Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Julie Notarte took Trey to visit several churches Thursday and they harvested 12 more souls who obeyed the gospel of Christ.  It is important to remember that we are not baptizing these people after preaching one or two lessons, but they have been studying and learning at the feet of Filipino preachers – we are simply shaking the tree and helping to catch the apples which fall.

Mark and I were taken by Frank Isla to the New Matina church in Davao City where Juanito Balbin has preached for many years with the assistance of his sons – and now his youngest son, Connie, is helping him.  About 100 people including many preachers gathered for all-day preaching.  I preached “From Wretched Man to More Than Conquerors” to open the service, followed by Mark’s presentation of two sermons on lessons we learn from faithful Abraham.  My final topic was “Finish the Race (2 Tim. 4:7-8).”
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Monday, August 15, we left our hotel in General Santos City and drove three hours to reach an area in the mountains which had been hit hard by the earthquakes.  About 200 people welcomed us at the church at Maibo, Magsaysay, Davao del Sur.  Their building had been destroyed and rebuilt at a better location.  Their typical Sunday attendance is 180.  I preached from Psalm 23 and Mark discussed faithfulness to the Lord in short lessons because saints were waiting for us in other places.

While Trey preached I surveyed about 60 of the houses which were rebuilt or repaired with benevolence funds sent by our brethren including many who are reading this report.  I did not have time to see every house but saw many in every stage of repair or construction.  I saw similar houses at the other places we visited today.  Many saints expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the help they received and I made it clear that many donors sacrificed to make it possible, and I merely served as their messenger.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Thursday night while walking I finally saw the moon peek out behind the clouds where it has been hiding since I arrived in the Philippines.  Spread the good news!  After all this time it is confirmed that global cooling has not frozen it, global warming has not melted it, and climate change has not changed it.  As God ordained from the beginning, it is shining as beautifully as ever, fulfilling its purpose – and reminding those of us separated by great distances that we all can see the same moon.

Friday morning, August 12, we set out in a van to preach at Kitakal, Malungon, Sarangani Province where Dondon Cadayona labors in the gospel.  This church is located along the highway about an hour from General Santos City.  Over 100 people were gathered inside and outside the church building as I preached “From Wretched Man to More Than Conquerors.”
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

The appointment to preach on Monday, August 8, was with the Phase 6 church in Caloocan City in Metro Manila   where Andrew Romero labors in the gospel.  After we drove two hours to reach the place, ninety-four souls were present to hear sermons entitled “From Wretched Man to More Than Conquerors” and “Work While It Is Day (Jn. 9:4)” in the morning session.  After lunch by request I taught “Navigating the Present Distress (1 Cor. 7:26),” followed by “I Will Sing unto the Lord (Ex. 15:1).”  The open forum covered a variety of good questions.  When we sang the invitation song, four young ladies stepped forward to confess Christ and submit to him in baptism.

Overcast skies and rain mitigated the heat again today, but at the end of the day my clothes were wringing wet with sweat.  Monsoon rains and a low pressure system east of the Philippines are keeping much of Luzon and Mindanao covered with thunder storms and showers.  While it mitigates the heat, it raises the potential for flooding and landslides.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

My 79^th Philippine trip got underway August 2-4.  The flights on Tuesday-Wednesday went well from Louisville, Kentucky to Detroit, Michigan, on to Seoul-Incheon, South Korea, and finally to Manila in the Philippines.  Keith Greer arrived safely with me but flew a different route on the first two legs of the journey.

Thursday morning Elias Cruz, James Paet, and several other Filipino brethren joined Keith and me at our hotel to help us repack the 8 boxes of Bibles and study materials to ship ahead to the venues where I will preach.  Then we visited the money changer and made other preparations to begin our work.

Early Friday morning Keith flew to Tuguegarao City, Cagayan to labor with Rody Gumpad and many other preachers in northern Luzon.

Friday I visited the church at Kapitbahayan, Navotas to preach with Elias Cruz. Thirty-nine souls heard my lessons entitled “From Wretched Man to More Than Conqueror” (Rom 7:24, 8:37)” and “Navigating the Present Distress” (1 Cor. 7:26).  The first lesson recounts how God delivers us from the miserable life of a sinner to become more than conquerors in Christ.  The second sermon considers Bible principles which guide us as we make decisions in times of danger and distress.  I hoped this study might open a door to resolve the split that occurred over issues related to covid. The study was well received and was followed by a good open forum session.
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Dear brethren,                                 

By the mercies of God Jim McDonald brought me to the Philippines in 1995 to preach the gospel and my 78^th trip has now been completed March 29-April 29.  Craig Thomas who labors with the Westside church of Christ in Bloomington, IN was an able companion.  I taught 73 lessons – Craig taught a like number of lessons – and 30 submitted to Christ in baptism for the remission of their sins.

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). This trip focused on training and equipping evangelists.  Even during the pandemic the gospel continued to spread and the great harvest of souls continues unabated.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Craig Thomas and I arrived back in Louisville after flying from Manila to Inchon, South Korea, and to Atlanta safely by the mercies of God.  We had a prayer of thanksgiving for our safe travel and for the opportunities to teach God’s Holy Word to our dear Filipino brethren.

It has been a long two years waiting for covid travel restrictions to be lifted.  In the meantime, Filipino saints have been doing their best to serve the Lord and spread the gospel in spite of the lockdowns imposed by the government.  As I already knew, they have ably demonstrated their ability to serve the Lord in the absence of Americans, but it is a joy to labor with them in the gospel.
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Dear family, brethren, and friends,

On the Lord’s Day, April 24, Rex Bayaca brought me to the church meeting at Escoda, Marcos, Ilocos Norte while Craig went to Banna with Elizer Villanueva (and later to Elizabeth West with Remigio Vicente).  Vic Domingo was one of the pioneer preachers in this region and he planted the gospel here.  I have been visiting the Escoda church for about 20 years.  The church building has been under construction and improvement during all of those years thanks to the sacrifices of these saints and additional financial help from saints in the U.S. at times.  I can remember worshiping here with bats hanging from the exposed rafters.

This is a rural community, but well over 200 people assembled with us as I preached the sermon “Work While It Is Day” (Jn. 9:4).  Rex translated the lesson in the local dialect because some older brethren do not understand English well.  Sister Domingo is still living and provided a wonderful lunch as she has done so many times through the years.
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