Hastening the Work

Hello from Chicagoland. Here are some highlights from this week.

We had 3 zone conferences this week so we have been on the run. But we have also been able to be with all but one zone of missionaries. I believe I mentioned last week that was putting together a car kit for every mission vehicle. Well this week we were able to it one in each car of three zones. The kit includes a bottle of Windex, a bottle of soap, a container of Armorall wipes, a bucket and two rags. My hope is to raise the standard of cleanliness of mission vehicles.

We picked up 6 new Chevrolet Cruzes this week and have another 6 to pick up this week. Those 12 will be just enough to open up 16 new areas next week when another 38 new missionaries arrive.

The Lord is really hastening the work of salvation of souls here. Just three months ago there was only one mission here, now there are two; there was about 150 total missionaries, by the end of October there will be almost 500 here in the Chicago area. He is preparing the hearts and minds of many people to come unto Christ and receive the gospel in their lives.

In D&C 88:72-73 the Lord says, "Behold, and lo, I,will take care of your flocks, and will raise up elders and send unto them. Behold, I will hasten my work in his time." He is sendings many elders and sister missionaries to help in the work of saving souls.

He is mindful of the world we live in and the influence that Satan is having on the hearts of the people. As Satan hastens his work of making people miserable like unto himself by enticing them to use their agency to choose that which will not satisfy nor bring joy, the Lord is also hastening his work which is to 'bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man'. He is doing that by flooding the earth with this great wave of missionaries to assist in inviting all to come unto Christ and find joy and peace.

Our mission scripture is Alma 26:22 which says, "Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing--unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls unto repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance."

We are seeing many miracles as we set aside our fears and open our mouths to invite others, who desperately need the gospel of Jesus Christ, to hear the message of the restoration and come into the fold of Christ.

We attended the baptism of Relundus Washington yesterday. He has been affiliated with gangs in the past. Two humble, young elders came across him and invited him to come unto Christ. He has made major changes in his life to enter the waters of baptism. Yesterday he looked so happy as he was baptized and was surrounded by about 35 who came to support him in his decision. We have adopted these two young elders as grandsons. Neither of them has a father who knows Christ or who goes to church at all. They have both been drawn to us and we love being around them. We are having them to our place this week for a good, home-cooked dinner. They said they would love to have Thanksgiving so the woman I adore will lovingly fix such a meal to include even pies.

We dropped these two young missionaries off at their apartment which is in South Chicago, in the hood, probably in the most dangerous area in our mission. They are young and fearless. Before getting out of the car they told us not to make eye contact with anyone as we drove back to the freeway. We really see the great chasm between the haves and the have-nots. We see multi-million dollar estates and the lowest of living conditions. The contrasts are amazing. Those who have need the reminder to share what the Lord has blessed them with and to open their hearts to welcome those who are not so blessed into the fold of Christ with loving arms. His gospel will lift, bless and changes lives so that people want to work hard to lift themselves and improve their lives.

We had a powerful stake conference this weekend. The theme was becoming deeply converted disciples of Jesus Christ to hasten the work of saving souls. The messages were inspired. I will admit that, after 17 years of being up front speaking, etc., it felt a little weird to be sitting in the congregation listening. We were nourished and uplifted. I am excited to be in the trenches rather than the one who is in charge.

I love being a missionary! I encourage each of you to pray for opportunities to talk of Christ and share his message; then to be unafraid to share how He has blessed your life and then invite others to know who he is. I promise that he will bless you to know what to say and you will find the experience to be very rewarding. I testify that God does live, he knows each of us personally, Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, our friend and redeemer; the scriptures have the answers to all of life's questions and challenges; prayer is our opportunity to commune with our Father in Heaven and express our gratitude and seek his guidance and blessing; there is joy, peace and happiness in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Have a blessed week and share how the Lord has blessed your life. We love you.

Elder Taggart