Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Let me start by correcting the first report which said 200 attended at Allistitan – the correct number was 50.  I was in the hospital and did not get the correct information until much later (thank you, Daniel). 

Our Tuesday appointment was with Leonito Torreliza and the other saints at Candon City, Ilocos Sur.  Leonito has labored for over 40 years in the gospel here in this area.  The meeting place is a large room at the front of his house, and it was filled with 46 people today.  Mark Wallace started the morning with a study of Noah’s life, character, and work.  Then, I preached on “The Prison of Sin” (1 Pet. 3:19).  Rody Gumpad summarized the lessons in the dialect.

After lunch Mark discussed preparing for eternity and I preached “After Death, What Then?”  As nearly always happens after I preach this sermon, additional discussion is generated by good questions which are raised.  This is because the unseen world is so far different from our world that God can give only pictures of things we know to represent the things we cannot see and cannot fully understand in our present state.   The sum of it all is this.  God is preparing us to spend eternity with Him in heaven and the fullness of heaven is being with God, while the fullness of hell is the miserable experience of being without God forever.

Wednesday morning’s travel brought us to Pias, Salcedo, Ilocos Sur to work with Eric Banao.  After his father passed away, Eric did not let the congregation die but continued laboring in the gospel with good success.  There were 68 people present today to hear Mark Wallace teach about “The Temple of God” and to hear my lesson entitled “Trust God Till the Danger Passes” (Ps. 57).  Rody Gumpad summarized our lessons in the dialect.  Eric’s daughter had already told him early this morning that she wanted to obey the gospel.  She was ready and stepped forward when we sang the invitation song.  We rejoice with the angels for the salvation of another precious soul!

Our visit was cut short by the tight schedule, and we traveled about four hours this afternoon to reach Rosario, La Union at dark.  After our late supper, I worked on some email and this report, then walked for about an hour to increase my stamina as I continue to recover.  My gastric issues are settling down, and my appetite is returning little by little.  After studying my lessons for tomorrow, I was very much ready to sleep!

We drove an hour Thursday morning to reach the church meeting at Caba, La Union where Denver Domingo has continued to labor after his father’s passing a few years ago.  They meet in one of the largest buildings in the Philippines.  It began construction many years ago when Carlos was still living.  It is adequately finished so that the saints can meet in it, but it still lacks a lot of finishing work, if only they had the funds.  Today’s attendance ran over 100.  Mark taught first on Noah’s obedient faith and I followed with the sermon “The Prison of Sin,” including Noah’s work to rescue the sinful world before God’s judgment fell on them in the Flood.  This afternoon Mark’s lesson focused on Gideon and the importance of endurance in serving God.  I followed with the sermon “Finish the Race.”  Once again, our topics fit together perfectly like hand-in-glove.  We thank Rody for his good summaries in the dialect.

The whole day Friday found us at San Luis, Pugo, La Union preaching the gospel to souls invited by Rodel Baagin and other saints worshiping here.  Our registered attendance was 173, gathered in a rented pavilion suitable for our large number.   Mark preached this morning on the reality of hell, and I preached on “God Created All Things” to show the universe and all its inhabitants exist by His power and for His purpose.  After lunch, my sermon was entitled “Don’t Defy Gravity, Embrace It!”  We are blessed by conforming to God’s physical laws of nature but also blessed by submitting to His spiritual laws.  Rody summarized today’s sermons in Ilocano.  Two precious souls submitted to Christ by penitent faith and water baptism for the remission of their sins.  

There were two open forums covering a very wide range of topics.  The first one was conducted by Rody after lunch (which gave me an extended time to rest in my hotel room).  At the day’s end, we had a more extended second open forum.  Someone asked when will the angels sound the trumpets as recorded in the book of Revelation, but I pointed out those events have already occurred during the early centuries of the church when Rome was judged for persecuting God’s people (Rev. 1:1-3).  

Another person asked why the wicked are held in hades rather than being immediately cast into hell at death.  It is because hades is a temporary holding place for the disembodied souls of all men until the resurrection day when our spirits will receive resurrected bodies.  We will enter eternity in heaven or hell in resurrected, immoral, spiritual bodies.  Where are heaven and hell was another question.  Heaven and hell are beyond the physical universe in a wholly different realm which cannot be defined by location as we know it on a map in our physical world. 

James Paet arrived yesterday from Manila to take Mark back with him today so that Mark can fly home very early Monday morning.  They left after lunch and we bade them Godspeed.  He has done a good job presenting lessons and really rescued me during my sickness and recovery by stepping up to the pulpit time and again more than he had planned.  May God bless and reward him for his labors!  Please pray for his safe travel home.

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook