We're Moving!

This is called a "kubo" it resembles a small hut, no windows or door, just an opening to let you go in or out.
I love these things--I just can't figure out how to get one in my suitcase! They are not very expensive here but in the states it would cost a fortune. Bamboo trees are plentiful here. Many of the Filipino people live is a "kubo". It is affordable and transportable as you can see.

They are built so that the openings on the sides allow for ventilation and a breeze if you are lucky. They seem to be fairly leak-proof, at least when they are new. They sell the leaves to re-roof them everywhere. That would look so cool in my back yard---until that is, it is covered with snow.

Crisanta Bautista's Baptism Day

This sweet sister is like a daughter to me. We connected right away. She was so very ready for the gospel. She would ask very profound questions and very eager to know our Savior and to feel his love for her. She was so sincere with everything she asked. We went with the elders her teaching appointments. She connected to Pres. Allred and I very quickly. She is like a daughter us me. She was hugging me one night and she asked Pres. Allred if she could hug him. He said missionaries aren't suppose to hug but he would at her baptism. She was always reminding him that he was going to hug her at her baptism. She would say remember President, you are going to hug me at my baptism. She requested that President Allred baptize her. He felt like the elders should do it but Elder St. Martin assured him they would have many opportunities to baptize. He accepted the invitation. She was so excited--you can see it in her face! She could hardly wait for her baptismal day.

This is Cris and Fernan her husband. She is expecting a baby in August. Her day had finally arrived. She was literally beaming!! After the baptismal service was over an older member of the branch said he had never seen a member of the mission presidency baptize someone a member of the church in all the years he has been in the church. Cris said some of the members made the comment to her they had never seen a senior couple have such a close relationship to a member before. She is so friendly and easy to love. How could you not?

Here we all are: Pres. Allred and I, Cris and Fernan and Elder Ramiro and St. Martin. April 24, 2010. It has been an amazing experience to be able to attend all her lessons (except the very first one) and to share our testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We shared experiences of how living the various principles they taught her have blessed our lives and draw us closer to our Savior and Heavenly Father.

PS: She did get her hug in private after coming out of the water.

More of San Rogue Dam

This is a gate that holds back the water.

This is where the water goes when the gate opens.

You can see all the brown to the left of us, that would normally be covered in water.

Urdanet Zone missionaries

San Rogue Dam Activity

Urdaneta Zone was having a zone activity and invited us to come along. They were going to tour the dam that released all the water during the typhoon, which was the cause of the flood. We were anxious to visit the dam. We went during the dry season, the dam was extremely low of water and the countryside was brown from lack of water. (We plan to go back after typhoon season is over so we can see it full with the surrounding area covered in green!) We all met at the San Manuel chapel. The zone leaders had arranged a Jeepney to transport all the missionaries for the tour. I don't know all the missionaries names, but on the right of the Jeepney is Elder Nelson, our tour guide, the only one who knew how to get there (he had one day left in his mission--plays the piano beautifully and is from Abilene, Texas), Elder Gumapad in striped shirt (he was in Mangaldan zone for a while) and I believe Elder Garcia, a fairly new elder.

One thing about the Filipinos, they are not camera shy. They love posing for pictures. The Jeepney is loaded and ready to go. The dam was only a few kilometers from the chapel. We went inside to view a short film about the dam then loaded into a van provided by the San Rogue Dam. It was a steep climb up to the top where we could see the water.

The water level was way down. We have had no significant rainfall since the typhoon so they are not able to provide the amount of electricity they normally do. All the towns in Pangasinan have had scheduled days without electricity for about 12 hours each day. That is NOT fun. It is hot and dry and there is not even a hint of a breeze. There is no water running when the electricity is off either. You can't see the water level in this picture but is was way high up on the sides. They are waiting for the rainy season just like everybody is. Everything is brown, dead or dying.

This shot is looking down from one of the gates of the dam. When they open the gates the water runs down this concrete path. While we were there we saw a mother eagle soaring in the air and two eaglets. The mother eagle was obviously teaching them to fly. I wanted to get a good shot but they were very high up in the air -- to far for my camera to capture a good shot. It was fascinating to watch them.

The Bucket Brigade

You have heard of the mailman doing his job in rain, snow sleet or hail. Baguio Missionaries go them one better. We were having a baptism in Mapandan at 10 a.m. The town was having an all day "brown out" (for those of you who aren't familiar with that term, it means there is no electricity). We have been having scheduled brown outs for several weeks because of the lack of water, which in turn means the lack of electricity. Here when the electricity it out--so is our water--it is used to pump the water through the system. SO--our Filipino brethren knew they would have to fill the font one bucket at a time. They had begun the process at 8 a.m. When we arrived at about 9:45 a.m. we saw the "bucket brigade". I got out of the car and said to Elder Gilliland (from Litchfield, Arizona), "Tell me you aren't doing what I think you are doing?" He said, "don't blame me I am just visiting" (He was on "splits" with one of the Mapandan elders.)

They all then proceeded to explain the situation to us. So--the buckets continued to go in and come out. (They only had four buckets.) All four missionaries, a member of the branch and the branch mission leader were all working hard to fill the font.

Pres. Allred joined the bucket brigade. We had just purchases the hat for a zone activity we were invited to attend the next Monday so he put it to good use shading his head from the sun.

Elder Austin is manning the tank. The tank it full of water, they have to open the valve manually to fill a small bucket (a large one won't fit under the tank where the water comes out) then use it to fill the buckets for the brigade. This process went on for a very long time. The Branch Mission leader was wearing Levi's so every so often he would stand in the font to show us how high the water was. The amazing thing was, no one was complaining about this process, it was something that had to be done to make the baptism happen. They were focused on the purpose not the process. It took about another hour before the font was filled. Those involved were hot, tired and sweaty but happy. Nothing will stop this work from going forth--certainly not a little thing like no running water.
NOTE: Later that day we attended another baptism that had no water in the font also, it was a problem with lack of electricity to the pump house. (It took about 45 minutes to resolve that issue then the baptisms took place. The adversary was busy at work that day!)

The Bukid (field)

We went with the missionaries to teach a husband and wife. The house is near the street but he tends cattle so we needed to walk through the bukid (or field) to get to where he was working. In the process we had to cross two man-made bridges. The water was very dirty, the bridges narrow and I could just see myself falling in (the wind was also blowing). To make me feel more confident Elder St. Martin told me that Sis. Pace (a previous senior couple) had fallen in a very nasty ditch! Thanks Elder St. Martin! I was only paying attention to the bridge--not Elder St. Martin who was manning my camera! I was NOT going to fall in! No Way!

We crossed a pasture where there were about 8 cows grazing. I was not all that confident that they would be happy with us invading their space but it turned out they couldn't have cared less. Lucky for us!

The missionaries were teaching the Villaruz family. They already had an IBD (a baptismal date) and were teaching one of the lessons they needed before their baptism. They taught in Tagalog and we bore our testimony of the principle they had taught in English. It was a memorable and unique experience for us. Willie and Tessie were baptised on April 24, 2010.

I really love the color of Willie's hair, we don't see many people here with such beautiful gray hair. Elder St. Martin (from Arizona) and Elder Ramiro are our zone leaders here in Mangaldan.

The Traveling Salesman

This is what happend at the end of a traveling salesman's day. This is the road to our house. The horse is unharnessed at the end of the day (he hasn't had time to do that yet) and is fed from the basket of hay underneath the cart. The man makes a fire at the side of the road, cooks his meal and then sleeps on the ground. We have seen small children with the cart owner. The next morning he is off to another town . This is a favorite spot to rest-- it is shady and wide enough for his cart without blocking the road. We have seen as many as 4 of them parked along the street at a time.