Dear brethren,

God poured out His blessings again by sending me to preach the gospel of Christ in the Philippines for the 77^th time since 1995 when He used Jim McDonald to introduce me to this work.  Kevin Stilts on his first trip took to the work like a duck to water.  He is a deacon in the Lord’s church at Elizabethtown, KY.  I taught 45 lessons and 26 precious souls confessed Christ and were baptized to wash away their sins in his blood.  Many other lessons were presented as well by Kevin, Jonathan Carino, and Jack Jaco.

Luke described Paul’s audience at the synagogue in Thessalonica as “more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).  Many Fillipinos manifest that same noble character.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

After 24 hours of travel, I enjoyed a sweet homecoming by God’s grace when Donna brought me home from the airport in Louisville, KY a couple of hours ago.

The final report on this 77^th trip will be prepared soon, but, meanwhile I thank God again for His mercies in allowing me the privilege to work side-by-side with our dear Filipino brethren during a time of great harvest in their land.  I am only an occasional visitor trying to hold up their hands, but I pray God to be with them every day.

Thank you to everyone whose heart, thoughts, prayers, and even financial help are focused on the cause of Christ in the Philippines.  In spite of poverty, these brethren press on in the work of the Lord.  In spite of repeated natural disasters, these brethren press on.  In spite of opposition and sometimes persecution, these brethren press on.  Christians everywhere can be lifted up by their example of dedication to Christ.  And I know the same thing can be said of Christians in India, Africa, and other places around the world.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

The last week of the work here in Manila has involved so much time and effort that I have barely been able to make a few notes each day but have not been able to prepare reports.  Wednesday the 19th marked the beginning of two days of Bible lectures for preachers held at the Edsa-Pasay church of Christ in Metro Manila.  Our theme was “United to Proclaim Christ” with lessons by Rody Gumpad, Lordy Salunga, and myself.

Rody started by examining the sin of Moses which prevented him from entering the promise land and pointing out ways we might fall into the same trap because of frustration and anger.  My first topic was “Attitudes Essential in God’s Kingdom” (a verse by verse study of Matt. 5) followed by “Preserving Unity in Christ” (Jn. 17:17-21).  After lunch Lordy addressed “Brotherly Love.”  My next subject was “The Heart of the Preacher” (verse by verse study of Phil. 1) and last “Christ Teaches Total Honesty.”
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Kevin and I split up Lord’s Day morning so that he could join Rody and Jhun Gumpad at the Edsa-Pasay church while James Paet took me to preach at the Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City with Ely Ebuenga.  Ely struggles to keep this prison work going because he lost some of his support including $125 per month for gas and other expenses involved in preaching at the prison (he is now driving a taxi to help meet his financial obligations, which reduces time for study and teaching).

The area where we meet has one wall and a partial roof but only a dirt floor which becomes muddy when it rains. $1,500-$2,000 would allow them to concrete the floor, build a small restroom and a baptistry, and make other basic improvements such as purchasing plastic chairs.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

On the Lord’s Day Jack Jaco took Kevin to preach at Victorias City in the morning and to Bago City in the afternoon where Shem Tapagan labors in the gospel (where two precious souls yielded to Christ in baptism).  Jonathan and I went to the Talisay City church where Bob Senining preaches and assembled with 45 people.  My first sermon was “God Created All Things,” emphasizing God’s sovereignty in the universe and in human life.

Effectively utilizing background information in the Passover Feast, Jonathan presented a thorough study of the Lord’s Supper at Talisay.  After lunch Jonathan taught on differences between the Law of Moses and the gospel of Christ, followed by my lesson on “The Purpose of Our Lives.”  We then conducted an hour-long open forum covering questions about the two covenants, giving into the church treasury and individual benevolence, God’s willingness to forgive all sins including adultery, the spiritual state of the Gentile world during the Mosaic Age, drinking intoxicants, divorce, and other interesting topics.
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December 20, 2019th Year of Our Lord

HALBROOK REPORT: 76th PHILIPPINE TRIP DECEMBER 2-20, 2019

Dear brethren,

For the 76th time God has granted me the privilege to preach the gospel of Christ in the Philippines since He first sent me there with Jim McDonald in 1995.  Christians who came from a pagan background in Thessalonica soon rang out the message of salvation in Christ in every direction – “The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia – your faith in God has become known everywhere” (1 Thess. 1:8-10, niv).  Filipinos are abandoning their sins and false religions to sound out the true and original gospel of Christ throughout their nation and around the world.  On this trip I taught 35 lessons and 11 precious souls confessed Christ and were baptized to wash away their sins in his blood.

The flights December 2-3 from Louisville to Detroit to Tokyo, Japan and on to Manila were all safe, though we had a 4-5 hour delay in Tokyo waiting for Typhoon Tisoy to clear the Philippines.  Elias Cruz, James Paet, and Andrew Romero met me at the hotel Wednesday morning to re-pack 5 of the 6 boxes filled with Bibles and study materials to send ahead to places on the itinerary.  The other box made a side trip to Amsterdam and arrived a day late.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

I am writing this quick note Friday at 9:30 PM now that I am home again by God’s good grace after having safe passage for the past 24 hours from Manila to Tokyo to Detroit to Louisville.

I thank God for granting me the privilege to labor again in the Philippines Dec. 2-20 with many dear Filipino saints.  They are always an inspiration to me, and I hope and pray that my efforts will always be edifying and encouraging to them.  Due to their labor in opening many doors, I presented 35 lessons and there were 11 precious souls baptized into Christ and his church.  God gives this increase through the power of His Holy Word (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 3:6-8).  I am often reminded of David’s words in Psalm 107:8, “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”
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