A letter from Cobbie Palm serving in the Philippines
November 2014 - Peace! Be Still!
The Biblical story in the Gospel of Mark tells of a great windstorm arising while Jesus and the other disciples were in a boat at sea. Jesus is awakened and brings calm to the storm with the words, “Peace! Be Still!” It could have been just rain or wind, but the Bible says a great windstorm—this is the power of a typhoon, and in the Philippines we understand the power of typhoons; we average 26 typhoons a year. We understand that when a typhoon hits, the reach is far and wide, both the boats and the shore are affected—and therefore we understand that when Jesus says, “Peace, Be Still” to a typhoon, the word “Peace” is a peace that reaches far and wide, from the boats on the water to the homes on the shore.
-1_medium250.jpg)
The aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan Photos with Permission: Bruce Reyes-Chow
-3_medium250.jpg)
A peace that is far and wide, reaching from boats on the water to homes on the shore, is guiding the work of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) as it reaches out to communities devastated by Typhoon Haiyan, which cut through parts of central Philippines on November 8, 2013.
Early in 2014 the PC(USA) put together a team of General Assembly staff persons and individuals all with specific expertise for the rehabilitation of a natural calamity of this magnitude. The team was led by Rev. Mienda Uriarte, Area Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific, and included Laurie Kraus and Luke Asikoye of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Valery Nodem of the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Emily Miller of the Young Adult Volunteer program, and Bruce Reyes-Chow, Moderator of the 218th General Assembly. The composition of the group was an expression of the breadth of the rehabilitation needed for a disaster of this magnitude.
The UCCP invited the team into the epicentre of the disaster. We walked the desolate streets of Tacloban City, once a bustling economic center for the Samar and Leyte region; we climbed over the rubble of destroyed medical equipment and washed-out treatment and emergency rooms of the Bethany Hospital, once among the important medical centers of the region, which was started by Presbyterian Mission in 1918; we sat with church members in their communities listening to their horrific stories of survival and courage; and we stood under canvass tarps and makeshift walls with teary-eyed pastors guiding us through destroyed UCCP churches.
-2_medium300.jpg)
The PCUSA delegation with UCCP community leaders in Leyte. Photo with Permission: Bruce Reyes-Chow
The peace needed for a disaster of this magnitude is a peace that reaches far and wide. The PC(USA) team understood the long-term commitment it would take to begin a rehabilitation program to give life back to these people, their communities and their churches. The PC(USA) team understood because it rebuilt with the people of Thailand and Indonesia after the tragic Tsunami in 2004 and with the people of New Orleans after Katrina in 2005, and now the PC(USA) was reaching out to the Philippines, to churches, schools and hospitals that began with Presbyterian Mission in the early 1900s.
In October 2014 I was back in Tacloban. The journey to rehabilitation is showing the signs of hope, there is reconstruction of homes and churches, there are new small fishing bangkas for the fisherfolk and coconut seedlings for the farmers, there are new planned water and sanitation systems for community health and hygiene. Smiles and laughter on the faces of people have returned. There is so much more to do, but I thank God that I belong to and represent the PC(USA), a church that understands the journey of rehabilitation and is willing to walk with the people of the Philippines on the long journey to the “Peace” of Jesus that reaches far and wide.
Sincerely,
Cobbie Palm
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 238
The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 249
Read more about Cobbie and Dessa Palm's ministry
Write to Cobbie Palm
Write to Dessa Quesada-Palm
Individuals: Give online to E200393 for Cobbie and Dessa Palm's sending and support
Congregations: Give to D506901 for Cobbie and Dessa Palm's sending and support
Churches are asked to send donations through your congregation’s normal receiving site (this is usually your presbytery).
Double Your Impact!
A group of committed donors has pledged to match all gifts sent by individuals for mission personnel support now through December 31, 2014, up to $137,480. This means your gift today will be matched by a gift to support mission personnel around the world, wherever the need is greatest. We invite you to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to double the impact of your gift. Thank you!
