Preparations For Upcoming – Trip February 2012
Dear brethren,
God willing, my wife Donna, David and Starla Halbrook (Quail Valley church of Christ, Batesville, AR), and I will travel and teach in the Philippines February 7-27. This is my 45th trip after Jim McDonald first took me in 1995. The fields are white, the doors are open, and Filipino souls are searching for the old paths. Jeremiah pled in his day,
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein” (Jer. 6:16).
Many Filipinos respond, “We will walk therein!”
David and Starla leave January 23 to teach in Gladstone, Australia and in Auckland, New Zealand. After Donna and I leave Louisville on February 7, we land the next day in Manila on Luzon at 10:30 PM after 27 hours of travel. David and Starla will arrive at 5:30 the next morning. Our first venue is at the Kapitbahayan church of Christ in Navotas, Metro Manila. This is where Ben Cruz preached for 40 years before his death this past October. We will be working with his son Elias (one of the preachers), his son-in-law, Jerry Toreja (one of the elders), and other brethren there. David and I will teach on mixed subjects while Donna and Starla discuss with the ladies tools and techniques for teaching young children.
On Saturday we will fly to Tuguegarao, Cagayan Province to work with Rody and Tessie Gumpad and other brethren in northeastern Luzon. The cause of Christ continues to expand throughout this region and surrounding provinces. While the men visit and preach in some of these areas, classes for the ladies will be conducted in Tuguegarao. Preachers associated with an embittered man’s faction have repented and sought to restore the unity of the saints, partly through the efforts of Santos Basilio. We hope to encourage them.
On Thursday the 16th we fly from Tuguegarao to Manila and on to Cebu City, Cebu to work with Jonathan Carino and other saints there. When I taught VBS classes on “How to Study the Bible” last April, it was not possible to include Cebu City and David and I plan to teach these classes with Jonathan’s help. Again, the ladies will also have some lessons together.
An afternoon flight on the 19th will return us to Manila where Lordy Salunga will meet us and bring us to Angeles City. In the past Lordy has helped me teach a 5 day series on The Home and Family from place to place, but only now our schedule will allow us to teach these lessons in his home congregation. David, Lordy, and I will share the teaching duties. Additional ladies’ classes will be taught. Filipino preachers have urged us to do concentrated teaching on moral principles and family life because there is much corruption and immorality in their culture which affects the saints at times.
Lordy will get us back to Manila for our last few days of work planned for February 25-26. After Atoy Franco and Jimmy Battung were converted several years ago, they have been trying to get a new congregation started somewhere in or near Makati City. This is the downtown section of Manila. A church is needed here because many Filipinos come from the provinces to find work here and are looking for a place to worship. This would also be helpful to foreigners who visit Manila. The presence of a church in this location would open numerous additional doors. Atoy, Jimmy, and Lordy have been having studies with a Baptist group in Makati who appear to be very interested in the truth. This may help to launch a new congregation. We plan to work with our brethren in this effort. If Willie Pastor is still in The Bilibid Prison at Muntinlupa City, we hope to see him also.
We thank God for the sacrifices and generosity of so many brethren here in the U.S. who offer prayers and provide funds to make these trips possible! Somehow, in spite of the tight economy, this work continues. Individuals giving $500 or more for church buildings and similar needs can write checks to Help A Neighbor for a tax deduction. Write all other checks to Ron Halbrook. Send all donations to 3505 Horse Run Ct., Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6954. Donors receive financial reports (2 Cor. 8:21).
In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook