Philippines-Malaysia Report November 26 – December 1, 2023
Dear family, brethren, and friends,
This 84th Philippine trip began with a plane leaving Louisville, Kentucky at 6:00 P.M. Sunday and arriving about 11:00 A.M. Tuesday in Manila (12 hours ahead of U.S. time). The flights to Atlanta, then to South Korea, and finally to the Philippines were smooth, allowing me to get a lot of work done and to sleep as much as possible.
On the final leg, a Filipino man seated next to me noticed I prayed before eating. This led to an opportunity to explain I come to teach the Bible and how the church of Christ has no hierarchy but simply guides people to study and obey the Scriptures as our map to heaven. This ended with him asking for my contact information before we parted ways – so typical of Filipino people, which is why I must continue to come!
I traveled under a beautiful, clear, full moon, proclaiming again the glory of God to every open eye and open heart.
On Wednesday James Paet and Elias Cruz joined me at the hotel to repack the six boxes of Bibles and study materials I brought on the airplane to ship them ahead to various places I will teach. Several other errands such as exchanging dollars to pesos were attended to, making for a busy but productive day. After seeing the moon’s brilliant, gorgeous light, I finally got to bed about 12:30 A.M.
James Paet drove over an hour and a half to bring me to Meycauayan, Bulacan to preach on Thursday. Jimmy Bobis has preached here faithfully for many years, but several years ago he began suffering severe strokes. Five good men have stepped up to share the preaching duties and it is evident the church continues to thrive.
About 50 souls heard my lessons on “To Whom Shall We Go? (Jn. 6:68),” “Wait on the Lord (Ps. 27:14),” and “Legalizing Sin: God’s Law or Man’s Law? (Ps. 118:8-9).” Even though another sermon was ready, I opened the floor for questions because the audience was very attentive and I did not want to run out of time, leaving no opportunity for an open forum. That session lasted an hour or more, covering questions on everything from the meaning of worship to the apocryphal books to baptism to instrumental music in worship to details in the transfiguration of Jesus to marriage, divorce, and remarriage. When we dismissed shortly after 4:30, I was exhausted but exhilarated by seeing the participants’ genuine interest in spiritual things.
When the Lord’s invitation was extended, one man expressed his desire to obey the gospel of Christ. We rejoice with the angels!
I fell asleep in the vehicle as James drove back to the hotel. Upon our arrival, I met Rody and Tessie Gumpad for supper. They had come from Tuguegarao to Manila so that we can travel together to Malaysia to preach late tomorrow night, God willing. It is always good to see them and to discuss things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
We were greeted by another outstanding moon tonight and I hope all of you saw it, too!
On Friday James brought Rody, Tessie, and me to Kapitbahayan, Navotas, Metro Manila to visit Jimmy and Marie Bobis and Teresa Toreja. Jimmy’s first stroke hit him in 2008, and he largely recovered, but the one that hit him in February of this year left him bedfast and speechless, and his lower body is paralyzed. His wife and Dr. Teresa think his mind is still sharp and he can hear us though he cannot respond.
I thanked him for giving his time and considerable talents to serving Christ as an evangelist and for being one of the best translators with whom I have preached. I conducted a short study of Psalm 23 to assure both Marie and Jimmy that God has not forgotten them as they pass through this dark valley but that He will be their loving shepherd to the end. Many such stroke victims would not have survived this long, but Marie serves him day and night 24/7. We commended her as an outstanding example of a loving, faithful wife.
It was good to catch up on some news with Teresa as she continues to make adjustments since Jerry’s untimely death in March of this year. She will be struggling to help her children finish college for another couple of years. The church at Kapitbahayan continues to prosper with six men who have stepped up to share preaching duties including Elias Cruz, one of her brothers in the flesh. He has matured a lot since his father, Ben, died in 2011.
Rody, Tessie, and I will go to the airport tonight and fly to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia on an 11:30 P.M. flight which will then arrive at 1:40 A.M. We will warm the bed a few minutes and then begin teaching Saturday morning, God willing. We look forward to meeting and working with Nicolas Rowe who has labored there with a small church for years.
Thank you for your prayers as the work planned for this trip gets well underway, and may God bless all of His faithful children there wherever you are serving Him!
In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook
To see good Bible study material, go to:
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