Last Two Days of This Trip (Nov 18-19, 2013)

11/18

On Monday, we had an all-day preachers’ study at the meeting place of the Pasay congregation and it was packed. Rody was  teaching when I arrived. Not long after my arrival, there was a brown-out that lasted about 15 minutes. After Rody finish his material, I started an extensive examination of Premillenialism. The study started before the lunch break and then continued all afternoon until about 4pm. There were several visitors that were deaf. They had been at previous studies held at Pasay as well. One made known her desire to be baptized into Christ and we were happy for that response.

At the end of the study, Rody wanted me to talk on the conditions of our brethren in the Visayas affected by Typhoon Yolanda. I gave a brief summary of what we had seen and the situation of the brethren. Rody followed with an exhortation for the Filipino brethren present to share something in meeting the benevolent need of their brothers and sisters in need. Rody mentioned that brethren in the area around Tuguegarao had given a significant amount and he would be taking that to the Visayas in a few days. Many of the brethren there gave Rody some funds to take on their behalf as well.

At the end of the study, I met a brother from Samar that had come to seek help from brethren in Manila as that island was also badly damaged by the typhoon. In fact, the first landfall of Yolanda was on Samar. He said the brethren were hungry and had no rice. I asked him what was needed and he said even one sack of rice they could share. I gave him enough for three sacks of rice which would be enough to last for a few weeks until we could get more in to them. All of the funds received had already been put to the needs we knew about plus several additional needs that came to our attention after I left Cebu, so this was borrowed funds again leaving me only a very small amount to meet needs until I was to leave on Wednesday.

11/19

Under normal circumstances, I am usually so tired by the end of my Philippine trips that I have started taking one day off in Manila before flying home. This has made a big difference in getting rest at that time. Unfortunately, that was not possible on this trip. With several more MoneyGrams sent that needed to be redeemed, I set off this morning to accomplish that. After going to two different branches of the bank and several hours of problems in locating and redeeming the MoneyGrams, I was able to get them. These funds will make it possible to meet some of the needs as they arise before Ron Halbrook and Keith Greer arrive in the country in about two weeks. They will be bringing additional funds that will surely be needed.

When I got back to the hotel, I again started with correspondence that was once more mounting. As of this moment (2:30am on Wednesday morning), I have answered every email or Facebook message that I know about. It is very possible that I missed one, so if I have not answered one from you, please send it again and I will do my best to answer as soon as I can after getting home. Since it is only two hours before I leave for the airport and my flight home, I need to finish packing and get on the road. Thanks again for the outpouring of love and concern for our brothers and sisters in the Philippines who have endured an unbelievable catastrophe. God bless!

Sunday in Manila (Nov 17, 2013)

On Sunday, I took a taxi to join the relatively new congregation in Pasay started by the work of Rody Gumpad. Rody and Tessie have obviously been working hard with the brethren in this new work. The attendance was considerably higher than the last time I was with them in August of this year. Virtually all of the number are people of that community that have been converted out various denominations. Rody was preaching in Tuguegarao that day, so I joined two of Rody’s sons, Rody Jr. and Jay, as well as Mark, one of Rody’s sons-in-law. Rody Jr. taught the Bible class on answering some denominational doctrines. At the end of the class, several asked questions and I ended up being the one to field the questions. In the assembly, I preached on “N.T. Baptism vs. Denominational Baptism.” There were no responses to the invitation.

With the correspondence mounting, I went back to the hotel and started answering over 100 posts that had come to my yahoo account that I use to communicate with Filipino brethren. However, I found numerous brethren from the States were asking about the typhoon’s effects and the benevolent help needed. I stayed up until 2am answering all that I had at that time. It has been great to see so many brethren concerned and wanting to help relieve the suffering of our Filipino brethren.

Distribution of Benevolent Help for Yolanda Victims

11/14/13

Following the eleven baptisms of the previous day and great optimism about the new work in Masbate, Jonathan and I got to the airport in Masbate very early for our flight back to Cebu. The first indication of a problem was with the Cebu Pacific counter agents who wanted us to sign a waiver on our one bag, an indestructible, soft-sided duffle bag, clearing them of responsibility for it. The next sign of trouble was the delay of the flight due to the plane being loaded and unloaded five times! (That is no exaggeration — I counted it.) Needless to say, the flight was very delayed. It was scheduled to leave a little after 7am and get to Cebu about 8am. We finally got to Cebu less than an hour before our fastcraft was to leave at 11am for Ormoc City on Leyte. You may have already guessed this, but the bag was lost :-). That left Jonathan with no clothes for the trip and me with no toiletries or food items that were intended for the trip.

Though we knew there was a high probability that we would miss the fastcraft, we rushed to the port and found it was also delayed and we were able to catch it with plenty of time to spare. The ride to Ormoc was rough at times as we repeatedly went through squalls of rain and wind. It was still raining when we arrived at Ormoc City.

There are no words to describe the level of devastation I saw when we disembarked onto the dock. I have been on that same dock many times through the years since my first time preaching on Leyte in 2002. The sight I saw bore no resemblance to the Ormoc City that I knew. The terminal building of the port was in shambles and water was pouring into it. The roof covering the open market across the street was gone. The Don Felipe Hotel at the port had every window that I saw broken and was blocked at the front door with no admittance allowed. Seeking shelter, we stood under the covered entrance (one of the few roofs left) with a crew broadcasting from Britain’s Sky News as a driving rain fell. The look on the average person’s face was one of shock — almost numb and expressionless. The same expression was on the face of the three brethren who met us: Willie Pelino, Juanito Escuadra and Nilo Zabala (preachers on Leyte).

Nilo had already informed us that his brother was killed by the storm as well as the fact that he and his family had to flee their home (badly damaged) in Tacloban. The “NPA” (New People’s Army - Communist guerrillas fighting the Philippine government) came into their village and demanded the residents give them something. They killed one family and many fled with only the clothes on their back. This was the case with Nilo and his family. With nothing to eat, no home, no clothing and no other possessions, they were sleeping at the bus terminal which had its roof taken away by the typhoon. There was no protection from the driving rains that came repeatedly each day. He urged us not to go to Tacloban as originally intended. All government and media sources were giving the same very dire warnings, so we agreed to stay in Ormoc as a base to do our work.

Juanito Escuadra informed us that his mother was killed in the typhoon. (That made the fifth Christian on Leyte that we know to have been killed in the typhoon.) Juanito and his family had nothing to eat either. His anguish and sorrow were so evident on his face and in his body language that I could no help shedding tears as I hugged him and assured him that, while we were there to help all we could, God knew his trials and would surely be with him. His great faith was evident in that he was there to help us bring assistance to all of the brethren on Leyte though he had such personal tragedy in his own family as his mother’s body was to be buried immediately.

Willie Pelino had also suffered a great deal of loss. Willie has done his best to provide for his family be working hard to plant fruit trees and lumber trees, build a tilapia fish pond, build a place to raise hogs and several other small efforts to assure food for his family and some small amount through sale of the few things he can. All of it is gone, having been taken away by the typhoon. He also had nothing. All three men as well as the rest of brethren on Leyte had almost nothing of any household goods and absolutely no food.

We immediately set out to find what was needed. The three preachers discussed the matter in their dialect, occasionally asking Jonathan’s assistance. After about 2 hours of them putting down their immediate needs, we discussed what could be done with the funds we had on hand at the time. It was determined that each family needed money for household goods necessary for their immediate existence plus the rice necessary to feed each person for about two weeks. When the funds needed for those provisions were totaled, it would have required well beyond what we had. After figuring what could be done, I counted the remaining pesos that I had and added all of that except for a few hundred needed for getting back to Cebu, and we agreed on an equitable plan to distribute all that we had at that time, noting that we would send more in when more funds were acquired from funds being sent.

11/15/13

The next day, we met with brethren in two different congregation in Ormoc to distribute the funds. Some were not present in each group and we had funds for brethren in five other congregations. Willie, Juanito and Nilo agreed to work together in taking the funds to those brethren and serving the purpose of a plurality of witnesses to assure all be done with honesty and openness.

While distributing the funds, I related the love and sacrifice this showed from their brothers and sisters across the globe, but a part of the same spiritual family. I told them of one case, related to me about a sister who gave to help.

The sister had lost her job, was in need herself, yet gave $200 to help and was crying that she could not send more. When that case was related to me, I broke down crying at a modern “widow with two mites” who exemplified the kind of heart our Lord commended. (I am so thankful to call such loving, caring, generous and sacrificial people my brothers and sisters in Christ!) When I told those gathered to receive the help this story to emphasize the degree of love it showed, they also shed many tears and expressed their great thanks. Though they had nothing and were hungry, the love and concern shown towards them was such a great encouragement, knowing others were with them in heart. I don't think I will ever be the same after seeing the things I have seen the last few days — from the suffering people here and the sacrificial love shown by my brethren back home. May God bless you all! 

Knowing from Leslie that more funds had been sent since our receiving  the ones available two days before, we were able to get information on those MoneyGrams while still in Ormoc and sent it to Kristine Carino, Jonathan Carino's daughter, who works for a major Philippine bank, a branch of which we used in Masbate, to see if she could help. We were able to send by text the information needed to redeem the funds. With the approval of the bank officials, they got the paperwork done and had the funds waiting for us when we got back to Cebu about midnight! I cannot say enough about how much Kristine helped and how sacrificial she was with her time and effort!

11/16/13

Saturday morning, Jonathan and I worked together and were able to provide for more funds to be sent directly to some in affected areas. We remembered that one congregation in Leyte was not included in the number helped while another was not sent sufficient funds to meet the needs of a greater number of Christians than accounted for in the previous day’s distribution. (That failure to correctly account for the number was my fault as I was present when those Christians had obeyed the gospel in two recent efforts that the brethren in Leyte were not present for and had not heard about.) We also sent an initial amount to help with needs from the typhoon’s destruction on northern Negros and northern Panay islands. Though we know the need will be greater than the amount sent, we believe it will meet the needs for food over the next two weeks or so.

With part of the second redemption amount from MoneyGrams, I had to restore the funds temporarily diverted from the evangelistic purpose for which they were given so that I could have the pesos needed to pay costs still outstanding. Jonathan had fronted a great deal of those costs for travel within the Philippines and other things by putting it on his Philippine charge card and using some of his own cash. Though I knew by that time of still more MoneyGrams that had been sent, I could not redeem those as I was running very close on time to catch the flight to Manila. The Lord willing, I will redeem the remaining MoneyGrams on Tuesday. I plan to convert any amount into pesos that are needed for immediate relief where they can be sent for a plurality to oversee and witness to proper distribution. The remaining amount will be left in U.S. dollars and I will continue sending to known needs until that amount is entirely exhausted. Given the needs that I know to exist beyond needs for immediate existence, the remainder will be completely used with the next week or two, the Lord willing.

Thanksgiving dinner will be bitter sweet this year. In our land of plenty, it is easy for us to forget that people suffer until we see a disaster like a tornado, hurricane, flood or some other destructive event. In Oklahoma, we were the recipients of a huge outpouring of love from brethren across our country after the May 19-20 tornados that caused much loss. I saw that damage immediately after the tornado and have seen the ongoing recovery in the months since. It was devastating and traumatic, and totally so to those directly hit. Yet, most had relatives or friends who could meet their immediate housing and food needs.

Imagine what it would have been if those tornados were over 100 miles wide (Yolanda had sustained F5 level winds over that area) together with a 20-foot wall of water at the same time. I can honestly say that I have never seen anything that comes close to matching this level of destruction! Throughout Leyte, in the space of a few hours, it destroyed the vast majority of homes (over 80% is the present estimate), destroyed the stocks of food as well as the crops and animals to be used for food, put an end to almost all sources for employment over the foreseeable future, started a devastating disease process through the effects of widespread raw sewage and a massive increase of malaria-bearing mosquitos, all in addition to causing thousands upon thousands of deaths. We distributed every peso we could while there and are meeting other immediate needs as they become known, but there is a huge need that continues. The funds provided will meet the immediate, survival needs of brethren for the next month or more, but the need will continue. We are beginning to find out that more devastation than we knew took place on other islands where we simply have no knowledge of what needs are present because communication with those brethren has not yet been restored. This is a calamity of historic proportions!

In closing, I want to again thank everyone for your tremendous outpouring of love and concern!!! And thank you for letting me have a place to see that love among God’s people is alive and well!!! May God’s richest blessings be with each and every one of you!

Work in Masbate (Nov 12-13, 2013)

11/12/13

The past few days were extremely busy as we first established communication with brethren in the areas hardest hit by Typhoon Yolanda and corresponded with brethren from the U.S. wanting to help. The first has been heart-wrenching beyond measure while the other has been encouraging and joyful beyond measure. With so much to do in assessing the need and preparing to distribute the help, Jonathan and I have gotten very little sleep. Since we had to be away from my hotel at 4:30am this morning, last night was another very short one with little sleep. We are looking forward to a full night’s sleep tonight here in Masbate.

The lectures here started a little earlier than we thought possible because our drive from Masbate City to the venue took less than an hour, while we were expecting it to take twice as long. After setting up, we started with an introduction from 1 Peter 1:22-25 on “Salvation and the Seed, God’s word” emphasizing the need to go back to the original gospel as the seed if we seek the salvation received at that time. From that, we went immediately to “God’s Use of the Prophets,” a lesson on the verbal inspiration of Scripture and its implications.

After the lunch break, we started the study on “Authority” by looking at the need for it and the source of it. At that point, Jonathan gave a summary of the lessons to that point in their dialect. We then concluded the lectures for the day with the remainder of the material on “Authority” dealing with how the will of Christ is expressed and understood. The audience seemed very attentive and thoughtful. Many seemed to be giving serious thought to the things presented, taking notes and turning to read the passages cited. It was a very good first day for the lectures.

Throughout the day, we had rain varying from light to very heavy. The reason is that this country is now experiencing its 26th typhoon of this year. (Yolanda was number 25.) Thankfully, this typhoon is relatively weak, but it is bringing heavy rains which are hampering recovery efforts from Yolanda. This storm should move out of the country by late in the day on Wednesday, according to forecasts.

We received word that the brother in the flesh of Nilo Zabala was also killed in the storm. Juanito Escuadra from Baybay also reports that one brother in that congregation was killed by the storm. That makes two brothers and one sister in the Lord who are known dead at this time. Our brethren in Ormoc report that many homes of the brethren there were destroyed. (The count we received is 26, but we will try to verify the number tomorrow.) We have yet to hear from two areas where we know there are faithful brethren. All report that there is little food to be had anywhere on Leyte and their supplies are running out. Since we know and have worked with all of these churches, the reality of the suffering is striking to us. However, it also makes us more determined to use the funds provided in an effective way to do all that we can in helping them.

Though it does not seem possible, the reality of the horrors in the aftermath of Yolanda get worse by the day as the search and rescue efforts are underway. The U.S. military seems to be taking the heaviest load in those efforts as other sources still appear disorganized and ineffective. U.S. military helicopters seem to be transporting the only significant amounts of food to Tacloban and the surrounding region. As the efforts increase, the reports coming out are that there are corpses everywhere. The rioting and anarchy are still not under control, but it seems to be getting better. Please continue to pray for our brethren and all who are undergoing these very difficult times.

11/13/13

Please excuse the delay of this report. I normal send them out before supper or at least before going to bed, but I did not get it out last night. There is no wifi in our rooms here in Masbate, so I meant to get the report ready in my room, and then send it from the cafe. However, I feel asleep while writing and woke up to find the cafe already closed. The good news is that I got 9 hours of sleep and am feeling great! After three or four cups of coffee, I felt fully revived. As it turned out, it would not have helped me to go to the cafe anyway, because the internet connection is down.

After talking with Leslie early this morning, she confirmed what I could not by my email as I could not get online to read it. She said several had called saying they had already sent funds through MoneyGram while others were having problem with sending them. When I talked with Jonathan about the situation, I told him that I planned to get all of those funds when we got back to Cebu as we had discussed earlier. However, a little later, he raised a problem with my plan that I did not realize. It turns out that it takes several hours to receive the funds sent by MoneyGram. Since there were already several MoneyGrams to receive, that process was certain to take us longer than we had between landing in Cebu at 8am on Friday and leaving by fast craft at 11am that day.

So, we left as early as possible in search of a place to redeem to MoneyGrams and then convert them to Philippine pesos. We found out that the bank for which Jonathan’s daughter, Christine, works would handle both ends of that transaction for us and at a much more favorable rate since it was for relief being brought to the typhoon victims. The bad news is that it took us tree hours to get those funds. This put us very late for the lectures, but there was no choice, we had to get the funds for which I had already received the information needed for redemption. Having an established exchange, John called Christine and asked that she assist us to receive the funds that are still coming. So, we will check early in the morning for the information to receive any remaining MoneyGrams and get that information to Christine by email hoping that she can help cut through the red tape and help us get the cash within an hour so we can get to the fast craft on time.

Jonathan called ahead to Greg Jumao-as, our host, and ask them to take their lunch early and be ready to start when we came. We arrived at almost noon and began immediately with the lesson on “Salvation and Saul.” Some material, regarding the differences between baptism in the name of Christ and denominational baptism, was added to the end of that lesson so as to consolidate two lessons into one. Jonathan gave an extend summary of the lesson and then taught on “The Church in the Eternal Purpose of God.” After that, we considered a lesson on “Counting the Cost.” An invitation to obey the gospel of Christ was extended by Greg and nine made known their desire to be baptized into Christ. By the time we drove some distance to the ocean where the baptisms could take place, another two decide to be baptized, so a total of 11 were immersed into Christ for the remission of sins. After a week of such horrible news from the typhoon, it was especially sweet to see eleven come to the new life with a living hope!

After this report, it will probably be late Friday night our time before I will have access to an internet connection making another report possible. At that point, I will have returned from Tacloban and Ormoc City, the Lord willing. Please remember us in your prayers as we will be distributing the benevolent help sent by brethren in the U.S. God bless!

Day of Planning in Cebu

The reality of the conditions in the aftermath of Yolanda is setting in across the nation. The situation grows worse on Leyte as time goes on. After four days without food, water or significant relief efforts, it devolved into basic anarchy today. The President is reportedly considering the imposition of martial law. Given the country’s background, that news is received with mixed feelings. However, with the circumstances as they are, it appears the country would accept it as the best option available at this time.

We had our trip canceled to Ormoc today as transportation schedules are changing without notice. Computer systems are down making ticket purchasing almost impossible. Long lines are present to buy whatever tickets are available on site and the modes of transportation themselves are not very dependable. It is being reported that the international news media is coming to Cebu and buying up tickets on the fastcrafts and ferries to Leyte because that is the only way in right now. All airline service into Tacloban is suspended indefinitely.

Since we did not go to Ormoc today, we used the time to prepare for the delivery of funds to brethren on Leyte after we return from Masbate. Jonathan and I have both been moved by the generous outpouring of brethren on this mailing list. Funds are being sent via MoneyGram that will enable us to help brethren who have nothing at this point. We are in contact with brethren in Tacloban where the situation is dire beyond belief and we are able to transfer smaller amounts in several ways making it possible for them to have some food and water for the next few days. Finding food to buy there is now becoming a problem by all accounts and we may need to buy rice here and find a means of transport to get it to them. We will be trying to work that out over the next few days. Right now, logistics are keeping us (especially Jonathan) busy as daily commerce and transportation are a nightmare. Every time we think we have found a way around problems, new ones crop up. As the day wore on, we began to focus on a couple of ways we believe the problems of getting food to the brethren can be resolved.

The Lord willing, tomorrow (Tuesday) we will go to Masbate Island for the rescheduled lectures there. Those studies will end on Wednesday night. We fly out on a 6:00am flight tomorrow and come back to Cebu at 7:45am on Thursday. We have tickets in hand to go to Ormoc at 11am on Thursday, stay the night wherever possible and hopefully come back on Friday night to Cebu. I say "hopefully" because we cannot confirm tickets due to computer systems being down and schedules being unsure. However, I do not have to fly to Manila until Saturday, so we have an extra day to fall back on should departure be impossible on Friday.

Since it will be Thursday before we can start to distribute the benevolence on Leyte where need is the greatest, the funds already committed for sending via MoneyGram should be available before we leave from Cebu going to Leyte on Friday. The need here is so enormous that we have had to focus on meeting immediate needs for survival at this time and leave longer term efforts of rebuilding and other needs to be met at a later date. My plan is too also bring a bag of first-aid and sanitation supplies with us to Leyte. With the massive death toll and release of open sewage from the floods, the danger of disease taking another large toll is a very real and present danger. From what we hear, our brethren are in great need of such supplies.

To give you a sense of the enormity of the disaster, the major international rescue and relief organizations were saying the death toll may exceed 10,000! There is some speculation that number may be very low and may go much higher. The Philippine government said just yesterday that the number might exceed 1200. In other words, no one knows the magnitude of this disaster at this point, but time a new area receiving a direct hit is surveyed, the numbers keep going up. Today, U.S. military helicopters and air support began an aerial assessment of the damage and they are saying the damage is unprecedented. One of the crews likened it to an F4 or F5 tornado, except it is 100 miles wide and several hundred miles long. There are hundreds of small, inhabited islands that the full force of the storm impacted. Each one presents a new challenge to reach, assess and get relief efforts going.

In our travels yesterday, we did not see a single national Philippine government vehicle or relief effort of any kind, nor did we see any international relief organization presence. If what we saw was the lesser problem compared to other places, I shudder to think what the situation is in such places. When people in the streets of Bogo saw me as a white American, it was obvious that they were looking at me in hopes that I would help. I don't know if I will ever be able to forget the utter helplessness I felt on that occasion to see so many people in such dire need, looking for help, yet knowing that I had no way to help. Our brethren now have food to eat for several weeks, the masses of humanity I saw have nothing and no hope in sight. May God in His providence make a way to ease the tremendous suffering of these very poor and hopeless people -- ultimately bringing them to seek for a way of hope that leaves the calamities of this life to forever rejoice in a heavenly hope that knows no sorrow and no end! God bless!

Lord's Day in Cebu City and Bogo

Our Lord’s Day started differently than anticipated a few days ago. We were scheduled to spend the day in Bogo, worshipping with the five different congregations in that area. However, due to the calamity of Typhoon Yolanda, we were unable to worship with them. So, we started the day worshipping with the congregation in downtown Cebu City. The group continues to grow in number and spiritual strength as they have throughout the time I have been coming here.We study a lesson on “The Family: A Center for the Lord’s Work” starting from the statement made about the household of Stephanas in 1 Corinthians 16:15-16.

After the worship service at Cebu City, we proceeded to Bogo on the northern tip of Cebu Island. We had been informed by brother Gil Suico that the meeting place of the oldest of the five churches church had the roof torn off in the storm and is in shambles. All eight families in that church had houses with severe damage or fully   destroyed. As noted in a previous report, he said that 80% of the homes in Bogo are flattened. We found that to be an under-estimated rather than an over statement. Upon leaving Cebu City to the north, damage started to pick up before we even got out of the city. By about halfway to Bogo, one could look in any direction and see massive damage. By the time we got to Bogo, I did not see a house that was undamaged anywhere. Most were totally destroyed.

After meeting with brethren in three of the five churches and talking with another, we found that all were without food. Those who lost their houses had all food items destroyed as well. The rest had shared with their brethren and were now at the point of having nothing left. The brethren asked for only rice and sardines to make it and said they could buy the dried fish with their own funds. Of course, as in any calamity, prices have gone up significantly. However, with food commodities limited at best, we all felt it best to secure enough food for the next three weeks. (I will say why that period was of priority below.) So, just the essentials for the brethren was computed at about $1850. We all went to the market which still had food and funds were given to them to pay for the food needed. They were extremely thankful and the relief that they had something to eat was evident. It has been a truly horrible time for those brethren and it was gratifying to know that they had some relief amidst the tragedy.

I did not come with extra funds for benevolent relief, but I have committed to using every dollar I have with me to help in as far as that help will go and putting many expenses on my credit card. Many individuals provided funds saying they were to be used at my discretion and I will use what has been given in that way to this benevolent effort. With respect to funds sent by churches, I have accounted those as for evangelistic purposes only. That entire amount plus some has already been spent or committed for evangelistic purposes, some paying for venues and travel made impossible by the typhoon. I do not know how far in the hole I am so far on this trip, but with the needs still to be addressed on Leyte, it will be much further. Several have asked what you could do and here are few suggestions for you to use as you will:

1. Brethren Ron Halbrook and Keith Greer will be coming to the Philippines in about three weeks. I have talked with Ron and asked that he seriously consider altering his schedule to help deliver benevolent funds needed. For those of you who would like to take advantage of a tax-deductible donation, Ron had the “Help A Neighbor” fund to which individual funds are accepted and those donations are tax exempt. All donations for relief of brethren due to Typhoon Yolanda should be earmarked for that purpose and they will go for that purpose alone. I trust both Keith and Ron to be open, honest and transparent in the distribution of such funds. You can reach Ron Halbrook by email at one of these addresses: ronhalbrook@gmail.com  or  halbrook@twc.com

2. If you want to send funds to me directly while I am in the Philippines. I can receive them by MoneyGram which can be sent from any WalMart at a reasonable fee. Please be sure to send the funds in U.S. dollars (USD) rather than in Philippine pesos (Php). When the funds are sent, they will give you a receipt with a reference number on it. I must have (a) the reference number, (b) name of sender, © name of recipient and (d) the amount sent. Please send it in the name of “Harry Osborne” with that exact spelling or I cannot receive it.

3. If you would rather send it to my home address and let me take care of sending it to the places needed, I will be glad to do so after I return home on November 20, the Lord willing.

4. If you want to send a messenger with your own funds, I would be glad to put you in contact with trusted brethren who could assist you here.

5. I strongly recommend that you NOT send large amounts to Filipino brethren asking them to make a distribution. This is not a matter of questioning their integrity as I trust many of them with my life. In a culture where extreme poverty is a constant challenge, putting large sums in the hands of brethren who are in great need and have never seen such sums puts a stumbling-block before them which is unfair to them. Also, when it is know by other in their culture that they have received a large sum (and such will be known), it puts them at danger both physically and in their relationship with others who will put unbelievable pressure on them to get some of those funds. Experience has taught me that it is very unwise to send such large sums to one of our brethren here, no matter how much I trust them. Please consider the implications before you do this if such is your intent. 

The Lord willing, tomorrow we will take the fast craft (a hydro-foil boat) to Ormoc City, on the western shore of Leyte. Tickets were already sold out for the early trip at 5:30am which would have required that we leave my hotel at 4am. I must admit that I was not entirely sorrowful that we would have to wait until the 9am departure. This later departure will allow us only to visit Ormoc and then return to Cebu on the 7:45pm trip back to Cebu. (The trip it between 2 and 2 ½ hours in length each way.) It turns out that it was better for all if we went to Tacloban later in the week after they have a chance to dig out from the rubble and figure out what is needed. So, our plan is to fly to Masbate on Tuesday morning, return to Cebu on Thursday, and go to Tacloban on Friday.

The devastation we saw at Bogo was the worst I have ever seen. It was the same total damage I saw in the May 20 tornado that hit Moore, but spread out over a far greater area. There is no electrical power from a little north of Cebu City all the way to the northern tip of the island. That is a trip by car of over 3 hours in length. In the mango groves I saw on the way, not a single tree was left standing. Mango orchards are the main crop on Cebu. The trees in open areas from about halfway to Bogo onward had been totally stripped of leaves — not a single leaf was left. Power poles and power lines were down everywhere. There is no way to either say or show by pictures the degree of destruction that is the norm on the northern part of this island. The even sadder part when I thought about it was that the damage in Bogo is far less than that on Leyte by all accounts. It was heart-wrenching to see the suffering we saw today. I dread seeing the devastation and suffering souls yet to come on Leyte. I know you are praying for these people, and I do not mean to imply that you are not, but I cannot help but plead that you continue to remember them in prayer to our loving Father who has all power. Thank you again for your great concern!

Half-Day Preaching in Cebu and Update

 The venue for today’s work was at the building of a former denominational preacher, Alejandro (“Ahl”), who was recently baptized into Christ. The building is on land he owns and it is attached to his house. Ahl was baptized at the very end of July. Since that time, he has been preaching the truth to the members of the denomination (Baptist) with which he was previously affiliated. Nine of those in the local group meeting at his house have been baptized and others are very close to making that decision. Ahl also had an opportunity to preach to another Baptist group and seven were baptized from that group. Today, he invited all of the local group and several denominational preachers to attend.

The afternoon study was introduced with a short lesson on “Salvation and the Seed, God’s Word” from 1 Peter 1:22-25. The next lesson was on the Inspiration of the Scripture. After a short break, I preached on “Salvation and Saul” showing that Saul received the remission of his sins at the point of baptism, not at the point of faith only. That was follow immediately with a lesson on “A Convenient Faith at a Convenient Time” from Acts 24:24-27. This lesson was intended to show that it is never easy to obey the truth, but requires work and dedication. After the lessons, we had a question/answer session dealing with questions on baptism, the thief on the cross, inspiration and acceptable translations of the Scripture.

Our main objectives for today were to (a) further encourage some not yet baptized to see the truth and obey it and (b) get a foot in the door with some of the denominational preachers present. There were no immediate responses to the invitation that Ahl extended, but there is much hope several will soon obey. With respect to the denominational preachers, one of them has invited us to preach to his congregation. Others have committed to study further with Jonathan. (Jonathan has converted his garage to a classroom design for this purpose as well as facilitating other classes.) So, we believe it was a very successful day!

The updates we are receiving on damage from the typhoon are very bad. To start with the good report, Nilo returned to Tacloban today and found his wife and children safe. We are thankful to God for His care over them! However, Nilo also reports that Tacloban on Leyte Island is devastated. He says there are many dead. Nine families in the church at Tacloban have houses with significant damage to being destroyed. Brother Gil, who preaches at Bogo on the northern tip of Cebu Island, came to Cebu City today to tell us that our schedule to preach there tomorrow is impossible. The meeting place of the church had the roof torn off in the storm and is in shambles. Gil says 80% of the homes in Bogo are flattened. Every family in the church there had houses with severe damage or fully destroyed. Jonathan and I plan to worship with the congregation here in the center of Cebu City, then drive to Bogo to gauge the damage and be of whatever encouragement we can to the brethren.

We have also received word from Ormoc City, on the western shore of Leyte, that it is has widespread, catastrophic damage. It was reported that brethren there suffered much loss, but we have no further details about it at this time. We have still not heard from Masbate. The general rule is that near the center of the typhoon, there is overwhelming destruction and numerous deaths. After tomorrow’s visit to Bogo, I will probably have more details. Please keep our brethren and the people of this country in your prayers. The more I hear about the devastation, the more it breaks my heart!

Update on Effects of Typhoon Yolanda

A few minutes ago, while eating breakfast on our Friday morning, it was reported that Yolanda made landfall with the most powerful winds of any tropical system ever recorded. It has sustained winds of about 195mph and gusts beyond 235mph. I do not know if that classifies it as the most powerful ever, but it is strong enough to cause massive damage in developed countries and is sure to cause grave damage here in a country like the Philippines. The warnings posted by the government for the most affected areas are at what they call “Signal 4” — the highest alert level that is rarely raise.

A small minority of Filipinos live in substantial houses or other dwellings. The vast majority live in nipa huts, houses of light walls and tin roofs, shanties of whatever material that can be scavenged or lean-tos formed from plastic tarps. Please pray for the literally millions of people in this country who are in extreme danger. I have developed a great love for the Filipino people and I am extremely concerned at their peril today!

The storm has already come in south of Tacloban and Filipino television is showing streets flooded with water. The storm surge was projected at  about 18 feet, but it appears the actual surge was in excess of 20 feet. After it passes over Leyte Island, it will be again over the warm waters most of the way through the Visayas with only smaller, but densely populated, islands to pass over as it progresses through the middle of this country.

In Cebu, we are also under the “Signal 4” warnings with the worst of the storm to be at about noon local time. As I write this, it is just after 9am and our conditions are getting markedly worse. I can hear the winds picking up outside my windows. The rain is getting heavier and has become a driving, constant torrent of water. The hotel that I am in is very strong and secure, so I am in no danger. I wish the same could be said for my brethren in this country, some of which are among the poorest of the poor. At the north end of Cebu Island is Bogo City That is where a number of newly converted brethren reside and it looks like they may get a direct hit or very close to it. They are at great risk as they have no substantial shelter and are at very vulnerable to any storm surge that is even half as high as recorded on Leyte. The newly baptized brethren on Masbate Island (where we were to be today) are in line to take a direct hit and are without any substantial shelter. Dangers of flash floods in the mountain areas is also very high.

Obviously, my immediate concern is first with the lives of brethren throughout the Visayan islands as well as other citizens of this country. The emergency needs from this storm are likely to be staggering! Please keep this situation in your prayers. I will do all that I can to pass on word of how brethren have been affected, but communications are likely to be down for some time and we may not have full information for days.

Jonathan Carino and I had discussed priorities for where we needed to go before this trip began. Both of us agreed that the number one priority was going to Masbate Island. There are three formerly Baptist preachers, newly converted, on fire with a zeal to spread the word and having many ready to hear the gospel. Though this storm has prevented us from going now, I am considering a change in travel plans to go there after the storm if travel to the island is possible in the next week. We will make a decision after the typhoon passes and we know the conditions there. I request prayers that the island be spared great damaging making it possible for us to travel there and preach to souls who are likely to be more sober about the condition of their souls given this calamity. Of course, we will be certain it is safe before we go there if such travel is even possible. As of this moment, all travel plans are on hold due to a total shutdown of all transportation options in this part of the country.

So, for now I am hunkered down in a very safe and substantial hotel with two backup generators that will hopefully keep us in power. (The power just went off and backup generators kicked in as I am posting this to the blog. Power outages are being reported as widespread to total in the path of the storm.) I appreciate your concern for me and the messages sent regarding fears over my safety, but I assure you that I am very safe and secure. Please direct those prayers to the safety and well-being of so many who are facing a terribly dangerous day. God bless.

Update on Plan Changes Due to Typhoon Yolanda

The above map gives the information about the path of Typhoon Yolanda, my present location, and where we were planning to go this morning. At the present time, the typhoon is tracking slightly north of the projected path. As you can see, our schedule would have taken us into the center of the projected path. All transportation into the area is being stopped within the next few hours and is not anticipated to be back to normal for at least 3 days after the storm passes. The only real choice was to cancel our plans. I am considering and praying about another possible change of plans to fly to Masbate later in the trip after it is again safe. As usual, our plans in the work here have to remain fluid and often change quickly to adjust to the situation. The work in Masbate has a priority with me because of the great need to follow-up with the recently converted denominational preachers and many of their contacts. Please keep us in your prayers as we consider the wisest use of our time and the conditions here.

Full Day Study for Saints in Cebu (11/6/13)

Our venue today was the regular meeting place of the church in Cebu City - a room on the third floor of a business building in the downtown area. It was originally intended as a study session for preachers in the area, including some newly converted from denominationalism. However, others heard about it and wanted to join. So, we had all but one of the preachers in the Cebu City area, plus a number of members of the local congregation and several they invited. I think the audience was about 50 people. One denominational preacher was among the visitors. He was extremely happy to have heard the lessons as he learned much from the focus on Scripture and he asked for further studies. None of the lessons dealt with the initial obedience to the gospel, but he was attracted by the fact that he had never heard such concentration on how to study, learn and teach Scripture effectively.

The first lesson of the day was “Lessons on Teaching from the Master Teacher” taken from John 4 as Jesus taught the woman at the well. It emphasized our responsibility to be evangelistically minded, the need to exclude none as prospects to teach, the necessity of getting the sinner to recognize his/her sin, the priority of a spiritual view and the practicality of teaching the gospel.

From that point, we had more of a class arrangement on showing how we effectively study the text of Scripture and let that textual study be the bedrock of our teaching efforts. We dealt with outlining the book of 1st Timothy and how to use that outline as the basis of preaching through the text. We also dealt with developing subject studies, character studies and devotional studies. This study was started during the morning session and concluded in the afternoon session.

Our final study of the day was on “Understanding the Place & Use of the Psalms.” We briefly examined the history and authorship of the psalms. We directed most of our attention to the divisions of the types of psalms and how we can use each group in our spiritual growth. We ended with an example of study from this collection by examining the 32nd Psalm, a penitential psalm of David. The lessons seemed to be well received.

For those of you who may have heard or will be hearing about ongoing typhoon activity in this part of the world, we are monitoring the situation carefully and will take all precautions necessary to be safe. There have already been two typhoons that have moved through the Philippines since I arrived less than a week ago. One did a great deal of damage in northern Luzon, while the other one fizzled out as it approached the Visayan region ( the many islands in the middle of the country between Luzon and Mindanao). Our work on this trip is in the Visayas. The typhoon approaching and forecast to hit this part of the country on Thursday night (local time) is predicted by American tropical forecasts to rapidly intensify and become a “super typhoon” before it hits the Philippines. Lest anyone be overly concerned, typhoons in the Pacific typically have weaker winds than those threatening the mainland U.S. Nevertheless, we will watch all forecasts and may have to change our plans for travel to Masbate if threatened by the weather. Our flight to Masbate is scheduled for 6am tomorrow morning out of Cebu.

Thank you again for your prayers and help in every way. God bless!