Death Toll Passes 1000 in Philippine Typhoon

The grim toll from a typhoon that devastated southern Philippines earlier this month continues to climb, with 1,020 reported dead as of Sunday morning, authorities said. Officials fear the toll from the December 4 storm will rise further. Because while rescue crews continue searching, the chances of finding people alive dim with each passing day.

With 844 still missing and 1.2 million families displaced, Bopha (called "Pablo" in the Philippines) is the strongest and deadliest storm to hit the Philippines this year, according to the country's emergency management agency. Among the missing are hundreds of fishermen who went to sea before the storm hit. Officials hope that they could yet be found sheltering on small islands out at sea.

If the death toll continues to rise, Bopha could eventually prove deadlier than Tropical Storm Washi, which killed 1,268 people a year ago.

The worst of the death and destruction from Bopha took place on the southern island of Mindanao, where the storm hit first and hardest with gusts as strong as 220 kph (138 mph). The storm, known locally as Pablo, was the most powerful typhoon to hit Mindanao in decades. It set off flash floods and landslides that engulfed people sheltering in their rickety houses in remote, unprepared regions of the island.

20 Member of New Bataan Church Killed in Typhoon

The following message is from Connie Balbin who lives in Davao:

Initial Report: We just arrived home after the lectureship of brother Ron in Gensan. We have contacted the preacher of the small local church of the New Bataan, Compostela Valley; where the most greatly affected and majority of deaths are there. The preacher, brother Jerry Lindaan, went to Gensan to inform us personally. About 20 members of the church were killed not by the Strong winds of the typhoon but with the unexpected flash floods that washed out the entire New Bataan place. The preacher's house survived although barely because their roof was gone and flown away. Father wanted to go tomorrow, with my brother Sonni, to Moncayo, Compostela Valley to check the brethren there also. It is extremely difficult to go the New Bataan for now because of the foul smell that surrounds the place possible caused by the rotten corpses.

Update on Typhoon Aftermath (12/13/12)

I got the following message today from Connie (C.B.) Balbin who lives in Davao:

This past days very hard for us to know the situation of the brethren affected because the communications there were down. Must go there personally to survey the situation but based on the News, one of the municipality was wiped out literally. Just last night we have somewhat established little communication with the affected brethren and the news was very bad. With my father we desire to go there as soonn as possible God willing if we could immediately repair our old van and have some financial budget.

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The following is a news report from the area:

The death toll from the destructive typhoon that savaged the southern Philippines last week has climbed above 700, authorities said Tuesday, warning that the final number may be much higher.

Nearly 900 people are still unaccounted for in the aftermath of Typhoon Bopha, the strongest and deadliest storm to hit the Philippines this year, according to the country's emergency management agency.

The numbers of dead and missing have risen drastically during the past several days as government officials have gathered information from isolated areas where the scale of the devastation was previously unknown.

Both of the grim totals are likely to increase further this week, said Benito Ramos, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the emergency agency. Search and rescue efforts are continuing, he said, despite the declining chances of finding people alive.

"We are still hoping against hope that there are still survivors," he said by telephone, adding that some of the hundreds of fishermen reported missing after the storm could yet be found sheltering on small islands out at sea.

If only a few of those missing are found alive, Bopha could eventually prove more deadly than Tropical Storm Washi, which killed 1,268 people a year ago. But its toll would still remain far below that of Tropical Storm Thelma, the country's most lethal storm on record that left more than 5,000 people dead in 1991.

The worst of the death and destruction from Bopha took place on the southern island of Mindanao, where the storm hit first and hardest with gusts as strong as 220 kph (138 mph). In the provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental, the heavy rain set off flash floods and landslides that engulfed whole neighborhoods, and the winds ripped apart fragile houses.

Many residents were unprepared or unaware of the typhoon's threat to the region, which rarely experiences tropical cyclones of such magnitude. Bopha, known locally as Pablo, was the most powerful typhoon to hit Mindanao in decades.

Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental account for the vast majority of the 714 people killed and for most of the 890 still missing nationwide. A week after the typhoon struck, survivors there are facing many obstacles to rebuilding their lives.

Hundreds of thousands of people are living in evacuation centers or relying on the government for other kinds of assistance, according to the national emergency agency.

"During the daytime, they stand along the side of the road, they ask for food," said Arlo Ramos, a relief worker in the region for World Vision, a humanitarian group.

At night, they sleep in small, makeshift shelters cobbled together out of bits of wood and canvas scavenged from the debris, he added.

In New Bataan, the town at the heart of the devastation, dead bodies are still being found and lined up in an open space in front of an evacuation center, according to Arlo Ramos.

When aid workers or government officials arrive in the town, he said, residents crowd around them, hoping to get the food or water they desperately need, he said.

The region's prospects for longer term recovery are also bleak, since the storm laid waste to a great deal of the agricultural land on which many residents rely for their livelihood.

"Farming communities have been the worst hit and it could take many years for them to fully recover," said Paul del Rosario, the humanitarian program coordinator for the charity Oxfam.

The United Nations has announced a global appeal to try to raise $65 million to help those affected by the storm. And Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, who visited New Bataan and other severely affected areas last week, has declared a state of national calamity, which releases emergency funds and puts price controls on basic goods.

Reuters Article on Typhoon Aftermath

(Reuters) - Isolated communities in the Philippines including hill tribes are facing hunger a week after a typhoon struck, and with roads blocked, supplies will have to be dropped by air, authorities said on Tuesday.

Typhoon Bopha has killed a presently confirmed total of 714 people and caused crop damage worth 10.3 billion pesos ($250 million) when it hit on Tuesday last week. Over 900 people are unaccounted for and about 2,000 were injured, the national disaster agency said.

The most intense storm to hit the disaster-prone Philippines this year wiped out communities near the coast in the southern provinces of Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley. But villages inland were also hard hit by floods and landslides and many are cut off. The Philippines has asked for help from allies and the private sector to get help in by air.

"Their food is fast dwindling, their roads are blocked by fallen trees and boulders and it will not be long before everyone in these upland villages will go hungry," Manggob Masinaring, a member of a mountain tribe and a volunteer relief worker, told reporters. [Those areas are home to numerous brethren who have obeyed the gospel as a result of work done by brethren in Digos and Davao – HRO]

Compounding the problem was that the source of water for many villages had been blocked or polluted by mud and debris. "The streams, which are their only source of water, are too murky for drinking," Masinaring said.

International agencies including the Red Cross and World Food Programme have appealed for nearly $100 million for food and shelter for 5.4 million people affected by the typhoon. Nearly 400,000 people lost their homes and farms.

Major-General Ariel Bernardo, the army division commander in the south, said food and other supplies would have to be dropped by helicopter to the most isolated communities, including hill tribes, who had yet to be reached.

Stephen Anderson, country director for the World Food Programme in the Philippines, said help had to be delivered fast to communities that had lost everything -- homes, crops and all "productive assets".

"These people are extremely vulnerable ... it's a race against time," Anderson told Reuters.

The Philippines had asked the United States if it could de help with its ships, planes and helicopters, said Benito Ramos, executive director of the national disaster agency. Britain had offered to send two heavy-lift helicopters, he said. Private companies and individuals were also being asked to help with their helicopters.

About 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year, often causing death and destruction. Almost exactly a year ago, typhoon Washi killed nearly 1,500 people in Mindanao, but most storms make landfall further north.

Typhoon Bopha (Pablo) Hits Philippines

On Tuesday (12/4/12), the very powerful typhoon Bopha (called “Pablo” in the Philippines) came into southern Mindanao. Though the Philippines is hit by over twenty typhoons each year on average, it is very rare for strong typhoons to hit southern Mindanao. This one is reported to be the strongest in over 20 years with sustained winds of over 100mph.

Current reports are that over 500 people are confirmed dead with several hundred more being missing and feared dead. One report I read from area media said that unofficial estimate suggest the fatalities may actually be between 1500 to 2000 or more. Serious injuries from the storm are likewise growing as officials are able to access these remote areas. Many brethren live in the mountainous region north of Davao where the storm brought devastating winds and floods. At this time, no communication has been possible to know if any of our brethren lost their lives in the storm. Please keep them in your prayers.

Besides fatalities and bodily injury, the storm has left over 310,000 without homes as of the last report. Reports from two days ago put the number of people in public shelters at about 250,000. Food, water and medical supplies are in very short supply. Often, the number of deaths from disease after one of these storms equals or exceeds the number killed by the storm itself.

The Lord willing, I will update this blog with news about the needs of our brethren in the Philippines when it becomes available. Thank you for your love and concern shown to our brothers and sisters in Christ during this time of calamity. As of this writing, there was fear that the storm would impact the Philippines again in Ilocos Norte on the northwestern end of Luzon.

Last Day in Ozamis City

Today’s work was in Ozamis City at the building of a congregation meeting within ten minutes of our hotel. We were transported to and from the building by tricycle. As tricycles go, this one had more room than any I have taken previously. A member of the church in Clarin with whom we worked on Saturday was the driver. He is also starting to preach, so he also wanted to hear more to help him in understanding more of God’s word. Due to the request for pictures the last time I mentioned riding in a tricycle, I have included a picture for your general amusement. I look like a large bass packed into a sardine can.

The congregation visited today was included in our schedule to open a door for further study. The group has embraced institutionalism in times past. However, those who had strong institutional sympathies have left or died. The preacher has seen where the church involvement in entertainment and central control leads. The building will easily hold 200 people and was at one point almost filled. However, with the emphasis being on social and entertainment activities, they have dwindled to less than 20 in number. There were 26 present today if I counted correctly – a number that included a few visitors.

One visitor was a preacher with the “One Container” faction who is trying to buy the preacher from this congregation for the obvious purpose of getting his hands on the building. He tried to distract the audience, but after I kindly asked if there was a problem, he ceased is disruption. He left before the end of the first lesson. As the “One Container” element from America (mostly from the Oklahoma City area) comes to the Philippines, it is their common practice to go to established churches and seek to change their practice. I have not seen this group trying to teach and baptize non-Christians. They leave that to our brethren and then come in offering support for those preachers who will change their teaching. Frankly, if such preachers are ready to change their teaching and sell themselves for evil, I am glad they leave faithful brethren, rather than letting their leaven work among the Lord’s body.

In the morning session, I preached on “Salvation and the Seed of the Gospel,” a slightly altered form of the same lesson used numerous times on this trip. James Armada followed with a detailed summary because the audience did not understand much English. Afterwards, I began another on “God’s Inspiration of His Word.” The lesson was divided into two parts because of the time. Jonathan Carino gave a detailed summary of the first part before lunch and James did the same with the second half after lunch. To use the remaining time more efficiently, I asked Jonathan to preach his lesson on “The Church.” He addressed some of the basic issues in the dialect. At the conclusion of his lesson, Jonathan offered an invitation, but there were no visible responses. We thought it best to end at that point to avoid information overload.

 

The congregation clearly showed their pleasure with the teaching and we were enthusiastically invited back for further studies as soon as possible. This also happened with the churches over the past two days. This is only my second time to preach in the Ozamis City area and I did not work with the any of these congregations on the last trip. All are either new congregations or newly open to the truth. We seek no control over them and left the teaching in their hands to examine in light of the Scripture. I believe there has been a great deal of progress with doors open to the truth, but follow-up is urgently needed.

Lord's Day in Oroquieta City

Before the report about Sunday, there is more good news about yesterday’s work in Malaubang, Clarin. After we left, another man decided to be baptized into Christ in obedience to the gospel. So, that made a total of three souls baptized yesterday in Clarin.

We worshipped today with the church in Oroquieta City. They meet in a classroom of a National High School in that city – normally renting one room for their gathering. Today, an adjoining room was also rented so that a larger space could be used to accommodate the number expected. As it turned out, the full amount of space rented was needed as we had a full house. I did not get a count on the number, but I am sure there were well in excess of 100 present. Some had to leave before the last study in order to get home before dark because many depend on vehicles that have no lights or on public transportation that does not run as late on Sunday. The constant heavy rain also complicated the commute for those traveling some distance.

In the morning worship, one of the young men taught the Bible class while another led the singing and led in the observance of the Lord’s Supper. I was asked to preach the final lesson for the morning and spoke on “Being Perfectly Joined Together” from 1 Corinthians 1:10-13. In the afternoon session, I preached on “Identifying the New Testament Church” from 1 Corinthians 1:1-2. Jonathan again presented the study on “The Lord’s Supper.” After the lessons, we gave time for a question/answer period. One man from an institutional background asked about the points I covered on the unscriptural nature of the sponsoring church arrangement. He seemed defensive of it at first, but abandoned that effort once a more detailed examination of 1 Peter 5:1-2 made the futility of that effort obvious to everyone. So, he shifted gears and asked questions about the meaning of “cup” in the Lord’s Supper. After that, he asked what I thought the church should do about global warming. In 36 years of preaching, that was a first.

The congregation has been troubled in previous times by various opinions and errors (one container, mutual edification, kneeling as the required posture in prayer, institutionalism and so on). After we had agreed to include this congregation in our schedule, one of the “One Covenant” advocates (Ernesto Canon) tried to get the brethren to cancel the schedule, claiming we would try to divide the church. Actually, Ernesto working with Wallace Little and Jim Puterbaugh from the US are the cause of division by teaching that God did not take away the law of Moses to establish a new covenant of Christ in the gospel. Instead, they claim that God has the same covenant today as was found in the Old Testament. Our lessons were designed to show who urged unity by teaching the same doctrine of Christ given by the authority of Christ in the gospel – the gospel first taught on the Pentecost of Acts 2. It became apparent that the ones behind the effort to prevent our teaching were the previously named Americans along with others advocating errors on the “Divorce and Remarriage” and/or the “Fellowship” issues. Their efforts were not successful as the brethren repeatedly stated their appreciation for and agreement with the things taught. In the closing comments, they expressed a desire for us to come again and have similar meetings in the future.

This trip is quickly coming to a close. The Lord willing, tomorrow will be our last schedule here on Mindanao. I am then scheduled to fly back to Manila on Tuesday for work associated with future preacher training efforts and the purchase of Bibles in the dialect. Wednesday is the last scheduled preaching on this trip with Lordy Salunga and Atoy Franco at the prison in Muntinlupa where Willie Pastor continues to be held in a travesty of justice. Please remember these efforts in your prayers.

Two Baptized in Ozamis

After a very early start to the day with our 4am arrival by ship, we went to the hotel to get ready for the day’s work. After cleaning up, we ate breakfast and got away from the hotel about 8:30am. Jonathan’s nephew was our driver for the day and was a much better driver than the taxi drivers we have had of late. With a single case of near cardiac arrest, we made it to the meeting place of the Malaubang congregation about 9:15am.

As the brethren rearranged the building so we could use the projector for PowerPoint presentation, I made some quick changes to expand my lesson on “Salvation in Christ & the Seed, the Gospel. We had several Baptists, Catholics and Pentecostals in the audience (seven visitors in all), so we went directly to the heart of the differences in the teaching of the denominational world as it conflicts with the teaching of the original seed – the gospel of Christ. James Armada gave a summary of the lesson into the dialect. Jonathan then gave a lesson in the dialect on “The Church.” As he preached in the dialect, a thought came to me – John has turned into the new Cip (nickname for the late Cipriano Carpentero). Cip could talk an audience and interact with them in a phenomenal way that made him such an effective teacher in getting the audience to understand the points being made. While Jonathan used to leave that to Cip, he has now taken that needed place and does it with great effectiveness. It is an honor and a blessing to work with one so dedicated and effective!

During John’s lesson the heat in the building became unbelievably oppressive. As the sun bore down with an intensity unknown outside of the tropics, the building under the metal roof came to be like an oven. Put that together with the high humidity and I started seeing stars that began to spin and then things started going black. I have never had that happen before, though I have been very hot on other occasions. I caught myself as I was going down in the chair and began to force down water and Gatorade. At lunch and for the rest of the afternoon, I was a bit dizzy and developed a bad headache later, but it went away after a while.

After the lunch break, I got out of the raised pulpit to preach and gave the lesson from the floor instead. In the first sermon, we studied about the conversion of Saul to see at what point the Scripture says he was saved. When I finished after about an hour and a half, James gave a summation of the lesson in the dialect and did so very well. Jonathan then followed with a lesson by request of the brethren on “The Lord’s Supper.” Evidently, several in attendance had come from the “one container” faction, so the opportunity was taken to present the truth to them in the Cebuano dialect in order to make it as easy as possible to understand.

It was getting very late in the afternoon by the time Jonathan concluded his lesson, so James extended an invitation at the conclusion of the sermon. Two responded to be baptized into Christ for the remission of their sins. One was a young man and the other was a woman of advanced age who stated an urgency about being baptized immediately in the river that runs behind the building. She said if she waited to go home to get a change of clothes in which to be baptized, she might not make it back and she would be lost.

Lanton Meeting Concludes

We were again delayed from the scheduled beginning time of the lectures because out taxi did not show up, so we had to call another one. The end result was being 45 minutes late to leave the hotel. Since this taxi driver did not slow up as much on the rough roads, we managed to arrive and start only 30 minutes later than planned. If the theory behind reducing belts was true, I would have lost at least 15 pounds on the way.

Though we had been told that there was a scheduled brownout this morning until 11am, the power was on when we arrived at the building. (In fact, we never lost power all day, until we got back to the hotel tonight.) I took advantage of the power and began with the lesson on “Salvation & Saul.” Jonathan gave the summary on that subject. Given the need to go slower and for the summary to be detailed, the study of this subject took us to lunchtime.

In the afternoon, I started with a study of “Repentance,” noting its definition and use in the NT. Special stress was put on examining those things that come with repentance as shown in 2 Corinthians 7:10-11. We also looked at several of the Penitential Psalms that illustrate the repentance demanded by God. James Armada gave a detailed summary of that lesson. Jonathan followed with “Are We Saved by Faith Only apart from Any Works?” which covers much of the same ground as his lesson on “Faith, Grace & Obedience.” I gave the final lesson on “Counting the Cost” and James again summarized it into the dialect. The local preacher, Jolly Julom, then extended an invitation. I have no idea what he said because it was in the dialect, but it was delivered with obvious passion and concern. No one responded to that invitation to obey the gospel, but this is what we expected because almost all present were already Christians.

 

As most of those present were Christians, I should also add that several traveled a long distance to be with us. It was good to see several brethren that I had not seen in several years who came to the meeting despite much difficulty in getting here. One group came with Nardo in a tricycle – a journey that took about 5 hours to get here because of the need to stop and seek cover during the heavy rains that are a daily occurrence at this season in this part of the country. It was also good to see brothers and sisters of the Lanton congregation who have continued to work and grow as Jolly and his good wife faithfully labor with them in the cause of Christ.

Wednesday at Lanton Lectures

This has been a difficult day in many ways, but I am thankful for the opportunity presented for souls to hear the gospel. The drive to the meeting place of the Lanton church here in GenSan started out on paved roads, but once it was left for dirt roads, we had about 30 minutes of driving over very rough roads where we bottomed out several times. (The ride back to the hotel was in heavy traffic and terrifying!) When we arrived, we found the building in the midst of a power outage that lasted to the lunch break. The heat was oppressive and continued to sap strength throughout the day.

The morning session started late as we waited for many to make their way to the building, many by foot and others by transportation that has no certain schedule. I began with a lesson on “The Seed That Grows Salvation” as an introductory study. If you wonder why I use PowerPoint for visual aids in my sermon, you can look at the blog and have your answer as the chalkboard was only thing I could use with the brown-out. Jonathan Carino followed the lesson with a detailed summary of the lesson into Cebuano. After the lesson, we had a question on John 12:48 (which was used in the lesson) as to the word that will judge us is the gospel or the law of Moses as Seventh-Day Adventists claim. I then gave an extended answer showing from John when Jesus referred to “My word,” it was clearly the gospel, not the law of Moses. I also noted the contrast between the new law for the new kingdom (the kingdom of heaven) and the old law for the old kingdom (physical Israel). Jonathan then translated the points made into the dialect.

With the power coming back on during the lunch break, we started again quickly to take advantage of it for our PowerPoint charts which are of great help for the understanding of the audiences over hear. We began with me preaching on “Confusing the Simple Truth” showing the clarity of the Bible’s teaching on various points versus the confusion of man’s doctrines and practices. James Armada then gave a detailed summary of the lesson into Cebuano. After that, Jonathan preached a sermon in the dialect on “The Establishment of the Kingdom.” During the afternoon session, we had intermittent rain (many times with bright sunshine at the same time) that made it feel like a steam bath to me. It was interested to watch the metal roof next to the building during the rain. Despite the rain, no water was dripping off of the roof because it turned to steam immediately because of the heat of the metal roof. That is the first time I had seen that sight!

Teaching in these rural areas of Mindanao requires more simplification and more explanation for several reasons. First, the language barrier is far more pronounced as very few understand any English requiring more detailed translation which takes much time. Second, the general level of education possible in more developed areas is not present here.

During Jonathan’s afternoon lesson on the kingdom, two things were very disturbing. First, I found out the results of our elections as a young man approached me when I walked outside for a moment. Second, there was a large disturbance coming from next door. (The people were not Christians.) I kept hearing a sound of some animal that I could not place, but finally saw through the bamboo fence what it was. Four or five boys had a monkey swinging from a rope tied to a tree while they tormented it. Though I was disturbed by the commotion, I noticed that none of the audience even noticed anything, but were carefully listening to the lesson. An American attending services over hear is often distracted when animals (dogs, cats, chickens, a pig, mice, geckos and insects beyond number) wonder in and out, but it is such a normal scene to Filipinos that they pay it no attention.

Travel Day to General Santos City

We started out early again this morning, leaving the hotel in Dumaguete at 6:00am. The flight to Cebu was on schedule so we arrived with plenty of time to connect with the flight to General Santos City (GenSan). After getting here to GenSan, we checked into the hotel and got some rest since the last two nights have been rather short. James Armada also arrived safely from Pagadian to help us in the work to be done on Mindanao over the next week. The two days of lectures in GenSan start tomorrow morning with work to follow in Ozamis on Saturday through Monday, the Lord willing. Please keep these efforts in your prayers.

Reliable and timely news from home about the elections is hard to come by here. There is no real news coverage on the television here – only CNN Asia and BBC. If you think CNN in the United States has a liberal bias, you have not seen the half of how bad it could be until you have seen CNN Asia. I have the elections in my prayers from this side of the world and trust that God is in control.

Lectures in Dumaguete - Two Baptized

This was an extremely busy day, from beginning to end. Jonathan and Jack were due to pick me up from the hotel at 4:30am, so I set my alarm at 3:45am, giving me plenty of time to get ready and to finish packing. Actually, I guess I should say that I thought I set my alarm for 3:45am because I set the time, but moved the switch barely passed the alarm setting, so it did not go off. At 4:20am, I got a message from Jonathan that he was 10 minutes away from the hotel. I have never gotten ready and packed faster in my life and we made it out the door at 4:45am. The drive to the airport was fairly free of traffic at that hour, so we made it with time to spare. By “time to spare,” I mean that after having my essential morning cup of coffee, we made it to the gate to be the last ones on the bus taking us to the turbo-prop plane for the 20-minute flight to Dumguete.

After arriving in Dumaguete, we proceeded to the hotel where we had today’s venue. The lectures were, rather typically, running on what we call “Filipino time” – they started about an hour and a half late as the audience was very slow to arrive. After an opening song and prayer, I preached back-to-back lessons on “Salvation & the Seed, the Gospel” and “God’s Inspiration of His Word.” That consumed all of the time for the morning session, so we broke for an abbreviated lunch time.

After a little more than 30 minutes, we began the afternoon session with another song and prayer. The first lesson was on “Salvation & Saul.” We had three denominational preachers (a Baptist, a Methodist and a Pentecostal) who listened very carefully and respectfully. At times they even showed a stunned agreement, nodding their heads, as they saw the clarity of God’s truth refuting their “Faith Only” doctrine. We noted the doctrine was in conflict with the example of Saul’s conversion and many other NT passages. Jonathan then presented a lesson on “The Establishment of the Church.” One of the denominational preachers left at that point, but he seemed very disturbed over what he had heard. I closed the lectures with a lesson on “Faith, Grace and Obedience.”

Jonathan then extended the invitation and a song was led. No one came forward at that time, but before we had a closing prayer, two ladies made known their desire to obey the gospel. Brother Mario Rubio, who preaches in the Dumaguete area, asked them to confess their faith in Christ and they did so. Mario and several of the brethren then took them to be baptized into Christ.

We are staying in the hotel here in Dumaguete tonight. In the morning, the Lord willing, Jack will take the bus back to his home while John and I fly back to Cebu and connect with another flight to General Santos City. Please keep us in your prayers for safe travel. We have no preaching schedule tomorrow due to the extended travel time.

Sunday in Cebu

After a day of rest yesterday, we had a joint gathering of the Cebu City area churches at the building of the congregation meeting in the center of the city. There were 160 people in attendance. It was designed as a one day Gospel Meeting, so it went from about 9am to a little after 4pm. In the morning worship, various men from the different congregations took part in leading in the worship. I preached in the first hour on “Defeating the Devil” from 1 Peter 5:8-9. In the second hour, we studied a lesson on “Influencing the Ungodly World around Us” from 1 Peter 2 and 3.

After a brief break for lunch, we began an afternoon study that was divided into three sections. The overall study was on “Learning to Use the Bible.” It was conducted as a class and we had good participation from those present. The study tried to present a framework for studying the Scripture that started with the basic content and purpose of the Bible books, then showed how they fit together in the theme of the Bible – Salvation in Christ. It was a great day and was very encouraging for the brethren in Cebu to have the opportunity for fellowship with one another.

The Lord willing, we head to Dumaguete on a 6:30am flight. We have now changed plans and will not return on an overnight ferry, but by plane because of questions about the dependability of that ferry.