July 4, 2013th Year of Our Lord

Dear brethren,

God willing, July 31-August 29 will be devoted to preaching in the Philippines and in New Zealand.  Jesus prayed in John 17:17-21 for the Apostles to call a lost world to God, to the truth revealed by God, and to the way of salvation.  He prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”  He prayed “that the world may believe” through the united efforts of Christians through all the future centuries!  After beginning work in the Philippines in 1995 with Jim McDonald, this will be my 51st trip, and my 5th trip to N.Z., pleading for people to go “Back to the Bible!”  I will work with faithful Filipinos, Mark Mayberry (evangelist, Adoue Street Church of Christ, Alvin, TX), Kurt Smith (member of West Main Church of Christ, Lewisville, TX), and Harry Osborne (evangelist, 84th St. Church of Christ, Oklahoma City, OK) in the Philippines.

Mark has been to the Philippines, but this will be Kurt’s first preaching after taking the training classes conducted in Oklahoma City by Harry, John Isaac Edwards, and Brett Hogland.  Harry has been many times.

After Mark, Kurt, and I arrive in Manila August 1st,  Saturday will be spent with the saints at Vicas, Caloocan City where Ely and Larry Ebuenga preach.  Caloocan City is part of Metro Manila (12 million people) and is the 3rd largest city in the Philippines with 1,500,000 people.  This church is struggling to construct a meeting place, but the saints are very poor and help is needed.  We will preach the whole day.

Sunday will be divided between the new Edsa-Pasay congregation started by Rody Gumpad in Manila and the Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila.  The Edsa church began in January at a strategic location for Christians working in Manila and it has grown to an attendance of 35-45 including many visitors.  They may outgrow the function room they are renting at an old hotel before their lease expires!

Willie Pastor was taken from the preacher training classes we were conducting in Tuguegarao, Cagayan in February of 2010, put in jail, and later transferred to the national prison.  He was sentenced to 6-8 years for killing someone in self-defense many years ago.  His brother Kenneth in Manila joined hands with Willie to proclaim the gospel in the Bilibid Prison which houses over 10,000 inmates.  So many souls have been baptized that churches are now meeting in three sections of the prison with services conducted by Willie, Kenneth, and Ely Ebuenga.  We will do our best to encourage these saints.  Willie may be released this year.

Cyrus Gesulga, a leading voice among premillennial churches of Christ in the Philippines, gave up such theories in 2011 and has been working closely with us.  He has arranged for us to have classes in Ormoc City, Leyte with preachers from instrumental and liberal churches of Christ December 6-10. The lessons will concentrate on “How to Study the Bible” and “The Authority of Christ.”  We hope for another breakthrough!

On the 13th Mark and Kurt will meet Rody in Manila to travel and preach on Luzon until the 21st when they will return to the U.S.  I will meet Harry at Cebu City to work with denominational preachers at Bogo City who are asking for follow-up studies.  Jonathan Carino recently baptized four of them.

August 15-27 I will be in New Zealand.  Ronnie Salunga, a Filipino, moved to Auckland in 2007.  Finding no conservative brethren, he worshiped for two years with liberals.  During that time Ronnie  conducted studies in his home using materials primarily from the website of the Hebron Lane church here in Shepherdsville, KY.  His family prepared their basement as a meeting place where Ken McDaniel and I helped them start the Meadowood church in November of 2009.  I have returned three times, and David Halbrook, Harry Osborne, and Lordy Salunga have been once.  Rick Halnas, whom I baptized in Manila in May works in Timaru , on the south island 600 miles from Auckland.  Ronnie and I will spend one weekend there trying to edify Rick and convert some of his friends.  We hope to plant another new congregation!

Thank you in advance for your prayers and financial support for this work.  Individuals giving $500 or more for church buildings and similar needs can write checks to Help A Neighbor for a tax deduction.  Write all other checks to Ron Halbrook. Mail all checks to 3505 Horse Run Ct., Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6954.  Donors receive financial reports (2 Cor. 8:21).

In Christian love, Ron Halbrook

Phone 502-955-1748 or 957-6726; e-mail halbrook@twc.com

P.S. There is a dire need for songbooks!  I can ship new or used copies very cheaply.

April 4, 2013

Brethren,

This is a last-minute request, so thank you for your prompt attention and reply.

Ron Halbrook is going on his 50th trip to the Philippines April 9 – May 25. The last two weeks are set aside for preacher training to help 30+ men in the greater Manila area. Lessons planned for the preacher training include:

o Old & New Testament Surveys

o A Preacher’s Life & Work

o Denominational Doctrines

o Church History

o The New Testament Church

o and more

I found out last Saturday that the good brother who was scheduled to assist in these classes had to cancel due to his parents’ fragile health. Thus, the workload for Ron would compound.

To help with this situation, the elders here have permitted me to accompany Ron for the two-week preacher training. My plan is to leave May 9 and return on May 25, about 2 ½ weeks total. This will be my fourth trip to the Philippines, Lord willing.

The main thrust of each trip can vary with circumstances and as you can see my time will concentrate on training preachers on this trip. As you will remember, Jesus said in Matthew 9:37-38, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” What better way to increase the harvest than training more harvesters-more gospel preachers! Only God in eternity can measure the good results of such classes.

Expenses on my last trip in Nov./Dec. 2011, which was the same length of time, were $8,648. The estimated costs for my airfare, baggage fees, lodging, food, transportation, and other items for this trip are $7,500 (lower due to remaining in Manila, no in-country travel). Any additional funds I might receive are greatly needed to cover expenses involved in teaching the classes. Any amount you can provide toward these totals is greatly appreciated.

In times past individuals have given from $20 to over $1,000. That is to say, any amount is helpful.

On my return, a report including expenses will be provided to all who assist.

Again, on my last trip I had three months to prepare. This time I have one. Thank you for your consideration and quick response.

Your prayers are coveted.

Sincerely,

Steven F. Deaton

116 Pare Ct.

Shepherdsville, KY 40165

502-262-0393

sfdeaton@insightbb.com

(NOTE BY RON HALBROOK: I had no idea Steven Deaton would volunteer to step into the gap to help with the preacher training classes in Manila. I am grateful to have his help. I also deeply appreciate the elders graciously agreeing for him to go under these unusual circumstances. Steven is a sound, steady, stable gospel preacher who will be a great asset in this work. Obviously, donations to help with Steven’s expenses should be sent to him, not to me, but individuals who need a tax deduction can make a check to Help A Neighbor and for this unique occasion send it directly to Steven Deaton at 116 Pare Ct., Shepherdsville, KY 40165. Donna and I both will be gone, but there is a way to access this fund in our absence. Donors giving $250 or more need a receipt and it will be provided before tax time rolls around again.)

To see good Bible study material, go to:

www.HebronChurchOfChrist.com

www.biblework.com

www.truthmagazine.com/

www.CEIbooks.com

Ron & Donna Halbrook

3505 Horse Run Ct.

Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6954

PLEASE SHARE THIS LETTER ON GOSPEL PREACHING

IN THE PHILIPPINES!

March 27, 2013th Year of Our Lord

Dear brethren,

April 9-May 25 is scheduled for my 50th preaching trip to the Philippines since Jim McDonald first took me with him in 1995.  Isaiah prophesied salvation in Christ like a highway:  “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it” (Isa. 35:8 ).  The redeemed are willing to travel The Way of Holiness which pleases God and leads to heaven, but the stubborn wicked refuse it.  The schedule this time will involve visiting churches, preaching to the lost, training preachers, and teaching a weeklong series on the home and family.

As happened before my last trip, several complications have delayed preparing the schedule and taking care of other details such as medical tests (with good results), but now I am ready to go forward.

I plan to fly to Manila and on to the Ilocos region (NW Luzon) for preaching schedules April 12-20.  Two days will be set aside for classes for young preachers at Escoda, Marcos, Ilocos Norte where Vic Domingo labors.  Additional visits to preach to saints and to sinners are planned at Laoag City with Mat Sibayan, Sr.; at Cabugao, Ilocos Sur with Egdon Sabio; at Dingras, I.N. with Warner Macusi; and at Nueva Era, I.N. with Efren Ramos.

God willing, April 20 I will travel from NW Luzon to Cebu City on Cebu Island to work with Jonathan Carino.  The 26 baptized by Gil Suico on my last trip are meeting in their village, Libjo Tabogon, near Bogo City.  Not only will we follow up with them, but also Felix Cantulan has moved to the Bogo City area and needs our help to follow up on many of his contacts.  Felix began reading Truth Magazine in 2010 and was converted by Juanito Balbin in Davao City on Mindanao.  He came from the “Local Church” sect started by a Chinese man named Watchman Nee and spread to the Philippines and the U.S. by Witness Lee.  Felix has been pressured to stop teaching his contacts but will not compromise. We also hope to work with Julius Libera, the newly converted Baptist preacher in Cebu City.

April 26-May 1 will be spent on Mindanao Island at General Santos City.  Follow-up work is needed at the Bula congregation where Aguillardo Untal preaches, also recently converted from denominationalism.  This man was converted last year through our contact with Rudy Tampon, former premillennial preacher among our brethren.  The small congregation at Balite in General Santos City will have an all-day gospel meeting.  Then another all-day session is planned for the church at Kitakal, Malungon, Sarangani Province where the widow of gospel preacher Rene Sandoval worships.

Cyrus Gesulga, former longtime premillennial preacher, requested that he will gather many of his associates to hear the series of lessons on the home and family.  He lives at Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental on Mindanao.  May 2-6 is set aside for this purpose.

On May 7, my 67th birthday, I will travel back to Manila on Luzon for the last leg of the trip.  Two days preaching is scheduled with Willie and Kenneth Pastor at the Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City where the work is flourishing.  Another two days will be spent with Rody Gumpad in a gospel meeting at the newly established Edsa-Pasay church of Christ in Manila, which is also growing.  May 13-24 is set aside for a two-week training program for young men wanting to preach in the Greater Manila area.  The classes will be held at the Kapitbahayan church of Christ in Navotas where Elias Cruz preaches.

This trip will be longer than usual, so also more expensive.  I have learned to trust God’s providence working through his beloved saints to provide what is needed.  Individuals giving $500 or more for church buildings and similar needs can write checks to Help A Neighbor for a tax deduction.  Write all other checks to Ron Halbrook.  Mail to 3505 Horse Run Ct., Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6954.  Donors receive financial reports (2 Cor. 8:21).

In Christian love, Ron Halbrook

Phone 502-955-1748 or 957-6726; e-mail halbrook@insightbb.com

P.S. There is a dire need for songbooks!  I can ship new or used copies very cheaply.

Ron & Donna Halbrook

3505 Horse Run Ct.

Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6954

PLEASE SHARE THIS LETTER ON GOSPEL PREACHING

IN THE PHILIPPINES!

January 31, 2013th Year of Our Lord

Dear brethren,

By God’s grace and providence my 49th trip to preach the gospel of Christ in the Philippines is planned for February 12-March 9 . I am eternally indebted to Jim McDonald for taking me there in 1995. The upcoming trip will include a side trip to Australia. Christ proclaims his authority for our salvation to all the world, and we must submit every phase of life to him: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:17). The context applies his authority over our lives to our conduct, our attitudes, our worship, and our family life-all things!

This letter, my appeal, and my schedule are later than usual because I had surgery on my left ear on January 17 to begin addressing hearing problems which have grown worse. The stapes or stirrup bone was replaced with a prosthesis. If this helps my hearing, the same procedure will be done to the right ear later this year. The doctor did not want me to fly for 3 weeks after the surgery. He expects to release me February 6.

Since my return from the last trip, internet problems have plagued me, preventing me from having access to get the word out about this upcoming trip. I have also needed to get word out about the horrific damage done by typhoon Pablo which hit Mindanao while I was in Cebu in December, but was blocked from using my list of contacts. By communicating with a few of you we were able to send some relief. Sending multiple emails got me labeled as a spammer. I now pay for the Aweber service to avoid being blocked.

To top it off, new government red tape regulating banks in sending international bank wires resulted in my local bank dropping the service. I had to find a bank which can handle such wires which are necessary to some of the overseas work I am doing such as typhoon relief.

As if all this were not enough, our son David and his wife Starla had the audacity to bring their first child into the world on January 17! This necessitated our going to Batesville, AR to personally meet and examine Joel Nason Halbrook last week. We were able to approve Joel-he is definitely a keeper!

In spite of this “perfect storm” of events, my trip is planned and I believe the necessary funds will be provided by the providence of God and the love of His saints. After arriving in Manila on February 13, I will fly the next day to Cebu City to begin preaching there. After working with some area churches, a class will be held February 18-22 on the home and family.

Philippine culture is family oriented on the surface, but in practice there is much corruption and immorality. It is not unusual for men to have a paramour or “second wife” while maintaining a traditional home. The problems in the church at Corinth mirrored Corinthian culture. The same thing is true in the Philippines, in the U.S., or anywhere else. Some of our brethren, even some preachers, have been involved in corruption and immorality. Therefore, I have been teaching this weeklong series on the home and family in recent years and it is received very well. In fact, brethren are pleading in many places for the series.

After the class, I will stay five more days in Cebu City as a base of operations in the area including nearby islands where doors are open to us. Jonathan Carino and I will be doing follow up work with some established churches and some newly planted churches. I will detail it all in the report to follow my trip.

February 27-March 7 will be spent traveling to and from Gladstone and Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. Previous visits to Gladstone led to visiting Rockhampton where there is a church of 30 or so. I will present a six-part series there on “The Authority of Christ” and will encourage the Gladstone saints also.

I regret the delay in getting out this letter, but it was unavoidable. By the time some of you can read it and respond with funds, I will already be on my way. I will use a credit card to get by and Donna can forward funds to me while I am in the Philippines. God always provides through the love of His saints! Individuals giving $500 or more for church buildings and similar needs can write checks to Help A Neighbor for a tax deduction. Write all other checks to Ron Halbrook. Mail to 3505 Horse Run Ct., Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6954. Donors receive financial reports (2 Cor. 8:21).

In Christian love, Ron Halbrook

Phone 502-955-1748 or 957-6726; e-mail

halbrook@insightbb.com

P.S. There is a dire need for songbooks! I can ship new or used copies very cheaply.

September 14, 2012^th Year of Our Lord

Dear brethren,

By God’s grace November 27-December 20 will mark my 48^th opportunity to proclaim Christ in the Philippines since Jim McDonald first took me there in 1995.  It is a privilege to bring Jim Barnett (Artesia NM) and Steven Saunders (Clarence, MO) to teach singing classes!  Another unexpected door has swung open to reach many Pentecostals with the gospel.  Satan takes our souls “captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” (Col. 2:8 NIV).  How appropriate that we learn to sing praises to God when we are freed from the bondage of sin and error!  Preaching and singing are allies in serving God.  This should be a fruitful trip.

Jim, Steven, and I will reach Manila late November 28 and begin the singing classes immediately the next day at the Kapitbahayan church of Christ, Navotas, Metro Manila.  Jim and Steven will provide material on singing and pitch pipes for song leaders.  I will alternate with gospel lessons.  It will be a joy to work with this good church with its elders and preachers for three days.  Jerry Toreja and Wilfredo Gonzales are elders, and Elias Cruz an evangelist there.  Sunday Jim and Steven will preach here and I will preach at the Bilibid Prison with Willie Pastor, faithful preacher incarcerated at the national prison.

Sunday evening we fly to Cebu City for singing classes at the Cebu City church of Christ on Cebu Island where Jonathan Carino preaches.  Because Cebu City is centrally located in the Visayan Islands, men can come from throughout the region including northern Mindanao.  After the classes December 3-5, we will fly to Manila and on to Tuguegarao, Cagayan Province in northern Luzon.  Immediately upon arrival Thursday afternoon we will start classes at the Metro Tuguegarao church of Christ where Rody Gumpad preaches, and continue through Saturday.  I will miss some classes to preach at Tabuk, Kalinga Province with Ben Vistro and possibly other places.  Sunday after worship at the Metro church, visits are scheduled for area congregations at Alibagu, Maddarulog, Maguirig, Lingu, and Minagbag.

December 10, Monday, we fly back to Manila to part ways on the 11^th: Jim and Steven go back to the U.S. as I proceed to General Santos City in southern Mindanao to work with Rudy Tampon, Jolly Julom, and other saints.  After laying aside premillennialism on August 5, 2011, Cyrus Gesulga has introduced us to a growing circle of associates.  His close friend, Rudy Tampon, gathered a group of men from the premillennial background at General Santos City in April for a profitable five-day series studying Robert Harkrider’s Basic Bible Doctrine.  Rudy invited several Pentecostal preachers to join the class.  They sat at the front, were inquisitive and at times defensive, and we were not sure how much progress was made with them.  When I arrived in Davao City for a similar class with premillennial brethren in August, Rudy brought letters from these Pentecostals pleading for me to return as soon as possible for additional studies.

To strike while the iron is hot, the General Santos City sessions December 12-15 will cover 13 lessons in a workbook on How to Study the Bible (proper and improper attitudes & methods of study, rightly dividing the word, old & new covenants, context, when God says nothing, etc.).  I will teach six lessons on “The Authority of Christ.”  Jonathan Carino, Jack Jaco, and other Filipino brethren will also present lessons.  The Pentecostal preachers admit they learned many things in April and promise to gather many of their brethren.

Sunday will be spent visiting our brethren in the area.  Several opportunities are being weighed for Monday.  A gospel meeting will be held at the Balite church in General Santos City on Tuesday, where Ricardo dela Cruz labored before his death last year.

This trip should be very fruitful to edify saints and to save sinners! I take a deep breath when planning these trips, wondering if U.S. saints will tire of supporting such work, but God’s love and grace have always been sufficient. I trust that He will provide again through the love of His saints!  Individuals giving $500 or more for church buildings and similar needs can write checks to Help A Neighbor for a tax deduction.  Write all other checks to Ron Halbrook.  Mail to 3505 Horse Run Ct., Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6954.  Donors receive financial reports (2 Cor. 8:21).

In Christian love,  Ron Halbrook

Phone 502-955-1748 or 957-6726; e-mail halbrook@insightbb.com

P.S. There is a dire need for songbooks!  I can ship new or used copies very cheaply.

Dear brethren,

Plans for a 44^th preaching trip to the Philippines are well underway, scheduled for November 29-December 19, 2011.  In Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus spoke of men who learn the great value of the kingdom of God sacrificing everything in order to enter or obtain it:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. – Mat. 13:44-46

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