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of the Government invited me to speak to a hastily organized assembly of some
450 people in his government department the next afternoon in a full Gospel
Message.
Then there were the two MAIN PUBLIC meetings in the city's leading
auditorium, seating 4,500, on successive Saturday and Sunday nights, virtually
packed houses. I believe these were possibly the most effective speeches
proclaiming Christ's Gospel Message of my life. God was with me, and did inspire
me.
I was greatly hampered in a manner that reminded me of the apostle Paul's
"thorn in the flesh" (whatever that was), but by constant prayer, God was with
me and inspired me to do my most effective work on this important trip.
While there, the Church was holding a ministers' conference for three
days, attended by all ministers and local elders of the Philippines and their
wives--some 35 or 40 of them. I found time to spend a morning session with
them, expounding some important scriptures pertaining to our time now. The
Church there has grown around 30 percent this last year. I spoke on the Sabbath
there to a combined congregation of more than 1,000 of our warm-hearted and
dedicated Filipino members.
I returned home Sunday morning just as the very first of our new TV series
was coming on. I was really thrilled at the way our TV staff had tailored that
program, with exciting film clips illustrating my sermon all the way through.
When I spoke of a meeting with Mrs. Golda Meir, the late prime minister of
Israel, a picture of me talking with her was flashed on the screen. When I spoke
of the oratory at the San Francisco Conference, which I attended in 1945, there
appeared a film clip of President Harry Truman speaking at the conference --
and so on. The new TV series, I feel, is the most effective of all our TV
programs,
so far.
I plan to record two more TV programs and two radio half hours next
Tuesday
and the same amount on Wednesday, when the whole TV crew will be in Tucson.
I plan to keep this up until we have six months or more of programs ahead on
tape--and possibly we then may start DAILY TV and radio broadcasting in major
cities in the U.S. and Canada.
It is now Sunday as I write. Today's TV program was a half hour devoted
to our China visit as guests of the People's Republic government. It showed
a certain amount of several of my speeches there. What I am doing now, as
televised, is, I feel, vastly improved and more effective than I was doing a
year
ago. I may be a year older, but I appear younger, smooth-speaking, more vigorous
and effective. God is invigorating and inspiring me. I need your prayers that
He will surcharge me with His Spirit and power for still greater effectiveness
as we plunge on to finish His great Work before Christ's coming.
But of course His coming will be preceded by the Great Tribulation, the
Day of the Lord (initiatory phase, with terrifying signs in the skies).
Just a few months ago God gave me a new idea for turning the hearts
of the children to their parents and of the parents to their children--the new
magazine YOUTH 81. The first two issues are out, and I honestly feel it is
far superior to any youths' publications ever published. When I was young there