Chicagoland

Hi,

 

Boy do the weeks seem to just fly by. I guess that means that I am really getting older or that I so busy I just don't notice time. I prefer the latter.

 

I now know why our letters from our kids as they served missions were so short. All week you think of things you would like to share. But when you finally sit down to write, your mind goes blank and you can't remember most of those things.

 

We have zone conference with 5 zones this week so we will be on the run. But that means we will get to be with the young missionaries and feel of their spirit and hear of their experiences. We do look forward to being around them. I am required to inspect all vehicles at zone conference. In addition to that, I will do some on-going training regarding vehicles, safety, etc. One of my frustrations has been what little care the missionaries seem to give the cars they have the privilege to drive that were purchased with the "widows mite". So yesterday, Claudia and I bought all of the things necessary for each car to have a cleaning kit in it. It includes a bucket, not only to use for water but also to contain all of the cleaning supplies in the trunk, a bottle of Windex, a bottle of soap, 2 rags and Amoral wipes to keep the dashboard, etc. looking nice. We had 4 baskets of stuff at Dollar Tree and another basket full at Walmart. Neither of these stores is my favorite but they are close and have good prices. Each kit only cost $6.65. I am hoping that since they won't have the excuse of not having things to clean with or not wanting to spend food money to clean their car, I will see improvement. I also purchased a tire pressure gauge for every car.

 

We also purchased some incentives for the cleanest vehicles and received a box of goodies from my old office that will come in handy as incentives. I plan to award three prizes per zone for the cleanest cars inside and out. Since we have a lot of missionaries on bikes and public transportation, I decided we couldn't leave them out. So I will have those on bikes write on a piece of paper how many miles they figure they rode in the past month. I also plan to have them put their name on a paper if they have worn their helmet every time they have ridden their bike. We will use that criteria to hand our some incentives. For those on public transportation I will provide a reward for those who made the most contacts while on the bus. We will see if this old man can help them step things up a notch by using the reward system. In total, I figure it will only cost $2 per companionship for those who are rewarded.

 

We had a landlord come into the office this week who is not a member of the church. There just happened to be three sister missionaries in the office when he came in. Before he met with the housing coordinator to sign a lease, they introduced themselves and asked him what he knew about the church. He started asking some questions and before he left the office they had given him a Book of Mormon and some pamphlets to read. They also scheduled an appointment to meet with him next week to answer some more of his questions. These young people are fearless, bold and amazing to be around.

 

As far as apartments goes, the housing coordinator has been very busy finding enough new apartments for all of the new missionaries coming in. He is currently working on finding an additional 16 apartments for the new areas that will opened up on Sept. 16 when 38 more missionaries arrive. I am actually glad to be over cars and phones because he has been going crazy.

 

The bishop in one of the wards we have been assigned to finally agreed to let us visit some of the less-active members to invite them to come back to church. He has been afraid to trust the missionaries to contact them because "they are often here for such a short time". Since we will be here for almost two years, I guess he figured we couldn't mess things up too much. As Claudia says, "What's the worse-case scenario, we offend them and they don't come to church? Oh, they aren't coming to church now, so what do you have to lose?"

 

I love serving with my companion! She is amazing. And she is becoming quite proficient on the computer programs that she has to use. I am glad that she is not afraid to ask me for some help occasionally. The other sister in the office could really use some help with the computer, but so far she won't allow me to give her any help. It is really scary when I know more about computers than any of the other senior missionaries serving in the office. But the Lord uses what we offer and what he has to work with and somehow the work gets done.

 

The gospel of Jesus Christ is true; prayer is real and brings many blessings from a loving Father in Heaven. The scriptures provide answers and direction to all of the questions anyone can have if they will just search them. The Atonement is a rich blessing in our lives to help us to move forward and beyond those challenges and weaknesses that tend to drag us down and hold us back. I am grateful for each of you and the example of Christlike behavior you have shown me. God blesses us in so many ways. Have a blessed week.

 

Elder Taggart