August 17-18, 2015th Year of Our Lord

Dear family, brethren, and friends,

My flight from Manila to Sydney, Australia departed about 10:30 P.M. Sunday night and arrived Monday about 6:30 A.M. The two seats next to me were empty, so I was able to lie down and curl up in a not-very-comfortable position which was still better than sitting up to sleep all night. When we arrived in Sydney, a bus took me from the international airline terminal to the domestic terminal where I caught a flight to Brisbane. At Brisbane, lo and behold, my son-in-law Jamie Williams was returning from a weekend trip and we boarded the same aircraft for the final leg of the trip. After some 14 hours of travel, it was a joy to finally reach Gladstone in the Queensland Province about 3:30 P.M. It seems I picked up a bronchial infection, so I started on medication and slept ten hours Monday night.

Tuesday was a day for rest and study as I prepared to begin teaching tonight here in Gladstone. Also I contacted Daryl Johnson in Rockhampton to make arrangements to travel there to present six lessons in a gospel meeting or mission, as they say here in Australia.

Deborah, Timothy, and Seth Williams had been visiting in the U.S. and they started their long journey back to Gladstone today. I will get to see them for several hours Wednesday evening and Thursday morning before leaving for Rockhampton.

The small congregation here at Gladstone lost some of its members who came from other countries to work on the same Conoco-Phillips plant construction project Jamie is working on because they finished their various tasks. On a typical Sunday the church now has eight in attendance. Tonight our attendance was four. Since this church has helped in the Philippine work in several ways, I taught the lesson “The Banner of Christ in the Philippines” (Isa. 11:10) which includes a report on my April trip. A Filipino name Bong Tacbad is one fo the faithful members here – he recognized several of the places and people I mentioned including his own brother, Jojo!

Jamie and I have been taking a vigorous walk each night for exercise. For some reason the stars are especially bright here in the land down under, but I still cannot see the moon although it should be in a waxing crescent phase now. I will try to locate it tonight and catch all those expressions of love relayed from dear loved ones back home! I am always conscious of your prayers when traveling and I am praying for all of you diligently serving the Lord there.

Be sure to read the latest report from Rody Gumpad about his work with Keith Greer and Grayson Key. I spoke with Donna on the phone and learned that Grayson arrived safely back at home by God’s grace – he will never be the same after his challenging and uplifting experience with the saints in the Philippines!

In Christian love,

Ron Halbrook

August 15-16 Report from Rody C. Gumpad

Dearest Brethren in the List,

It is now getting late at night but I want to send first this update report, to thank you all again for your love & prayers for us and the work of the Lord we are doing also here! Hope & pray this finds you all again doing well and always abounding in God’s grace & mercies!

Yesterday (Saturday) as scheduled, we went and preach also to the Church at Binan, Laguna Province. That work was officially started last January. Bro. Carlo & Riza Garcia are Christians and successful in their business and they started that work! Their present local Preacher is bro. Ferdie Ong. It was good to see those brethren, truly very encouraging because they now have also more than 40 attendance during Lord’s day although they were just started last January! As expected, bro. Grayson was requested and he excellently led singing our attendance of about more than 50! And then bro. Keith taught a very effective lesson about the Wonderful Story of God’s love covering Genesis to Revelation! After more than an hour speaking he cut his lesson and I summarized and make some very important of his points that led to an appeal to those who are not yet Christians to come to Jesus now! While we were singing, THREE precious souls came forward and confessed their faith. Immediately, after the session closed, we went to a Club House of the Village where they have a Swimming pool and the converts were immersed into Christ! They were so grateful and we all were very happy for their obedience to the Truth! The Congregation is asking prayers and also Song books, like 50 copies of the “Hymns For Worship” (Because they have already 20 copies), and 20 Diglot Bibles!

This Sunday morning also was expected by us here at Edsa-Pasay Church to have another breaking record but we failed because we have only a total of 59 attendance (Including 7 children), so still our highest record here was last Sunday with 73 attendances including 7 Children and also it was the second Sunday that bro. Keith Greer preached to us. Today, bro. Keith preached another very powerful & touching lesson about STRUGGLES OF FAITH (Grayson again led us in Singing that we all enjoyed)! At the end of the lesson, invitation was extended and we are so happy and thankful because three of our guests who are attending with us for several months now finally came up and confessed their faith in Christ, so, immediately we baptized them into Christ! The youngest of them is 13 years old and she requested if bro. Keith can baptize here due that bro. Keith’s lesson last Sunday and today had really touched her young heart to give it to Jesus now! So, with love & compassion, bro. Keith immersed her into her watery grave of baptism and she was so very happy & thankful! All these precious souls are asking prayers that we will pray for them so that they can remain faithful in the Lord!

Meanwhile, brethren, again, THANK YOU so much for your love & prayers! Please include us again in your devotions as Lord willing we will get up at 5 A.M. tomorrow and go pick up bro. Keith and Grayson at the Hotel and then we will drop Grayson at the Airport as he will now flying home to the US tomorrow, and then from there we will go now straight to our first preaching venue tomorrow which is about 3 hours drive (San Quintin, Pangasinan Province). Please pray for our whole preaching journey this week with our bro. Keith Greer (Provinces of Pangasinan, La Union, Tarla, and Pampanga). I know he is telling us that he is okay but I noticed that sometimes, because of the too much humidity, that he also feels weak, especially when he sweat too much in preaching! Please pray that God may provide him more stamina so that we can win more precious souls in the scheduled places where we go this week! Likewise, million thanks if ye can also include again in your prayers our beloved bro. Ron Halbrook! We spoke with him by phone this late afternoon and he said that he will be flying this evening to Australia! May God help him also in his trip until he will come back to us on the 24th! Good night, brethren! God knows how much we also love you all! Thanks also again for loving & praying for us! I will end here and hope I can send more news again next mail!

Because of Calvary,

Rody & Tessie Gumpad