Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Exactly two years ago a preachers’ training class was supposed to be held here at Tuguegarao, but covid struck, foreigners were forbidden to enter, and the nation was soon put on lockdown.  Finally, by God’s good grace the month-long classes are underway as of Monday, April 4.  Thirty men are enrolled with 3 sit-in students and fluctuating numbers of visitors because anyone is welcome to hear lessons of their choice.

Classes are in session from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM with a lunch break, and after supper additional sessions give the men experience in presenting short sermons and in leading songs and prayers.  Our oldest member is 54 and the youngest 12 – everyone was very attentive and cooperative on our first day.

Subjects include the New Testament church, how to study the Bible, surveys of the Old and New Testaments, basic Bible doctrines, and issues that divided brethren in past years, as well as sessions on how to use a reference Bible, a Bible concordance and a Bible dictionary.  Rody, Craig, and I share the teaching duties.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

March 29-31 initiated my 78th preaching trip to the Philippines – a blessing made possible by God’s grace and providence.  Craig Thomas and I left Louisville, KY early Tuesday morning expecting to arrive in Manila at 10:00 PM Wednesday.  In Detroit we learned a schedule change would prevent us from catching our flight from South Korea to Manila – we could be delayed 24 hours.  Delta Airlines flew us to San Francisco instead, where we waited 8 hours to transfer to Plhilippine Airlines to catch a 15 hour flight to Manila.   All is well that ends well, thought it meant arriving at 5:30 AM Thursday.

When we stepped off the plane wearing masks, the extreme humidity mixing with my breathe immediately covered my glasses in a dense fog, blinding me!  We finally got to the hotel about 7:30 AM after jumping through hoops with the health and immigration departments.  I was filled with joy and thanksgiving because God has reopened the door to the Philippines.
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Help  A  Neighbor,  Inc.
3505 Horse Run Ct.
Shepherdsville, KY 40165
(halbrook@twc.com / 502-955-1748)

November 3, 2021^st Year of Our Lord

Dear brethren and friends,

Help A Neighbor began in July of 2007 to provide for others what they cannot provide for themselves in the spirit of Matthew 22:39: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”  Help A Neighbor (H.A.N.) exists for humanitarian and charitable purposes as defined by section 501(C)3 of the IRS Code.  All donations are legally tax deductible.  This is simply a legal means for individuals to extend aid to individuals.  No church donations are accepted – H.A.N. is not an ecclesiastical organization.

This annual report covering November 1, 2020-November 1, 2021 is made in the interest of integrity and transparency.  Our main focus is helping Christians in the Philippine Islands, but occasional help is extended to Christians in other parts of the world including the U.S.  Our aim is to help people who demonstrate their willingness to help themselves.  During this time period donations amounted to $876,575.00.  Most donations are modest amounts with occasional larger gifts.  Including funds from other accounts used for the Philippine work, a total of $1,017,973.00 passed through the H.A.N. account.
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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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