cruz were a great help Wednesday morning repacking the boxes of Bible, study materials, and homemade communion trays to ship ahead to the upcoming venues for distribution.  While out running errands this afternoon, I learned the temperature in Manila was 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  Welcome to summertime in the Philippines!  Some areas are suffering drought, and many saints are enduring crop failure and hunger.  It all has a domino effect driving up the prices of food and other commodities.

The first three days of preaching were Thursday-Saturday at the Edsa-Pasay church of Christ, planned especially for the deaf-mute saints meeting there.  They have a special place in my heart because they strive to worship and serve God in spite of their handicaps – motivating me to wonder, do I try as hard as they do in serving God?  Tonyboy Hornado has faithfully served them as an evangelist for many years, but he was not able to attend because he is tending to his sick father who just got out of the hospital.

The first day 17 attended to begin the two-day series on “The Authority of Christ.”  Some were absent because of their jobs.  Four sermons on Thursday showed that Christ’s authority is expressed in Scripture alone and is exercised for our salvation, including the role of the local church.  Next, we studied gradual departures from the truth revealed in the New Testament, resulting in the formation of the Roman Catholic religion.  The material is presented using PowerPoint charts, and as I speak a translator signs for the sake of the deaf-mute audience.

At the day’s end, an open forum was conducted and they love this style of study.  Their questions were wide ranging.  One person asked if Adam and Eve repented and would be saved in heaven.  This person was disappointed to learn the Bibles does not say but then was satisfied by Deuteronomy 29:29 which shows God revealed all we need to know how to serve Him, and many other things are known only Him.  Every day there were questions about what we can do to rescue backsliding Christians.

After we finished on Thursday, James Paet drove me to the Kapitbahayn church of Christ in Navotas where Elias Cruz preaches.   Jimmy Bobis has preached in Metro Manila for many years but passed away yesterday after an extended illness. He was married to Marie, one of Ben Cruz’s daughters (Ben was a patriarch in the faith in Manila who died in 2011).

I was asked to preach at Jimmy’s funeral tonight at 7:00.  This was an honor because he and his family have been beloved friends for these many years.  More than 100 people were present and heard my sermon on Psalm 23, “The Lord Is Our Shepherd-King.”   I commend his wife and family for the loving care they have given him during his illness.  It is sad to report his extended illness leaves the family drowning in debt, so the body will be cremated Saturday.  Jimmy had a photographic memory and was one of the best translators I ever worked with – he will be sorely missed by many!

Again, Friday the series on “The Authority of Christ” was resumed and completed with four sermons covering the development and errors of the Protestant Reformation, followed by the restoration of New Testament Christianity.  The last sermon addressed avoiding apostasy today in the light of Satan’s ongoing battle to deceive the saints and to destroy the Lord’s church.

The Q & A period went quite well again and included questions about a false religion which was founded in the Philippines by Felix Manalo in 1914 using the name Iglesia ni Cristo (church of Christ).  This sect denies the deity of Jesus Christ and is the strongest religion in the Philippines after Roman Catholicism.  Eighteen attended today.

Saturday 20 deaf mutes attended along with 10 brethren who speak and hear.  The four lessons today focused on the theme of “Moral Truth in an Amoral Age.”  We studied the truth about abortion, homosexuality, transgender, and social media. Everyone was super attentive today as we covered some ground which was new to them.

In the open forum, one of the questions was what can parents do to secure the faith of their children since society and schools are teaching compromise with immorality. I suggested children need parents who consistently bring them to all services of the church and also conduct daily Bible study and prayer in the homes.

Everyone was very appreciative for these three days of Bible study and my heart is always lifted up as a result of my association with these deaf mute saints.  My first experience of attempting to teach the gospel to deaf mute people occurred when I was a teenager growing up in Belle Glade, Florida where there was a deaf mute community – it is a unique experience and very rewarding.  Please pray for these saints as they continue to serve God to the best of their understanding and ability.

Also, pray for my wife Donna as she continues her therapy and recovery after knee-replacement surgery.

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