My quote for last week was, " if the prophet wanted to hasten the work, he never would have put us seniors in front of the computers." I have been at my own computer for a month now and I can do a few things. I went into excel and made a new address/phone/area chart for all the transfers we have coming next week. I can enter baptisms without calling Salt Lake. I can do referrals correct within a mile 99% of the time. I know the city of Chicago backwards and forwards because of looking at maps intensely for weeks. I have figured out home inspectors within a 5 mile radius for 71 apartments. Before me.....they were driving hours and sometimes 100 miles before the inspections were done. I organised it into areas so they don't have to go more than a few miles in any direction to get the job done. I have organised the office and supplies so it looks like an office. I have organised packages for missionaries and mail and everything else I could organise. That brings me to the quote from this week. Elder Crook has watched me with interest and finally said, "You know what they say about an organised person, don't you? It is a person who is too lazy to look for things." I have decided that is my gift....to be able to take chaos and organise it, whether it is on a chart, in the mail room, office, or apartment.
I have learned many things this past couple of weeks. You can be sent home as senior missionaries. We had two senior sisters get " reassigned" this week due to irreconcilable differences between them. The contention they were causing in the mission and trying to get others to side with them became a distraction so they were both reassigned where they won't be in this mission and they won't have to interact with each other. I have decided to be kinder to my companion.
I have learned the world I have lived in is not reality for most people. We had a 16 year old baptised and he received the Aaronic priesthood this week. His first question was, " can I go to the temple and be baptised again now? The mission president was a little shocked by the question and possible misunderstanding. Then the young man continued. " I have been having dreams of my uncle for the past year. Now I know why. He wants to be baptised. Can I do his baptism in the temple?" He was told what he had to do and is excited. His uncle died a year ago when he was shot here in a gang war. Now he is on the other side prompting this nephew to do his work for him.
I have learned that my job here is to solve mysteries. I'll give you a taste of some real ones. " Sister Taggart, do you know the zip code of my old companion....who lives in Arizona.....and was done with her mission a year ago?" " Sister Taggart, he is a referral. All I have is a first name and a phone number. Can you assign him to the missionaries.....in Austin, Texas?" " Sister Taggart, do they print the triple combination in Creole?" "Sister Taggart, could you get me a triple column Book of Mormon in Mandarin for my study time?" ( no, they are $21 each, study in English). "Sister Taggart, will the mission pay for a mop?" (Yes it will but do you have a rag? I still mop my floor on my hands and knees and I'm 62. Try it. Your floors will be cleaner."). When they address a letter to Elder John Bob and you have no Johns in the mission and no Bobs in the mission.....who do you give it to? I sent it back to his dumb girlfriend with " no such person in this mission." Never a dull moment....I tell you. I'll get a phone call and instead of identifying himself, he will say, "sister Taggart, it's your favourite missionary!" Never a dull moment, I tell you.
We put in 64 hours last week. I have learned I have more stamina than I ever dreamed of. We work long hours in the office and then go with the missionaries at night to teach....or we feed them....or go to Missionary Committee Meeting. Last week we taught Lita. She is a member of six years, has one leg and is a chain smoker. Addictions stink....literally and figuratively. I was taking asthma meds after our visit but she came to church with us Sunday and says she will come again this next week. She is a sweetheart but addiction is addiction. We are trying to get her to cut one cigarette a day....from 18 to 17 then 17 to 16 . Sunday she was so nervous she would smell bad. I assured her she was fine and if all our sins had a smoke smell, we would all have an door about us. She hates the habit, the smell, what it is doing to her life. She has lost 6 relatives to smoking caused lung cancer....but she started as a 10 year old and she can't quit. We will be working with her on an ongoing basis. Tonight we picked up Sod, a young student from Pakistan who wants to " study truth". We were blessed that he is fasting for Ramadom
So I think he was more susceptible to the Spirit. Anyway, he has issues thinking God can be confined to a body. He thinks all religions are good and trick the mind into thinking good and into thinking God answers prayers. I read 2 Nephi 1:5-7 and bore testimony that I believe Sod and his family were guided to America so he could learn about the Gospel. The Spirit changed, he was receptive, he agreed to read a page a day in the Book of Mormon, and he said a sweet , humble closing prayer. It made a huge difference to have the discussion in the home of a member. I felt like a real missionary.
I have learned I can feed 75 hungry missionaries and stay $100 under budget. Several said they were stuffed.....a miracle at this age.
I have learned happiness is not a big home, possessions, travel to exotic places or lots of money to live on. Happiness is being with your best friend, serving The Lord full time, doing dishes daily together at the sink in our one butt kitchen, going to bed exhausted every single night. The carpet cleaning Saturday did not get rid of the smell.....oh well. $10 a week in quarters for laundry at a laundromat is a pain.....oh well. Having the missionaries over to dinner and having to wash forks or spoons in between courses is a pain....oh well. Life is good and as Sister Wrengler says, We are thankful for work to do and strength to do it with. This mission is entirely different than what we thought it would be but boy are we loved, appreciated, and needed. We get 25 new missionaries next week with only 10 going home. We have 38 new the next transfer with only 6 going home and 40 the transfer after that with only 5 going home. Get your papers in and catch the wave. Another option is to help the missionaries in your ward find and teach. They are awesome and our prophet had the vision of exactly what is taking place right now.
Speaking of tired.....it is my bedtime. I know I will sleep well. I do every night. We belong here right now. Pray about what you can do to help these missionaries in your area. It's rewarding.
We love you and miss you.
Sister Taggart
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