Friday was a travel day providing some much needed rest. We slept a little later and ate breakfast before packing up to leave Ormoc. Lordy started the day with news that a problem had arisen at home and he needed to return for some studies with brethren in Angeles City. We all boarded the SuperCat at about 1:45pm for the two hour trip across to Cebu. When we arrived, Nanette was there to pick us up. When I got to the hotel, I headed for the Starbucks in the mall near the hotel and had a healthy dose of pure joy! Everything was going great until my air conditioning broke in the middle of the night – an especially troubling development over here.
We started the lectures this morning a little after 9am with some singing in the dialect. The venue is the rented room in downtown Cebu where the congregation assembles with whom John works. There were about 90 to 100 people present, including brethren from the area churches and non-Christian who had been invited. I brought the first lesson on “What Makes a Religious Practice Right or Wrong?” It dealt with fundamentals on authority and the cessation of the OT law. Jack Jaco followed with a lesson on “New Testament Baptism” that was delivered in the Cebuano (Visayan) dialect. The final study for the morning session was “They Say & Do Not” dealing with claims made by denominations and how those claims conflict with the truth. Sam Robinson and I had a good chance to talk during the lunch break. (He will be coming back to San Antonio and OKC later this year.)
The afternoon session began with my lesson on “Cornelius & Salvation” from Acts 10 and 11. It was a long lesson because I combined it with another lesson I preach on the “Plan of Salvation.” Jonathan Carino then preached on “The New Testament Church” in the dialect. I completed the studies for the day with a sermon on “Almost Persuaded” dealing with Bible cases of people almost saved, but lost. Jun Apatan extended the invitation, but no one responded. However, before we left two had decided to be baptized and I understand a third also made the same decision. It was a good day and the meeting continues tomorrow!
We also found out today that four more have been baptized in Dumaguete as a result of our lectures there! Thank you again for helping to make this work possible through your sacrifices and prayers. May God be glorified in all that we do! Please continue the prayers.
Brotherly, Harry O.
