Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Tuesday I was at the clinic at 7:00 AM for the endoscopy ordered by the doctor and received mostly good news.  My esophagus and stomach are infected with some kind bacteria, but the doctor gave me prescriptions for medicines which should clear it up.  I am even more confident because of your prayers and God’s healing hands.

By the time the test was finished and we had the medicines, it was 11:00 and Rolly Salvador drove fast and furious to get me to the Alzate church in Villasis, Pangasinan where Armenio Olino serves as an evangelist.  Rody Gumpad went ahead of us to preach in the morning to maximize the time and we arrived at 1:00 PM.  I preached two lessons focusing on Acts 2 entitled “The First Gospel Sermon.”  Today’s attendance was 73 and three precious souls submitted to Christ for their salvation by being baptized.  

During the open forum I clarified that the Apostle Paul was a full and authentic Apostle, equal in authority to all the others, because he was chosen by Christ as they were (which Paul affirms in Gal. 1).  Some denominations teach that Peter preached that baptism was necessary for salvation to Jews until Paul preached salvation by grace before water baptism.  This is utterly false.  Paul said in Galatians 1:23 that he “preached the faith which once he destroyed,” and the faith he persecuted was the gospel Peter preached – exactly the same!   The baptism of a penitent believer is salvation by grace through faith.  

Additional discussion focused on the word “Jehovah” as God’s name, which means simply He is the Great I AM (Ex. 3:14).  The term is applied to both the Father and the Son in the Old and New Testaments because they share the same divine nature (compare Ps. 102:1, 25 where Jehovah is the Creator of the universe and Heb. 1:10 which applies the words of the Psalm directly to Jesus Christ).  Christ himself said in John 8:58, “Before Abraham was, I am.”  The I AM refers to the Godhead including the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit because God is eternal and all-powerful.  

Fortunately, I was able to nap some during the two-hour trip going and the two hours coming back to Baguio City to our hotel.  Rolly is an expert driver.  This has been a very busy and fruitful day by the grace of God.

The last preaching appointment was on Wednesday with the saints meeting in Lagarda, Baguio City where Rodel Baagin and his son Jeremiah labor in the gospel.  This small congregation began in 2021 but meets off the side of a street under a roof with no side walls.   They definitely need a better meeting place, but 60 souls attended their first-time all day gospel meeting.  Baguio City is a huge city and a congregation is much needed in this part of the city.  

“Attitudes Essential in God’s Kingdom” (verse by verse study of Matt. 5) was my first lesson today.  Rody Gumpad followed with a study giving an overview of how God fulfilled His promise to send a Savior through Abraham.  After lunch I preached on “Modest Dress through the Ages” (1 Tim. 2:9-10).  God Himself provided Adam and Eve modest clothing when he clothed them in tunics covering them from their shoulders to their knees (Gen. 3:21).  Holy women today dress within those guidelines like the holy women of old according to 1 Peter 3:5.

We had a good mix of age groups and everyone was very attentive to this study.  In fact, it generated a full hour of good follow-up questions during the open forum.  I was able to clarify that we may follow changing customs and fashions of dress but not stepping outside God’s principles of truth.  1 Corinthians 11:2-16 illustrates this point with the discussion of Greek women wearing veils in public places, also reflected in Old Testament cultures.  

We also discussed how Christians must manage changing customs regarding certain items of jewelry (such as males wearing items previously worn by women) and tattoos.  When such practices project images and messages which are very worldly, they should be avoided for that reason.  Parents need to caution and guide their children not to quickly embrace every new fade and fashion.   Young people do not have the maturity to assess such matters and that is why God gave them parents.  

Our discussion led to the subject of dressing appropriately for worship in order to reflect reverence for God and reverence for the occasion of such sacred service to Him.  The “dress down” mentality reflects emphasis on relaxation and personal comfort over reverence in the special presence of God.  It does not mean there is a dress code for worship, but it does mean we should give thought to how we present ourselves before Almighty God and others who worship Him.  We cannot escape the reality that how we dress sends messages about our attitudes.  Every culture has customs of dress which highlight the importance of certain occasions.  

Someone asked about Christians participating in beauty contests.  There is no wrong in contests involving competition of talents and abilities, but it is wrong to put the female body on display for competition.  This violates everything the Bible teaches about modesty in character and dress.  There was excellent participation in this very productive open forum.

Thursday I said my goodbyes to the brethren including Rolly Salvador with his wife and daughter and Rody Gumpad with his wife, all of whom have been so helpful in the work and to me personally while recovering.  James Paet drove me from Baguio City at an elevation of 4,900 feet to Manila at about 50 feet, and the temperatures rose from the mid-60s to the mid-80s.  We wound our way down mountains, some of which showed huge masses of solid rock.  A huge lion’s head is carved out of the rock at the roadside along the way in honor of the Lion’s Club International where tourists stop to take pictures, as did we.  

James managed to get us to the Philippine Bible Society before they closed in the late afternoon where I purchased 870 Bibles in various Filipino dialects to be shipped throughout the Philippines where brethren requested them.  This is a highlight of every trip, and I praise God for the many saints who donate funds to make this possible!!!

I had seven hours of good sleep and woke up Friday feeling better than any day since I got sick on the 5^th.  To top it off, we learned two souls more were baptized today as a result of the Sunday service at Guisad in Baguio City.  My day is being spent sending out notices about the Bible shipments, catching up on a few emails (I cannot get to all of them), finishing this report, and getting ready to fly at 3:00 AM Saturday.  

God granted me 24 public opportunities to preach and teach His Word during these three weeks, and 13 souls have submitted to Christ to receive everlasting life in heaven.  Mark Wallace was a great asset, and we are thankful to know he reached home safely on Monday. 

Thanks to all of you who help me keep an eye out for the moon when I am in the Philippines.  

Thus ends the 92^nd trip with much thanksgiving to God and to all who made it possible because of their love of God!

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook