The local Utility company also provides internet and cable service, so on Thursday we went down and signed up for internet services. They scheduled us or 11:00 am the next day. He got here a little late, but he was pleasant and got us hooked up with a modem and all. He use to live in Washington up by Seattle somewhere, so he didn't have that southern drawl that everyone back here seems to have.
After he left, I called a local farmer, I had contacted the day before. He had invited us to his farm. He runs 6,000 acres, he is very busy. He was in his new big John Deere combine, combining rice. Because the rice is grown in standing water, the rice fields stay flooded all of June, July, August and into September. Then they drain the fields and aerial spray on salt water, which burns the top of the plants back. Then in about a week they go in and combine the rice. They buy special stripper headers from England that mounts to the JD combines for about $30,000 It's 28 feet wide and does an amazing job. I rode in the combine with the farmer Doug Threlkeld, Mom was game and she rode in the 2nd combine with a hired man for over an hour. Doug's son drove the third combine. Because the fields are still very muddy, the combines are 4 wheel drive and the front wheels are dualed up. They hold 100's of bushel of rice. They don't dump into trucks because they would get stuck in the fields, they dump into huge grain carts pulled by huge JD 4 wheel drive tractors, that take the rice to the grain bins where it is stored and dried. While in the combine, I got a call from the sister missionaries who needed us to go with them to teach a single fellow a discussion. So we had to leave
and go with the Sisters. I am going to try to attach some photo's of the combine and also our district and trainers at the MTC, but I don't see the attach place on this version of AOL. But I will try.
I think I have attached our district picture. The older couple Elder and Sister Stucki have been called to be Employment Missionaries to the Navajo Indians. The white haired sister is Sister Graham, she went on a mission when younger, never married, teaches accounting and economics, she is called as the financial secretary to the North Carolina Mission. Sister Mortensen is a convert from
her youth. Her husband died 3 years ago, she was called to work in the Virginia Mission Home. Elder and Sister Gordon are called as Military Relation Missionaries in Germany. He was a career army man and his wife was a military nurse. Our MTC trainers were Sister Mart an unmarried RM and Brother David ????? a married RM and a convert to the church.
Love,
Elder & Sister Hansen
(from Mom)
So yes we are settled in our apartment and starting to get settled in our new life. We met the mission Pres. Wed morning. He is enthused about missionary work but a little overwhelmed with all the missionaries that will be coming into the area in the next couple of months. They are trying to figure out where to put everyone. In this area there are a set of Sisters, a set of Elders, and Dad and myself. It is almost over kill but the Elders are in another little town that comes to Paragould for church. We met the Branch President Wed. night. Dad and I are teaching the youth the Sunday School Lesson. That is our first assignment plus we were given a list of people that the old set of missionaries want us to contact and reactivate back to church. We found out rather quickly that if you want to meet anyone you will find them at Wall Mart, well they find us and introduce themselves. The Branch President is young but he is doing his best to fill positions but I think that the problem is not enough active people that are dependable.
the grain cart being filled by the combine
the big 4 wheel drive JD tractor pulling the grain cart through the mud
the stripper header looks like from underneath that's a stainless steel drum with rows of stainless steel strippers that strip the rice heads off the stocks.
across this huge rice field, if you look close you can see levee after levee across the field following the contours of the land so that flooding the field all summer can take place
Mr. Threlkeld standing on the platform of his Combine
(from Mom)
So yes we are settled in our apartment and starting to get settled in our new life. We met the mission Pres. Wed morning. He is enthused about missionary work but a little overwhelmed with all the missionaries that will be coming into the area in the next couple of months. They are trying to figure out where to put everyone. In this area there are a set of Sisters, a set of Elders, and Dad and myself. It is almost over kill but the Elders are in another little town that comes to Paragould for church. We met the Branch President Wed. night. Dad and I are teaching the youth the Sunday School Lesson. That is our first assignment plus we were given a list of people that the old set of missionaries want us to contact and reactivate back to church. We found out rather quickly that if you want to meet anyone you will find them at Wall Mart, well they find us and introduce themselves. The Branch President is young but he is doing his best to fill positions but I think that the problem is not enough active people that are dependable.
Well Dad wanted hot and we are trying to get used to this kind of heat. It has been in the high 80's so I am looking at my closet to find clothes that are cooler because that kind of heat this time of the year is something that we are not used to. We had a humdinger thunder storm this morning with rain coming down in sheets of water. It is now clearing up and it feels like there is a lot of water in the air.
Yesterday we went out on a friendship experience to a rice farm and met the owner. He offered us a chance to ride in the rice combines which we did for about an hour, we asked all kinds of questions and they answered them. I was told by the hired man that he liked going to church on Sunday, come home to good Sunday dinner, and spend time with his kids. We weren't trying to act like missionaries we were acting as a friend and just introduce them to the church in a non threatening way so if they are approached they might listen to the missionary lessons. This was a man that Dad found by calling the Farm Bureau office here and they suggested that Dad call Mr .Threlkeld who owned rice fields and soybean fields. He thought that we were a branch of the Amish or Mennenites but if he had really known about the Amish he would have know that we weren't dressed the right way. Anyway it was a great experience. We went with the Sisters to visit a man who has been taking the lessons for at least 5 years. He has some big issues and the Sisters really need to stay away from him. I don't think that they realize what pornography entails because they are very naïve and have no idea what that really is about..
The Sisters and Elders are coming to dinner tomorrow, I have a roast so it should be pretty easy meal to fix. It is so good to fix my own meals. After the MTC food I was ready for something that I could eat.
Yes we like e-mail but we go to our mailbox and there is nothing there. So this is our address
Elder and Sister David Hansen/or Elder David Hansen and Sister Luella Hansen
2626 Erin Way
Paragould, Ar. 72450
