Dear family, brethren, and friends,

I slept about nine hours Friday night, which is not at all typical for me, but maybe it will help my body make the 12 hour time change.  Saturday morning was spent catching up on some email (cannot get it all done), and learning how to use the iCloud to connect pictures on my camera to my laptop (with guidance from Kevin Stilts via a lengthy phone call – thank you, brother!).

After lunch I went to the airport to fly to Bacolod City in the province of Negros Occidental on the island of Negros.  Since there are not enough gates at the Manila airport to accommodate all of the domestic flights, a bus took us out to board the plane on the tarmac.  The covers on one of the jet engines were wide open with technicians working on both sides of it, which was not very reassuring as we boarded!  The travel time from the Manila terminal to the Bacolod terminal was about two hours and the flight was late, but it was a delight to finally Jack Jaco’s smiling face again at last.

On the Lord’s Day we left the hotel about 8:00 A.M. for a two-hour trip through sugarcane fields to reach the church at Magballo, a rural community in Kabankalan City.  Forty-eight people were assembled for worship as we considered John 9:4 – “Work While It Is Day” – and Genesis 2:24 – “Marriage: God’s Gift to Man and Woman.”  The local preacher is Ronnie Carbadilla and his small house is joined to the church building which was built with the help of U.S. saints.  The audience was very attentive and engaged as we studied.

From there we drove an hour to reach the brethren meeting at Camingawan in the same region.  The attendance was 18 and my subject was based on Psalm 23: “Do Not Be Afraid: God Is Our Shepherd and Our King.”  The too were very appreciative of our study.

The heat has been brutal with both the temperature and the humidity close to 90 and I am drinking water like a fish.  But it is worth every moment and every drop of sweat to preach to these precious souls who hunger and thirst after righteousness!

Leaving Bacolod City a little past 8:00 A.M. Monday, Jack Jaco drove us into the mountains over two hours away where the saints meet in a remote place named Codcod, considered part of San Carlos City (boundaries of Philippine cities can be very extensive).  The church building was full and people were sitting under a plastic cover outside the door – a total of 56 people gathered.  While waiting for us, they maximized the time by having preachers in the audience preach to them.

I preached “From Wretched Man to More Than Conquerors” and Jack summarized the sermon in their dialect.  After lunch my next lesson was on “Marriage: God’s Gift to Man and Woman,” followed by “Work While It Is Day.”  Again, a short summary was given by Jack to add clarity for any in the audience who did not understand English well.  We were encouraged by the many expressions of appreciation.

We learned that some brethren were persuaded not to attend by the faction which insists it is sinful for the church to conduct simultaneous Bible classes for various age groups and for women to teach children in the classes.  Others were persuaded not to attend by men promoting institutional liberalism.  We press on in spite of Satan’s resistance and opposition both from without and within.

The cooler mountain air was a blessing and the sky was overcast, which made a more comfortable day.  After traversing the mountain roads again including tricky hair pen curves, and a section of road blocked by a landslide, Jack returned us safely to Bacolod City by 6:00 P.M. by the grace of God.

The moon has been bright and beautiful for the past several nights.  I hope I am not the only one noticing it.

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook

To see good Bible study material, go to:
https://www.hebronlanechurchofchrist.com
https://biblework.congregateclients.com
https://truthbooks.com
https://www.truthmagazine.com