Mission Accomplished: Robert and Metta Silliman’s Missionary Work in the Philippines, 1924-1966

Robert and Metta Silliman were missionaries stationed in Dumaguete on the Philippine Island of Negros from 1924-1966. Their mission thrived from its very beginning due to the support of their major patron, Grace A. Dow, and other members of the First Presbyterian Church (and later the Bertha E. R. Strosacker Memorial Presbyterian Church) in Midland, Michigan. They taught at Silliman University (founded in 1901 with funds from a distant relative), interacted with the nearby mountain people, and helped nurture their students at the college. If this wasn’t enough to challenge them, they lived a nomadic life in the jungles of Negros to evade the Japanese invaders during World War II. They were eventually rescued by an American submarine and later returned to their mission on Negros after the Japanese surrender. This is the fascinating story of people working together across the globe to make a difference in the lives of others.