April 13

March 29-April 3 in the Philippines

Dear family, brethren, and friends,

March 29-31 initiated my 78th preaching trip to the Philippines – a blessing made possible by God’s grace and providence.  Craig Thomas and I left Louisville, KY early Tuesday morning expecting to arrive in Manila at 10:00 PM Wednesday.  In Detroit we learned a schedule change would prevent us from catching our flight from South Korea to Manila – we could be delayed 24 hours.  Delta Airlines flew us to San Francisco instead, where we waited 8 hours to transfer to Plhilippine Airlines to catch a 15 hour flight to Manila.   All is well that ends well, thought it meant arriving at 5:30 AM Thursday.

When we stepped off the plane wearing masks, the extreme humidity mixing with my breathe immediately covered my glasses in a dense fog, blinding me!  We finally got to the hotel about 7:30 AM after jumping through hoops with the health and immigration departments.  I was filled with joy and thanksgiving because God has reopened the door to the Philippines.
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March 28

Update on Metro Manila plan – No Preaching April 1

Dear brethren,

Greetings to all in our sovereign Savior’s royal name.

The itinerary I recently circulated included this:  “We plan to preach on Friday, April 1, at Kapitbahayan, Navotas City, Metro Manila in the morning.  In the afternoon we will transfer to the church at Lapu-Lapu, San Antonio, Parañaque, Metro Manila with Jerry Toreja.”   The new congregation is located at Lapu Lapu in Malabon not in Parañaque.

I had planned to preach on April 1 and the next day fly to Tuguegarao, but the airline cancelled the Saturday flight.  This forces me to cancel my plan to preach in Manila in order to fly to Tuguegarao on Friday.  I will try to reschedule preaching in Manila on a future trip, God willing.
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March 28

All Systems “GO” for Philippine Trip March 29 – April 29, 2022

Dear brethren,

Greetings to all of you in our sovereign Savior’s royal name.

Two years ago at this time I had completed 77 Philippine trips and was planning to make the next trip in April, concentrating on appointments on the island of Luzon.  That trip was cancelled due to the rise of coronavirus and related travel restrictions.  By the grace of God, I am now moving forward to fulfill the commitments made two years ago.  I planned this trip for March 29-May 6, only to learn from the Philippine embassy there is a protocol after the covid pandemic which limits my visit to 30 days.  Unfortunately, I was forced to cancel several days of preaching already promised in order to squeeze my trip into the 30 day limit.

God willing, Craig Thomas, evangelist for the Westside church of Christ in Bloomington, IN, and I will leave Louisville, Kentucky on March 29.  We plan to preach on Friday, April 1, at Kapitbahayan, Navotas City, Metro Manila in the morning.  In the afternoon we will transfer to the church at Lapu-Lapu, San Antonio, Parañaque, Metro Manila with Jerry Toreja.
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March 5

March 29-May 6 Joining Hands with Filipinos to Preach Christ

Ron & Donna Halbrook
3505 Horse Run Ct.
Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6954

PLEASE SHARE THIS LETTER ON GOSPEL PREACHING IN THE PHILIPPINES!
February 19, 2022nd Year of Our Lord
                              
Dear brethren,

By God’s good grace Jim McDonald took me to the Philippines in 1995 and March 29-May 6 is set for my 78th trip to preach the glorious gospel of Christ in that land.  It will be a blessing to work with Craig Thomas, evangelist with the Westside church of Christ in Bloomington, IN.  Both he and his son Ryan have preached in the Philippines and Ryan is married to Jennifer Gumpad, daughter of Rody and Tessie.

The great harvest of souls continues in the Philippines.  Preacher training classes are crucial as new men are converted and as young men aspire to preach.  Paul urged Timothy, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:1-3, NKJV).  We will concentrate on the pressing need to train preachers in the truth and challenge them to endure hardness in this great work.
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November 17

Help A Neighbor Annual Report Nov. 1, 2020 – Nov. 1, 2021

Help  A  Neighbor,  Inc.
3505 Horse Run Ct.
Shepherdsville, KY 40165
(halbrook@twc.com / 502-955-1748)

November 3, 2021st Year of Our Lord

Dear brethren and friends,

Help A Neighbor began in July of 2007 to provide for others what they cannot provide for themselves in the spirit of Matthew 22:39: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”  Help A Neighbor (H.A.N.) exists for humanitarian and charitable purposes as defined by section 501(C)3 of the IRS Code.  All donations are legally tax deductible.  This is simply a legal means for individuals to extend aid to individuals.  No church donations are accepted – H.A.N. is not an ecclesiastical organization.

This annual report covering November 1, 2020-November 1, 2021 is made in the interest of integrity and transparency.  Our main focus is helping Christians in the Philippine Islands, but occasional help is extended to Christians in other parts of the world including the U.S.  Our aim is to help people who demonstrate their willingness to help themselves.  During this time period donations amounted to $876,575.00.  Most donations are modest amounts with occasional larger gifts.  Including funds from other accounts used for the Philippine work, a total of $1,017,973.00 passed through the H.A.N. account.
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August 7

Halbrook’s Update on the Cause of Christ in the Philippines

Dear brethren,

Greetings to everyone in the royal and majestic name of Jesus Christ, Lord of lords and King of kings!

I need to give an update on the situation among Filipino saints and also ongoing plans to help them, as well as my plans for future preaching trips to the Philippines.

Coronavirus Update

After a period during which the Philippines seemed to be making progress in overcoming the covid pandemic, another upsurge of cases set them back and the delta variant has worsened their woes.  Various government entities have again imposed some degree of the lockdown policy, which generally means our brethren cannot leave their houses except for once a week to get essentials.  The problem is that they need to work today in order to have money to buy food for tomorrow.  Government programs to provide food have been largely ineffective.

Only about 3 percent of the population have been vaccinated and brethren report that so far it is primarily front line workers who have received the vaccine (medical workers, public servants, government officials, etc.).  I am just beginning to get reports that a few of our brethren are able to get vaccinated.

Eleven members of Rody Gumpad’s family were infected with coronavirus, and several were hospitalized in serious condition, but finally all of them are out of the hospital and out of quarantine.  Rody went home on Saturday, July 24.  Several of them are still being treated at home and Rody is still plagued with a hard cough.  His lungs are scarred from previous bouts with TB which is prolonging his recovery process.  He is not yet strong enough to resume his preaching activities.
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July 12

COVID in the Philippines

Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Greetings to all in the royal name of Jesus Christ, Lord of lords and King of kings.

There has been another upsurge of coronavirus infections in the Philippines.  Thousands of our brethren are suffering from hunger because of the government enforced lockdown in many areas.  Some of you have sent benevolence funds and asked me to serve as your messenger in relaying the benevolence to our brethren, which has been a great blessing, but I cannot begin to scratch the surface of the vast needs.

Some of our brethren feel neglected, not understanding that I have no flowing fund to resolve this ongoing disaster coupled with earthquake victims living in tents, rat infestations destroying crops, flash floods, and typical pleas for medical help, support for evangelists, funds for church buildings, lack of Bibles, etc., etc.  It grieves our hearts, but we continue to encourage all of them to trust in God who has many ways to care for His saints when we do not know what to do.
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November 9

Remember the Poor in the Philippines

Dear brethren,

When early leaders among Christians met in Jerusalem, they stood shoulder to shoulder in upholding the truth of the gospel and they agreed it was imperative to remember the poor.  “James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.  All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do” (Gal. 2:9-10, NIV).  I need to provide an update on the situation among the poor saints in the Philippines and our efforts to help them.

Toward the end of my February preaching trip in the Philippines, coronavirus was becoming a national concern and President Rodrigo Duterte forbad flights from the infected area of China to land in the Philippines.  By mid-March the rising danger of a pandemic led to a government enforced lockdown.  Citizens were given a pass to leave their homes once a week to get food and other essentials.  This has been most consistently and forcefully enforced in more populated areas such as larger cities, and it has been partially relaxed in some areas which have made progress in the battle against covid, but a more recent rise of cases in some areas has resulted in renewed restrictions.  Many of our brethren have been battling hunger in these conditions.
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July 27

Please Help Provide Bibles & Songbooks for Filipino Saints

Wade Holt has been so kind as to initiate a GoFundMe drive to raise funds for Bibles and songbooks to be distributed in the Philippines Islands.  Please see his message below and consider helping.  Perhaps you can help by sharing and spreading this information.  For more information or to donate funds, click on the link Wade provided below.

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook

I am raising money to purchase song books and Bibles for our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Philippines.  These are extremely poor people that struggle daily just to survive.  Yet the church continues to grow thanks to the work of zealous Filipino evangelists and U.S. preachers who visit to help them labor in that field. The churches there are in dire need of song books and Bibles.  The Filipino people love to sing and study God’s Word.  They do not have enough books to go around and often must share with others.  We are so blessed to live in this great nation, and we take so much for granted.  Most of us do not think about God’s people in other countries that are starving for the Word and want only to go to Heaven when they die.  We all must and can do our part to spread God’s Word and evangelize the world.
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July 24

Philippine Updates: Pandemic, Earthquake Victims, Ely Ebuenga, Jonathan Carino

Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Thank you for your inquiries about conditions in the Philippines during the pandemic and especially regarding brethren Jonathan Carino (Cebu City, Cebu) and Ely Ebuenga (North Caloocan City, Metro Manila) who have been suffering from coronavirus.  Here are the latest updates.

I regret to report that brother Rody Gumpad said Ely passed away on Friday, July 17, at 12:45 P.M. after a difficult battle with the virus.  He had been on a ventilator but was not able to survive.  Underlying health problems weakened him as is so often the case of people who die from this virus.  We extend our love and sympathy to his wife and children.  This is a serious blow to the churches he has been serving and to the saints in the Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa where he has labored for many years.  He will be greatly missed, but we know he died in faith and hope of eternal life in heaven with God.

The medical bills were absolutely staggering for the family, and Ely had lost some of his support in recent years.  Rody said that President Duterte has admonished hospitals to accommodate coronavirus victims without crushing them with debt or turning them away.  Ely’s hospital finally offered to settle the bill for about $1,300.  Rody had contacted saints throughout the Philippines asking for any possible help and it turned out that so many brethren chipped in to help that the bill was paid in cash in full.
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