Since I had finished preparations early yesterday, I got to bed early last night -- just before 10pm. I got up about 5am and did some more work on charts to change a few things, then went for breakfast about 7am. Lordy Salunga and Jonathan Carino joined me and I enjoyed being with them as we had some time to catch up and discuss today’s work.We got to the venue about 9am and found that the invited crowd had not yet arrived. This is not unusual as these things normally get started “on Filipino time,” about 30 minutes to an hour or more late. We sang for a while as the guests arrived. Between 9:30 and 10, we finally got started with the lectures. Attendance
was about 40 – about 25 less than expected. This problem has plagued us in Tacloban and other parts of Leyte for some time as the “Ministerial Alliance” has actively sought to dissuade people from attending our lectures. Even so, about half of the crowd was from various denominations, including several denominational preachers. Most of those present seemed very interested and receptive as we began our studies. Two exceptions were obvious in two men claiming to follow Judaism. It was a new experience for me in this country to have two Filipino Jews present with skull caps and menorah t-shirts. They left at the lunch break and did not return.I started the lectures with some introductory statements concerning us and our purpose in having the lectures, then turned to a lesson on “The Inspiration of Scripture.” John followed with
a lesson on the periods of Bible history and the law binding in each one. After lunch, I presented “A Study on Bible Authority” which has three parts each taking about an hour to cover. Lordy followed with a lesson on “Identifying the One True Church.” We closed the day’s studies with a question and answer period. One of the most outspoken questioners was a denominational preacher (Baptist, I think) who had attended previous lectures we have held in this area. He seems far more open and closer to an understanding of truth than he has in times past.You may find it amusing that our transportation to and from the venue was by tricycle. These
are common throughout the Philippines. They consist of a small motorcycle with a Filipino-size sidecar attached. Of course, I am not Filipino-size, so it is an adventure for me to squeeze in and out of these things. I always provide a little levity to the local population when I use the tricycles.Before eating supper at our hotel, I am sending this report from a wifi area in the lobby. To set the seen for you, there is constant noise that is very annoying to me. Part of the noise comes from a Halloween decoration that runs an endless loop of a song supposed to be coming from a deep-voiced ghost over a background of organ music that drives on nuts. However, that noise is better than the other source of irritation – Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” playing every five minutes. One has no right to protection from cruel and unusual punishment in this country.
