Storm survivors

Dear Editor,

Storm survivors

Dear Editor,

Recently, I received a letter from Bret and Brenda McMurtrey, former McCook residents. They informed me that their son, Dallas, is being sent to the Philippines as a Mormon missionary.

No doubt it will be quite a learning experience and even a cultural shock.

Coping with the language barrier is a big challenge. A majority of the people speak Filipino -- Malaysian, since their ancestors came from Southeast Asia.

However, 90 dialects are spoke in various parts of the Philippines.

Mestizos of mixed Filipino-Spanish ancestry, who have Spanish last names, also live there. (Spain established a permanent settlement in the Philippines in 1521.)

Typhoons are a serious problem, especially between August and October. Apo, an active volcano on Midanao, is also a big threat.

Amanda Smith, Rebeka Guy and Camella Dial along with six other Mormon missionaries, left the seacoast area to escape a typhoon.

They traveled inland and took refuge in a two-story house. While staying on the second floor, water soon reached above their knees. Bars on the windows prevented them from escaping.

In desperation, they went to the first floor. The door was bolted shut. Finally, they punched a hole in the wall and exited the building. They almost drowned in water that had reached the ceiling. A week later, they were interviewed by a TV crew from New York.

Helen Ruth Arnold,

Trenton, Nebraska

Helen Ruth Arnold,

Trenton, Nebraska