Oh the Sun Shown Down and the Floods Came Up

We’re whizzing down the road on our way to Williston, 4 hours away, and our hearts are turning to song: “Oh the sun shone down and the floods came up…”

We have had one week of warmer weather (meaning the temperatures were above freezing) and the snow has begun to melt. Since the ground underneath is still frozen, the water is running downhill. As we drive along the roads the barrow pits on either side are filled with water, and in many places entire fields now look like small lakes. Some roads are closed because the water on one side is flowing over the road on to the other side. We drove through an area like that yesterday when we took someone home from church. Picture shows the flooding-- You can seewhere the fence was in what used to be a field by the side of the road. We are seeing this all over ND.

The ice has broken up on top of the rivers, and there is worry that the ice, logs and other debris will form dams at the bridges, flooding land behind it, and then when the water breaks through, the debris will tear up the bridge. (The pieces of ice look to be 24 inches thick and some of the pieces are raft size) There will be major flooding in Fargo this week, but Bismarck is in the middle of the state. Nevertheless there are flood warnings for the local area since the small contributories are causing some real problems. Once again we are driving into the western part of ND as a big storm comes into Bismarck. This is a rough spring for this area of the country. Picture shows the broken ice, piled up in front of the bridge.

“We are all enlisted….” For the last few weeks we have attended two different branches on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. There are less than 30 members attending each Branch, the majority of them are middle aged women. One of the branches has about 350 members and the other over 400, but few are active and most unsupportive. It is very touching to hear them pray that their children and grandchildren will be strong and remain active. We drive an hour and a half from Bismarck to get to the branches, but there are two Elders and a Senior Couple who live on the reservation and work there full time.

On Sunday we attended the Ft. Yates branch. It was a great day for them, because they had over 30 people attending. The Branch President is Native American, and his wife was the RS President until Sunday, when she was sustained as the YW President and another woman called as RS president. The Branch President serves without counselors and his only help are the full time missionaries. They have a 2 hour block; one hour for Sacrament meeting, and the 2nd hour for Relief Society/Primary/Priesthood/Young Women. After the meetings there is pot luck on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. The Branch president brings the main dish (he is a chef in Bismarck) and the members bring other dishes. After lunch the members fill plates with the leftovers and take them home. We have supplied our baked beans for two Sundays and we go home without leftovers.

We can’t say too much about the branches since we have only attended for three week but we see that only a few of the sisters come dressed in dresses and a few boys and men in white shirts but the remainder come to church in T-shirts and pants. This seems to be the dress for most attending. We are using surnames such as “Yelloweyes” “Elk” “Baldeagel” and Antelope”, different from Sollee, Condie, and Webb. These are brother and sisters that we will come to know and love. We both have noticed that there is a very strong presence of the Spirit in our meetings and we are both humbled and blessed with the outpouring that seems to be with us all.

We will both assume responsibilities in the branch and if possible we will try to meet with some of the inactive leaders of the past to invite them to join with us once again. There are duties that we can assist our branch president without making him feel intimidated. This is our hope and our desire.

“As Sisters in Zion we all work together…” Saturday there was a Relief Society celebration with both branches, held in Ft Yates. The women attending (20 - about the same number as the original RS meeting) stood to sing “The Spirit of God” as an opening song, and I think it was as thrilling to me as when we sang it with 2000 missionaries at the MTC. Their program went from 10:00 to 3 and included several talks and lunch. There had been a lot of effort in invitations, table decorations, and hand outs. They asked that I be their Key-note speaker which was a great privilege.
Two of the sisters are originally from Samoa, and did a Samoan dance during lunch. (We seem to see the Samoan culture throughout the church where ever we go) The one sister went home to look in her book (on the Samoan Temple) and found that it had been written by Carl Harris. She was very excited that his brother was in their branch. And as always, there are connections. We met a 90 yr old woman at the branch in McLaughlin South Dakota who comes from Tremonton and went to the same high school as Elder Harris and my mother. Picture shows Brand Pres and his wife on the top left, flowers from Steve to women, wagon wheel part of my talk.

“There is work enough to do…”Besides our work in the Branch, we have been wearing other hats. We went to Fargo for a conference with other CES senior couples. We learned how to prepare for Seminary graduation and how to order next year’s supplies, got some good ideas for in-service meetings, and enjoyed the fellowship of the other Senior Couples. We have visited a member in the hospital, helped Elders with car maintenance issues, attended Young Single Adult firesides and Institutes. We work in the Bismarck Temple once a week. We had dinner with a woman being baptized this weekend, who’s first exposure to the church came when she lived in Olathe, Ks (where we did) next to friends of ours. (Gaylin and Pam Thomas) This week we are traveling through Williston, Ray and Minot attending the Seminary and Institute classes.

“I’m glad they called me on a mission…”Here are some things we like about our mission: First and foremost – doing all these things together. It’s great to work together on every assignment, to plan, prepare and pray about the same things. Steve tells me that we are finally getting our second Honey Moon, and in many ways that is true. Next, we like the variety of the work we have here—always something different, and very often, something new. Many times our days fill up with the unexpected – the call to go to the hospital, the unexpected visit of missionaries from another town, the request to talk in a ward or branch. We are among wonderful faithful people, and are inspired by them.


Picture shows a white buffalo in the field. They are very significant to the Native Americans. There were about three of them on this field.

We send our love to each of you – our friends and extended family. Thanks for your support.

Elder and Sister Harris

The Snow is FINALLY Melting

Hi everyone - tomorrow and Friday Steve and I will be in Fargo, for a quick meeting with the other CES missionaries from our area. We'll be meeting people that we have only heard on conference calls. Everyone says it's a fun get together. We are driving with another couple who come from Rapid City SD. We'll be back by Friday night. Just wanted you to know that our cell phone will be turned off most of the time, and I don't think we are taking our computer for this short trip.

There are things I see or use every day that remind me of each of you. Katie made that wonderful calendar from your pictures. In March there is the picture of Andrew at the 4th of July celebration at Nana's park, many of us on top of Colt's mountain, Addie-Laurel-Hauna at Adele's shower (what a picture of 3 beautiful girls!) and a picture of Madison and Kaylee. I carry my scriptures in the bag that Kayla gave me, eat the granola that Addie made, listen go the Go Gear that Layna and Max loaded for me, and soon will be using the Web Cam that Kirk and Tristin got. There are so many things that keep me saying "thank you" over and over in my mind. We never feel far away from the family.

It's not that warm here, but still warm enough to melt some of the snow. I feel like Noah, getting excited to see the dry land appear! The gutters are running with water wherever we look, and the snow is disappearing off the lawns. We had a heater plug put in the engine after last week's -20 degree weather. Hopefully we won't need them again until next winter.

I told you I didn't see any plug-ins?? When the snow melted, there were plug-ins outside our very apartment house about every 10 feet. I'll have to take a picture to show you what these look like. As the snow melts, the Christmas decorations are appearing. A big pile of snow in someone's yard turned out to be a full size Santa on a sleigh. Rudolph and the elves aren't looking very good after 4 months of ice and cold. There is water from the melting snow, and then it freezes at night, so there is always lots of ice in the morning, but soon Steve and I will be able to walk outside in the mornings.

Last weekend we went to the McLaughlin (South Dakota) branch, on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, with a congregation of native americans, whites, and even a man from Yugoslavia. We met a 90 year old woman who comes from Tremonton and is a cousin to a man who was one of Dad's good friends in Elwood. Always a small world. I am going to the reservation Saturday to give a talk for their Relief Society celebration. There aren't many people, but I feel there is a lot for us to learn from them.

Elder and Sister Harris

Photo Update

North Dakota Bismarck Temple

Snow bank next to our Garage. Our fear is that when this snow melts that our garage will be submerged in water. (We do not stay awake at night worrying about this)
The Minot ward building.

This is the back of the church. Yeah - they don't try to get in that way.

They did shovel the sidewalk to the door.

I told you we hadn't seen plug ins, but now we have. The trucks from the oil fields were plugged in over night. The boxes on the side of the hotel are the connections.

Native American Art: Dedicated to the Bald Eagles who live in the river.

March 1st Report

We had a great week in North Dakota. Here's a run down of our important activities.
Monday - didn't leave town until 4, but eventually got to Williston. There are a lot of things we saw along the road that we would like to take time to see on later trips.

Tuesday morning we visited the Ray seminary - one good woman teaching 3 kids in her living room. We took them sweet rolls and gave a large candy bar to any student who is consecutively reading the scriptures. We met the 2 missionaries serving in Williston and bought them lunch. The substitute seminary teacher in Williston asked us to teach the lesson the next morning, so we spent part of that day preparing the lesson. (Romans 8 and 9)
Wednesday morning we taught seminary and took sweet rolls to the church in Williston, and met 8 great kids and their Seminary substitutes, the Quallys. They have already served 2 missions and are preparing for their 3rd. Their first mission was in Nauvoo, because Bro. Qually could drive a horse and buggy. Their second was to a church dairy farm in Alberta, Utah, where they did a variety of things, but mainly taught English to people from Burma who were working there. The church as amazing assignments for Senior Missionaries.

We drove to Minot and met their 4 missionaries for lunch at a place called "Space Aliens", where they were having an all-you-could-eat-ribs day. Those young men didn't go home hungry! We drove 2 of the Elders to the church in Minot where they were meeting a ride for a teaching appointment, and then came back at 5:30 to go with them to see a single sister they are visiting. Back at the church at 7:00, we attended the Young Single Adult Institute class, and provided apples and caramel dip, and oranges for treat afterwards. There is an amazing amount of snow on the ground in Minot. Diane, two of the young men at Institute are from Nigeria, going to college in Minot. We took some pictures at the church that we will post later. As we have driven between these cities the sun has been shining, and there is snow as far as the eye can see. It is very beautiful, but it will be fun to watch it melt and all turn green in a month or two.

Thursday morning we attended the Minot seminary (sweet rolls again) and enjoyed the large class there. Afterwards we headed for home in a minor snow storm, but got back to Bismarck without any difficulty. That evening we attended the Bismarck Institute again.

Friday was sort of our "P-day" (preparation day, for those who don't know.) We ran errands, got our hair cut, etc. That evening was a satellite broadcast for CES teachers (seminary and Institute) called "An Evening With a General Authority", where we listened to an address by Elder Quentin L. Cook. His comments were excellent - I will try to send you a printed copy when it's available to us. As the special number, they had a chorus of missionaries from Temple Square who sang phrases of "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" in different languages. Dad/Steve set up the satellite and we planned for treats afterwards there also for the teachers who attended with us. We taped the broadcast, and are making copies to take to the teachers in outlying areas this week.
Saturday we worked in the temple until it closed, around 3:00pm. We had a variety of assignments there, and got to meet more people. We had the 4 Elders from Bismarck/Mandan to dinner, so we prepared that when we got home from the temple. After they left we got thinking about the meal the Young Single Adults in Bismarck are having tonight before the CES Satellite Broadcast, and decided to go to Sams and buy more food. Things have been assigned, but we didn't think there would be enough. Guess we'll see in a few hours. We made flyers to take to church today to remind all the singles of the broadcast. Elder Hales is speaking. Some of you might see it on BYU TV.

his morning I got to accompany a vocal duet and play the hymns for the Visiting Teaching meeting during Relief Society. I practiced at the church Friday when we went over during the day to make sure the satellite was working correctly. (reception was fine, but the language was Spanish...we eventually got that corrected.) This morning the hymns had been changed, and the opening song was one that I have never even heard, much less played. What are the odds? It's hymn #311 "We Meet Again As Sisters". The women seemed to know it, so apparently they sing it up here. I came home and listened to it a couple of time on my CDs to hear the measures I didn't get right. :(

Well, it sounds like lots of driving and lots of sweet rolls and other treats. Yes, it's been all of that, but we have really enjoyed meeting some of the teachers, students and missionaries in our stake. We have been interested to see parts of North Dakota that are new to us. We are happy to be busy. The trip we took this week is called "the Northern Tour", so in future letters when I say that's what we did, you will know without me taking many paragraphs to describe it all. I imagine there are some of you even in my own family who will not want to read this much about our activities here.

One more interesting thing. Friday at the church we met two men who were waiting to receive temple recommends from the Stake President. These men are close to our age, and were converted when they read the Book of Mormon in a Greek Orthodox abbey. They were cloistered monks who never cut their hair, on their head or on their face. One had his previous driver's license with his long beard to his waist - scary! Someone left a BOM in their mailbox years ago that was in the monastary library, and when they read it they knew immediately that it was true and joined the church. They gave up their vocation and all the security of being there. They now live in Minot and have jobs and all the stresses of our world. Very interesting to talk to them. They have very firm and strong testimonies.

This Tuesday there are mission transfers, and the Elders and Sisters move to different locations on what the missionaries call "the Transfer Train." The mission owns a 15 seat van, which drives around the mission picking up and delivering missionaries. (our mission is all of North and South Dakota and come pieces of states that touch. It can't be a fast trip) We may have Elders or Sisters spending the night with us during some transfers. It's nice to know that we won't ever have to ride the "transfer train" and can stay comfortable here in our apartment.

We love all of you. We pray for you, and and grateful for your prayers for us.
Elder and Sister Harris :)