Tagg Mish Dish: Sick

This week we faced our first sickness of the season. I thought it was a cold but by Friday my sinuses hurt so. Ad I could not stand to keep my eyes open and it started down my bronchial passages. At that point, out of the clear blue, I got a call from Ellie Ekins who wanted to talk to me. She didn't want to talk long because she said I sounded like Brother Taggart. She passed the phone to her mother, who agreed and offered to have Randy ( Dr. Ekins) help us out. Never have I been so grateful for an antibiotic. It stopped this stuff in its tracks and I was back in the office by Monday. It is really handy having a doctor in the family and his wife would make a great nurse! Ekins are doing well however part of the phone call was for baby Olivia, a doll I gave Ellie way back when, who's arms are falling off. This distresses Ellie and I wished I were one state closer to help her solve the problem. Nice to know she still feels like she can call me for help.

We had our first Sister's Conference this week and I insisted the men could hold down the office so we could go. It was wonderful.( and Elder Taggart said he was bored to death in the office. The phone rarely rang, confirming his theory that the sister missionaries make most of the phone calls anyway.). He came to the rescue of a sister from Indiana who had locked her keys in the car. So then he could drive us back home from downtown Chicago. The theme of the conference was taken from Elder Christensen's remarks made here last year....." The Lord does NOT waste resources." I have pondered that from several angles. As I order supplies, as we use gasoline, as we balance how to use our time here on the mission. I am His resource right now, as we all are, and He doesn't waste anything. Something to think about as we read, watch TV, go to meetings, etc. Am I wasting God's resources? Another thing.....with this new group of sisters, the homesickness has gone off the charts. One young sister had never left her small city in Utah and she sees the boogie man around every corner here in Chicago. There is safety in wearing garments and keeping those sacred covenants.....there is safety in wearing the black badge and being obedient. Help your children understand there is a big world out there but The Lord has His angels all around to protect those who are obedient and keep covenants. And if you have a daughter who is getting caught up in the moment and isn't prepared to trust in The Lord, it will be hard. A mission isn't a fashion show, a slumber party, a glory experience. It is hard work. We also deal with the hover mothers in the office and I have a word for them. LET GO. Your child is in the Lords work right now and other than a letter weekly, doesn't need you. Help them focus. Help them grow up. Help them learn how to rely on Heaven's help.

Our missionaries are awesome. At first we just had one or two favorites....it goes way beyond that now. These sisters are a force to be reckoned with and they will raise the next army of Helaman. These Elders are strong, fun, dedicated, and always hungry. We have increased our food budget so there are more things in the office for them to eat. They each get $150 per month but after a few trips to McDonalds, the money is gone and it is only the 20th of the month. Members in most of our mission are too poor to feed the missionaries....and when you are a Spanish Ward and have 4 sets of missionaries.....how do you feed them every night anyway? So we have food at the office....crackers, cheese, Rice Krispie treats, muffins, PBJ ingredients for sandwiches. We brought in smoothies this week and they were gone in a flash....fruit, chocolate,granola bars. If it isn't nailed down, it gets eaten. And they are filled with gratitude. We have approx. 10 more sons and at least that many more daughters. We love them and they love us.....or our food at least.

The tradition in our mission is to pick up the missionaries at the airport, hand them a Book of Mormon, get on the L (train), go into Chicago, tour downtown, eat deep dish pizza, approach at least one person on the train or downtown , give away the Book of Mormon, and then come back to the mission home where we all train these new missionaries while the mission president does 30 interviews. It is crazy. This last group did that and this week I got a request on referrals from a man who met one of these missionaries on the train on his way home and he wants to know more. You never know what brief encounter counts. Sister Crook in the office this week gave a Book of Mormon to the mailman when he said he was having a horrible day. She promised him if he would read it, it would help. ( mail in the bank has increased from a 5 minute stop to a 20 min. Stop because of all the letters and packages delivered to our missionaries. We may contribute to his horrible day!!!). A deep breath and courage is all it takes and it may be just the thing that changes a life for good.

Our home teaching assignment is delightful. We love this single sister and I would love to live in her house for a year just to read part of her library. She taught at the university here before her recent illness and she has a wonderful collection. Not my season to read right now but I can dream, can't I. I am so grateful for parents who instilled a love of good books in me.

I'll be feeding 90 missionaries Tues. for new missionary training. Then I have a small part on the agenda. We are working with two chain smokers in our other ward assignment and I just want to cut all their cigs in half and tell them to just give it up. Chicago weather is not as bad as we thought it was going to be. Three months in and I am already sick of my clothes. The sisters change with each other....Sister Crook is 6 inches taller than I am and a different size so I can't do that and Elder Taggart refuses! We are going to the beach today for our p-day. I think we miss Hawaii too. Grandchildren drawings and letters are the best. We try to match our missionary granddaughter stride for stride. She has an amazing attitude which I don't always have. We still love each other more than life and continue to prove there are great rewards for doing hard things.

Sad a friend died this last week.....Taylor. She will be missed. I have been praying for my past seminary student, her son, that he can survive this hard time. We love you. We miss you but have learned to love the people you serve no matter where you are. Have a great week.

Love,

Sister Taggart

P-day on Lake Michigan