God willing, later today I will start my 30^th trip to the Philippines (Mar. 27-May 4).  It is 2:00 A.M. but I am determined to get this encouraging information out before leaving town.  Help A Neighbor is a useful avenue for individuals to provide poor Filipinos some things beyond their reach in the spirit of Matthew 22:39, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”  A gift of $500 or more toward such efforts is tax deductible: Help A Neighbor acts for charitable purposes as defined by the IRS Code section 501(C) 3.       Honnielyn Carpentero to Graduate from Nursing School. One of our first goals was to aid a widow named Linma Carpentero in helping her daughter Hannie Lynn (“Honnielyn”) finish nursing school.  Cipriano–faithful husband, father, and preacher–died an untimely death in late 2005.  Generous gifts amounting to $6,640 have been given and we hope soon to announce Honnielyn’s graduation!

Church Building for Kapitbahayan Church of Christ in Manila Nearing Completion. In July 2007 we started gathering funds to help the saints of the Kapitbahayan church to pursue their plan in constructing a meeting house.  They met for many years in a borrowed facility used by denominational groups, but had outgrown this facility.  Visitors sometimes attended the denominational groups thinking they had found the church of Christ.  For the past year I have watched this project progress.  On February 4, 2008 I preached two lessons on the history and translation of the Bible to 100 people gathered on the first floor and soon thereafter it was finished.  Brethren from Manila and surrounding regions were invited to attend an all-day gospel meeting on February 29.  An overflow crowd attended, six were baptized, others were restored, and there was great rejoicing by all!  The second floor and some finishing work can be completed for $2,000-$3,000.  To see the new building go to www.hebronlanechurch.com, click on “Sermons,” and open at “Mar. 2, 2008,  Ron Halbrook,  Bringing In Filipino Sheaves.”

Since July 2007 we have disbursed almost $18,000 for church buildings at Kapitbahayan in Manila, at Toran in Aparri (Cagayan Province), at Gobgob in Tabuk (Kalinga Province), and in the remote Lake Sebu region where five buildings were repaired (South Cotabato Province, Mindanao).  I visit places where brethren have been laboring for several years in constructing buildings.  The brethren at New Escalante (Negros Occidental Province) where James Berden preaches have been working for seven years on their partially constructed building.  In February I visited three places where saints have struggled for two years on unfinished buildings:  Asan Norte, Sisan (Pangasinan Province) where Aurilio Ellana preaches; Inmalog where Bernardo Quibina preaches; and the Seaside church at Santiago Sur (La Union Province) where Carlos Domingo preaches.  Let’s help them finish the job!

We have helped preachers have surgeries, repair vehicles, and bury their dead.  One preacher doing a pivotal work in a central location is staggering under a crushing load of debt (about $4,000) trying to keep his teenage children in school and deal with a 20% loss of income because of the falling dollar.  Can we offer funds to help resolve some of his debt?  Bibles and other study materials are always needed to enhance our brethren’s level of study and their effectiveness in teaching.  I owe about $8,000 right now for Bibles and other materials already distributed and some to be distributed during the trip starting today.

What a privilege to help in these ways!  The $500 or $1,000 or $5,000 given to relieve the needs of Filipino brethren stretches much further there than here.  The tax break helps donors stretch even further.  The remaining $2,100 will be depleted soon because I put the money to work ASAP.  Who can help???