Joel Tendoro and Cobbie Palm are international peacemakers from the Philippines who visited the New Brunswick Presbytery last October.  These excerpts from the December 2009 letter we received from Cobbie Palm give us an idea of the ministries they are pursuing and the environment in which they serve on our behalf.

 Greetings of joy and peace!

 The year gone by has been a mosaic of disturbing challenges, simple joys, and exciting possibilities for us as we continue to live out our faith in Jesus Christ and commitment to mission in the Philippines.  Imagine living in the midst of:

·         the tragic politically motivated Ampatuan massacre in Mindanao last November that killed 57 people mostly family, friends, lawyers and journalists who were journeying as a party to register the candidacy of an opposition candidate

·         the unsolved assassinations of 23 UCCP church workers among more than 1000 individuals assassinated for speaking out and organizing against injustice since President Macapagal- Arroyo came to power in 2001

·         the ravage of flooding in Dumaguete City last February

 The disturbing challenges we work with day in and day out are rooted in poverty and fear. The poverty that denies opportunity and the fear that inhibits courage.  Our efforts in mission are channeled into creating opportunities enabling individuals to live and experience the hope that is within each one who is given the chance to receive and evolve. 

Allow us to share highlights of the simple joys in our ministry in 2009.

 Enabling Scholarships: Throughout the Philippines, many young people with the desire to study for the ministry and the teaching professions but cannot because of their poverty.  We are reaching out to churches and benefactors enabling scholarships to making it possible for young people to pursue their dreams. 

 Enabling Pastors with Clean Water: Many pulpits are not filled because local churches cannot afford to support a pastor.  This past year we were enablers of a partnership between Silliman University and Advent Church (PCUSA) of Memphis Tennessee in creating “Silliman Water”, a clean water processing and educational facility to provide clean drinking water to the Silliman campus and to impoverished communities in need of clean water. We hope to move this project toward establishing a clean water facility in partnership with Advent Church to generate income to support pastor’s salaries in pulpits without pastors.

Empowering Leaders to Impact Communities:  Theater is a powerful language and process that allows people to reflect on their lives and touch the divine.  A group of youth, many from disadvantaged families, has been organized into the Youth Advocates through Theater Arts (YATTA). The vision of YATTA is to create and perform drama that speaks to social issues as a means of education and consciousness-raising. Their work on the issue of violence against women and children earned YATTA in 2008 the prestigious Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations award in the Philippines. Their musicale on the Environment and solid waste management has earned them a grant from the National Commission on Culture and the Arts to perform in schools and communities along the Banica River. 

The Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP): The quest for a just and lasting peace in the Philippines has brought both Catholics and Protestants into a working partnership to encourage the Peace Talks between the Philippine Government and the revolutionary New People’s Army.   Formed in 2006, Cobbie has been actively involved with PEPP as a Core Group Member educating and building a national peace constituency.

Assistance to Survivors: Cobbie and his wife sit on the Board of Gender Watch Against Violence and Exploitation, a non-profit that assists girls and women survivors of gender-based violence.  Efforts to enable processes of healing for the young survivors, through creative workshops, has been made possible by bridging a partnership and receiving support from Swarthmore Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania.

 Merry Christmas and a hope-filled New Year!

Cobbie and Dessa Quesada-Palm