Halbrook Philippine Report Apr. 22-25, 2014
April 25, 2014th Year of Our Lord
Dear family, brethren, and friends,
The previous report summarized activities in the Ozamiz City area. On April 22, Tuesday, our drive across the Misamis Occidental Province from Ozamiz City to Cagayan de Oro City took six hours. It would have been eight hours, but we took a ferry across a gulf when we left Ozamiz City and cut out some travel time. We had to contend not only with roller coaster and bumpy roads but also with heavy traffic, road construction, and police and military checkpoints passing through part of Lanao Province which is heavily populated with Muslims who at times become violent. Our driver, Dondon Mabasa, did a good job negotiating all these twists and turns, and we thank God for our safe trip.
Wednesday an all-day gospel meeting was scheduled for the church at San Simon about 45 minutes out in the country from Cagayan de Oro. A few years ago we preached here under the trees to about 100 people and baptized 29. There is now a thriving church in this community and Jhun Carpentero preaches for them every Sunday afternoon. After a terrible flood a couple of years ago, the brethren gathered scrap lumber that washed down the river and built a meeting house where we gathered today.
The attendance was 110 and five were baptized. Jonathan Carino, Rody Gumpad, and I all preached. I spoke on “The Resurrection of Christ” and “The Gospel Makes Us Right with God.” We sat all day on benches consisting of a single piece of lumber without a back and set low to the gound on posts driven into the ground. This is typical for many rural churches here in the Philippines. No one complained and everyone was very attentive.
Another all-day meeting was held Thursday at the church located at Buntong Camaman-an, Cagayan de Oro where Jhun Carpentero regularly preaches. About 80 people of all ages attended including visitors who are not Christians. My first lesson was “Simon Samaritan Sorcerer Saved” (Acts 8:1-25). Cyrus Gesulga followed me and built his lesson on my first point dealing with God’s providence in our salvation. Next, I presented a study on “The One Hope VS Premillennialism.” After lunch Rody Gumpad preached on the imperative to give heed to Bible warnings. Jhun Carpentero spoke on God’s goodness and severity (Rom. 11:22), then I extended the invitation. Eight precious souls obeyed the gospel of Christ! One was Cipriano Carpentero III.
Today, April 25, was spent at the Capisnon church here in Cagayan de Oro as arranged by Cyrus Gesulga. The attendance was 50. I began by preaching on “The Prison of Sin,” then Rody gave an overview of the gospel plan of salvation. After his lesson he immediately left for the airport to catch a flight to Manila, where he will preach Sunday at the new Edsa-Pasay church. Next, Jhun Carpentero discussed grace and obedience, distinguishing God’s part from man’s part in redemption.
Cyrus spoke after lunch on the subject, “Jesus Is Coming, Are You Ready?” This lesson summarized a tract he wrote by the same title, and he used PowerPoint presentation for the first time. My last lesson was “Judgment by Jesus: Jerusalem, and All Men,” a verse by verse study of Matthew 24. Preachers were present who are learning little by little the errors of premillennialism, and we had a good open forum following the lesson on Matthew 24. No one was angry and the session went well. Cyrus and others are requesting me to return and present a series on the book of Revelation, which would clarify a lot of other elements of truth in contrast to premillennial error.
I will begin the last leg of the trip tomorrow by traveling to Manila and on to Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. When the schedule there is finished, I will return to Manila and prepare to fly home. I miss everyone there, especially Donna, and I am praying constantly for the saints of God back home in the U.S. Thank you to all who are praying for me here as well.
In Christian love, Ron Halbrook
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