Dear family, brethren, and friends,

By the wonderful providence of God my 67^th preaching trip to the Philippines has been successfully completed.  There were 16 souls baptized into Christ and two week-long classes conducted with the help of Jack Jaco and Jonathan Carino.  God blessed my travel during the past month with safety.  It is always an enriching experience to work with Filipino saints.  While I am trying to help them by teaching God’s Word, their faith, hope, and love strengthen and edify me.  I will send out a final report soon.

I fought an ear infection for three weeks and could not defeat it in spite of seeing two doctors and taking several medicines.  The day before I left Manila Dr. Teresa Toreja was able to drain a sore inside the ear and to see spots of infection on my eardrum.  She urged me to see a specialist as soon as reaching home.  While changing planes en route home on Tuesday in Atlanta, I called ahead and was given an appointment for early Wednesday in Lexington.  Knowing there can be road work and traffic problems traveling from Louisville to Lexington, I decided to travel to Lexington Tuesday night after the plane landed and to stay in a motel near the medical complex.  Dr. Matthew Bush graciously saw me though he does medical research rather than seeing patients on Wednesdays.  He took a culture to determine exactly what kind of infection I have, then he packed my ear with some kind of medical cream, and he prescribed another antibiotic.  He wants me to return next week, but he is confident this infection can be killed.

Thank you to all who have prayed and are praying about this need.

May I please ask that you include Donna in your prayers?  Just before my return she saw a doctor to treat pain in her abdomen, and tests showed a large growth on her kidney.  She is scheduled for surgery on September 26 to remove the growth and possibly even the kidney, depending on the circumstances when the doctor can see the situation with his own eyes.  At this point there is no indication of cancer, but the tumor will be examined when it is extracted.

I apologize for not being able to answer email in a timely way because of all this travel.  I will do my best to read and respond to correspondence waiting for attention, but if I have not answered within several days it may be necessary for you to forward your message in order for me to find it.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Thank you for the moral and financial support which make these preaching trips possible.  May God be glorified in the work we are jointly doing.  “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (1 Cor. 3:6-7).

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook

To see good Bible study material, go to:
http://www.HebronChurchOfChrist.com
http://www.biblework.com
http://www.truthmagazine.com
http://www.CEIbooks.com