Trains, tiles, and the Christmas yard trash winner in Chicago

Sorry we missed a week.  We were having fun....with the Ekins. They are a short 7 hour drive from us and decided to have an early Christmas with us. What a blessing, and a refreshing change from our routine. Our condo expanded to allow sleeping accommodations for 5 extras and we were off on adventures.  We only took one day off from our responsibilities. We wanted to take the train to Chicago. Ellie said, " is it the Polar Express?" Not quite. We visited a few sights, visited with a few nice people on the train....and some not so nice people too. We saw Christkindle land which is a German village full of good food, nutcrackers, and hand blown ornaments....and wood carved everything. It was cold. It was rainy. We got lost at one point but we had fun seeing Chicago through new eyes. We then hopped on the train back to Glenview. At one point the train stopped and the conductor said, " the conductor will be off the train temporarily." She then opened all the train doors as she waltzed off the platform. We watched a couple of punks hustles past us then a couple of minutes later, four police come running after them, guns drawn. Jennifer says to me," Is my family safe?" I assured her this was the meaning of " sitting ducks"....open all the train doors while they play cops and robbers outside. After 10 minutes the conductor gets back on and we proceed home. Ekins were gratified they had the authentic Chicago tour.
We sang carols, watched the antics of Henry (the elf on the shelf),baked cookies, played games, did Christmas crafts galore, and enjoyed the laughter of children in our home. While Emily took a shower we heard a super loud clunk in the tub. She didn't respond at first, then came running out assuring us our bathroom walls weren't very strong. Six tiles and the soap dish fell off the wall into the bathtub while she showered, revealing wet Sheetrock and black mold beneath. I told you we were living retro ghetto. Our hope is we get a new tub and shower out of the deal....and maybe a whole new bathroom since our toilet has been leaking for 3 months with no response from our landlord.
We loved taking Randy and Jennifer to the temple on Saturday, and the whole family to church the next day where Elder Taggart sang a solo.  We were sad when they left but feel sure they will be back for more adventures.
Christmas wasn't much different than last year, just the two of us in Chicago instead of Seattle. We Skyped children and grandchildren for 8 hours. Our temple president's wife said to me, " oh, that would be perfect. You get to see them all but you don't have the mess to clean up after they leave. Ours came to see us this year."  True, but I missed the hugs and interaction you get in person. All of our posterity are in good places right now and for that I am grateful.
Every missionary got a gift. I watched a "loaves and fishes" miracle as things arrived from Renton, Wa, Freedom, Wyoming, Utah, my grandchildren who made ornaments, and goodie bags put together by the Wilmette Stake YSA. We requested for 40 missionaries who never get a letter or a box and it grew to 65 missionaries who needed something for Christmas. What a blessing you were in the lives of these "kids" far away from home for the holidays. Our Elder from Equadornsummed it up beautifully. "I never get letters or packages from home. All of a sudden I'm getting 2-3 Christmas cards a day----from people I don't even know. Then boxes. It meant so much to me."
That project also helped me keep my sanity. I have readdressed literally thousands of letters and approx. 1000 boxes.none day alone I did 192 boxes and 256 letters. It restores my hope in the goodness of humanity.
So here we are, at the end of the year.  We both need to find a doctor in the area, just in case. I am leaning toward Resurrection Health Care of Glenview. Where else have you seen that kind of promise? I realized today I have been sitting beside this good man for over a year now. I like it better than seeing him from afar on the stand. I taught a lesson today and it felt good to be back doing that. We are happy and healthy. I'll be feeding 120 on Tuesday so don't worry about me getting bored. We love you and miss you all. Make a resolution to read the Book of Mormon this year and share your testimony of it.
Love,
Sister Taggart

2013 Winding Down

HAPPY NEW HEAR!

We had a wonderful Christmas. We enjoyed either a Skype session or a phone conversation with each of our kids and their families which meant we spent most of Christmas day talking or watching grandkids parade their gifts before us. Technology today is marvelous to allow you to stay connected even when far apart. Brianne (Hermana Ewell) is serving a mission in the Dominican Republic so we didn't get to speak to her, but she was able to Skype with her family.

My favorite gift was a treasure chest full of memories with grandpa/grandma/mom/dad from our entire posterity. Each of them had written memories on strips of paper that were rolled up in a nice treasure chest. Thank you Andrea for spearheading that and also for typing all of their notes.  There must have been 150-200 notes in that chest. We spent a couple hours reading all of them. They caused laughter, tears and lots of reflections on memories made with those we love. Those notes will be read many more times in the coming years.

We enjoyed a delightful visit with the Ekins family just before Christmas. It was so fun to have children in our apartment and to be able to do crafts, baking and singing together. I know that Claudia will share far more details on their visit so I will say no more.

It was my privilege to sing a solo in church last Sunday. A sweet young missionary accompanied me. I do enjoy singing and it was a treat to be able to do so to hopefully enhance the worship service just prior to Christmas. Something about music really helps me to enjoy and get into the spirit of Christmas.

Yesterday in a quiet moment, I was reflecting on the events of this year. It really has been a whirlwind year or so. I was released as the stake president after serving In the stake presidency for 17 years. That was bitter-sweet; I have enjoyed being able to sit with my sweetheart in church but I really do miss being able to serve the wonderful people of the Renton stake. I retired 10 months ago; I dearly miss the wonderful people I worked with for many years, but I don't miss the business or the pressures of work. We sold our home in Washington in only 4 days and had to scramble to find a new home in Utah before leaving on our first mission for the Church. We closed on our new home in Utah and had just 4 days to move in before starting our mission. We have been in the greater Chicago area for 7 months now and are loving the people, the diversity and all the things to see and do. I will withhold judgement for now on the weather here.

I have found there are many good people wherever you go. I was touched by the goodness of many of you and others who helped to make Christmas bright for many missionaries who rarely if ever get anything from home. Sister Taggart was a rock star as she coordinated and orchestrated  the making, gathering and distributing of gifts and cards for about 65 of these young people. Thanks to her vision and the help of many, there were no missionaries who didn't have several cards and at least 2-3 gifts to open.

We have another 16 months left to leave a mark for good on the people of Chicago. We love you, we love the Lord and we love being companions in this work of inviting people to come unto Christ so they can find the love and joy that we share. I am grateful for that babe born in Bethlehem and for the power and influence He is in my life. As we charge into a new year, my hope and prayer would be that each of us would strive to know Him better and strive more diligently to be like Him in our journey through this mortal experience. He is the reason for all that is good in life.

Elder Taggart

A gangster, a circus train, and 2 degrees below zero....brrrrrrrrrrr

I gave this photo the title "mail madness" . Yes, this is my desk and that is just one days worth of mail....piles of it, all waiting to be readdressed.  We survived the transfer. I have six words to say about that....they come, they eat, they leave. Nineteen new missionaries are now adapting to a Chicago winter.....2 degrees below and then add the wind chill which usually drops it another ten degrees. Not to worry, Chicago has 287 snowplows. They can handle anything. Our car required $500 to winterize it. We think it prefers Seattle weather.
We went to our ward Christmas party and focused on investigators.none man came because he was lonely. He is 50 something, from Poland and his soulmate just died of cancer. He showed up to church the next day because he had felt love, concern, and caring from the people of the ward.
Our newest convert brought his wife (not a member) and his two little girls. As I visited with the wife, she expressed an interest in her 3 year old having what Mormon children have---opportunities to sing and speak in public with an adoring audience.
It has been a hard week having missionaries go home early, one for surgery and one for other medical reasons. They will be home for Christmas but would rather have stayed here .
We found out we have a Texas Ranger baseball player living in our ward---Adam Rosales. He would like to meet up with you sometime, Doug.
We felt waves of homesickness on Adam's baptism day....and also Anne's performance, Lydia's drill team, Dani and Lexi's talent show, Todd's girls singing in church, and Sadie doing the penguin cha cha. We have learned wherever you are you need to "unpack your bags". We have done that but it still doesn't stop the tugs on your heart strings from home.
My 4! Best referrals this week:
1) a brand new missionary gave a Book of Mormon to a homeless lady at O'Hare airport. She wanted me to follow - up on it.....no name, no address, no phone number, and out of our. Issuing boundaries. Oh for the faith of these young things.
2) a sweet sister missionary had made contact with a member of a traveling circus. "He's going to somewhere in Indiana next, can you assign him?"  Because we had his Facebook info, I could assign him. But I needed an address. I plugged in Circus Train and the system took it.
3) a Latino Elder I love dearly called me with a referral. "Sister Taggart, he is a gangster but he loves Jesus and wants to turn his life around." As I went to assign him, Westchester popped up. We have a set of sweet , timid sisters there, and a set of Elders. I said a prayer. It was answered. He is in the Elder's area.
4) I assigned a random referral to Chicago 7th. They get a lot of referrals daily and have three sets of missionaries to handle them. The referral comment said, "call his mother at ------------before contacting him."  So our Elder called the mother. She turned out to be a teacher at the high school he graduated from.  Her son left home, left the church, and ended up in Chicago. Would this Elder please go find him?  This Elder was so excited to be placed in just the right area to possibly rescue this peer from his past.
We ate at a restaurant on Friday for date night. I had Lake Superior white fish which is not half bad. We had been here before in July when we first moved here. The owner is a former member of the mafia but has left that life for this one. Our name tags often cause restaurant owners to place us at tables near the rear. Not this owner. We had talked to him in July about our missionaries and what they do for 1 1/2 to 2 years. His son was a delinquent at that point. We told him Utah had some great wilderness survival programs. He came to our table Friday night and said, " Guess where my son is? Utah. They are getting him straightened out. We need to talk but not right now."  So even brief encounters can impact the lives of people we come in contact with.
Heartbreak of the week.....an Elder who had waited 3 months for ANY piece of mail got a letter from his grandma. When he anxiously opened it by my desk, it was a letter to his cousin who is also serving a mission. She writes to his cousin but had addressed it to him. But thanks to good people in our Garrison Creek ward and people from Freedom, Wyoming, he started getting cards and letters last week with gifts to follow this week. That has helped me to forget being home for Christmas. I have made and bought gifts a plenty for the 40 missionaries like this one.
Remember the reason for this season. Serve where you can. Give if you can. Bless the lives of those around you. Share memories with the ones you love . It will sustain you through times when you may be far away.  We love you and miss you. Have a giving week.
Sister Taggart

Warmth in spite of the cold

Yes, Chicago has been in a bit of a deep freeze this past week or so. We have had several days where the temp was in single or negative digits as we have left the warmth of our little apartment to head to the office. With the wind chill, every day for at least ten have been -5 to -18. Even with my extra fat layer for the winter, that is just plain cold. Yesterday was the first day with a temp as warm as freezing. And today, the high is again only 16. We got 4 inches of snow yesterday and it is supposed to snow again later today. It's so cold, you can't even make a snowball out of it.

With the cold temperatures, I have replaced 7 car batteries this week on cars with 40,000+ miles. I have also replaced tires on 12 vehicles to make sure the missionaries can be safe on slick roads.

Monday we received 19 new missionaries and on Wednesday we had 9 return home. 7 of those had completed their mission here; the other two went home for medical reasons. One of those is having surgery tomorrow morning to remove a 7 lb. tumor in her abdomen. Hopefully she will come back out after she has recovered.

It is so exciting to see new eager and enthusiastic missionaries arrive. We get to great them straight from the missionary training center, provide some training a car, cell phone and a mini iPad and then send them off to their area to begin their service here. I think the sweetest part of our service is being able to be grandparents to 200 young missionaries who often just need to know that someone cares and is willing to listen to them.

By Wednesday of transfer week, we have already put in about 40 hours because we are up late Monday night having dinner and providing training for the new missionaries and up late on Tuesday night to have dinner and a testimony meeting with those who are heading home on Wednesday morning. Now that we have been here over 6 months, it is difficult to see the ones who are going home leave. They have now become ours and though we are excited for them to go home to family and friends, it tugs at your heart-strings to say goodbye to them.

For those who are somewhat hesitant to get on Facebook, let me just say that some amazing things are happening as we continue to learn how to best share the gospel of Jesus Christ using social media. We are teaching people in Russia, Germany, India, Africa, Poland, China, Mexico, Canada, and in at least 25 states in the US. That is all in addition to many who are being taught right here in Chicagoland face to face as well as on FB.

The Lord has said, "I will hasten my work in my time". Now is that time and He is making it possible for many more people to learn about His Son, Jesus Christ. It is exciting to play just a small part in all of that.

We are looking forward to a visit from the Ekins family this week. Randy is doing his residency as an ER doctor in Ohio and that is only 6 1/2 hours from us. They will spend 4 days with us and we are excited to hear the laughter and excitement of children in our home here. We are actually going to take a couple days off from our office responsibilities and see some sites and have some fun in Chicago.

As children sang two musical numbers in church today, I realized just how much I miss my grandchildren! I've decided that the biggest sacrifice we are making while serving here is being away from our children and grandchildren. We love them and miss them, but know that this is where the Lord needs us right now.

The warmth in spite of the cold comes from knowing that we have a Father in Heaven who knows  us and loves personally; we have an elder brother, Jesus Christ, who gave his life that we might have hope and a way to return to our heavenly home to enjoy the eternities together with family and friends. I know that he whose birth we celebrate this season is the Savior of the world, he is the great Jehovah, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. He is the babe born in humble circumstances in Bethlehem, the promised Messiah. I know that He lives, that he knows us and loves us and that as we learn of Him and strive to pattern our lives after Him, we will have joy and happiness in this life as well as in the life to come.

May you feel His love and warmth in your homes and hearts this Christmas season is my prayer for each of you. Have a great week!

Elder Taggart

How to get a Book of Mormon past prison guards and other mysteries....

What a crazy week this has been. You would think with the Thanksgiving break we would have had more time. We heard of stores staying open on Thanksgiving and Black Friday deals and it really doesn't apply to us at all.
Thanksgiving was perfect. I had 4 Sister missionaries to dinner Tues. night and 2 Elders on Wed. Night so I was tired of cooking and since there were plenty of leftovers, I did not cook one thing on Thanksgiving. That is really something to be thankful for. We couldn't go to the office that day because we work over a bank so we stayed in our pajamas til 11, went without shoes all day, spoke to or texted all of our children and ate good food with no effort. We also addressed Christmas cards. For the first time in our marriage, my companion helped!
RANDOM calls for the week.....take 4:
1. Sister Taggart, how do we get a Bible and Book of Mormon past prison guards? We have permission to visit this guy but there is a special procedure for getting things in . So I call Salt Lake and did you know....there is a Correctional Facilities Department in Church headquarters? Books going into a facility must have the Church logo on them, be sealed, etc....then they let them through. I could have had my choice of books too.
2. Sister Taggart, someone in a rehab center in Chicago sent us a request for a Book of Mormon and a Bible. He also wants our help. The minister at the desk won't let us deliver anything or see him. We think he is being held hostage." I politely explained to these 18-19 year olds that is basically what a rehab center is. Try again in a week or so. Good luck.
3. I'll copy this one straight off the e-mail " I am copying Sister Taggart on this message so she can respond on how best to order and ship Books of Mormon to my nephew serving in Japan. His mission can't give him all he needs." Are you kidding me? I'm good but really---I have my limits.
4. Elder Taggart, we need to take our tornado damaged car in for repairs. Can you Google to see where a location close to Rensselaer is? Elder Taggart did so. A few minutes later these same sisters called him back. " you are not going to believe this but that garage is the only building the tornado completely destroyed. Could you find the next closest garage?"
We give more time, love, and compassion this time of the year. It is bone- chilling cold and during the holidays, our missionaries long for a piece of home. If they come into the office we have hot cider or chocolate and a granola bar for them.....and hugs, lots of hugs. The response for missionaries who dont get letters or boxes from home, has been gratifying to see. We have had wards back home in Washington and Wyoming respond, moms who don't want anyone to be left out, and family members who just wanted to send something. If you want to send a card of encouragement and appreciation to an Elder or a Sister, send it to MISSIONARY
800 Waukegan Road #203, Glenview, IL 60025.
We are doing great. We took our car in to be winterized. Elder Taggart orchestrates cars for 200 but had to walk 2 miles home because they needed the car all day. Then he reversed the process late that same day. An Elder called, who had lost his bus pass, and I heard Elder Taggart tell him he would have to figure it out because we were without wheels too. We just hit our 6 month mark and we feel we have hit our stride. Our children sent us 8x10 pictures for Thanksgiving. What a delight to be surrounded by family, flat though they are. Home for us has always been about being together. We look forward to Ekins coming for Christmas, the Texas branches coming for their Spring break and Ferrells next summer. Transfers next week bring 19 more "kids" so we are never in short supply.
We hope you all draw family closer during this season. We love all the Nativity sets placed in front of churches all over Chicago. Try to remember the reason for the season. Help someone come to know their Savior. And if you need a Book of Mormon, I can get one into almost anywhere. We love you and miss you.
Sister Taggart

200 Mini iPads

Nov. 25

What a week it has been! We had training meetings three days this week to activate and provide training on Mini iPads for 200 young missionaries. The set-up and preparation to make sure we had a strong internet signal in the buildings we did training in plus all of the logistics, etc. made for a hectic week with long hours and not much quality sleep. Thankfully, I had called and trained 6 missionaries to help me as techs to trouble-shoot and assist in the training. They are amazing and understand the devices and learn the software so quickly. Which means that my life will be a bit easier. I will utilize these techs to field most of the questions the missionaries have particularly about their iPads and the specialized software we are using. Each of these meetings required me to find the wireless router and plug a long cable in the back of it so that I could plug that into another router in the room we would be activating devices in. This enabled us to bypass the Church firewall so that we had a signal strong

 

That means that I can have more time to monitor their Facebook activity. That is time-consuming but I am actually very impressed with most of their posts. For the most part, they are uplifting, inspirational and great invitations to learn more. There are some, particularly young men, who don't understand that goofy pictures are fun but they don't really invite anyone to want to be nourished spiritually. I know that for some, having an iPad will make it that much more tempting to be online when they are not supposed to be.

 

The weather has shifted; when we left for church yesterday morning, it was 12 degrees and the wind was blowing. The high on both Saturday and Sunday was only 26 degrees. Today it snowed for about 2 hours. Not much actually stuck but it was quite slippery as we left the office.

 

On Friday, the fleet manager from Salt Lake City was in our office t train me on the new software to keep track of all of the cars. So, we spent from 8:30 to almost 5:30 together loading that program and then going through all of the details pertaining to it. So by Friday night, my brain was totally drained and stretched.

 

Fortunately I was able to sleep in until almost 7 on Saturday and we had a somewhat relaxing day once we got the apartment cleaned, laundry done, shoes shined and grocery shopping taken care of. Ok, I had about 1 1/2 hours to relax a bit before we headed off to a baptism in the afternoon.

 

I enjoyed talking to each of my children and their families on my birthday last week. But I must admit, it did make me really anxious to be able to give a big hug to some of the little ones. It was also enjoyable to speak with Linda, Darren and Ken from my old office. Personally I was grateful just to see another birthday and know that I had lived and enjoyed another year. Oh, the simple pleasures of getting old.

 

As we go into the Thanksgiving week, I am grateful for so many things. I appreciate the part each of you has played in my life and the wonderful times we have spent together. As challenging as it is to see all of the craziness going on in our government lately, I am still very appreciative to live in this great country. I truly do appreciate life and the opportunity to experience so many things. I am grateful for the scriptures and knowledge of a loving Heavenly Father's plan for each of us. I appreciate my older brother, Jesus Christ, and for his Atoning sacrifice that makes it possible for me to have hope when I fall short of his expectations of me. I have been blessed with an amazing posterity and extended family. My companion and friend is the joy of my life. She helps me to desire and strive to be better.

 

 I wish you a blessed Thanksgiving week. Take time to tell those you love just how much you appreciate them.

 

Elder Taggart

Bethy Babe, Grandma Woolf, and Paul Newman for a Stake President

Nov. 25

I love my job. The mail can be so enlightening. This Beth has some interesting mail....at least the names people use for her are a kick.  She is known as BFF Bethy, Bethy Babe and this week To the Princess, Beth.  Honestly? Can you believe sending mail to a missionary addressed like that? Return addresses interest me too.  This week I processed a letter with a stake pres. By the name of Paul Newman. I thought he died. Maybe he has come back as a Mormon leader. I chuckled. But my LOL this week was when the return address said Grandma Woolf! What? This was a twist on Little Red Ridinghood I had not expected. Grandma married the wolf? What happened to Red Riding Hood? Did the woodsman never show up? I thought about the possibilities through the rest of the mail......which is a ton these days. Ah, Christmas is coming and these funny, funny parents send a box to an 18 year old with DO NOT OPEN TIL CHRISTMAS and think that will stick! Probably not, Mom and Dad, far away.
This week has been one of highs and lows. One of our sweet Polish sisters mother died on Monday at the age of 48. It was completely unexpected. This Sister bore a strong testimony on Thursday about the plan of salvation.  She is not going home. She was promised in a blessing that her mother will now be able to share her mission, hear the gospel taught by her daughter to other investigators, and understand the big picture. What strong young people we are working with.
Several of our missionaries are facing medical challenges, like tumors, heart problems, back issues, and on and on. They work through their pain, with smiles on their faces. As it gets colder and my arthritis hurts, I just follow their example. I am not sure how I will handle Utah's cold winters but this moist, right off Lake Michigan cold is something to experience. Ah for the days of curling up in a blanket with a good book!
Novice techy from SLC apologized to me on Wednesday. I got to the iPad roll out early with Elder Taggart so I could get things ready for the lunch, set up my sewing machine, and make sure I was ready for my training bit. We had to divide the 120 missionaries into two groups so we wouldn't blow a fuse or something with all the iPads going. That meant training two separate groups. So I ran from the kitchen to the RS room where I mended pants, coats, pockets, and tears. Then back into the kitchen. Then into the chapel for training. Then back to the kitchen to serve lunch to 120. Then back to my mending.....back to the chapel again.....and on and on. This guy who the week before had called us "part time missionaries" came up to me and said, " Are you Sister Taggart? I owe you an apology.  I had no idea what you did out here. I have watched you today and I can't believe everything you do. You are not part time." I assured him what he had been watching me do all day wasn't even what I do. My office job is intense too. Good to have validation.
I got my first referral this week. The postman came in and wondered what this place was. He had a stack of 20+ boxes on a cart, 100 letters, and just wondered what we did. So I explained what we all did, 50-60 hours a week....for free, paying all of our own expenses so we can be here to support 200 young missionaries inviting others in Chicago to come to Christ. He said he was a believer but he had never seen any of our missionaries. I asked him if he would like to meet some. He said yes. He said he would also like to come to one of our meetings. Did we have a chapel near him? I got his name, address, phone number and in less than a week, he was being taught by our missionaries in Logan Square. Cool, huh?
I went to my third "referral baptism" Saturday. This man was a referral from Belgium, here on a three month professor deal with the University of Chicago. He had one discussion before he left Belgium. I assigned him to missionaries in his area. One was a football player from BYU. He said to me, "He will be smart. I play football. What can I teach him?" I answered, " the gospel". Well, these two young Elders taught this scientist and he was baptized Saturday. He came up to me after to thank me for finding him missionaries so he could learn about Jesus Christ and his church on the earth today. Awesome moment for me.
We have 4 Sister missionaries coming for dinner tomorrow and two Elders coming Wed. And then Elder Taggart and I will have leftovers for Thanksgiving. Then we have to man the office Friday because Crooks are taking off for Ohio to be with family for the holiday.
We love the work. We put in 30 hours in just two days this week. We go fast so our joints don't freeze up. We love our missionaries. We miss our family but know they are being blessed because we are serving. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and if Little Red Ridinghood comes by, tell her not to go to Grandmas. It's too late.
Sister Taggart

Reschedule Christmas, 80 Tornados, and "You are a part time missionary"

No wonder I haven't written in two weeks. This is a lot to take in. When I speak to a parent who wonders why their son/daughter hasn't written in two weeks, I promptly call that Elder/ Sister and tell them they are breaking my heart. Why wouldn't they communicate with their loving parent? Julie called us on the carpet. She does our blog. She was concerned something may be wrong. That was even before the tornados. No--I just needed a cooling off time before I wrote something I would regret.
I love our missionaries. I talk to 20 to 30 daily. Not the calls Elder Taggart gets...." I left my bus pass on the bus. What should I do?" Or "I left my phone at an investigators house and they won't give it back." Or " a member just backed into our car in the church parking lot. What to we do?" No, my calls are good news..." Sister Taggart, we have a referral for you." Or "we need another case of Books of Mormon" or " we are sending you 2 baptism forms, filled out completely."
So imagine my surprise last week when a young , inexperienced, techy from Headquarters said these words to my husband...." You are a senior missionary. You are not considered full time.." WRONG WORDS TO SAY TO ME...a week after transfers, a shipment of 65 cases of supplies in one weeks time, and literally hundreds of letters and boxes to reroute. I am OK now but with the sacrifices we are making it was a low blow to call me Part- time.
We spoke in church last week. I spoke on testimony and my companion was asked to speak on How the missionaries are using social media to spread the gospel message to invite others to Come Unto Christ. His was the better talk and everyone wanted to know more after the meeting. Pioneers, that's what we are. Pioneers into cyber space teaching. We probably won't ever be asked to speak in out intellectual ward. Not smart enough nor do we have the right degrees.
We had snow last week, then a warm streak, then Sunday it was warm in the morning and at around noon, all hell broke loose....literally. We were in Relief Society when the warning sirens went off. We were hurried into the hallways, the only safe places in that building, and mothers went to get their children. I couldn't find Elder Taggart anywhere. They said a prayer for our safety and the Bishop said we were to evacuate the building.(not a smart decision since a car is the most unsafe place to be during a tornado.) Where was Elder Taggart? These people were calm but I have never lived through a tornado before so I wanted my husband with me. This is high adventure. We do high adventure together, don't we? He was in his classroom with the rest of the High Priest group, finishing their lesson, oblivious to the warnings and chaos. Funny, huh?
We went home, cooked dinner, then decorated our Christmas tree and took a nap....only the second one we have taken on our "part time mission". 80 tornados touched down in and around our mission area yesterday. All missionaries are safe and accounted for and the worst damage was in the Chicago West Mission.
Last week, in our meeting with the president, we received a calendar for December. I kid you not....on Dec. 25 it had "reschedule?" How do you reschedule Christmas? I know it will be different without family or friends or any of our usual traditions but really, reschedule the whole thing? It turned out to be a glitch with the other secretary, who does the calendar, trying to move a meeting that would have fallen on Christmas Day. Calm down, Sister Taggart.
We have had missionaries to dinner this week. They feel like they have had a visit to Grandmas house when they leave. I wish I had Snow White at my condo to sweep the cobwebs and cook the meals while I am in the office 9-10 hours a day.....part-time. I would fix better meals. But they enjoy whatever I make and we love having them in our home.
Elder Taggart is with people from Salt Lake training Missionaries on iPads this week. I am doing luncheons two days. Never a dull moment.
As the missionaries were leaving our condo, one of them said, " wouldn't it be great if they had lights on the pulpit? One would go off with an alarm if false doctrine were being taught. One would go off when their time was up. One would flash when it was time for them to sit down and one would warn if a testimony wasn't really a testimony." With all the technology we have in the church, I think they could come up with something like that.
Today is a new week. Minimal damage was done by the wind to our condo parking area. We are so blessed to be serving with these 200 youth and a fantastic mission president. We love the time we get to spend together. I am grateful Elder Taggart is having his 64th birthday tomorrow. At 45 , after the first heart attack, we didn't know if he would be around this long. We are having a good experience, inspire of techy brains who don't know what they are talking about. The gospel is true. We love you and miss you.

Sister Taggart

iPads

I have been slothful this past couple of weeks and have not written. So I am repenting. I realize there may be a few of you who might actually read these and notice that I didn't write.

 

We have had 6 car accidents in the past 10 days and the roads aren't even slick yet. I am nervous about what will happen when the snow flies. Fortunately no one has been injured but I now have 6 cars in various stages of repair in body shops across Illinois and Indiana.

 

The two of us spoke in church for the first time this past Sunday. I realized that other than speaking just before we left, this was the one of the few times I have spoken in the past year. That seems so strange since I spoke so often for 17 years in the stake presidency. It was a positive experience and hopefully we invited the Spirit into the lives of some and also encouraged some.

 

I monitor almost 200 posts on Facebook daily and also have 25-30 chats with various missionaries. Most of the missionaries are doing a great job of posting uplifting, inspirational information, inviting people to learn more. It just hit me that I really need to 'like' more of their posts so that they will appear on my timeline. If you want to be 'friends' just type in Elder Bruce Taggart and send me a request. When you think of the reach of Facebook, just consider that most people have at least 300 friends. If someone gets 50 'likes' on a post, that would mean that at least 15,000 people would see that post. That is a very fast way to get an inspirational message to many people quickly.

 

So, here are just a few exciting successes from using Facebook this past month. A missionary from Poland is the only member in her family; she joined the church just 3 years ago. She reached out to her mother and her brother and his wife. Her mother isn't interested in learning more right now. But her brother and his wife are. This Sister served in Poland for a few months before her papers came through for her to come to Chicago. She contacted her brother via Facebook and communicated with him until he was interested in learning more about who we are and what we believe. She then had Sister Taggart send a referral to the mission there in Poland to contact her brother. She prayed that great missionaries would contact him and be able to teach he and his wife. Well the missionary who was given the referral in Poland just happened to be the Sister who had been her companion while she served there. His brother and his wife are now being taught by Sister Lidtka and her companion. Yes that is Sarah Lidtka from the Renton Washington stake back home. There are no coincidences, God really is in charge of everything. We just sometimes fail to see His hand in the details.

 

Another missionary has his mother on date to be baptized when he gets back home this next Spring. He has been able to teach her via Facebook chat and she is also meeting with local missionaries there in Germany, learning and preparing to be baptized when her son returns.

 

A young Sister missionary from California, who joined the church just 2 years ago asked me permission to reach out to her father to see if he might be interested in learning more about what she believes and what she is doing. She said he is a tough nut because he is a pastor for another Christian church. Well she sent him a link to Elder Holland's talk, "Lord I Believe" two weeks ago. This week he shared with her that he had used that as his text for his sermon last Sunday. I replied to her that little did he know that he was preparing his congregation to receive the missionaries and learn more; he taught them Mormon doctrine and they didn't even know it. But there very well may be some in his congregation who might invite two young missionaries into their home when they hear a knock on their door.

 

The possibilities for using Facebook and other social media to share the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ really have no bounds. So, if your local missionaries happen to be able to use Facebook, please don't be afraid to 'friend' them. You just never know who might enjoy one of the posts you 'like' and want to know more.

 

This coming week will be crazy but also exciting for this old guy. We have three different meetings where every missionary will receive their own personal iPad mini provided by the church to assist them is using Facebook and other social media to enhance their purpose as a missionary to invite all to come unto Christ. Yours truly gets to be the lucky one to oversee 200 missionaries using and keeping track of these devices. By Thursday they will all have their iPad, have it set up with approved apps and will begin to use them. That is when my life will get crazy with many questions, etc. I am sure. I am just hoping that they will keep better track of their iPad than many of them of their cell phone. More stories to come in weeks ahead.

 

Then on Friday, just because there won't be enough going on, the fleet manager from SLC will be with me because we will go live that day on a brand new software program to keep track of everything related to cars. I know I won't have time to be bored next week.

 

Have I said recently that I love what I am doing? I also love my companion and thoroughly enjoy being able to spend this time with her. She is becoming quite proficient in using the computer and various software programs. Kids watch out, she just might put you all on a spreadsheet to keep track of you haha.

 

Have a blessed week and don't be afraid to look for opportunities to let someone know how much you love the Savior and to let them know how blessed your life is because you know who He is. We watched an old movie last night, "Cheaper by the Dozen" and boy did it make me realize just how much I miss my kids and grandkids. But we are loving this time together. We love and miss each of you.

 

Elder Taggart, Oh this is a picture out my office window one night this week. 

 

 

Testimony of a Lego up my sister's nose

This week was transfer week. 33 new missionaries, names to learn, supplies to pass out,letters of verification of address to send, training on how to fill out a baptism certificate correctly and on and on and on. I think we are getting the hang of it. After the first two days (the arrival and then departure) we had put in 28 hours and stopped counting for the week. Seriously, this is a job with many overtime hours and I'm hoping our family at home is reaping many blessings for our service. We also had Elder Martino and his wife in town for 6 days. Who planned that? So we had two zone conferences back to back amid passing out cars to new missionaries, etc. That meant two huge meals for 100 each day and the wards came through and it was a huge relief to me. I have learned to not panic if I never hear from the Spanish wards ahead of a meal. Nine times out of ten they come through beautifully.....the one time they don't......well, that means hungry missionaries. What can you do? I thought of packing 10 loaves of bread and a couple of jars of peanut butter but my companion said you can't serve that to a General Authority so oh well.

In the office, we did have a table set up after transfers....my deal. The other office couple keeps threatening to help but so far we go to Costco, haul the food home to prepare it, haul it back to the office, and then clean up the aftermath of 60 missionaries having a "little something to eat." Along with veggie platters, crackers and cheese, chips and salsa, puddings, and bowls of orange wedges (a whole case) we brought a bowl of tuna,dressing and pickles and made sandwiches as fast as we could and the missionaries devoured them. That was an afterthought for our lunch after everyone left but I did open 4 cans of tuna and there was lots for others to share. So it was a hit, the missionaries didn't leave the office hungry,and they know we love them.

Elder Martino was wonderful.....lots of good ideas to help the missionaries be more efficient working with the wards. He used Alma 8 through 12 with Alma as the missionary and Amulek as the ward member who helps with lessons. Now I will jump ahead to one of our wards, because they are the perfect example of how it is done. I will call him Sam. His name came in as a media referral that I sent on to two sister missionaries in one of our wards. They went to visit him. He was ready for baptism but his wife was anti and his little children too young to care. Sam has only one leg because of an automobile accident when he was three years old. He is a sharp guy with a lot on the ball but the sisters knew he needed a few more lessons and time, hopefully to calm his wife. He has been progressing for about two months, having lessons every week.....in the home of a member each time....8 different members in this ward. They have had his family in for FHE or dinner or just a lesson. His wife totaled their car a couple of weeks ago and then the members started giving him rides. He was baptized Saturday. His wife refused to come but he felt compelled to move ahead because of his strong testimony. Two brothers from our ward wore white because they weren't sure how they would get him in the font, etc. Sam is about 6'2" and uses crutches all the time but that day he thought he could just hop into the font. It was the most touching scene. Everything went off without a hitch. He bore a strong testimony after his baptism and he was so happy. The mission president had all the people in the ward stand who had helped in any way. The Relief Society room was packed and almost every person in the room stood. Either they had invited him into their home, taught a lesson, fed them a meal, or given him a ride. The support system he has going into this new venture is huge. We picked him up Sunday morning because the car they had been using had been removed by a sister-in-law who didn't want him to be confirmed. Didn't matter. The ward members will always be there for him.(we did it because it was such short notice, none of the ward members were home.....they were all on their way to church)

Fast forward to our other ward. A little boy, about 7 stood up to bear his testimony. He told of a hard time in his life. His 3 year old sister stuck one of his legos up her nose and they had to go to the hospital to have it removed..."and the hospital didn't even give my lego back!" It wasn't the trauma of having his little sister in the hospital. They didn't give his lego back. The Bishopric was laughing (silently) and the rest of us were trying not to crack up.I love little children.

We were reproved by our mission president this week during zone conferences. One of our outgoing missionaries had a "suit burning" in the parking lot of one of our Chicago buildings. There were 25 missionaries there to watch. The only problem was, there were many from the Spanish Branch in the building who saw the whole thing. Turns out, most of them can't afford a suit, or tie, or nice white shirts. They work two to three jobs just to pay rent and put food on the table. The mission president suggested we do as Christ would do.....if we have a tie to burn at our 6 month mark, donate it to one of the Branches. If we have a white shirt to burn at the year mark, donate it. If you have a suit to burn, donate it. Most of these members will never own a suit so what kind of example are we setting when we ungratefully burn these things. The President did it with much thought, humility, and love and I am sure we won't witness anymore of that nonsense.

As the cold weather sets in, we have more and more car problems. I hope my companion survives the winter. The sisters call before church like they expect him to bring them our car or something.We have no spare cars again and several missionaries who need cars before winter because public transportation doesn't exist in their areas. Our counterparts in the office found 14 new apartments in 6 weeks and now get to turn around and find 6 apartments before our Dec. transfer. His job is the pits. So we continue on....another day, another dollar.....oh wait, we aren't getting paid for this. We are up to 200 missionaries, 10 of which have come in the last 90 days. Many are home sick. I asked my companion the question, "Are we not homesick because we don't know which place to be sick about? Our new home is in Utah but we have never lived there. Our old home is in Renton but a big dog now occupies that space. Chicago is home for now and I can honestly say homesickness hasn't been an issue, yet."

Two missionaries got on the train last month and stood at the front of the car they were on and held up a Book of Mormon and said," We are here to find the elect. We will be talking to each of you to see if you are the elect." Talk about courage. We also had two Elders learn this week that there are "silent cars" on the train. They didn't know that but they were soon told. An Elder had his mother die last week of breast cancer. He is staying and is stronger and more obedient than ever. I know if you get a letter to Elder Dizzle and file it under D in the mailbox, it won't be taken. If you file it under G it will. We drove to Buffalo Grove on our P-day (after the baptism) to see the autumn leaves. They are spectacular in the Midwest. We have heated floors in our apartment. Who knew? When we come home from work each night the temp. is 85. We have waited two weeks for the problem to be fixed. What do you expect for $900 a month?

So life goes on. We love you. Try to be missionary in your ward. Invite someone into your home. You never know who you may influence. The Church is true. The hastening is real and will happen with or without us. It is a good time to be a missionary. Have a great week.

Sister Taggart

Illinois Chicago Mission

I'll Be Two Inches Shorter When I Come Home

To be sung to the toon of She'll Be Comin Round the Mountain

Wonder why my discs are all compressed
Should have known that this was just a test
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter when I come home

Hauling loads of groceries in and out
While unlocking four doors ya wanna shout
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter when I come home

Assigned to bring a luncheon, that I'll do
Though it compresses my discs, that is true
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter when I come home.

Boxes for the missionaries weigh a ton
Hauling them to meetings not so fun
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter when I come home.

I will stand up straight next time we meet
But you will think I'm not even on my feet
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter when I come home.

OK...that is my complaint for the week. Now on to the good stuff. When we feed the missionaries from either of our wards now, we get to feed four. It is so fun. They are so appreciative and leave such a special spirit in our home.

My husband has become the most popular man in the mission. He is not only the Car Czar and the Phone Crone, now he is in charge of Facebook. Yes folks, we are alive and well on Facebook now. It has been a trial for some. They came out on their mission, anxious to leave Facebook and now they are asked to spend one hour a day on it. We had been deemed an obedient mission so that was why we were chosen.....9th worldwide. Elder Taggart has to be friends with them, answer questions all day, monitors appropriate and inappropriate posts, texts them on what to change,monitors their sites through each day and reports to mission president as necessary. Elder Crook said, "I will accept them as friends but that doesn't mean I have to talk to them after that." That has been my take on the whole thing....get a picture on it and....done. I accepted one hundred friends last week, all of them missionaries. Imagine that. I get referrals from text now and sometimes they report back via text. That means my phone has to be charged every single day....and I have to check it!!! Overload!

Transfers are Tuesday. On Monday we get 33 more new missionaries. Only three go home. I think I am ready for this one.....I hope. To add spice to the soup, Elder Martino will be here for the whole week. Someone asked me if I was nervous for a General Authority to come. "Nope--cause he's not staying at my house." Two zone conferences later I may feel differently. One is with the ward that made the water/bone soup last time and all the missionaries went away starving. The other ward I have yet to hear back from so I'm planning peanut butter sandwiches just in case, with gallons of milk and Oreos for dessert. I love working with no responsive people. I would rather prepare and take the whole luncheon myself.

We had a baptism in one of our wards Saturday. The parents come to our Gospel Principles class each week.....for three months now. Problem is, they aren't married. They are expecting child # 4 together. She had one by a different father, he had two by a different mother. The baptism was for her oldest son and their oldest son. She felt something, you could tell. Her partner has some doubts. He pays child support for his first two so he sees marriage as a trap. He also has issues with the church because women can't hold the Priesthood. I'd like to corner him for 30 minutes and talk to him about that one. I've watched my husband for years as he magnified his Priesthood and I never once wished I could switch places with him. Happy with my role, thank you very much. His wife is chasing five kids around all day long. When does she think she would have time to fit the Priesthood in? We told them the Bishop would marry them for free and we would arrange the refreshments afterwards but still no go. But the mother felt something.
Now we just pray the ward will accept them, fellowship them, and weave them into the fabric of the ward. This ward thinks it is silk and has issues with any other fabric. Their loss, but we worry about our converts in this ward.

Another neat story to show you my small part in this big picture. I assigned a name in the referral system to two missionaries. They didn't get to see her before transfers in August so she was put on hold. An Elder came in August who was frustrated he got his call to Chicago. I speak Tagalog. I wanted to go to the Phillipines. He was assigned to the "hood" on the south side of Chicago. An Elder got sent home early so this Elder was driven into the area at night by the President. The President told his companion to find some Phillipinos for him to teach. He laughed. "President, we are in the wrong neighborhood for Phillipinos. This area is black." So a week later, they find this referral name in their Area book and go visit her. She is from the Phillipines. The new Elder bore fervent testimony in Tagalog. She is now a member of the church. So I had a small part in that miracle, and the delay was for a reason. This Elder has since found a couple more Phillipino families.

I could tell you stories about our Polish sisters and our Italian sister. They just end up where those language skills are needed. The Lord is in control. Things in this life are not left to chance. Patience is part of our learning curve when it comes to His will. Last week was a good week. I learned more about spreadsheets and now I have a spreadsheet for everything. Pray for our stamina to hold out. These big transfers after so many incoming take a toll. We had a sweet conversation with our Jewish friend in Hancock Fabric. She is now looking for the tender mercies in her life after our last conversation. Our influence reaches places we never tout it would. We love you and miss you.
 
Yes,that is Elder Taggart sewing on buttons....without his name tag on, sorry.
Love,
Sister Taggart

Facebook

Ok, I just have to start by saying that I have learned more and spent more on Facebook this past week than I have my entire life. We now have 170 missionaries online using Facebook and various LDS sites to share the gospel and invite people to learn more about who we are and what we believe. They currently spend 1 hour per day online and it is my responsibility to monitor their activity, posts, etc. I have read more posts and commented on more pictures this past week simply to make sure they know what is acceptable and what is not. I have literally fallen into bed every night this week from brain cramp and fatigue.

But, exciting things are happening. We are already seeing success from this online activity. In addition to being able to connect with people right here, many of them have been able to connect with family and friends back home to teach the more. Three missionaries actually have someone on date to be baptized from activity just this week.

I had really never chatted on Facebook prior to this past week. Now I probably have 30-40 chats per day answering various questions that missionaries have. These young people really are amazing and it has been fun to read their posts and invitations to others to learn.

Tomorrow we receive 34 new missionaries which will bring the total number of missionaries here in Chicago to 200. So this past week I have made sure that all of the driving records of the new arrivals is complete and ready for them to drive here; I have new cars ready to be assigned to the 15 new areas that we will open up; I have new cell phones ready to be assigned and I will provide training on driving, cell phone, the use of Facebook, etc. Oh, I have rented two additional 12 passenger vans to use in addition to the one we already have just so we can pick them all up at the airport. We will also take the pick-up truck and utility trailer to haul all of their luggage. All of this takes place tomorrow and Tuesday.

On Wednesday we have a member of the Quorum of the Seventy arriving to do a mission tour. He will be here until Sunday morning. So we will have meetings with him all day on Thursday and Friday. As I write this, I think I should quit and go to bed just to get a head start on the week. We will be running fast all week; it will be exhausting but it will also be very rewarding.

The weather has made a shift this past week. I had to scrape frost off the windows three mornings this week. So we know that winter is right around the corner. The leaves have finally changed color and I am sure will fall off the trees very soon. That will change the landscape significantly. But for now, it is very beautiful.

We attended the baptism of two brothers yesterday. Mom, dad and the whole family have been being taught by the missionaries and have been coming to church for many weeks. The mom, Yolanda, really wants to get baptized. But before she and her husband can, they have to get married. They have been together for years and have 5 children. But the husband is hesitant to get married. I don't know if that's because his first marriage didn't work out or not, but you would think that after years together and several children together, you would have determined if it was all going to work out.

Since getting married is one of the best things I have ever done in my life, I really have a difficult time understanding people being hesitant to make that commitment. I do love serving my sweetheart and being able to share this whole experience together.

One last comment about Facebook for those of you who use it regularly; think about posting a link to a video from LDS.org or Mormon.org or just a quote from one of the Apostles this week. You may be amazed when one of your Facebook friends decides they would like to know more. Also, when someone 'likes' your post, it becomes visible to their entire base of friends. Multiply that and it is exciting to think about how many people just one uplifting post may reach. I love this work and am so grateful to know that God knows who I am, that he cares about me personally, and that he really wants me to be happy. Living the gospel of Jesus Christ does make it much easier to be happy.

Have a blessed week!

Elder Taggart

Your child is safe in Chicago

Yes, I heard myself say those 6 words over the phone to a concerned mother this week. We are ramping up for transfers again.....meaning 34 new missionaries arrive a week from tomorrow (only three are going home), boxes of bedding and winter clothes started to arrive in the mail this week, and the moms sending said boxes are slapped up the side of the head with the reality MY CHILD WILL BE LIVING IN CHICAGO...MURDER CAPITOL OF AMERICA!!!
This mother is sending her eldest daughter. Will she be driving a car in the snow? Will she be in a safe neighborhood? Can I send pepper spray or mace so I can have peace of mind? ( I assured her she could but if her daughter gets sent to Buffalo Grove or Valparaiso, IN, the only thing she can use it on is cows.)
The letters I address are sent to locations such as Lake in the Hills,Crown Point, Homewood, Libertyville, Round Lake, Crystal Lake, Vernon Hills, Crestwood, and Blue Island. Sounds like a resort town, exotic, isolated, pristine, and beautiful. Most of Illinois is just that. A business associate of Elder Taggart from Buffalo Grove (38 miles from downtown Chicago) hunts from his front porch----deer, duck, pheasant---legally. He owns a hunting cabin and lake on his property and lives a simple life. (He also pays $22,000 a year in property taxes) Then there is downtown Chicago and a few surrounding neighborhoods that ruin it for the rest of us.
So I calmed a troubled mother who had heard all the myths about missionaries getting mugged each week in Chicago. It just doesn't happen that way.
Kyleygirl and BFF Bethy.....who are these people and why does their mail cross my desk? It is a postcard written to Kyleygirl, addressed to our mission. I go through 180 first names of missionaries. We have one Kylie. I call her. "Sister --------, do you have a BFF named Bethy?" She assured me she doesn't have a BFF. I believe her. So I go back to the list of 180 missionaries. We do have one Bethany, second to the last name as luck would have it. I call her. She forgot to put an address on the card, just the return address of our mission. She is embarrassed. She is young. I've just used 45 min. Of my life trying to solve the mystery of Kyleygirl and Bethy. I learn patience.
An Elder calls. His mail is being stolen. I call the Postmaster General. Guess what I am told??? In downtown Chicago there is nothing he can do about it! Are you kidding me? Is's a Federal Offense!! He suggested they pay for a PO box at the post office. They are on bikes in downtown and that is out of the question, they say. Yes, I'll hold your mail and send it via district leaders when they come into the office. (Did I just tell a mother her daughter would be safe in Chicago? Daughter, yes....mail, no.
We are an online mission now and I have lost a husband. The President turned the whole baby over to Elder Taggart and this week has been a flurry of training the leadership, getting their Facebooks up and running, cleaning up old accounts with missionaries so they will be missionary appropriate. My tiny miracle amid this flurry is a small piece of paper on my desk with a name and an email address on it. A " referral" of sorts, that couldn't be assigned because I had no phone number or address so who do I assign it to? It was from Australia. The man came to Chicago to work, leaving his family at home. He is a Spanish speaking Puerto Rican who wanted the missionaries. So this week I texted two missionaries the info and during their Facebook time they will find and teach him. Hurray for technology.
Two sisters called me with 8 PI (potential investigators) they met while street contacting for 8 hours one day. Facebook will speed that up for them, I hope.
We had a surprise visit from our mission president this week. He and his wife came to pick up training DVD's and copies after an appointment, and wanted to see what "retro ghetto" looked like. We laughed and laughed. Good thing we keep it clean. Anyway, as they were about to leave, the President said the saddest thing, "Katie, do you think the Taggart's would trade houses with us for a night or two so nobody would know where we were and we could have alone time? Guess retro ghetto is not so bad after all .
I got a call from an Elder in Chicago this week. He was with an investigator who was distraught. Her grandmother in Mexico was in the hospital and needed missionaries there to give her a Priesthood blessing. Could I notify them today? No address. No phone number. No name at first. The hospital was really a clinic behind a bus station in Volcan. Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and Mexico were locations I had to work with. I got on CDOL , entered what I knew, located an email address, pushed a button and prayed someone on the other end would come through.(Elder Asher was in the office and he translated it all into Spanish for me) I think technology is amazing.
I did 4 Excel spreadsheets, to include tabs on the bottom, for our 4 stakes apartment inspections. When the stake presidents saw how many of our 93 apartments were not inspected, boy did that raise a ruckus .( yes, I emailed it, with attachment, to stake presidents and high council and ill bet they rue the day I learned how to do that!)
Trivia: we have to walk 53 steps down a long hall to use the restroom at our office. That gets old.
In one day I rerouted 24 packages, 111 pieces of mail, and unloaded 44 cases of supplies from the distribution center. I'll be buff when I get home.
I mended 3 pair of slacks. For that I am appreciated.
Highlight of the week was dinner with Dave, Jill and Tyson Conrad from Utah.(Elder Taggart's little sister) so fun to see family and catch up.
Two new rules for us#1. We can't have two cooked meals in the same day. It dirties all the pans, most of the utensils, and there isn't room on the drainer to stack all the dishes. #2 lunches and garbage should not be put in the look alike recycle Wallmart bags. Senior couples will then throw away lunches and supplies for the office (did really happen.....3 times) and open garbage for lunch!
We love you. The Gospel is true. We are having a blast. We are needed. Have a great week.
Love,
Sister Taggart

We've Gone Live

Well I have figured out now why I am here. It is to save our mission president from going crazy. He is buried and in some respects overwhelmed by all there is to do. We found out late last week that our mission will become an on-line mission which means that ever missionary will be given a mini Ipad and will use Facebook one hour per day to reach out to people to share the gospel to them. That is exciting and also very scary at the same time.

So Monday morning as our mission president was in the shower, he said, "Heavenly Father, how am I going to be able to do one more thing? He said the answer quickly came to him; give it to Elder Taggart and let him be in charge of all of the on-line activity and work. So on Monday he asked me to take on that responsibility. We met with all of the leadership of the mission, meaning the assistants to the president, the Zone Leaders and the Sister Trainer Leaders. We initially launched this whole new initiative with this leadership core. They were all instructed to either set up a Facebook account, if they didn't have one, or to modify their existing account to be missionary approved.

All of this means that I, and old man, must get to know Facebook inside and out and become the resident expert so that I can help walk young missionaries through the whole process. The Lord knows that there are many in the world who have no idea who the Lord, Jesus Christ is let alone what or who a Mormon is. He also knows that there are millions of people throughout the world who might be interested in learning more but whom would never consider allowing two young men or women into their home to share the message of the gospel with them. But many of those people spend a lot of time on social media and may respond to an on-line invitation to learn in a very non-threatening environment.

I have spent many hours on Facebook this week and have learned a ton. I have answered numerous questions both by phone and also on Facebook in a chat. And this was in only involving 24 missionaries so far. On Monday this next week, we will invite an additional 145 missionaries here to get things set up on Facebook and begin to use that tool one hour per day to find people who are interested in learning more. I can only imagine how crazy my week will be.

Once everyone is set up and ready to go with a Facebook account and have also created a personal profile on Mormon.org, they will each receive an Ipad to use while they are serving their mission. We are only the 9th mission in the world to go live on-line so we have the added responsibility to share what we learn, etc. to make it easier for other missions to go live later on.

It has been exciting this week to see just how many contacts and on-line lessons the 24 missionaries have made. The most exciting for me has been a young man who joined the church just 3 years ago. His mother is not a member. Neither are his father, step-father or brother. This week he has reached out to his mother, his brother and his biological father on Facebook. His mother has agreed to learn about the gospel from him on-line. He had a Facebook conversation with his brother whom he hasn't spoken to for 5 years. He has still not been able to get a response from his father but he is continuing to try. This missionary has been serving now for a year and he told me this week that this week has been the best week of his mission just because he has been able to share something so precious to him with family that he loves.

My job will be to teach, train and monitor their on-line activity to make sure what they are doing is appropriate and that they are safe as they use this on-line tool. After all, they are 18-21 and there is much that is not praiseworthy or uplifting on-line. Of course these new responsibilities are in addition to the other I have had which has kept me busy for about 50 hours per week. But I have always been up to a challenge and this one will stretch this old brain of mine.

Last night we went out to dinner with some dear business friends, Jon & Kim Starke. Jon and I have done business together for many years now and he has become a dear friend. Needless to say, we had a wonderful evening together. They only live about 25 minutes North of us so hopefully we will be able to enjoy their company many times while we are here.

My sister Jill and her husband Dave are in town this week along with their son Tyson and their neighbors and friends, Spence and Shannon Spencer and their two youngest kids. Their sons wanted to take a trip together before they leave on their missions. They are both seniors in high school so neither one of them will leave until at least next summer. But since they chose to come to Chicago, we got to go out to dinner with them tonight. It is really such a small world. The Spencer's used to live in Kent, WA and know many of the people that we know and have loved to associate with for many years. Thanks Dave and Jill for a nice dinner and fun conversation.

We are loving life; loving being together and loving this opportunity to serve and in some small way help to further the Lord's work of bringing souls unto Christ. It is truly a marvelous time to be alive.

May you each have a blessed week. Check us out on Facebook if you are prepared to see lots of posts about missionary work. We love you.

Elder Taggart

Car Czar, Phone expert and now on-line whiz.

I Love General Conference

Hi,

We were thrilled to be able to watch all sessions of general conference this past weekend. What inspiring messages and insights. With all of the talks about hastening the work of salvation, I am very glad to be on this side of the badge right now. We are beginning to see far more members begin to realize that they need to step up their game if they are not going to get pummeled by the wave. What an exciting time to be alive and to be a part of this great work!

There were several testimonies shared today from individuals who stated that they had made a personal commitment this week to become more engaged in the work. If, in fact, the members will simply pray every day for opportunities to share what they know and love and then be willing to act when the Lord provides those opportunities, we will see an explosion in the work. We had two investigators in each of the two wards we attended today.

I had a stressful experience this week relating to cars. Actually we had three vehicles involved in accidents this week. But those didn't necessarily cause the stress because no one was injured. We have 7 brand new cars parked at the stake center. One morning I decided that I needed to go put a cleaning kit into each of those cars so that they would be ready to assigned out. When I got back from doing that, I realized that I was missing one set of keys. So I drove back to the stake center and searched the parking lot everywhere I had been. But alas, I didn't find the missing keys. So then I was really stressed and worried that someone else would find those keys before I did and perhaps a brand new car might disappear. So putting into practice what I have preached for so many years, I offered a sincere prayer asking Heavenly Father to help me find those keys. I then grabbed a set of keys to everyone of those cars and headed back to the stake center. I popped open the trunk of every car hoping that perhaps they had dropped into one of the buckets I had just placed in every car. At this point, I had my trusty companion with me knowing that two pair of eyes would be better than one. In answer to my prayers she found them in the bucket of one of the cars she searched. So, yes God does care about all things and he does hear and answer our prayers. That's true even for an old guy like me.

We only have two weeks before another 31 new missionaries arrive. I am hoping that before then the additional 4 new cars that I will need will arrive or they will be walking or using the bus to get around for a few weeks. This will likely be the last large group of new missionaries we will receive. But this next batch will put us at over 200 missionaries with almost 100 of those arriving within the last 3 months.

We have been enjoying beautiful, fall weather which has been warmer than usual. We have continued to have highs in the 70's but the nights are now getting down into the 40's so we know that winter is right around the corner. The leaves are beginning to change which is later than usual because it has stayed so warm. Personally it could stay just like this for several more months and I would be a happy camper.

For the curious, here are answers to some frequently asked questions:

• What is the most common road-kill? That would actually be skunk. They are everywhere.
• What is the most seen wildlife, other than dead skunk? That would be squirrel. We have even seen black squirrels which is a first for me.
• How much does it cost you to be on this mission? So far it is averaging about $2,500 per month. We pay our own rent, utilities, gas, groceries, etc. So that means we will spend almost $60,000 by the time we return home. But we have been amazed at how much we have been blessed to have our funds stretch.

For those business associates who are reading this, we are going out to dinner with Jon & Kim Starke this coming Friday night. He is a great friend from the industry who lives about 15 miles away from us.

Ok, I have now rambled, but just let me say that we love what we are doing and we are being blessed to have a positive influence on the lives of many of the people we meet. Life is great in our humble apartment because we have each other to share it with. Tell those close to you just how much you love them. Have a great week.

Elder Taggart

Two brothers and feeding the 5,000 .... OK.... 120

I must make mention of my two brothers first. I woke up my eldest brother to wish him a happy birthday. He wondered why I was up so early. I assured him I was on Chicago time and it wasn't so early here. Glad he is my brother. Then yesterday I got to spend time with my baby brother and his wife in the Chicago temple and then dinner. They must drive 2 1/2 hours to attend either the Chicago or Nauvoo temple. Since they have spent their married life in the Midwest we haven't had many occasions to spend one on one time with them. Dana had lots of questions, they saw our apartment it didn't repulse them, and we had fun getting caught up. Thanks for being my brother.

I have won a place in the Hall of Fame in every one of these missionaries hearts..... Or stomachs at least. New missionary training meeting, I'm responsible for the whole lunch--$4.50 per missionary allowed. Most of them are sick of Mexican food. Hmmmmmm---Little Cesar's Pizza---$5.00 per large pizza. Promise each of them half a pizza--$2.50--which leaves me $2.00 per missionary for a killer Caesar salad,lemonade,and cookies for dessert. Everyone is happy and stuffed and I come in $85 under budget. Win- Win. 70 pizzas, 24 heads of romaine lettuce (broken the night before) Countrytime....I'm getting good at this. One major problem, I get to the building and there is only one 1 1/2 quart pitcher in the entire building. Are you kidding me? No in Chicago they either lock everything up tight or the English wards take it out of the buildings so it doesn't disappear when the Spanish branches come in. They do the same thing with paper in the library, hymn books, anything portable. So I stirred and poured and stirred and poured and stirred and poured until I was fuming. I was ready to yank a few temple recommends.

As we sat by two Elders, Elder Taggart said, " Did you get your car tabs and put the sticker on your license?" The Elder responded, " Oh, we were supposed to put that sticker on the license? I put it on the back of my name tag !" Heart skips a beat....then he starts laughing. Gotta love em.

We are pleased to report our former gang member who was baptized got accepted into law school. We are so proud of him. As I entered the information on his baptism in the computer, a warning popped up for his single mothers birthdate. " the mother was 12 when she had this child." I thought that could not be right. I checked. Everything was correct. This man has finally beat the odds and is going the right direction.

Two Elders accepted a referral from me this week---a lady teaching Bible classes in the city who wanted hundreds of free Bibles from us. They contacted her, offered her a case of Books of Mormon. She declined but ask if they had any comfort to give several in her class who have suffered death of a loved one. These two offered to teach the Plan of Salvation and she accepted. These are my Elders!

Elder Crook (from Wyoming) went to Bishopric meeting in his ward and as they were assigning home teachers, he noticed only the Elders were assigned to go home teaching. He serves as first counselor in the Bishopric.....in his spare time. He tried to suggest home teaching is a Priesthood responsibility for Elders, Teachers, Priests, High Priests. They had never heard of such a thing. He said he didn't dare suggest they open the handbook, which they have never done, because it would blow their minds. Elder Taggart was surprised to find out in one of our wards they only assign home teachers to active members to keep percentages up. Senior couples are desperately needed, even in Chicago.

As I did mail the other day, ( which has gone from 30 letters a day to 90) I realized how much you can learn from letters sent. Two Elders receive letters from a prison, some come with awesome stamps from foreign countries, we get letters from almost every state. I can tell when a grandparent writes because the address is written with a shakey hand and they arrive like clockwork---once a week. With e-mail weekly, letters from parents are not as frequent. I think that is a shame. There are a couple of dads who write to their sons daily. There are steady boyfriends or girlfriends who write weekly. One Sister received letters from three different Elders serving in different countries, in one day. An Elder received 25 birthday cards from his mom on his 21 st birthday. That is a record. I love letters from younger siblings, written in pencil, very large. A Sister received a letter from her Elder brother, serving in Japan. I detest nicknames, known only to friends and family that the dumb secretary is supposed to guess who they go to.
The MOM on the return label with address isn't much help either. Like the missionaries, when one has your name on it, a smile comes to your face and your heart picks up a beat or two.(not soliciting mail, thank you)

Elder Taggart gave a Priesthood blessing ,a beautiful one I might add, and the recipient went ballistic afterward because he didn't say what she wanted to hear. Never had that happen before. We may not be invited back to home teach.

So our life is full. Fall is in full swing here and we wish it would stay just like this. Winter is just around the corner and we keep getting warnings about it. We are going just about fast as you can go, loving our work....most days......and glad we chose to do this mission before we settled into retirement. Our temple president will be released after three years, on Nov 1 and they are to report to the Hong Kong Temple by Nov.15 for their 4th mission. What an inspiration. We love you all. We miss you but we are needed here, for many reasons. Have a great week as we know we will.

Love,

Sister Taggart

All Systems Down

This week has probably been the most frustrating of my whole mission thus far. The computer, when down, can be as frustrating as a computer up and running that you don't know how to work. One day this week I couldn't do referrals because that system was down. So I calmly decided to order from Distribution the $1000 worth of supplies I need to replace what missionaries have taken. The volume of missionaries consumes many more supplies than it used to. With 35 more scheduled to arrive in two weeks, I need to be prepared. Each companionship requires a case of Books of Mormons, all six of the pamphlets we give out, two or three types of pass along cards, a DVD player for training, a couple of Bibles, Restoration videos to give out, Faith in Christ DVD to give out, etc. So my job is to anticipate what they will need next and have a supply . Last week I phoned in an order and she confused so many items because she didn't speak English all that well and I didn't have order numbers....I vowed never to phone in an order again.( like the Scripture mastery bookmarks we put in our missionary welcome packets....she sent the tear apart scripture mastery cards given to seminary students. Also the Book of Mormon pass along cards she sent with the phone number on the back for the U.K. And Ireland to respond to. Sure they would appreciate us passing those out...NOT) as I got the order to the check out point, a white bar came across the screen and said YOU ARE NO LONGER CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET. I took a deep breath and started my wondrous coping skills. I went on to my next task.....address labels for 90 letters. Yes folks, I readdress that many letters every day, plus 11 to 15 boxes a day. Those mothers are sending letters and stuff to their young missionaries like crazy . Our mailman loves us. He calls us his job security. So I get the labels typed on the computer, put the labels in the printer, print them up, and the last line of every label ends up on the top of the next label. At that point I said something about putting my shoe through the computer, Elder Taggart came to my aid, but nothing could be done to fix the problems. I did a few other menial tasks and we headed to Costco to buy food for the Leadership Luncheon for 45 that was the next day. We decided to treat ourselves to dinner first. I never eat Costco hotdogs but I was in the mood that night. We stepped to the window. They were out of hotdogs! Hoe can Costco ever run out of hot dogs? Just go back on your own shelves and buy a few. I mean really. Not my best day, but to my credit, I showed up the next day to begin again.q

We did Subway sandwiches, salad,chips,and cookies for the lunch. They love me, what can I say. I told the Elders they could have the entire footlong if they wanted. They love me. Clean up was a snap and we were back to pick up a wrecked car, now fixed. We believe in repentance for cars. I think the reason Elder Taggart's neck has been stiff is because he dealt with three accidents and two tickets this week. He hates to call in the photo tickets knowing each one in the companionship because they split the cost of the ticket and they are a minimum of $100. A right turn on a red light is $100. In most states that is legal so it is hard to break that habit.

I helped pick up 6 new cars from Fox Lake Chevrolet this week, took three cars in to be fixed, took Bruce to have massage therapy, and drove back and forth from the stake center to the office. I don't like driving here. They are too aggressive and act like they have nothing to lose.
I have mended three pair of slacks this week. One shy Elder, from Mexico, was too embarrassed to show me where the crotch needed to be fixed in his pants. Do they think I mend them with my eyes closed to preserve modesty. The pants are not on them. They are just pants! I love these innocent Elders and Sisters.

This week we did missionary work at Pep Boys, Subway, and the Chevy Dealership. They all want to know who is buying so much, what this work is all about, why we would give up our normal lives to do this for a bunch of 18 to 21 year old "kids". We do it out of love for our Savior Jesus Christ, Love for our fellowmen who we want to have the gospel in their lives, and obedience to a Prophet's request to leave the comfort of home and family for a period of time and serve. We love our missionaries and many of their faces light up when they see us. To some we extend the feeling of home--normal--safety. This week the mailman ask me what he could call me. "What is your name?" I explained we use the title Brother or Sister in the church because we are all God's children and literally brothers and sisters. He hesitantly said OK and then I told him I would be proud to have him as my brother. He smiled, about a mile wide, and said, "I would like that." So he is Brother Mailman and we all get along fine.

We got a single missionary from Bogata, Colombia this week. He didn't need the two weeks of Spanish so he came in ahead of his group. He liked the connection when I told him my little brother had served in his country many years ago. We transferred him to his area as we went to pick up cars. He and another Elder, from Mexico, began to compare notes about their respective countries and language. The Elder from Mexico said the dialect this Colombian Elder spoke was like a dialect in the high mountains of Mexico. I had chills as I watched these two handsome Elders speak, knowing the stories of the Book of Mormon and how people were separated. Here I was with two descendants of those great Book of Mormon peoples, listening to them reconnect. My testimony of the Book of Mormon was strengthened that day.

I have suffered persecution this week. I bought a new skirt,blouse,and two pair of earrings with the gift card Natalie sent and a new dress with the money Doug sent. Any time you rotate new items of clothing into your rotation of outfits, there is a feeling of something from the Sisters around you. They think you have entered the "costly apparel" cycle or something. I also bought 5 jackets from the Salvation Army to take me into winter. It is fall here and I keep getting warnings I will need lots of layers to stay warm this winter. So go ahead and hate me, I got new clothes , deal with it. Also, the shoes I have hated all summer because of swollen feet now fit me loosely. Go figure.

Conference has convinced me I am in the right place at the right now. We consider ourselves the stabilizers . So many, many young missionaries, away from home for the first time. We just have to love them and make them feel like they can do hard things, adjust quickly,and learn to love where they are and the people they work with. This week will be better. The Church servers will not be dedicated to General Conference this week. I have faith my computer will work. I feel if we are not part of the hastening, we may get mowed down by its momentum ,so I keep getting up and trying to give my all and do my best....even if I am tempted to put a foot through my computer occasionally. I'm learning patience with myself and technology. What a task! Love it.

Love,
Sister Taggart

Pain in the Neck

Hello from Chicagoland,

You are probably wondering why my title this week is pain in the neck. I woke up Wednesday morning with a stiff neck. As the day progressed it got worse rather than better. By Thursday morning I was in pain and very tight from my neck down to my rear end. So I made an appointment for a massage. She really worked my neck and back over but she could not get the muscles on the left side of my neck to release. This morning it is feeling much better but it is still stiff and sore. I have never had something like this that just wouldn't relax. So I have probably been a pain in the neck to Sister Taggart this week.

We picked up 7 more brand new cars this week. The car funny of the week: a young sister missionary called me and was quite concerned that she was missing the cap to two,of her valve stems. At first I appreciated her concern because I knew that she heard my instruction about checking tire pressure or she wouldn't have noticed it. I told her I would get her a couple but that it was perfectly fine to operate her car without them. She called the very next day asking I had those for her yet. I tried to assure her that they really only kept the valve stem clean. I am convinced that in her innocence she thought that without them her tires would lose pressure. I gave them to her zone leaders yesterday to get them to her. She apparently had also asked them about them. They being younger and perhaps not as wise and kind as you know who, told her that as long as she made sure her driving fluid was full the car would be fine. Oh the innocence and naïveté of some of these young missionaries. I love my job.

I helped Sister Taggart feed lunch to 45 missionaries on Friday and Tuesday we get to provide lunch for 135. For someone who really doesn't like to cook, as most of you know, she is doing a marvelous job. I am sure she will add many more details in her email.

I have never given a Priesthood blessing to someone before that was rejected by them. I had a first this week in that area. A lady we visit regularly asked me for a blessing which I gladly gave her. Apparently I didn't bless her with what she felt she deserved and she was quite upset afterwards. Oh the things we experience as we simply try to bless and lift those around us. I have now been praying that she will come to realize that the blessing she received was exactly what the Lord wanted her to hear. If the Spirit had not prompted me to say the things I said, I would not have done so.

My personal highlight of this week has been the opportunity to sit with my sweetheart at the feet of prophets and apostles of the Lord, Jesus Christ and listen to inspired counsel and direction at general conference. I am so grateful that a loving Father in Heaven loves us as much as he did his children in Old Testament and New Testament times in that he has provided prophets today to show us the way just as he did in times of old.

The gospel of Jesus Christ brings such peace, joy and direction in my life. I am grateful every day to know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer, my friend and Advocate with the Father. I know that God lives and knows us individually and cares and provides for our every needful thing as we draw unto him in humility and gratitude. May you feel of His love and blessing in your life this week.

Elder Taggart

Step away from the recliner and nobody gets hurt

In Alma 29:3 we read....." For I ought to be content with the things which The Lord hath allotted unto me."  I have tried, but this week when another Senior couple vacated, leaving 2 perfectly good recliners, I couldn't be content. They were new, ( as in, not out of a storage unit) they matched my couch, and I had visions of reclining with a good book for the winter.  So when the Elders stopped by our office at the bank to get keys to the storage unit.....pounce.....we were down in that parking lot in a jiffy.  As my competition, I only had Sister Crook.  She is younger and bigger but I'm faster.  We then began the "mine,mine,mine" game and I came out a winner.  A recliner, 4 more butter knives, another paring knife, and two beautiful lamps, tall enough to shine over our couch arms.  SCORE!!  Yes, I have become a scavenger.  It nearly killed me helping Elder Taggart carry the recliner into our pad....through four locked doors and a couple of tricky turns.  Crooks did much better than we did.  They are used to lifting bales of hay....and smart enough to recline the chair before getting to narrow doorways.  Out with the Mother's Lounge chair rejected by some church and in with my prized recliner.  Ah, but the sad reality is----when do I have time to sit in a recliner?  Funny, huh?

I want you to have a glimpse of some of the funny/sad parts of our mission this week.
"Elder Taggart, do we have to count miles we put on our car going to and from meetings?  Those are half our miles and we heard we could deduct them,"
" No, miles are miles.  You have 1200 per month in your area and need to keep it to that."

"Sister Taggart, could you order me the Missionary Gospel Library.  I would like to study that."
(Jesus the Christ,Our Heritage,True to The Faith, Our Search for Happiness)
"Elder, I order supplies for the mission.  I'm not supposed to order personal items.  Could you have your mother order those and send them?"
" She is not a member and is very anti."
"How about your father ?"
"He's not a member either."
"I'll order them for you."
He is 19 .  It's $12 out of his food money, which is a lot .  I'll order them and pay for them out of a special account we have for such needs.  I have already mended a pair of slacks for this Elder.

"Elder Taggart, our car has issues.  It jerks and has problems accelerating.  Our apartment is possessed and I'm scared of driving on these freeways." (She is 18, this is her first time out of Utah, and she has already been moved because her last apartment was possessed.). The accelerator problem----turns out to be her hesitant, shakey right foot.  Companion can't drive.  She is from Italy and doesn't have a license.  You would have been touched listening to "Grandpa Taggart" talk through her fears with her.

One area closed this week and two Elders removed because their new apartment is on the border of two rival gangs.  Poor Elder Crook, trying to find good apartments.  Who knew?
With street names like Lake in the Woods or Blue Island or Park City....sounds like a dream vacation, right?  Not in Chicago.

"Sister Taggart, we are calling to report on our referrals. OR Sister Taggart, could you send us an updated list of our referrals in this area to make sure we haven't missed any?"  They are 18 and 19.

Call from Salt Lake referral center----
"Sister Taggart, we have a HQ referral from Aug 6, who hasn't been contacted yet.  He speaks Mandarin Chinese. Can you get your Mandarin speaking Elders on it?"
"We are a Spanish speaking mission.  We have no Mandarin speaking Elders."
"Where is the nearest Mandarin Branch in Chicago?"
"There is not a Mandarin Branch in Chicago."
"How about Chinese members in his area?"
"He lives in a heavy Black/Hispanic area.  Four Elders have assured me they have no Chinese in either of their wards .  North Chicago has many Chinese and also West Chicago but not South Chicago." ( I'm thinking, where are Ted and Audrey when I need them?)
"I guess we'll continue teaching him over the phone from headquarters."
Our mission president is considering asking Salt Lake for a set of Mandarin and a set of Mongolian speaking missionaries.  Our Polish sisters are kept busy teaching Polish speaking people.  Who knew?

An Elder, who has 4 weeks left before he goes home, cornered Elders Taggart and Crook for an hour to ask them, "How do you know ?" ( he comes from a broken home). How do you select a career but mostly, how did you know when you found "the one"?  Again, Elder Taggart became a loving Grandpa and quoted Steve Taggart's 3 questions:
"Are we compatible?"
"Does she make me want to be the best I can be?"
"Can I reach my heist potential with her?"
Then he counseled about a wife who has the same priorities and how important a wife is in your ability to serve The Lord."
"Elder, has the Spirit prompted you here on your mission?  Don't you think he will do the same when you go home?"
I LOVE ELDER TAGGART !!!

So as we peeled carrots together last night and each of us had our own paring knife---life is good.  Keep it simple.  Don't get caught up in the non- essential.  Scavenge a bit.  You'll be surprised how happy you can be.

Love,
Sister Taggart