Lordy Salunga came to meet me at the hotel about 7:30am. Jhun Batista was not able to join him because of a change in schedule. Atoy Franco and Elijah Sikat came shortly after that time and we took off for the prison to visit Willey Pastor. We arrived to the prison to meet several others that would join us including Willey’s wife, two brothers and a sister. When we got to the chapel we were allowed to use, Willey was leading about 30 to 40 inmates in singing. I preached for about 45 minutes with Willey doing sentence-for-sentence translation. I preached from the book of Philippians on “Things That Cannot Be Imprisoned,” a lesson of encouragement for the Christians there and appeal to non-Christians of the benefits for those in Christ. Since more teaching about the NT church and the gospel plan of salvation could be done by one preaching in Tagalog, I asked Lordy to preach for the remaining hour. At the end of the service, Willey extended an invitation and two were baptized! Those two will be added to the 70+ brethren meeting in three facilities within that prison complex.
After the service, I had about 30 minutes to talk with Willey and see his living conditions. By the standards of prisons in the Philippines, his living area is extremely good. By the standards most of us would apply, his living condition is extremely harsh and worse than any prison I have seen in the US. He sleeps in a cubbyhole that looks like a very small, short closet. Willey showed it to me with great joy openly expressing his thankfulness for such good accommodations. I have given myself a stiff rebuke for my failure to be thankful for far more.
After dropping Elijah and Lordy to catch their transportation back home, Atoy and I went across Metro Manila to visit Ben Cruz. When we drove up, Ben was sitting at the door waiting for us. His condition appeared much better than I had expected. He was able to stand and could speak with a clear voice that could be easily understood. Ben is having to undergo kidney dialysis every 6 hours and must go to the hospital for a treatment and evaluation once a week. The cost is about $400 each week. Ben has been a great worker for the Lord and continues to teach and encourage, but he is a very humble man who wants no praise. We were able to openly express our love and appreciation for one another as well as stating our common hope of being together forever in heaven. It was an emotional time of both sadness and joy.
As Atoy was taking me back to the hotel, Lordy sent a text telling me about the 8.9 earthquake in Japan. I immediately became concerned about Chip Foster who was due to take off from Tokyo very near the time that the quake hit. I immediately tried to call Chip, but could not get his cell phone. Delta’s website stated that the flight was in the air headed to the US, so I felt relieved. Later, I found out through Lynda Foster that Chip had not made it out, but was stuck on the plane for 5 hours before his flight was cleared to leave. Please remember him as he flies towards the US.
After hearing that Tokyo Narita Airport was closed, I became concerned about my own flight due to fly through Narita tomorrow. To make a long story short, I am stuck here in Manila for two days and am scheduled on a flight from here to Detroit on Monday morning. Though I wish I could see my family sooner, I am grateful that I got the last seat available for Monday and do not have to wait another day. Now, I am faced with something that has never happened to me in ten years of work in the Philippines – two days with no scheduled work at all! Guess it will be a shock to some local congregation when I show up unannounced for Sunday services.
Brotherly, Harry O.
