Water Ministry Aids Government Relief

A Letter from Cobbie and Dessa Palm, serving in the Philippines

November 2018

Tragedy struck painfully on September 20, after heavy rains caused a deadly landslide that buried and destroyed homes in the central part of the Philippines on the island of Cebu, some 500 miles south of Manila in the communities of Tinaan and Naalad. Fifty-six were killed, and at least 2,836 were left homeless. Victims were immediately relocated to the Enan Chiong Activity Center Gym (ECAC) and other nearby facilities. Relief workers grew alarmed at the lack of clean drinking water at the ECAC facility — the city brought in large water tanks that caused illness.

Silliman Water Ministry has designed and created a solar-powered, mobile water purifier for disaster response called the SolarPure. This is the first of its kind in the region and the impact it is having on disaster situations is getting the attention of towns and cities throughout the Philippines. Naga City called upon Silliman Water Ministry to offer the help of the SolarPure to address the crisis of the lack of clean water.

At 4:00 a.m. on October 12, the Silliman Water team left Silliman for Naga City, bringing volunteers, relief goods and the SolarPure.

The Silliman caravan arrived in Naga City at 9:00 a.m. and was brought to the ECAC facility, where they were met with hundreds of evacuees — including children and the elderly — sleeping on the floor. Close beside them they held blankets, pots and pans, small bags of clothes and whatever they could salvage from their buried or destroyed homes. The ECAC facility was now home to the victims whose homes had been totally destroyed and buried by the landslide.

Relief goods were brought to the distribution center at the ECAC facility. The Silliman Water team surveyed the water sources available for an appropriate set-up for the SolarPure. The large water tanks had a release hose to which the intake hose of the SolarPure could be connected and water could be processed and cleaned for drinking.

The SolarPure was activated, and the water quality was checked. It was clean, and water flowed out of the system, filling the Silliman water bottles at a rate of one bottle every three minutes. Naga City officials were grateful for the life-saving technology Silliman Water Ministry was able to share and requested that the Silliman Water team stay on for several days while they sought to restore clean water in the community.

Silliman Water Ministry has shown once again how important it is to share the blessings we have received. With our efforts, resources, and technology, we are able to save lives and give hope to communities in need.

We are grateful for the support given to us by you, our partners who journey with us in prayer and material support. We are your reach and extension to giving life and responding to the call of Jesus, who said, “I was thirsty, and you gave me drink.” Matthew 25:35.

Cobbie and Dessa

Please read this important message from José Luis Casal, Director, Presbyterian World Mission

Dear partners in God’s mission,

We near the close of 2018 inspired by the hope of Christ. God is transforming the world, and you are helping to make it happen.

Thank you very much for your support of our mission co-workers. The prayers and financial gifts of people like you enable them to work alongside global partners to address poverty, hopelessness, violence and other pressing problems in the name of Jesus Christ.

Every day, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-workers are blessed to be able to walk alongside their brothers and sisters across the globe. Listening to each other in faith and in friendship, they learn from each other how to work towards a world in which everyone flourishes. Acting upon what they discover together, PC(USA) mission co-workers and our global partners strengthen the body of Christ.

Because you are an integral part of God’s mission, I invite you to become more deeply committed to Presbyterian World Mission. First, would you make a year-end gift for the sending and support of our mission co-workers? The needs in the world are great, and World Mission is poised to answer God’s call to serve others.

I also invite you to ask your session to add our mission co-workers to your congregation’s prayer list and mission budget for 2019 and beyond. Your multi-year commitment will make a great difference in our involvement with our partners. The majority of our mission co-workers’ funding comes from the special gifts of individuals and congregations like yours, for God’s mission is a responsibility of the whole church, not a particular area of the church. Now more than ever, we need your financial support!

In faith, our mission co-workers accept a call to mission service. In faith, World Mission, representing the whole church and you, sends them to work with our global partners. In faith, will you also commit to support this work with your prayers and financial gifts? With hope and faith, I await your positive response!

At God’s service and at your service!

José Luis Casal
Director

P.S. Your gift will help meet critical needs of our global partners. Thank you!