Mission

October 31, 2009

Dear Friends,

The last time we wrote, Paul, Rachie and I were in the Philippines where the sun stood high in Manila sky and it seemed as if the days would never end.  Since then, Paul, Rachel Marie and I have returned to the U.S. for our year of interpretation assignment. We are now living for a year at the Overseas Ministries Studies Center in New Haven CT.  We look forward to this year as a time to get to know all of you better, to communicate with you more effectively and to spend time together as a family.

Rachel Marie is now thirteen years old, which is a critical time for a teen.  She is beginning to gain confidence in herself and is happy to be back with the friends in New Haven that she had made when we were here in 2004/2005.  If you look at her picture on our webpage, you will see that she has grown up quite a bit.  I am almost always surprised when I look at her and realize that she is the same little girl who went with us to the Philippines 8 years ago in 2001.  It comes home to me like a shock when I look at the pictures we took then and compare it to the young lady I see in front of me now.

Last month Paul and I both participated in the Presbyterian Mission Challenge, which took us across the plains of Kansas, through the hills of Missouri and over the windswept terrain of Oklahoma.  The hearts of the churches in these areas are as wide as the star studded skies that cover the prairies like an azure bowl.

Back in New Haven, the seasons have turned, as seasons in New England invariably will.  Crisp fall leaves herald the coming of winter where the evenings darken at 4:30pm and the taste of apples lingers in your mouth.  As we celebrated All Saints’ Day last November 1st and recalled all the Christians, dead and alive who have witnessed to Christ’s love, my thoughts turned to all of our friends in the land of endless summer, smiles, typhoons and mudslides.  As I was traveling through the plains of Kansas I was struck by the news of the disasters that plagued Luzon.

The UCCP Website http://uccp.org.ph brought home the reports that had blazed across the U.S. news services.  The disaster that struck the Philippines left some UCCP congregations under water and in such disrepair that one pastor wrote to me that it took them a full two weeks to locate all their members and that they expected to celebrate Christmas amid the wreckage oftheir small church. and members reported that initial data from 19 UCCP congregations indicate that at least 620 families have been severely affected The most affected conferences were the United Metropolis Conference in Northern Manila and the North East Southern Tagalog Conference.  Several UCCP Churches served as evacuation centers including the Bishop Sobrepena Memorial Church in Quezon City and the UCCP office building in Quezon City.  All in all the Philippine national Disaster Coordinating Council estimated that at least half a million persons were displaced by the typhoons, the heavy rains and the resulting mudslides.

Pastor Berlin Guerrero wrote of the tragedy, “Bagyong Ondoy did not carry so much strong winds but a lot of rainfall. The Laguna lake area has practically expanded and its water level increased by 14 meters submerging parts of several towns in waist-high waters. Several schools were converted into evacuation areas including some of our local church buildings. UCCP San Mateo is worst affected because it was submerged with only its roof above water. UCCP Banaba was also washed out because it is near a brook which turned into a rushing river that that fateful day. Many of our local congregations were not able to hold worship services.

It’s hard for us to imagine how they felt trying to cling onto something for their lives on a Sunday morning when they were supposed to be in the comfort of worship and safety of a sanctuary building.

By God’s grace, many of the not-so-much affected congregations immediately sent teams in the areas devastated by the typhoon even while streets were still flooded. UCCP Paete, Sat Cruz and other churches became evacuation sites for residents fearing landslide and escaping the rising level of the lake.

We now have a relief operation with UCCP Calamba as center and nodal centers in the districts. The Community Ministeries Committee (CMC), of which I am a member, is taking care of the operation. We are glad because we continue to receive donations from friends and partners coupled by the strong initiatives from local churches. As this situation may last till December or even longer, the rehabilitation stage may take a different form (perhaps not similar to North Quezon). We are in study of the steps to be taken. A type of situation adaptation (which includes strong advocacies) is in the offing.”

As all of us know, the tragic effects of these typhoons will continue through the coming months.  I fear that increased outbreaks of dengue, malaria, and typhoid will shadow the Filipinos affected by this catastrophe and will claim even more victims. Yet it seems that the Philippine Spirit is undaunted.  Rescue efforts will continue and faith in God will give people the courage to pick up the pieces of their lives and begin a new day.

In this season of Thanksgiving, we give thanks to all of you who have supported us throughout the years.  With your support we can continue to do God’s work in the world that longs for God’s healing touch and outstretched arms.  We invite you to continue to support our work as we seek to do God’s work on your behalf and spread God’s love to the Philippines.

In Christ,

Paul, Mary and Rachel Marie