January 2010
It is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. After being away from all of you for one year we can say for sure that this statement is true. You all mean so much to us and we fear that we took your love and relationships for granted. Can you believe that it has been one year since we entered the Missionary Training Center? January 26th was our Mission Anniversary. The time has gone by so fast and we cannot even begin to count the myriads of experiences we have enjoyed. We are one year older but we feel to have better health than when we left a year ago. In this past year we have not missed a day of labor due to illness and we can only attribute this to the blessings of a loving Heavenly Father. We have been blessed beyond our fondest dreams.
We can’t say too much about the weather in North Dakota since the entire country has experienced much of what we have seen. It is not that we wanted to share these unique weather phenomenons with our beloved friends and family but most of you have seen and felt the weather extremes, as we. On Christmas Eve it began to snow sideways and for two wonderful indoor days we watched the weather raging outside. We saw drifts of snow that were over 6 feet high and cars buried to their roofs. Then came the Arctic front that dropped the mercury to a -33 (We are not talking wind-chill here – actual temps.) and a week of 20 below zero. We are surprised that people in North Dakota continue with their normal schedules. School buses still run, garbage trucks are picking up garbage, and everything continues. We attended seminary in Dickinson the first week of January and it was -27 degrees. That day they had 100% attendance. When the outside temperature reached a -5 it actually felt warm. What an experience.
We installed a heater plug in our Honda Civic and it has made a huge difference starting the car. We just wish that the heater plug would heat the inside of the car as well. In late January we had a meltdown but this the snow came back and the wind started to blow. WHITE OUT!! Have we told you how much we enjoy it here in North Dakota? No complaints from us because we are so very happy. We working together and we both have warm clothes to wear.
We were one of two temples in the church that was open on New Year’s Day. Between the temple workers, the temple president, and the temple matron, we were able to hold an endowment session. If we do not have enough people to hold a session then we do sealings. Working in a small temple is different than the Denver temple. If you have 7 brothers and 5 sisters you can hold a session; and that is what we did on January 1st. The snow was falling and the wind was blowing and we were all warm in the confines of the beautiful temple. That was Friday and then we also worked on Saturday, with a few more people who were able to attend. With all of the bad weather, much of it coming on the weekends, the temple still opens and only once, since we have been here, was the temple was closed. Remember, that if the roads are closed then all workers and patrons have to come from the Bismarck ward. We, Kris and I, have never missed attending the temple due to the weather.
On Martin Luther King’s Birthday, we had one of those experiences that would only come while serving a mission. Our work on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation usually takes place on the weekend as we participate in Sunday meetings and worship. On this particular Monday we drove to the reservation to attend a funeral and burial of a premature baby who lived a couple of days and then slipped away. The baby's grandmother is a member of the Ft. Yates branch, and the parents have attended our meetings, so we went in support of her and the family. The Elders from Ft. Yates came with us and we drove to a small village in South Dakota, named Kennel. (Times are confusing on the reservation - some parts are Central Time, some parts are Mountain Time, and there is also "reservation time", which means "When we get there.") The funeral was scheduled for noon, but the family didn't get to the church until 3pm, so we had some time talk with the presiding priest. The Catholic Church has a new building, with all of the art and décor in a Native theme. It is very unique and beautiful. A large stump of a Cottonwood Tree made for a beautiful Altar and everything looks to be made in the décor of the Lakota Indians. We met Father Jim, who with 5 other priests, are based in McLaughlin, serving the Catholic churches on the reservation. As we were talking, Father Jim sobered and said that he wanted to thank our church for standing beside the Catholic Church on the issue of marriage. He admitted that our church had taken most of the heat for the Proposition 8 stance, but wanted us to know that it was appreciated. One of our Elders gave him a copy of The Proclamation to the Family so he could see our stated position.
When the family arrived from Ft. Yates, they decided not to have the service in warmth of the church, but rather have a graveside service out in the cemetery. It was very cold, but we walked out through the drifted snow and stood next to the frozen grave while Father Jim did a brief service. Afterwards the little casket was placed in a wooden box and the lid nailed shut. They then took two ropes and lowered the little casket into the grave. The pall bearers started to shovel in the dirt. We learned that on the reservation the Tribe opens the grave, but the family has to fill it in. The dirt was next to the grave, and the mortuary people brought out shovels for the family to use. It was soooo cold, and one of the pall bearers had on a short sleeved shirt and soon had to leave for shelter. We asked the father of the baby if he would like some help, and then we helped to fill in the grave. It was a very tender experience for us all.
One point of interest; most of the cemeteries in North Dakota do not bury people during these cold months. They store the deceased in an outside building until spring comes and the ground defrosts. They then open the graves and the burials take place. We do not know what to think of this practice, but can see why it’s necessary.
With the Christmas/New Year’s Holiday over we started once again to make visits to our Seminary and Institute classes. We love these teachers and students like they are family and we are learning much as we study the Book of Mormon with them. With all of the raging storms we have seen we have only postponed one day of travel.
(We apologize that this letter has now taken over a month to complete.)
Today, February 16th, we completed a Zone conference. We love our missionaries and we admire how they teach one another. They seem much older than their actual age. Oh, there is power in this generation! Today we really enjoyed talking with President and Sister Layton, our mission president and wife. They have now been on the job since July and they seem to be old hands. 7 ½ months has prepared them well. Imagine traveling to two states, North Dakota, South Dakota, and parts of three others, Wyoming, Minnesota, and Nebraska. They will drive over 55,000 miles in their first year and they will get a replacement car every year they serve. That is how much they travel, completing their assignments. We are continually amazed at what ordinary members contribute to the Church. Their mission is a three year assignment and they will sacrifice much in time and talent, not to mention careers and businesses.
We have mentioned how we are trying to support the youth in this stake by being at their school activities, Plays, concerts, games, etc. We have been blessed with such great rewards for being where the youth are. We know almost every youth who are 14 years old or older. This past Friday and Saturday we attended one of the Stake Youth Activities, held in Minot. This activity reminded us of our Youth Conferences. Because the wards and branches are all spread apart, every few months they have a youth activity in a different corner of the stake. Friday: They had games, a movie, “Forever Strong” and a dance. The kids then stayed overnight with members in Minot and reported back at the church on Saturday morning. Saturday: They had breakfast, speakers, service projects, lunch, and then went sledding. The sledding was the most fun, of course and we watched from the bottom of the hill. It was warm (ND translation: above 0) and no wind, so the youth didn't get frostbite, even if some of them weren't well dressed for sledding. Our part of the activity was to help where needed; serve meals, empty trash cans and assist with the service projects. Other than that, we just enjoyed being with the kids. We have been invited to go with the Stake, this coming June, to Martin’s Cove. We had a long discussion regarding Dutch-oven cooking and good meals to serve on the trek. Those of you who really know us must admit that such a conversation was like getting a shot of adrenalin. We were, and are, excited. (How can we get our 7 Dutch-ovens shipped to Bismarck?) Did we not say, in past newsletters, that everything that we have ever done in the church has given us experience to serve on this mission? This past weekend with the youth was a nice change for us.
We must say goodbye for now. We apologize for the run on news letter. We are happy to have the remainder of 2010 to be here. With our experiences we also want to express to you the growth of our testimonies. Every day there seems to be another experience, another chapter of reading, another lesson which gives support to our testimonies. We do love our Father in Heaven and his beloved Son, Jesus Christ and we are constantly being lead by the Holy Ghost in our work. These things we testify of.
Elder and Sister Harris
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