Very early this Sabbath morning, we departed Manila for Tacloban on the island of Leyte. We arrived in Tacloban at 07:20 and were greeted at the airport by Florante and Lina Siopan, and some of the Leyte brethren. Mr. Siopan is the pastor for the Visayas region (the central islands in the Philippines. They are a very hardworking and faithful coupld who set a wondeful example.


During services at the Leyte Park Resort Hotel, which is also used as a Feast of Tabernacles site, Dave and I each gave a split sermon in the morning service, the first on the topic of the return of Christ using the example of General Douglas MacArthur's return to Leyte. I video taped Dave's sermon for use in the Festival video.


Then I gave a short sermon entitled "Do the Right Thing Anyway" using illustrations from the Paradoxical Commandments. We had a record-setting 80 people in attendance, including several that were attending a UCG service for the first time, and everyone shared a pleasant lunch after the service.


In the afternoon we gave slide show presentations. I discussed the organization and governance of UCG and showed slides of the General Conference of Elders, the Council of Elders, and our Home Office staff.
Dave showed pictures he took during the Feast of Tabernacles in Iloilo last year. Many of those attending enjoyed seeing photos from their FOT site, and of themselves. People can't always easily have photos of themselves in less blessed areas, so it can be a rare experience for some.

It was a delight to see the joy of the Church members, and especially so many fine young people.
Tacloban is a little off the beaten track, and Church visitors are not common. We chatted with many poeple and heard some of the fascinating stories of their lives in this farflung part of the world. It was especially encouraging to hear from people who had only recently joined our Church family.