Friday began our two days of visiting local churches in the Tuguegarao area to encourage the brethren in those places. Rody Gumpad had talked with me last year about the need for such visits, but the schedule could not accommodate the effort last year. On this trip, I asked Rody to schedule a couple of days to do this much needed work.
About 8am, Rody, Tessie and I left the hotel and went to the Lingu church where Robert Rances labors as the local preacher. Robert is a faithful man who has worked hard in this area and has been a consistent and stable supporter of other faithful brethren throughout the area. His sincerity and commitment to the Lord have borne fruit throughout the 20+ years that I have known him. A number of brethren from other congregations were also present to join us. The small building was packed! I preached a lesson on “The Message of the Cross” from 1
Corinthians 1:18-24. Rody followed the lesson with a full summary of the points in the dialect. No visible responses to the gospel were seen.
After visiting the Lingu congregation, Rody, Tessie and I had planned to go back to Tuguegarao for lunch before proceeding to the next appointment. Gerald and Josephine Ganela had traveled some distance to join us for the day, so we invited them to lunch. Gerald lost his support to preach full-time and is teaching school to support his family,
but continues to preach in two different congregations each Sunday. He is one of the best students we have had in the preacher training programs at Tuguegarao. Through the years, I have had a special bond with Gerald and admire his tender heart and great zeal for the cause of Christ. It was a joy to catch up with him over lunch!
In the afternoon, we went to the Lanna congregation in Solana where Jimmy Domingo preaches along with his son, who was another excellent student in a more recent preacher
13. Rody again followed the lesson with a full summary in the dialect. At the invitation, a young man in training for the police force and a young lady responded to be baptized into Christ.
Throughout the day, it was very hot as this is the hottest time of year in the Philippines and Tuguegarao usually has the highest temperatures in the country. Today seemed to be a scorcher in both temperature and humidity. During the afternoon appointment, I was sweating profusely and was
drinking water and Gatorade to prevent becoming dehydrated. Despite that fact, I came close to passing out twice, so I went to the hotel and got to bed early, trying to catch up on sleep and recover some strength.
