Dear Brethren and Friends,
Quite a number of brethren have asked me for more details of the recent trip my wife and I took to the Australasian area and the Philippines. It was an eventful trip, and there are many items that may be helpful to share with all of you. Also, I feel that many of you may not be aware of the growth God is giving us in those areas, and of the very fine servants God is using to build His Work and strengthen His people in some of these nations.
So let me share with you, in greater detail than I have been able to share before, some of the events and the impressions my wife and I experienced during that extensive trip. This trip was important in that it helped knit the Church together more strongly in the region, and gave me the opportunity to personally assess conditions in that part of the world. So I hope you will find this personal account enlightening and inspiring.
On Wednesday, March 20, 2002, my wife and I were taken by Mr. Don Davis to the San Diego Airport to catch a commuter flight to Los Angeles and then take a larger plane to Auckland, New Zealand. It was indeed a long and tiring trip. We “lost” a day (Thursday) flying over the International Date Line on the way. We were met, early Friday morning, by Mr. and Mrs. Kinnear Penman. Mr. Penman directs the New Zealand office and the entire Work in New Zealand, and is ably assisted by his dedicated wife, Carolyn. The Penmans showed us around some of the “high spots” in Auckland on Friday, including the site of the former New Zealand office of our former association. We had dinner with them on Friday night, and enjoyed a wonderful visit and the opportunity to become better acquainted. On the Sabbath, I preached in Auckland to a crowd of approximately 45 brethren and friends. They were very warm and responsive, and I could see that many had been in the Church for decades and were truly solid individuals. We had a church covered-dish meal after services, and then a long visit before heading to our hotel and to bed.
On Sunday morning, Mr. Penman drove us to the airport for our flight to Brisbane, Australia, where we were met by Mr. Bruce Tyler—our Australasia-Far East Director—and his wife. We had the opportunity to tour around Brisbane for a few hours, then, that evening, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and wonderful fellowship with the Tylers and with local elder Mr. Dayrell Tanner and his wife. These dedicated elders have all survived the “wars”—including the apostasy that took place in the Worldwide Church of God and the “split” that took place with the Global board. It was very helpful and encouraging to become better acquainted with them, and to learn more about each other and our respective backgrounds. On Monday, Mr. and Mrs. Tyler took my wife and me to Burleigh Heads to see that beautiful area and to see the old Worldwide Church of God offices. Again, we had a wonderful opportunity to visit and share news of the Work and become better acquainted. We had dinner at the Tylers’ home and, before dinner, the opportunity to thoroughly inspect the Living Church of God office there—which is part of Mr. and Mrs. Tyler’s home. It was a beautiful occasion, and it was good to see the dedication of Mr. and Mrs. Tyler.
On Tuesday morning, we toured more of the Brisbane area. That afternoon, we were able to study and prepare for the Passover, which I conducted on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday morning, my wife and I accompanied Mr. Tyler to his parents’ home, and had an opportunity to see downtown Brisbane and some of the local historical sites. Wednesday afternoon gave us an opportunity to rest and prepare for the “Night To Be Much Observed,” which we conducted that evening. Also, I was able to work on my sermons for the next day.
The next day—Thursday—was the First Day of Unleavened Bread. I preached to the brethren in Brisbane—about 58 were present—and then we had a covered-dish meal with all the brethren, and a long visit before leaving. Then we headed to the airport with Mr. Tyler for a flight to Perth—about 2,200 miles to the west. Remember, brethren, Australia is as large as the United States excluding Alaska! We were met in Perth by our dedicated elder there, Mr. Ken Macleod, and his wife, and taken to our hotel. It was quite late when we went to bed.
On Friday, Mr. and Mrs. Macleod took us to Kings Park in Perth and on to Fremantle, which is a famous old seaport in western Australia. We had the opportunity to discuss many topics, and had a wonderful visit at a fish restaurant in Fremantle. That night, we met at our hotel with Mr. and Mrs. Macleod and Mr. and Mrs. Jim Porter—another dedicated couple in the Perth church. On the Sabbath, I preached in Perth and then went to one of our members’ homes for dinner on their patio with quite a number of brethren. Incidentally, we had about 49 people in attendance there—way out in western Australia and, they say, the most “isolated” major city in the world!
On Sunday morning, we flew to Sydney and were met by our elder there, Mr. Michael Gill, and his wife. Since there are very few brethren there, we were not able to have a service, but were able to spend time with Mr. and Mrs. Gill, and to see the beautiful city of Sydney and have a fine discussion with the Gills along the way. The next day—Monday—was our only full day in Sydney, and we were able to take a boat trip to Watson’s Cove and see many interesting and historical places in the area. On Tuesday we flew to Melbourne and were met by Mr. and Mrs. George Calache, and briefly toured interesting areas in Melbourne. We saw a historical war museum and the “Eternal Flame,” after which Mr. and Mrs. Calache took us to our room at the local Holiday Inn.
After having a couple of hours to rest and change clothes, we met and counseled with Mr. and Mrs. Rod King, who were planning to come with us from a different association. Rod was a former student of mine at Bricket Wood, and was President of the Ambassador Club that I directed there in the spring of 1973. So it was a wonderful opportunity to meet with him and his dedicated wife. They were able to “check us out” and ask all kinds of questions about the Living Church of God—what we believe, where we are headed, and so on. It was great to become more thoroughly acquainted with them—and all these acquaintances are very helpful for all of us in “bonding” as we work together to prepare for Christ’s coming.
The next day, Wednesday, was the Last Day of Unleavened Bread. In the morning, I gave the offertory and a split sermon on news of the Work, followed by a fine message from Mr. Tyler. We had a meal with the brethren during the noon hour, and that afternoon I preached to about 55 people there in Melbourne. On Thursday we toured Melbourne more thoroughly. We were also able to spend “quality time” with Mr. Tyler and with Mr. and Mrs. Gill. Mr. Gill has served ably and with great dedication as pastor of the Melbourne congregation, and will now be able to focus more on business matters for the Australian Work since Mr. King has come with us.
That evening, our entire group had a wonderful dinner in an Italian restaurant in Melbourne, then returned to our hotel early so we could meet with the former Jennifer Hanway of Pasadena, and her husband, who were interested in coming with us from another group. It was a wonderful visit, as Jennifer had worked for me in Church Administration at Pasadena many years ago. Both of them, incidentally, have decided to come with us in the Living Church of God!
Early next morning, Friday, we flew from Melbourne, through Sydney, to Manila, in the Philippines. We were met that evening by Mr. Rod McNair, and were able to have a snack with him before retiring for the night. Mr. McNair—the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl McNair—is directing the Work in the Philippines. He spent some three years living there, and now visits there three or four times a year to conduct meetings, perform training and solidify things. He is very dedicated, as is his wife Dana. The brethren there obviously respect him deeply, and it was inspiring to see him in action there in the Philippines. Next afternoon, on the Sabbath, I preached in Manila to a fine crowd of 208 people. The hall was really crowded, with more people attending than had been expected, and everyone was extremely enthusiastic. That evening, we had dinner right there in the hall, and then enjoyed a wonderful talent show in which the brethren put on quite a display of Philippine singing, dancing and other very interesting performances. There is a lot of talent there among our brethren—including dozens of young people! It was a warm and loving occasion, and one we will always remember.
On Sunday, we went to the Philippine office, where some of our brethren were hard at work. Mr. McNair showed us around, and explained the operation there. Then we were able to have lunch, with the McNairs and local elder Mr. Gorgonio DeGuia, at the Manila hotel where General Douglas McArthur had his headquarters. That afternoon we saw Fort Santiago, where the Japanese had imprisoned and tortured thousands of Filipinos and Americans during World War II. Then we went to the U.S. military cemetery, where thousands of tombstones marked the final resting places of many American servicemen from World War II. It was inspiring and moving to see some of the tombstone markers with the designation: “Known Only To God.” It made me think a great deal about how extremely important our understanding of the great White Throne Judgment is, and how vital a part that event will play in the Plan of our loving heavenly Father.
On Monday, we toured other important sites in and near Manila, then returned to our room in mid-afternoon so that I could start preparing my lectures for the Philippine Ministerial Conference which was to begin the next morning. On Tuesday morning, I gave the “kick off” lecture for the conference, then after lunch joined Mr. McNair in leading the conference in a give-and-take session that afternoon. On Tuesday evening, we had a banquet for all of the ministers and wives in the Philippines, and experienced a great deal of warm and loving fellowship. That night, we had to pack for our trip to Hong Kong.
On Wednesday morning we flew to Hong Kong, and we spent the afternoon and the following morning seeing interesting and historic sites in that city. I had never been to Hong Kong before. It was interesting to see, throughout the city, signs of its former status as a British Crown colony. But, also interestingly, we could see that the communist Chinese are gradually replacing the former British names and places, and are obviously beginning to stamp out many of the British symbols in that important and interesting port city. One by one, the last vestiges of the British Empire are being dismantled! And it is vital for all of you American and Canadian brethren to realize that the same thing may happen to our nations within this generation.
Overall, I am thankful to God for blessing us on this trip, for “hedging” us about in many ways along the way, for the privilege of meeting so many dedicated ministers and brethren, and for learning many things that will enlarge my understanding of that part of the world, including a few places I had never before visited. Men like Mr. Bruce Tyler, Mr. Kinnear Penman and others have been dedicated to the Work for many, many years. As I mentioned above, they have come through the “wars” and remained faithful to the Truth. They have been willing to seek out where the Work of Christ is being done most effectively, and to join wholeheartedly in that effort. For that, I thank God. And I thank all of you brethren around the world for your love and support, and I ask all of you to join me in praying for these fine ministers, their wives and our brethren in Australasia—and for God’s guidance and protection for the Work there, preparing the way for His Kingdom.
Dear brethren, each and every one of us is being “tested” as to our willingness to grow as close to the true Christ of the Bible and to His way as we possibly can. God is also evaluating how much we give of ourselves in actually doing His Work and preparing for His Kingdom. Remember Jesus’ challenging statement: “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12). And we can all rejoice most sincerely in Jesus’ most encouraging statement: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
