Our "Go To" Friends

It's the middle of the day. Things are going well. You get the urge to call somebody and just catch up. To let them know how things are going. To tell them some info you have. To ask them some advice. These are your "go to" friends. Folks you are totally comfortable with.

Yesterday was kind of a "catch up" day. We had combined soybeans well into the night before. We were up early hoping for another productive day. However the air was damp and radar promised showers soon. I had broken down the night before combining for our neighbor and friends, Melvin and Joan. Matt and his son Jacob helped me repair a hydraulic reel drive hose and we finished up Melvin's soybeans just as rain drops started hitting the combine cab windshield.

 Jan had snapchatted our Saturday farming crew she was planning on early lunch in the office so we hung around putting summer machinery away. I would again like to thank Jan, Cassia, Kristin, Emily, and Brent and Russ for taking time and effort to feed us this past week.

 As you can see in the picture above I had a crew of grandkids hoping to help harvest. I didn't want them to have a totally rained out Saturday so I suggested we make a campsite in the coalmine timber in the rain with an old semi sleeper. Thanks for the picture Devin.

It turned out well. We cleared a few sticks, set our camp sleeper, borrowed some of Grandma Jan's firewood, and had a fun afternoon. We decided on our next rainy Saturday we were going to add the Peterbuilt semi hood for storage. Our "camp equipment" comes from a semi we rebuilt last year.

 Last Sunday afternoon Jan and I drove up to Sioux Center for a Monday Ag Advisory board meeting at Dordt University. We had lunch in the Founders Room attached to the college president's home. Eric and Barb were true "go to" friends as they hosted and helped serve our meal. I have always had an interest in the more technical, hands on, side of education since I don't have a college experience. I am thankful and passionate about Dordt's Pro Tech program. A two year, hands on, work as you go to school, Ag and Industry college experience. The Ag advisory board consist of about a dozen Ag businessmen from all over the country.

We had a full productive week of harvest of both corn and soybeans. Below we are harvesting seedbeans on Kurt and Emily's farm west of Leighton. They had a hail event earlier in the year that took about 10bpa off the top end of the yield. Thanks for the picture Emily.

 We spent a number of nights working this past week. When things go well a lot gets done. However a breakdown or trouble at night can be a real hassle. Thanks to our crew for the extra effort and long hours.

 Alex took a break from harvest and did some custom baling on Friday. Thanks for the picture Alex.

BJ spent his rainy Saturday on a dirtwork project at Pablo and Paula's house. Mike has been very busy building, rebuilding, and repairing terraces.

Yesterday afternoon the guys hooked up and prepared for our honey hauling season. It's time to roll as the hog shed pits are getting full.

 Karl spent two days this past week moving out his double stock. Double stock is when a hog company brings you twice as many weaners (3 week old pigs) as your building holds. And then 6 weeks later moves out half of them as feeder pigs to a grower unit. Karl's 4 semi loads of double stock went to Carroll, Iowa. Thanks for the picture Karl.

It's also time for tiling projects and BJ and John moved the tile plow to their next pattern tiling project. Pattern tiling is when you tile a whole field with tile lines about 40 feet apart. Proper farm drainage is very effective on field productivity and crop yields. Especially this past year.

Last evening I went for a cup of coffee at Smokey Row and met  Garth and Caroline, who are YWAM missionaries in Cambodia. Ed and Mary, pictured below, are landlords of ours and  "go to" friends as they go to Cambodia every year and help with teaching and other projects there.

 Becky and Brian's, Harris, came to hang out and help on the farm yesterday. While riding bike and jumping sandpile hills with his cousins he "wiped out" and knocked out a front tooth. He says he is twins now with his cousin Jackson who also has two front baby teeth out due to a bike accident. This story reminds me of another angle of "go to" friends. I was asked to be someone's "emergency contact" person this week. As "go to" friends we trust each other to help out. Thanks for the picture Jan.

 However there are times when even our "go to" friends can't solve our issues and all we can do is pray and ask God to help. He is not only an "emergency contact". He desires to have a relationship with us all and be a "go to" friend even when life is not in a crisis. Lane was born with low platelets like his older brother Jackson. However after a couple of months of praying his blood platelets are coming up. Thank you God for loving and caring for us even when life is not always smooth. And thanks for the picture Emily.

 

Wrapping up, do you have a "2am" friend? A "go to" person that you can call in the middle of the night if you need anything at all and you know that your "go to" friend will absolutely not mind being called.

 Also, are you a "2am" friend? Do folks know you are available and willing to help out at any time. And do folks know that you truly care about them and their needs. Relationships with God and others are the reason we were put here. Be thankful for your "go to" friends and be intentional about being one. Thanks for the visit and have a good week.