Done!

Having just arrived in my hotel room from the venue, my part of this training effort is now over. Ron will be finishing his part soon and coming back to pack for the trip to Manila. We will fly there around noon tomorrow, the Lord willing.

My preparations for today’s classes were made much easier by brethren who sent material on Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. (Special thanks to Keith Greer, Joe Price, Marc Gibson and Marc Mayberry.) Since Keith’s material was made for the Tuguegarao classes, I took his PowerPoint charts as the basis for the OT Survey class this morning. They were much better charts than I know how to do, so I even enjoyed them when I was looking at them on screen during the class. The only problem was that I had so much material it took me two hours to present. At that point, Ron came in to teach his 11am class and I had not gotten to the OT Prophets. So, I had to rearrange my schedule a little.

After lunch, we started at 1:30pm and I had three full hours back-to-back. We finished the study of the prophets with a look at Zechariah and Malachi. We then moved into the second part of the material on the book of Revelation. After finishing that, we had a little over one hour left and we moved to the class on Islam. It was a full day, but I believe it was profitable as the students were again very attentive. When I left, they were all very expressive again of their thanks for the help provided in this training effort. They want each of you at home to know how much this opportunity means to them.

My voice held out for the completion of the classes, but it was very weak and often broke up. At this point, I am just trying to stop coughing and remain very quiet. My throat is very sore and gets worse with my persistent cough. I am using lozenges for it, but they are not doing much. I will try to find some hot soup for supper and get to bed early.

Thank you again for every act of kindness and help in this work. Words cannot express the extent of my gratitude for those who have sacrificed in every way to help make this trip and the training efforts possible. May the Lord bless each of you and the work in which you have been co-laborers unto His glory.

Limping to Finish (4/29)

Let me start with some good news. This morning, four of the men that have been sitting in on the classes were baptized! In addition to those, four others have been baptized in previous days. These were men from various denominations that the original students brought with them. Some were denominational preachers, but not all of them. Of course, this is an unexpected and added bonus to the effort. We arranged it for training preachers who were already Christians, but their zeal is evident in that they wanted others to know the truth as well. We rejoice at the increase given by God!

With just one more day of classes ahead, I can safely say that I look forward to the end of these classes with great anticipation. The students are very good. John and Nanette Carino have been wonderful hosts. The accommodations are all that one could ask. However, I do not recall having ever been so tired in my life. Preparations for classes always require a great deal of time whether here or at home, but it is far more taxing here. Without the use of my normal library, things take much longer than normal to research. PowerPoint charts that I have used before in the US require massive reworking to be usable here given vocabulary, idioms and illustrations that differ greatly. With the new preparations I am doing each day, it is taking me 4-6 hours of work for each new class. With two new preparations most of this week, it has been very difficult. Though I am sure some of our more computer literate folks could do it more quickly, this old dog has not learned their new tricks. The only thing that revived my spirits this morning was to see that Ron looked even more tired than me!

My first class of the morning covered Job and Psalms. I spent more time giving an overview of Job because I knew it would be less familiar and more difficult for them. They were very attentive and quick to grasp the points made. We introduced the varying groups and styles of the psalms, then noted several key passages from sundry psalms. I took some extra time with this class because I could not figure how to fit even an introduction of both books into one hour.

Immediately after that class was the OT Prophets class. Fortunately, we studied Obadiah and Haggai today and were able to condense our examination of those small books and finish on time. It also helped that we had covered Ezra the day before so that the subject matter of rebuilding the temple was fresh on their minds.

My afternoon classes on NT Survey and Church History occupied the 1:30 to 3:30pm slot. The first covered the purpose, use and duration of spiritual gifts as presented in 1st Corinthians. After finishing with that discussion, I gave a 12 minute synopsis of the book of Revelation using pictures to illustrate the main story. The men expressed great interest in that presentation as it made the story very easy to envision. The study on “Restoration” and the principles of how it is brought about ended my material on Church History. I hope to use that time tomorrow to cover more on Islam.

My voice is on the edge of being lost. I had to use the microphone and speak into it very softly while constantly sucking on Ricola and Streptuss lozenges as well as sipping water. Even so, my voice went out several times and I had to stop for a moment. At this point, my throat is very sore and my vocal cords are shot. I am staying totally quiet away from the classes. In my room, I am drinking hot tea to soothe and gargling with Listerine and warm salt water. All I need is one more day from my voice and then it can have two solid days of rest.

Tomorrow night we will need to make final payment on all remaining expenses for the training program. It is clear that we will far surpass all estimates due to unexpected and unavoidable costs. Though it appears that we will be very close on our combined funds, I think we will be able to make it with only a small deficit. I am very thankful for the funds sent at the very end by several individuals and one congregation taking me over the amount requested. Without that excess above my request, this effort would not have been possible. Thank you again for your prayers, thoughts, encouragement and help in every way.

Very Long Day (4/28)

This has been a totally exhausting day. As the schedule was set for the Cebu classes, I took an extra class which gave me 3 hour long classes every day (OT Prophets, NT Survey 1 & Church History) and another hour long class half of the time (Denominational Doctrines). With the added class Lordy had been teaching on OT Survey, I had 5 hour long classes to teach today. Two of those classes were ones for which I had to make new PowerPoint charts from scratch. The OT Survey class had to cover Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther today. Getting that presentation together took well into the night and then I still had do a new one for 1st Corinthians as well as preparing for the other classes. In short, I got three hours of sleep and then had to teach a two hour stretch in the morning followed by a three hour stretch in the afternoon. I am ready to fall into bed, but I have it all to do over tonight and tomorrow night. Ron is at the same level of exhaustion, possibly worse due to his advanced age.

The new class went well. I put a request out for material to help with the OT Survey class and received several very helpful responses. Unfortunately, I did not check my e-mail until I had finished my charts on Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. I did go back and add some material into the presentations. My hope is that I can use some of the material I received on the remaining books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon) and avoid the extremely late hours tonight. However, with only two more days left, I will manage whatever is necessary because the end is in sight!

The Prophets class covered Zephaniah and Habakkuk today. We discussed the need to live by faith as taught to Habakkuk, rather than questioning God about His actions. The New Testament Survey class on 1st Corinthians covered an introduction and overview to the book. We will focus on chapters 12-14 tomorrow in discussing the nature and use of spiritual gifts. We will also try to get to a brief introduction to Revelation towards the end of class. The Church History class examined the English Reformation today as well as the history of the English versions. My part of the day’s classes concluded with the second part of the study on Premillennialism. That seemed to be the class that drew the most interest of the day.

The students continue to work hard and show great interest in the studies. After a morning devotional and time of prayer, they have four hours of classes each morning. In the afternoon, they have five hours of classes followed by a shorter period of training on the use of Bible study aids. Despite the long and tiring schedule, their interest and zeal has remained and they continue to express thanks for the opportunity they have been given to engage in these studies. Despite the intense effort involved, I am also thankful to have a part in this effort and see these men grow so much. Many thanks again to all who have helped in making it possible.

Loss Brings Change (4/27)

My schedule was somewhat delayed this morning as I will explain later. I swapped my 10am lecture slot for Ron’s 11am time. When I arrived, Ron was finishing his class and I noticed that there was some problem as Lordy left the room with a troubled look. We soon found out that his father-in-law had just passed away and his wife needed him home. Though Lordy hated to leave his part in the work, we all agreed that he needed to return for his family. Jonathan Carino immediately went to see if he could secure a flight for Lordy. After a prayer for Lordy and his family, I taught my class on the OT prophets, coving Micah and Nahum.

At the lunch break, we were able to talk with Lordy some more after he got packed to go home. His father-in-law was not a Christian, but remained in Catholicism and worldliness despite repeated efforts to reach him. Of course, this presents an even greater burden on the situation for Lordy and his wife. Lordy informed Ron and me where he was in his classes so we could take over at that point. We decided that I would take the 9am class on OT Survey and Ron would teach Lordy’s afternoon class on NT Survey. Lordy has done a great job in his classes and we are very appreciative of his efforts.

Before leaving for the airport, Lordy took the first afternoon class time and gave an overview of Hebrews that he had already prepared. I followed with three hours back-to-back on Romans, Church History (the Swiss Reformation), and the first part of my Premillennialism class for the “Denominational Doctrines” series. I will need to do the same three hour, back-to-back slot tomorrow and Thursday, plus having an added class each morning that remains. Ron will have a three hour, back-to-back schedule on Wednesday. Since Ron and I both have very strained voices at this time, we will need to be very careful not to strain to the point of losing them altogether. Another class added to our schedules will also significantly increase our preparation time for the remainder of the training.

Unusually overcast, rainy and stormy weather continues here. Last night, the electrical storm left us without power several times and repeatedly interrupted my efforts to send out the reports. Hopefully, I can get this one out before similar problems develop tonight. The blackout on Saturday turned out to be across the entire Visayas and caused numerous problems throughout the region.

For several days, there has been an ongoing saga regarding my laundry. After seeing the first laundry bill from the hotel here and how much they had gone up, I decided to have it done outside. There was a laundry place along the way to the venue promising quick service and even free pickup and delivery. However, another place close to the hotel was suggested as being “more convenient.” My laundry went in on Friday, so I thought it would be done on Saturday at the latest. (Many times it is the same day service over here for just laundry.) On Saturday, we heard the bad news that it would be delayed until Sunday. Still, I managed to scrap around for what was left over, and tried to make due. On Sunday, we found it would not be ready until Monday. By this time, it was becoming a real problem as all I had left was my sweats used for sleeping. Nonetheless, we made a plan to get them first thing Monday morning and Ron took my lecture so I could be dressed and ready to do mine in his slot. This morning, even worse news – no laundry until 5pm. Now, this left me in very serious trouble. Have you ever faced the situation of realizing every piece of clothing you have is dirty and trying to figure out which is the least dirty? Add to that the fact those clothes got dirty in an extremely hot and humid place that leaves everything drenched by the end of the day. There is no good choice in such a situation! Suffice it to say that this was not one of my most comfortable days.

Thanks again for your prayers and help in this work. We appreciate it and remember it in our prayers of thanksgiving for you each day.

Lord's Day in Rizal (4/5)

The day started with an early breakfast while I studied for the lessons today. Steve and I met Gerald Ganela at about 7:45am and Gerald took us to our preaching appointments in two different places. (Gerald was one of our most outstanding students from several years ago and has done great work since being in the program.) I went to Rizal while Steve went towards Tabuk. The trip started with going on a road through the mountains north and west of Tuguegarao. The mountains in this section are very bare, having been stripped of all trees. Instead, there are crops planted on every slope. The ever present rice strips are drying on the road all along the way.

I went to Rizal and worshipped first with the congregation where Geronimo and Gerald Ganela labor together. There were about 80 to 90 in attendance. The worship was reverent and enthusiastic. The lesson was on "The God of All Comfort" from 2 Corinthians 1. A brother who is a high school principal interpreted for me. He did an excellent job. At the invitation, there were no visible responses.

After lunch at the Ganela's home, we went further our from town to the congregation where Luis Nalog preaches. I was told the attendance there was a little over 60 people. The lesson for that service was "Growing Unto Salvation" from 1 Peter 2. The interest was excellent and I enjoyed the time of worship with all of the brethren. The same man that interpreted earlier came and did so at this place as well. Again, there were no responses at the time the invitation was offered.

I have just returned from the trip and must get to preparations for tomorrow as it will be another long day. Thanks again for your support, prayers and kind words of encouragement. May God be with you all.

A Full & Fruitful Day -- Saturday (4/4)

Today was an extremely busy day for me, but it was also very fruitful on several levels. It began about 4:30am as I got up to finish preparing material for 5 classes I needed to teach today. I had gone to bed early last night in order to help get rid of a cold that has been dragging on several days. I awoke this morning feeling good and back at full strength. I took the computer to the café in the hotel and worked there while eating a very good breakfast.

I began teaching this morning with my “Survey of Old Testament Prophets” class. This morning’s class was on “Inspiration” and how it works. The class was very attentive and seemed to stay with the teaching very well. There were good comments and questions which aided greatly.

In the afternoon, I had 3 different preparations as I have a heavy load of classes at the first of the training. By the middle of next week, my class load will go down some.

The “Church History” class covered the period from the beginning of the second century to the end of the Apologists. We talked about the effect of persecution upon the saints and its tendency to purify the church. We noted the fact that apostasy was very slow to develop, making only very small changes at the start. However, we saw that the fundamental problem was when Christians took their focus off of the teachings of Scripture and turned their attentions to the writings and thoughts of man.

The “New Testament Survey” class covered the books of Mark and Luke. It was difficult to condense that overview into one hour, but we tried to give an overall framework of each book showing its unique purpose, place and message regarding Jesus. The students grasped the concepts very well.

Immediately after my second class of the day, Sammy Haban came requesting that I talk with him. Sammy had been one of those in fellowship with Albert Dosngayon who has spread false charges about Rody Gumpad, myself and other faithful brethren. Sammy came to apologize for his sins against all of us and ask our forgiveness. He came to realize that there was no proof of the false charges made and spread by Albert Dosngayon in this country as well as in America. In fact, Sammy affirmed to us that Albert had falsified evidence and lied to sustain his false charges against Rody and other faithful brethren. Much harm has been done by Albert and it was good to see Sammy turn from that evil influence. We were more than glad to forgive Sammy and prayed together for his forgiveness and the use of his time and talents in working together in the cause of Christ. Sammy is writing a letter and has asked me to help in getting it to those who have been influenced by Albert Dosngayon’s false charges and slander. I promised that would help him in that effort.

The final class of the afternoon was the second part of my dealing with “Roman Catholicism” for the Denominational Doctrines series. We focused on the Sacraments, the clergy system and Mariology (the Catholic teaching about Mary). A few of the students have been converted out of Catholicism in the past and were helpful in discussing the points so that all of the students could see the Catholic teachings in these areas. We showed the contrast between each and the Bible.

After a great supper tonight (Tessie and the girls are doing their usual great job), I taught again on the use of maps as study aids. We still do not have the books, but I put various maps into a PowerPoint presentation so the students can learn the basics from seeing those examples.

With tomorrow being the Lord’s Day, we will be going to various places and preaching to congregations throughout the area. I am not sure where I am to go yet, but will find out on my ride back to the hotel. Lord willing, I will report on it at the close of the day tomorrow.

Classes Finally Begin -- Friday (4/3)

Please excuse the absence of a report yesterday, but it could not be helped. Upon arrival at the airport yesterday, we found the Cebu Pacific flight was delayed because of bad weather at Tuguegarao. At 1PM, they canceled the flight and the scramble was on for finding another route. After two hours of trying to get a refund, Ron came back to tell us that no refund was forthcoming. They said their cancelation fee would amount to well over half the price of the ticket and take several months. However, if we use the return half of the ticket to fly back, they will give us about $14 dollars of return if we care to stand in another 2+ hour line. Customer service is not a high priority over here.

Alternate transportation to Tuguegarao is limited to a bus or a hired van. I have tried both before and they are both very unpleasant. Since Ron and Steve preferred the van, we decided on it. Sometime after 3PM, we took off in a van towards Tuguegarao. It is impossible to put in adequate words the nature of that journey. After several hours of fighting stop and go traffic on fair freeways in crowded Manila, we came to stop and go traffic on terrible two-lane roads through various towns and mountainous regions. In places, the bumps were so bad it jarred every part of the body. Every few miles, you would see a sign that read, “Slow Down, Accident Prone Area.” How one could speed up was a point of wonder to me. If one did so, he would immediately meet the bumper of the vehicle six inches in front of him. As one goes through the town, every imaginable thing needed for daily life in the Philippines is on display for those driving down the roads. At times when traffic stops, it is brought to your window if they recognize you are a Westerner. The amusing signs were too plentiful to recall, especially in my present state of travel weariness.

We finally arrived in Tuguegarao on Friday morning at 3AM. By the time I checked in, got to the room, cooled it to a level where human habitation was possible, and got things arranged, it was well after 4AM. I awoke this morning at 10:15 got to Rody’s about 11:15 to start the day. Steve and Ron have taken the time this morning and I will begin with my afternoon classes with 3 straight hour of teaching.

My first class was on “Church History” and covered the period of the first century. We noted the nature of the church as described in Acts and the Epistles. We also discussed the problems that arose in the 1st century church as well as how those problems were resolved. This set the stage for future studies of the digression that developed in later centuries. Next was the New Testament survey class where I covered an introduction to the New Testament and a brief synopsis of Matthew. To stay on schedule, I must combine Mark and Luke for the survey class tomorrow. Have not yet figured our how to do that, but I have all night to do so J. The last class was the “Denominational Doctrines” class where I covered the first of two lessons on Catholicism. We mainly discussed two basic points. First, we examined the Catholic idea that grace is dispensed by the Church versus the New Testament concept of it being dispensed by Christ to the individual Christian who acts without mediation of a special clergy, but directly to God as a priest -- a priesthood of believers. Second, we noted the Catholic concept of truth being a product of a reservoir controlled by the Church. It is interesting that John 1:17 plainly shows the error of both ideas. We also discussed the change in organization that came with the Catholic digression.

After supper, we were to begin our work with the students on using Bible study aids such as the concordance, maps, cross-reference helps and so forth. Though we were late getting started, we will be even later on getting to this part of the work because Philippine customs agents will not release the material. It seems obvious they want a bribe, which will not be forthcoming from us.

With the classes now in full swing, we are trying to use every minute in order to catch up to our schedule. Please keep us in your prayers that things may go well, the students be edified and, above all, the Lord be glorified.

P.S. Though we were not happy at the cancelation of our flights, we were caused to reflect about the matter with today’s news here in Tuguegarao. It seems a small plane took off from Tuguegarao despite the weather around the time we were scheduled to be arriving. The plane remains missing and feared to be lost. It was the very same plane I flew on to Batanes about a year ago.

Trip Begins, But Doesn't... - Wednesday (4/1/09)

The first day in the Philippines was not exactly as expected. We arrived at the airport only to find out that the Philippine Airline (PAL) office in the US told us to go to the wrong terminal. By the time we found out where to go, we were running late and had to catch a transfer bus two levels down. That may sound simple enough, but it turned out to be the start of a comedy. Steve Wallace went down alone on the elevator first because he could not get his luggage carrier moved over before the door closed. As it was about to close, I shouted, "First floor." We waited for him to leave and punched the down button. Noting the elevator showed that it went down to the first level, stopped a few moments and then started up again, we thought we might meet still the tight schedule. However, to our great surprise, what do we see upon the doors opening but Steve still on the elevator. With his carrier blocking any other entrance, I again told him to get off at level one. So, down he goes again. We see the elevator again indicate it stopped on level one and then started to head back up. Looking at our watches, we thought we still could make it. Yet, imagine our puzzled look when the doors again open and there is Steve! He said, "I hit depart!" I told him that was for those departing on the airplane, not departing the airport and assured him I would kill him if he was still on the elevator at its next arrival. When the elevator doors opened again, Ron and I both stuffed our carriers on and squeezed onto the elevator. Despite the alarm sounding for it being over weight, we got down to the first level.

By this time, we were within 30 minutes of departure time, so we ran to the shuttle bus. As we rode to the correct terminal, we found that it was one we had never used, but was much closer to our hotel and that we had passed it on the way. Upon arrival, we got two baggage handlers and told them we were in a real hurry. They took us running through a special entrance and we hurried to the counter. Upon arrival at the counter, I asked if the check-in was still open and was told "yes" because the plane was delayed for two hours. All of that hurrying for nothing!

Excess baggage fees in the Philippines have risen dramatically and we got a real shock with today's bill. It was 12,300 pesos (about $450) for the 3 of us! Having no choice, we paid it and went to the gate. After waiting serval hours, we were informed the flight was canceled due to bad weather at Tuguegarao. So, we had to try for reservations for the next day. Par for the course, PAL had no seats available to guarantee for the next 2 days. We finally got tickets for tomorrow on Cebu Pacific which we paid for (round trip) with the refunded excess baggage fee from PAL.

With nothing to do for the day, we went back to the hotel we had just left and checked back in. We have used the day for preparing our material for the classes and getting some rest. I was able to go to the fitness center and do my 45 minutes on the stationary bike. We are about to go eat supper and turn in early.

The Lord willing, we will make the flight tomorrow and get to Tuguegarao about 2PM and start teaching. Will write more from there. Please keep us in your prayers -- especially Steve :-).