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Philippine Report for Thursday (4/13/06)
April 13, 2006
from Harry Osborne in General Santos City, Luzon,
Philippines
After getting about an hour or two
of sleep in Manila on Tuesday night, I left the hotel
a little before 5am to catch a 7am flight to General
Santos City (Gensan) where we were to begin our preaching.
Jonathan Carino met me at the airport and we went
to the hotel for our breakfast and a short rest. In
the afternoon, we went to Fatima village where brother
Pascual Cempron preaches. There were 60 to 70 gathered
to hear the word, about 15 were non-Christians who
had never heard the true gospel. (Several chickens,
one rooster, three dogs and many roaches and geckos
also wandered through from time to time J.) Jonathan
interpreted for me throughout the session. Those who
were able to get in the small building under a tin
roof sat for about 4 hour to hear the preaching in
heat that was so oppressive that even the Filipinos
were sweating heavily. Others were outside in the
full sun listening to the sermons. The first sermon
was on whether we should seek to be saved like the
thief on the cross or like Saul of Tarsus. It examined
and refuted several false doctrines common in the
denominational world about salvation. The second sermon
was on “Christian Living versus Worldly Living.”
Several of the non-Christians present were challenged
to examine there religious beliefs and expressed their
desire to study more with the local brethren. Brother
Cempron told me that he believes several will soon
be baptized.
Today’s effort started with a two-hour drive
from GenSan to Lake Sebu. To get there, we traveled
the same highway we used to Surallah where we held
lectures last December, then took a narrow, rough,
winding, 21 kilometer road almost all uphill. Lake
Sebu sets high in the mountains with even higher mountains
surrounding. It is a beautiful setting and, best of
all, very mild temperatures. We expected about 100
to attend, but there were 200 present. The gathering
was held in an open-area gymnasium with a metal roof
and no side walls. Jonathan Carino was my interpreter
for the whole day. The first lesson was 3 hours long
without a single break. I preached on “The Inspiration
of Scripture” showing that God gave the words
of Scripture exactly as He intended and does not allow
man to change a single thing He said. We showed that
man can and must understand the revelation given in
Scripture and made applications as to how we could
understand God’s will from the Scriptures concerning
morality, the plan of salvation and the one true church.
After lunch, we had an additional 4 hours of study
in two lessons on “The Identifying Marks of
the New Testament Church’ and “Characteristics
of New Testament Baptism.” At the invitation,
there were 10 men and 1 woman responded to be baptized
into Christ. I believe many more will soon be baptized
in other meetings scheduled soon in that area to be
held by native preachers. The church is growing so
rapidly in the Lake Sebu area that, now, more people
are members of the Lord’s body than are members
of any denominational group in the entire area. It
is critical that we come back very soon to do more
teaching and take advantage of the open door now present.
A one-hour per week radio program had to be canceled
by brethren in the Lake Sebu area due to a lack of
funds. When I asked about the amount needed to continue
the program, the brethren said it costs 1000 pesos
per month – about $20!!! Since several individuals
gave funds to be used as I thought best, I gave $120
to them for 6 months worth of programs and told them
it was from numerous individual brethren in the U.S.
On the way back, we stopped between Polomolok and
GenSan to visit a newly established congregation in
the village of Safolon. It was about a ten-minute
drive off of the main highway on a very rough, dirt
road. When we arrived, the brethren gathered for singing
and a 30 minute lesson from 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10.
They were very appreciative of the visit and seemed
greatly encouraged.
We finally got back to the hotel just a few minutes
before 9pm. After composing this report as we drove
along the road, Jonathan and I are now sitting in
the restaurant at the hotel where they have wifi access
to the internet for a nominal fee.
As you can see, the trip is off to a great start.
I thank each one of you for your support and prayers
that I might be able to do this work. Without your
fellowship, this effort would not be possible. I hope
you feel the same way about your part in this effort
that I do – you are co-laborers together with
me in this great work of reaching lost souls. May
God bless you all in your work of faith and labor
of love. You are in our prayers as we trust we are
in your prayers.
Brotherly, Harry O.
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