Dear St. John's Family,

Greetings from the Philippines! I am starting to adjust to life here in the Philippines. Currently, I am in Manila with seven other interns for the UCCP (United Church of Christ in the Philippines). We are all living together in a little house on the campus of PCU (Philippine Christian University).

As an intern I am in the midst of my orientation that introduces the culture of the Philippines and the issues the people here face. In order to do that I will be visiting different communities on immersion trips. Our orientation consists of five immersions: The urban poor, semi-urban industrial, ruraI farmers, Moro exposure (Muslim community), and indigenous peoples.

After orientation I will remain here in Manila in the community of Cuboo. I will have three positions. I will be helping to organize and run a theater program at the church. I will also be working at a rehabilitation clinic for children, and assisting in a home for women who have left prostitution.

I have met so many amazing people and look forward to sharing stories with you. Thank you so much for all of the support this congregation has shown me. The people I have met in the Philippines have different struggles but are passionate about their lives and willing and open to share them. I hope that I can learn from them and embody this outlook as I continue through in my work this year.

- Always, Martha Reiter

My story from the Urban poor Immersion:
Most of the people who live in these "squatter" communities have come from the province to the city to find work but in reality there are not enough jobs available. They are usually forced to leave their homes because most of the land is owned by a few wealthy families, and they cannot produce enough crops to pay the landowners and feed themselves. Most residents are tricycle drivers, a form of public transportation, or vendors, selling products on the street or peeling bags of garlic and onions for the market vendors. Some people, usually children, are scavengers. They go through trash looking for plastics and recyclables that can be turned in for a little bit of money. One reason for so much unemployment is that companies employ contractual workers. The workers are laid off after six months so that the company can avoid having to offer benefits or long term positions. Most workers are only temporary workers, and companies will not usually hire women who are married or have families. The squatter communities have been built on land that the government is threatening to demolish without any relocation options for the thousands of people that live there. People live with the added fear of not knowing how much time they have left in their homes and the everyday fears of wondering where they will find food, jobs, or money to send their children to school.

My story from the Semi-Rural Immersion:
This immersion focused on the working people and their struggles with large corporations. We spent time learning about unions here and what it means to the people. Most workers are striking for basic human rights and reasonable wages. The most powerful part of this experience for me was meeting with the workers on strike from Nestle. They have been very active in spreading awareness about their fight for retirement benefits, which has evolved into a fight for human rights globally throughout Nestle. (http://blood-in-your-coffee.blogspot.com) The union workers have also struggled with the assassination of their president last year. He was gunned down in broad daylight on his way home only a few hundred meters away. The interns and I spent Saturday night at his home with his wife and 17 year old son. They shared their sadness and they shared stories of joy. It meant so much to hear their stories, and understand what this struggle meant to them. The personal stories showed me what it means to truly live your faith in action.

St. John's is very proud of the many ways that we serve our brothers and sisters though our outreach efforts. By helping those across the globe to live a safer and more healthy life, we are demonstrating Christ's love. It is this same love for others that has inspired Martha to spend a year in the Philippines starting in October 2006. In May of 2004, she went to Colombia and was confronted by a society in extreme poverty complicated by a cruel political game of chess where the villagers are unwilling pawns, moved and sacrificed at the whim of whatever power is in control at the time.

Click here to read her Colombia pictorial mission report given to the St. John's congregation on June 13, 2004. (3 meg PDF)

Her trip to the Philippines needs our ongoing support! Please keep Martha in your prayers as she acts as our representative for Christ's love. She also needs our financial support in this endeavor. As is the practice of many denominations, she, must get pledges of support in order to pay her own expenses on this trip. This is a test of the missionary's commitment and keeps the bond to her supporters in the states strong. Please pray about your participation in this mission, and pledge as much (however small or large) as you are able.

Click here to view and print a plege form for Martha's 2006 trip to the Philippenes. (400k PDF)