Dear family, brethren, and friends,

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

I regret to say that reports from the Philippines make it inadvisable for me to make my August preaching trip.  The pandemic is not yet under full control in spite of some progress and various regulations are uneven from one area to another.  Domestic airlines do not yet have regular and dependable schedules.  It would be tragic for me to get to Manila and then be trapped and unable to follow the itinerary.  If a spike in coronavirus cases occurred, I might be quarantined and unable to travel in the Philippines or even to return home.

My plan was to visit Mindanao and to present lessons of encouragement to our brethren who have suffered a double dose of massive natural disasters.  Southern Mindanao suffered widespread devastation from a series of 13 earthquakes with thousands of aftershocks beginning in mid-October, and then the whole nation suffered the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic beginning in mid-March.  In a third-world economy, many of our brethren can barely manage to feed their families in the best of times.  Now many in southern Mindanao are living in dilapidated tents and saints throughout the Philippines can hardly find sufficient food.  I have been doing my best to relay funds to them to build small houses in southern Mindanao and buy food in scattered areas throughout the Philippines.  Similar efforts are being made by other brethren such as Michael & Donna Glaesemann (michael@butw.org).  Many brethren have already sacrificed to help meet these needs, but there is still much to be done and resources are limited as donations arrive little by little.

I will gladly share information about how to send funds directly to Filipinos with anyone who requests it, and I am willing to serve as a messenger to send funds for anyone who requests it. (Or contact Michael & Donna Glaesemann at michael@butw.org who are also serving as messengers.)  Individuals needing a legal tax deduction may write checks to Help A Neighbor.  Write all other checks to Ron Halbrook. Mail all checks to 3505 Horse Run Ct., Shepherdsville, KY 40165-6954.  For PayPal, the account is Richard Halbrook (or if that snags, use halbrook@twc.com – indicate “send to a friend” not “pay for item or service” – PayPal deducts a charge if the money is drawn from a credit card but not if from a bank account).

We continue to pray daily for our brethren throughout the Philippines who are suffering hunger and other hardships during this pandemic.  Let us always trust that God rules the universe by His providential powers and He knows what He is doing, even when we do not know.  He knows the best way to care for His saints, even when we do not know what to do.  If God wills, I hope to travel and preach again in the Philippines at a future time when it is safe to travel and means of transportation will be available.

We will always remember Psalm 27:14, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook

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