Message—13 January 2013

Dear Family & Friends,

Monday there were 12 new missionaries who arrived in the mission.  Sister Jensen helped with getting the information on the new mission directory accurate.  She went to the President’s in the afternoon to help prepare a dinner for all these missionaries, the AP’s, and President & Sister Christianson.  During the day I prepared what I needed to provide the instruction about vehicle’s to these new missionaries on Tuesday afternoon.  Sister Jensen arrived home about 6:30pm and we had a home evening.

Tuesday morning we finished making preparations for giving instruction to the new missionaries.  The missionaries who were part of the transfer started arriving around 11am for the 12 noon Transfer meeting where the new missionaries would be introduced and informed who their new first companion and trainer would be.  I had some vehicle related issues to take care of with some of the missionaries as they arrived, and also after the Transfer meeting.  After the transfer meeting the new missionaries and their companions met with the mission office staff to receive some instruction to help them know what they needed to know as they begin their mission.  Sister Jensen and I are the last to give instruction to the new missionaries.  She provides helpful information about receiving their mail, taking care of referrals, and obtaining all the needed information for people who are baptized and confirmed as new members.  I then give the training and instruction about vehicles and safety and then talk them through the steps of making sure the information needed to certify them are in their missionary vehicle related folder.  This information is then used by the President and I to certify the new missionaries to be the designated driver of a vehicle when the President so assigns them.  The last 10 days or so I have been coordinating with the missionary drivers and Subaru Dealerships to get some recall warranty work done on 9 Subaru Legacy cars we have in the mission vehicle fleet.  I also took care of having the NYS annual Inspection done at the same time and then paying for the inspection.  It kept me busy, along with all the other things I have needed to do this week.

Wednesday we took care of all that we do after new missionaries arrive and also tried to catch up on a number of other responsibilities for which we have responsibility.  Wednesday right after lunch I took President to get his Traverse from the repair shop.  We did not go to the weekly Site Training meeting in the evening since they were doing safety training at the Joseph Smith Farm.  Sister Jensen had given out most of the mail at the Transfer Meeting on Tuesday.

Thursday we both spent some time preparing for beginning to train Elder & Sister Willyerd who will be arriving the first part of this next week; they will be replacing us.  Thursday evening we went to Geneseo to the first Institute Class of this new year.  We had two YSA’s and the Elders attend.  Brother Gammon taught the lesson.  We stayed and had treats and visited for about an hour and arrived home about 10:30pm.

Friday we both pretty much got caught up on our projects and preparations for beginning to train the Willyerd’s next week.  Friday evening Elder & Sister Jeppesen who are serving in the Cattaraugus area came and went to a session at the Palmyra Temple and then they came and spent the evening with us.  We were able to visit with them for a while before we went to bed.  They are a great couple and are doing a lot of good in the Cattaraugus branch, which is on the Seneca Indian Reservation.  The Jeppesen’s used to own a large dairy in Mantua UT; they milked about 500 cows.  Elder Jeppesen sold his part of the dairy operation to his partner so he and his wife could serve some missions.  They are great people.

Saturday morning after breakfast and a little more visiting; Chris and Rhonda Elliott arrived at 10am.  Chris and his family are members of the Geneseo Ward and he has been our ward mission leader up until about a month ago.  He was released as our ward mission leader and called to be the Young Men President; he is a great leader and does well with the young men.  He will be very good at helping prepare the young men to be good missionaries by the time they are 18.  Chris is employed by a company which distributes dairy milking supplies to many of the dairies in Western N Y between Syracuse and Buffalo.  Some of the dairies he services have robotic milking equipment for which he provides the cleaning solutions and calibrating the robots to clean properly.  Chris had arranged with a dairy not too far from where we live to allow us and the Jeppesen’s to see their dairy operation which milks about 750 cows and has 13 robotic units to milk these cows.  Most people would never guess that Western NY has over 650,000 milk cows scattered around the area.  Most of the dairies milk 1000 or less cows, but there are some larger dairies which milk 3,000 to 5,000 cows.  It was very interesting and educational to watch these robot units milk the cows with no direct human involvement.  Each cow has a tag around her neck with a computer unit embedded in it.  The tag tells the robot who the cow is and a large variety of information about the cow.  The cows are all in enclosed barn areas and the cows choose when they will be milked.  No human has to go herd them into a holding pen and then herd them into the milk barn and clean each cow and then put the milkers on like most of us are used to doing.  The cows are motivated to be milked mostly based on obtaining a measured amount of grain.  It is amazing that the cows choose to be milked an average of about 2.7 to 2.8 times in 24 hours, roughly 3 times.  These numbers tell you that there are some cows which need to have a human bring them to be milked; mostly these are the new young heifers that need to learn when to be milked.  If a cow tries to get grain before she should be milked no grain will be dispensed and the gate to let her out opens so she will leave.  Most of the cows have it timed to within 10-15 minutes of when it is the right time to be milked next.  Once the cow is locked in the milking unit automatically begins doing what it is programmed to do.  The robotic arm unit goes into motion and an arm with cleaning brushes swings under the cow and laser guiding lights help the unit find the teats and the brushes gently clean each teat one at a time.  The cleaning unit then swings out of the way and goes through a thorough cleaning process so it will be ready for the next cow.  The unit with the milking claw then swings under the cow and the laser light guides each shell and inflation onto the teat one at time, beginning with the rear teats.  Each robotic unit has its own milk receiving jar and pump to empty the jar when the cow has been milked.  The milk is measured, the temperature of the milk and a few other things are measured.  All of the information is then sent to a computer which is monitored by the herd manager.  There are all kinds of messages and prompts sent to the computer and the herd manager and a few other helpers take care of any warnings or problems that appear on the computer screen.  The information in the cows tag includes whether any of the quarters on the cow are not functional or have been treated and if the milk should not go into the tank the milk is dumped into the floor drain and washed away.  The milking shells and inflations are steam cleaned after each cow for a few minutes.  The milk is pre-cooled before being pumped into the bottom of a 7,000 gallon tank.  The timing of all of these steps is worked out so that when the milk truck comes to get the milk from the tank there is time to clean the tank before milk goes in to the tank again.  There are two tanks this same size so while one is being cleaned milk can go in to the other tank.  There are a lot more details about how this all works, but it was very interesting to see and hear how it all works.   I have some good pictures of the robot units.

We had a great day in our church meetings today.  We were invited to visit with a family in the ward after our meetings and eat with them.  We stayed and visited with them for a while after eating.  We are looking forward to hearing President Uchtdorf in the CES Fireside this evening.

Our missionaries here in the mission continue to have many spiritual experiences in finding and teaching people the gospel.  Sadly, there are not a great number who are willing to change their lives and let the gospel and the Holy Ghost into their hearts and lives to change them and bring them the happiness that only the gospel can bring.  In time, more of the people will accept the gospel as they have more visits from the missionaries.  It takes an average of 7 exposures to the gospel before people will feel the Holy Ghost tell them it is true and then accept it and live it and be willing to be baptized and confirmed.  We know the gospel is true and of eternal worth in our lives if we will let it become a part of our lives.

We love all of you,

Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, Maxine & Richard