Kylee DeBock – DeBock Harvesting
It is a cold, rainy, September day in North Dakota.
However, today I am okay with that, because it is Football Thursday! We will all get to go to the game today. Colston is playing football this year for the Ray/Powers Lake Outlaws and I couldn’t be more excited.
I have loved football from a very early age. I blame my Uncle Mark for that, so I am pretty pumped about my son playing.
The boys started school on the 20th of August and have really enjoyed being back in North Dakota with all of their friends. We miss everyone at home, but I am so thankful for this community here in Powers Lake! They have accepted us “dirty ‘ole harvesters” into their community with open arms. The friends that we have made here are simply amazing!
Harvest has been a bit slow as the weather is just not cooperating with us. When we first arrived in mid-August, we were cutting pretty much every day for a solid two weeks. Since September arrived, we have been hit and miss.
There are days we will cut for only two to four hours then get enough rain to shut us down for the rest of the day. There have been times where we have cut for three full days in a row but now getting this late into the season those days are long gone.
We have been getting rain quite a bit and there was one day it even rained for 28 hours STRAIGHT!! It was insane. That was actually the day of Colston’s first football game. We were expecting it to be canceled because of the amount of rain, but they ended up having it!
The field was so wet that one end zone was completely under water, so each time the ball possession changed, they just switched sides and went back the same way. It was a cold and rainy day but it made for a great memory for Colston’s first game.
Colston scoring a touchdown:
With all of this rain comes concerns on seed quality, as well. There is still wheat and durum standing in the fields and some fields are starting to sprout. This causes a problem for farmer and harvester. The farmer has put money, hours, blood, sweat and tears into this crop and now it cannot be harvested. So, they are talking with insurance agents and trying to see what can be done to get some of their money back.
As for us harvesters…well, if we don’t cut it – we don’t get paid. So, these rains are wreaking havoc on our income, as well.
This time of year, it is difficult to get good, long cutting days here. We know when we pull into North Dakota, the weather doesn’t cooperate all the time. All we can do is give it to God and He will do His will, and we learn to make the best of what we have been given.
The weather man has said the “S” word already and it is in the forecast for next week. Lets hope that doesn’t happen. The kids are super excited about the possibility of snow but the adults…not so much.
The canola we are cutting right now is about waist high and has a beautiful stand. If it snows, the weight of the snow will knock it down and that makes for not fun cutting conditions. If it does snow, hopefully it’s just a light dusting and it won’t harm any of the crops.
Riggin is playing flag football on Saturday mornings with a church club the whole month of September. They run drills and teach the kids the fundamentals of football and then, at the end, they have a short devotional. It is a great way to get kids up and active on a Saturday morning and then “feed” them the word of God. The kids think they are there to hang out with their friends and learn about football but what they get at the end is what we all need – love and Jesus! So thankful for the men who volunteer their time to teach these kids about God!
I pray, wherever you are, the “Son” is shining on you. May God bless you and keep you in His loving arms.
Happy Harvesting to those who are still at it!
God Bless, Kylee DeBock
“For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it.
God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.”Ephesians 2:8-10 GNT
