Address Reminder

The missionaries say they aren't getting mail. In case you need it, here is their address.

Elder Kenneth and Sister Rosalina Stamps
Philippines Baguio Mission
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
PO Box 7, Barangay: San Vicente East
Urdaneta, Pangasinan 2428
PHILIPPINES

Hot and Muggy

The rain stopped.  It is sunny and hot.  And muggy.

We are well.  We have been teaching some basic computer [skills] to the branch clerk and some members so they can do their jobs. We are helping some members with papers to get married. Nothing moves fast here.
It took 12 minutes to get on line at 12 kbits per second. We hope you get this [email].

There is a lot of dengue in Urbiztondo.  If they would drain some of the bogs it would not be so bad. We are 15 miles away in Aguilar.  No swamps here. We put out a bug zapper. It works.
[Sister Stamps] got a new washing machine. It works well enough. She is happier now. Tomorrow we will take some sisters to a zone conference. Now while things are quiet, we are figuring out organization problems. These are the routine items that all leaders get.

The car we have is a three year old Toyota. It runs pretty good. [President Stamps has] only put four dents in it  and some scratches on the front bumper when we turned around once. We once got stuck on a tree root. Life is different here.  When we got the car serviced, they had to bolt the bumper back on. It looks better now.

[Sister Stamps] is complaining to the globe internet people again.  Maybe this will work this time. We will get back to all when we can.

Still safe

President and Sister Stamps were not impacted by the earthquake because they are on the west side of the country and the quake was on the east side. They have no internet or cell coverage however. The flooding from the typhoons has subsided. It is very windy. They want everyone to know that they are ok.

Pictures of our neighborhood

We are adjusted to most things here. Life is much better now that the rains have slowed down. It is a lot cooler. We are well.


The Relief Society President pouring water out of her boot. She had delivered food to a family.

The food relief crew at a local school. The Church gave a lot of food to flooded families.

The Sagun Family

By the Agno River. The road was washed out. Two weeks earlier, the water here was four feet deep.

Our home, the landlord and his wife in Aguilar.

A tricycle (a motorcycle with a sidecar)

One of thousands of tricycles on the road.

A jeepney loaded with handmade furniture.

A farmer with his tractor going to town. The tractor is a big rototiller and he is pulling a wagon.

The members cleaning up the local church.

One of our great sisters and her daughters.



Keeping busy

From Elder (President) Stamps:

On a brighter note, things here are sure busy and really interesting. We have had 3 typhoons pass this area in 3 weeks. We had little wind but a lot lot lot of rain. The people living by the Agno river got flooded out. They often had so little to begin with. We have spent 2 weeks taking food and some medicine to them.
The church emergency response sent some food to hundreds of families in this area, members and non- members alike. The fast offering funds really make a big difference in peoples lives. As the families are given their food, they always come to me to say thank you. I assure them this is a gift from the Lord. I guess we are the public face of the church here. When we see the look on the mothers faces, it is quite touching. they know their families will eat till they can return home.

The branch is growing. We have about 190 members here. About half show up each Sunday. The building that is rented is smaller than the chapel portion of the stake center [in Oregon]. Honestly, this building is a dump. We are pushing hard for a larger more presentable location.

The members are great. They try so hard to learn. The young women's leader is only 20 years old.
No one has ever heard the Primary or Young Women songs. We bought a CD player and had brought some songs with us. The relief society is awesome. No real surprise there. The elders quorum had their first presidency meeting. We have 5 branch missionaries, all are teenagers. I just found the branch mission president. The only duties the young men have known of is passing the sacrament. Ee have a lot of work to do here. I do know who my replacement will be. We are in a training mode. 

We have some awesome missoinary elders here. They take food and the gospel to families in banka boats (about the size of a canoe) to families through flood waters 3-4 feet deep.

We are well. The heat isn't bad when it rains. The traffic is something else.
We have a great place to live. it is ten miles and across the river from Urbiztondo where we are serving.
The river is about the size of the Willamette. When it floods, everyone knows it. Sometimes we can't get across the bridge.

We hope all are well there.
Elder and Sister Stamps

Flooding report

From Sister Stamps:

We are doing great. Yes, Pangasinan is flooding. It has been raining and it pours by the bucket. On top of that the gov. opens up the dams.

 

Some of our members have to move to a higher grounds which is schools and we have to open up the church.  Many get sick due to dirty water, crowded school rooms and lack of comfort space. Cold cement floors. We did our best help out.

 

One time we were not able to help because the roads are flooded and we cannot get to where the members are and we get lost just trying to find a safe road getting to them.

 

We are also blessed that in one area where we do not know which to turn to get out from a certain town  

that the water is all around us every which way we try (the road) is deep water. Luckily, a family saw us and pulled side by us. We did not know they are members at first. We were thinking they want to pass us because we are moving very slow so not to get the car engine wet. They opened their window and ask if we are lost, we said we need direction to highway towards Manggaterm. We wanted to just go home at this time. They address us Elders we forgot we had our name tags and President Stamps his white shirt. We feel safe and he looks like we could trust him. He said to follow him. We did, then the road got narrower and narrower and lots of turns. I feel worried not for myself but for my husband. He is americano and white. We looked each other and followed a little more slower then the driver of the van got out and said that the road we want will be to our right, just follow the road and it will lead us to the freeway. We ask if we need to turn right after how many street we past and what corner. Then we ask if he knows about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and he said he is a Mormon. Then another window in the van opened and we saw a lot of them and the older lady said they will bring us to the highway instead of giving directions because lots of turning in the road and no road signs. We were thankful for her instruction to her son and thank them all and they told us their names but we forgot it. All we know Jason and his family from Cammiling district had help us to safety.

 

Today we are going to Urdaneta to the Mission Home for a family home evening get together for Senior couples. We are to bring the main dish.

Safe

There is widespread flooding in the Philippines due to a typhoon and monsoons. Elder and Sister Stamps report they are fine.

They also say they want pictures, particularly of the grandkids.