We got a letter from our oldest granddaughter this week about patience. I think that is the theme of most missions....patience with a companion, or investigators, or less actives, or a computer, or your body that is adjusting to heat and humidity and smells. In writing my letters of verification for missionaries every day, I send one quote in a post marked envelope and the letter in another post marked envelope.....thus identifying them as a resident worthy of a library card so they can e- mail on p-days.
" Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best----better than does God, or at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His. Either way we are questioning the reality of God's omniscience." Elder Neal A. Maxwell.
We are busy for 8-10 hours a day at the office and then we go home, grab a quick bite to eat and go to missionary meetings with our ward or last night we sat in front of Leta's house for 20 min. Waiting for our appointment only to find she was not there. We are working with less actives and honestly, I want to just say to them, " why would you make the dumb choice to leave the church, start smoking, live with your cat and cat hair in squalor conditions, let your ex convict take your money and food?" Instead, we learn patience. She is one of God's children and as such, we are all allowed to make dumb choices. Patience.......
The office keeps me busy. One day this week I unbowed and shelved 32 boxes from the distribution Center, entered 9 referrals (more about that later) wrote 2 letters of verification, rerouted 20 pieces of mail, loaded 9 boxes of supplies for zone leaders to pick up, fielded 20 phone calls, entered 2 baptismal records, deleted 30 items off my computer that went back two mission presidents ago, made labels for the shelves, and on and on. My contact with missionaries is wonderful. One example. I got a desperate phone call from a father in Idaho Falls. His daughter and her non-'member husband would arrive in Chicago the next day and needed someone to help them unload a truck. She is 25 and has been anti-church for years. This father was hoping that with missionary help, perhaps their hearts would be softened. S I called the two missionaries I thought were in that area, told them about the daughter and situation but didn't mention where she was from. They said they could help her. I then felt prompted to give this missionary the phone number of the father so he could personally assure him all was taken care of. I gave the area code and this missionary said, " wait, that is the same area code as my parents. I lived in Idaho Falls." We both felt the Spirit had guided me to make the assignment I had made. Later the mission president said I had done exactly the rig thing in allowing him to call the father. Tender mercies.
Another missionary called in to report his referrals. He gave me a list of about 20. This one was not interested, this one didn't live at this address, this address was a park, this one was a less active member and not interested, this one was an excommunicated member working with his bishop but he takes the missionaries out to lunch every Tuesday, on and on and on. Finally he came to the last name and said they were teaching her. He commented," I guess this isn't a very good report, is it?" I assured him not only had he completed his assignment and returned and reported.....he had found the one. Twenty were not ready but he had persevered until he found the one. I told him, " Elder ---------, in about 10 years I know you will make an awesome bishop. You know how to find the one ." He thanked me and said he hoped he would be talking to me again because I am nice. Imagine,
I failed to mention....I'm cooking for the masses again. Zone conferences are fed by the stakes but leadership meetings are fed by me!!! I have none of my big serving trays, bowls, pots....but next Thurs. I am expected to feed 90 hungry missionaries for 4.50 per missionary....and include lots of carbs, meat, fruit and a yummy dessert. Not going to go out and spend a fortune on large serving items. Should be interesting.
My tasks at the office are like being a detective.....where can I find that on my computer? Who do I call in Salt Lake for help on this problem? (Lots of those calls. I ordered $2300 worth of supplies and the Chicago West mission got the bill.). Our secretary erased calendar items from the other mission on her computer and got an irate call from the secretary in the other mission. She had deleted their whole calendar. Oops!!! This separating of missions has been difficult at best. I am sent referrals from visitor centers, pageants, neighbors, coworkers and my assignment is to look on a map and assign them to the right missionary. You who know me know I don't read maps well. I assigned a missionary in Indiana to teach in Illinois.(later to find out he had the wrong phone so that is why he got the wrong referrals.). The missionary is then to go find this referral within 24 hours and give them what they requested....a DVD, Book of Mormon, Pageant CD, whatever. We are getting Nauvoo Pageant referrals and they haven't sent us the CDs yet. Ah, the joys. Most of the time I get it right.....when I don't, the missionary and I get a good laugh and then I go back to my detective work.
We had dinner with Audrey Yan, Justin and wife and two adorable children, and Alisha last Friday night. What a breath of fresh air. So fun to interact with Jaxon and hold tiny Abby. Audrey is still the same and it was just good to have a minute of home. The Chinese food was awesome and we ate it for days. I cried when they drove away. Didn't realise I was homesick until then. Thanks for taking some time with the Taggarts, Audrey.
Our apartment is beginning to look fantastic. I have been making chair covers for the kitchen chairs, we got four live plants, I have made pillows, and we are feeling settled. We also got Comcast this week because our hot spot wouldn't work in our condo and neither do our phones. Talk about feeling isolated. The smell is still there but hopefully plants will help that. The heat has been horrid along with humidity. One day the air conditioning went out in the office and even with 5 fans going, it was 90 with 98% humidity. I try not to complain. I just think of Brianne and know she has it worse. The katydids are interesting here. When it is going to storm, they go crazy. After a good rain, they are quiet again. We are learning to love where we are.
Long enough. Must get to work. We love you and miss you. Bet you are learning patience too.
Love,
Sister Taggart
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