Flooding

The river by our back gate is now over the banks. We are safe. we are 2 feet higher than that. Much of the lowlands are flooded. We have some members who are living upstairs in their houses this week. We hope the main roads are open so we can get to urbiztondo. The storms bring a lot of rain. It can dump an inch in an hour. It is a balmy 75 degrees.  A lot of rain is headed this way. We will help those we can reach.  Those who live by the agno river should have left for higher ground last night. We will have food for those who go to the malibong school.  This sure is different to the desert.

What a week in Pangasinan!!

We are well and busy.

We moved into the new chapel on Tuesday.  The workers were still working on the wiring. Many members came to help load the truck.  It went really well.

On Wednesday the contractor and inspector debated the list of rework we wanted. The back steps were poured by some members.  The sink drains were fixed. Well most of them. We put bolt locks on the doors.

Thursday we poured the front steps.  Just as the cement was floated and finished, the piano arrived. We carried it through the back door. More finish work was done by the contractors.

Friday the workmen finished the front steps. They look pretty good. The wiring was finished. The lights outside now are on at night. I got the computer to work again. A great brother has built some storage boxes for the kids in primary that they can sit on during classes. The building is almost finished. We now have closets for relief society and primary and young men and women. There is even a cabinet for paper goods and brooms.

Saturday, The youth practiced a new song while workmen finished some projects.

Sunday we had the mission President and his councilor and their wives for sacrament meeting.  I t went well.  We still need some room partitions in the main hall to separate the classes. It is good to hear the primary children sing.   We are planning the first activities for this Saturday.  The elders quorum plan on building a bamboo fence between here and the neighbors. All are happy. This will be good for this branch for a long time.

There is a typhoon coming tonight and tomorrow. It will pass north of here. We will get the edge of it with rain and wind.  What a week.

Pangasinan Mornings

In the early morning, the sun takes about 30 minutes from the first light to appear.  The low clouds over the distant mountains  make for a beautiful sunrise.  [Sister Stamps] likes to take an early walk with our neighbor. It is about a mile on the local rural road to the main highway going the back way. Then they come back refreshed.  The road is paved concrete. It is about ten feet wide with irrigation ditches and fields along the sides. The morning air is fresh and cool. The trees are damp with dew. The trees are full of ants that bite. We stay clear of them.

 There are the broad mango trees with dark green leaves. These produce sweet mangos from February until May.  There are some morangi trees with small leaves and long fruit that resemble green beans before the seed pods open and drop the seeds.

There are some papaya trees here and there. These grow fast and are easily broken off. The ones by the front gate have grown from 4 inches to four feet in three months. These have large star shape leaves that branch from the trunk in an alternating pattern.  The fruit grows from the trunk in between the leaves.  The fruit hangs like large pears until ripe. These are good. The black seeds are in the enter much like a cantaloupe.

We pass banana trees with their huge long tattered leaves. They only produce every two years. Then we cross a small bridge and the local barangay hall. It is the government building for the local neighborhood. The captain and secretary know everyone who lives here. Most barangay halls have an elementary school by them. This one does not. The children walk two hundred yards to the public school or the private one near it. Each school has its own distinctive uniform. Typical is a white shirt or blouse, dark pants or a bright plaid skirt. And sandals.

Along the way are an assortment of dogs, goats, huge Brahman cows, families eating breakfast, and men going to work in the fields.  Everyone is friendly. The small kids just stare. Most people say hi.  Some homes are humble with split bamboo walls and grass roofs.  Many homes are of concrete blocks with metal roofs and elaborate iron gates.

The fields make a green carpet all the way to the mountains about 3 miles away. The houses are lined up by the roads. Different trees dot the landscape.  There are many frogs but few bugs. The mosquitos are sprayed heavily here. The malaria is gone here now. Some places have dengue from mosquitos. We don’t worry much.

We pass tricycles and motorcycles and few trucks. The local roads are quiet.  The main highways are noisy.  There are some unimproved roads which can be driven if there are rocks in them. There are some trails through the fields and by the river. We don’t drive there too often.

Life here is peaceful. It is uncomplicated. The people are happy with few earthly possessions.  Families live near to the relatives. Many work together. They share in fortunes and misfortunes together. They are usually close. Birthday celebrations are simple for the kids. If the family is prosperous the adults will have larger louder parties for their birthdays. These will have karaoke for hours or days.

The internet is rare here. Homework is optional. Few go to college. Life changes slowly for most. We are blessed to be here. We are blessed with our homes and families there.  Life is good. 

take care... Elder and Sister Stamps

One year...

From the webmaster:

It's hard to believe that Elder and Sister Stamps have been gone for a full year! They are continuing to do well and are very busy.

If you haven't heard, their mission is being split, effective tomorrow I think. They are now serving in the Philippines Urdaneta Mission, though they keep the same mission president that they had in Baguio.

Events of Late May

We have been busy.  On the 22^nd to the 24^th we were at a resort called the cozy place for a youth conference. The kids were typical teenagers.  A good pool cooled many passions.  The kids are great. They are teachable and learning.  Several just graduated from high school at 16.  Some are preparing for a mission.  Rose taught a great class to the youth about standing in holy places. The dance that night was fun.  They have a local style of group dancing.

 It is not much fun being the official grump but someone has to do it. I get a lot of respect just showing up as a senior American missionary.  Whenever someone makes a decision, they look to me to ratify it.

We had fun.  On Monday the 27^th we went to Ilocos Sur to meet some of Rose’s cousins. We had picked up her sisters in Urdaneta the afternoon before.  We went through Dagupan and then north. It is about 120 miles. We made it in 5 hours. Traffic through the cities is really slow. When we got there, some guys met us in town and lead us out through the hills to a small community in the back woods.  We were in time for the funeral of her cousin.  We were offered seats of honor. They fed us a great meal. The funeral home had a slide show projected on a screen of his life.  Then the minister conducted the services. She was from the Methodist church. The choir was with her and knew the songs. Many sounded familiar even in a different dialect. The late cousin was in a nice coffin at one side of the room. The room had a dirt floor and the tin roof made the place really hot. We went outside for a breath of air. The neighbors turned the karaoke down and more food was served. Then the procession to the cemetery started. We walked the hundred yards to the cemetery with everyone else. They had opened the family vault and mixed some cement for the coffin to rest in.  we later went to town and left some family group sheet s with another cousin to fill in. we will get some of the family history from there. The trip home was late and dark and rainy. I missed a fork in the road and wound up in Sison. We took the long way home. At least I knew the way. Go to google maps and look at Pangasinan.

The next day we took her sister’s home to Baguio. We made a detour to look at some land for her sister.

I almost hit a big truck at the turnoff the main highway.  He was going way too fast. We were stuck in a line of cars and buses.  The trip up Kennon road was slow with all the rain.  The wipers could not keep up with the water. We had to wait for the rains to slow before we could go home.  The road crew had a lot of rocks to clear off the road.  That trip is still better than any roller coaster ride. It takes five hours to get to Baguio and five hours to go home.

We sent some youth to the temple late the night of the 29^th. They had a five hour bus ride, then five hours in the temple before coming home. We went back to the resort with the young single adults from our district the next day.  One of our young men is a pretty good magician.  We got home late and slept in the next day.  We have driven  many miles in the slow lane in this month. We also went to another funeral in our branch.  We have paid to get one member out of one hospital. We have another member in a different hospital. We don’t know if he will live. We also went to the national statistics office in Calisiao for a birth certificate for a member.  When the door there opened there were 400 people already in line. Rose went to the head of the line and got the papers in only one hour. She is amazing.

Life is not boring. We have also met with some other cousins in Dagupan.  Some names here are fairly common.  Everyone wants to be you’re cousin.  Especially if you are rich.  All Americans are rich. 

We were approved for a new building in our branch . At least the funding. We hope it will happen in the next two months. It sure be better than where we are meeting now.  We will send more later.  Thank you for your prayers.

Ken and Rose

it is hard to get pictures to load to the internet. I don't know why. sorry

Mother's Day in Pangasinan

May 12, 2013

The rains are early this year. They usually start in June and get hard in July.  They started in April and are hard some days now.  Most mornings are clear and sunny. Later the clouds build to thunderheads. When it comes down, it can rain an inch in an hour.  The afternoons are quiet. Just cloudy and muggy.

With the seasonal rains, it has cooled about ten degrees F to about 85.  We don’t run the aircon so much.

The farmers are quickly plowing and planting rice. They had just harvested the last of the corn. Maybe they can get one harvest in before the floods. It is hot and subtropical here. The soil is rich. Two to three crops each year are normal.  Those who have land can prosper quite well.

I don’t need to wash the car any more.. I wish I could get the scratches and dings in the paint fixed. They want too much money for that.  When I drive on narrow roads in rural areas, sometimes I get hit. The worst dents happened in the cities by tricycle drivers who cut me off.  Some of the scrapes happened when I turned in a close place or two.

We are busy  trying to train leadership here and helping some families.  It is hard when the best talent is abroad.  The people are great.  We have sent out 4 young missionaries in the last six months.

We had chocolate bars for the sisters on mother’s day. The kids were jealous.  Oh well.

We might get a better building in the next three months.  The old building is so sad. It is too small, in poor shape, and noisy from the road outside. When it rains the water coming off the road above here runs right through the outside classroom.  It is hard to invite people to come to worship in this dump.

The missionaries serving here are from Utah and Alabama.  We have had a lot of elders from the Philippines.  They are each individuals. Some are really great. 

Rose has been working with her sister Jeanna to find some cousins.  She has found some in Dagupan. They were surprised when she showed up.

We sure like this new house better than the other one before.  It is a lot closer to Urbiztondo and is a nicer place.  I just installed a triple water filter by the pump and tank. The water smells better now.

Today was election day locally. Most people stayed off the streets when not voting.  The polling places at the schools were heavily guarded.   We will be glad to have an end to political rallies, and cars driving around blaring music and ads for someone.  There are many political parties here and it is big business. 

The internet was down for much of the day. Rose did not get to skype.  Bummer.

We will pick her sister up in Urdaneta early tomorrow. 

Take care for now

A trip to Baguio last week

A trip to Baguio….

 The sun comes up at 6:30.  The rooster next door has been crowing for about 30 minutes.

Breakfast is cereal and juice. Some laundry is set to soak. We pray and gather things for the day’s events.

 When we load the car, we always include some plants for Rose’ sisters. They are born to be gardeners too.  We will exchange these for some there to put in our yard.  We load the small cooler with water and ice in old Gatorade bottles.  It is already getting warm out. When the house is locked, I unlock the gate. There is an inside lock that holds both halves of the gate for cars together. There is also an outside lock for the small gate for people to pass through. We then drive 100 feet past our neighbor’s houses and go through the gate to the street. The street is about ten feet wide and paved with concrete.  It serves much of this neighborhood.  On the other side of the street is an irrigation ditch four feet deep.

 This morning there were few little kids playing in the street.  Sometimes there are ten or more of them. They always wave and shout hello.  The neighbors are friendly.  We wave and answer them.  At the corner is a gas station and a bus waiting shed.  We turn toward Urbiztondo and pass two tricycles and a cow.  A truck coming the other way has a heavy load of sand. At about four miles we cross the bridge over the Agno River. The water is low. Some boys are swimming. Others are fishing from a small boat.

We go through Urbiztondo and turn to take something to a friend who lives past town. About five miles out of town we turn into a narrow road into the barangay. Two miles further on we come to their neighborhood.  Here everyone seems to be related. Americans and their cars are easily noticed.  The little kids here shout and wave.  The adults and older youth often stare.  There are a lot of tricycles on the way. These are the motorcycles with side cars attached.  There are a few long jeeps and trucks on the road today.

 Our friend is a remarkable lady.  She was getting ready to go out selling soup vegetables and rice from a small trailer she pulls with the only four wheel ATV in the province. Street vendors are common. Her food is really good. She quickly offers to share some with us. Rose becomes her first customer for the day.

 After leaving there, we take the back roads to San Carlos.  The back roads are narrow. The main roads are wide enough for the traffic both ways.  Cars, trucks and busses are soon backed behind a slow moving tricycle.  It is going twelve miles per hour and so is everyone else in line behind it.

 Four miles later we have passed everyone in line and come to the town.  Then with a lack of communication,  I drive to Dagupan. The detour at Calisiao is no longer much problem.  We stop for gas. Then I find out that the trip to Dagupan was being postponed.  We turn around and take the road toward Santa Barbara and Urdaneta.  This is 27 kilometers away (18 miles). We get there in about 35 minutes.  On the wider highways we make much better time. We have been traveling for two hours.

   Rose and her sister want to detour to Villasis to get some herbs at the market there.  It is fifteen miles south toward Manila. The market there has more fruits and vegetables than I have seen anywhere.  Most of these I know of and have eaten often.  Some I don’t know what they are or how they taste.

 We buy banana chips and apples and some snacks.  We have juice and water in the car. The cr (comfort room) here is clean and neat.  This whole market is clean. There are some eateries. Here the traffic on the national highway is heavy. More trucks and buses.   When we get in the car, it is hot. We run the aircon on high for a few minutes.

Turning north, we go through Urdaneta. It is a small city with five colleges in it.  There are some great malls here.  Without the tricycles, it would seem like some of California. Most of the signs are in English. There is a Mcdonalds, a KFC and a Shakeys pizza place here.  Rice is served with every meal.

After Urdaneta we travel 20 miles north to Pozzorubio. (Spanish for red water).  Then through Sison. These towns are near the foothills to the Cordillera mountains.  The mountains can be seen ahead. They are five thousand feet high and steep.  There are clouds on top. We soon pass through the corner of LA UNION province and start up Kennon Road.  This is the most memorable part of the trip.

I would ask everyone to look online for Kennon road.  As we twist and turn and climb, we wind up in line with trucks and buses and jeepneys.  There are only two construction stops today.  They are rebuilding several stretches and cementing concrete barriers along the way.  With many cliffs above us and sometimes below us, we drive carefully. The road is much wider and the bridges better than what I remember from before.  It takes an hour to drive the forty kilometers to the top.

Finally after passing the lions head and the last steep mile we are at the “City of the Pines”.  Many of the pines trees are still here. The city has grown by ten times in the last forty years.  It is cool and misty here. The air is crisp. There are a lot of flowers.  And traffic.  And trees, even bamboo and mangos. 

The best map in the world and gps will do no good if you don’t know where you are.  Since Baguio is built in the top of several mountains, all roads go somewhere. I wish that I knew where.  There are many signs posted. If you don’t have a guide, you will be lost!!!    Rose’s sisters and nieces know the city well. It is like no other place I have ever been.  I could live here happily if I could afford it.

There is a mansion house for the Presidential Summer retreat. There is the old American recreation base called Camp John Hay. There are some nice hotels in John Hay today.  There is the tourist corner called mines view.  This is near where Rose and her family lived. On the north is Trinidad with the strawberry and vegetable fields. There are shops that sell fine hand carved wood items. Others sell beautiful silver jewelry. One notable one has hand woven clothes and accessories.  The market downtown includes modern stores. This fills several blocks. People have gotten lost walking around the market.  There are many street vendors. 

In Baguio you are often going up or down hill.  During the rainy season, you have to pay closer attention.  There is less traffic during the rainy season since more people are in the lowlands during school. There are many good schools in Baguio, including the Philippine Military Academy, a medical school, and an international school.  There is an airport further down the hill, but why would someone fly when they can travel Kennon road.

Too soon we have finished our deeds and set to return home.  We always look forward to the next trip to Baguio.  It is more than a vacation. It is an experience.