We have 38 missionaries coming in on Monday. Elder Taggart has rented two more transfer vans just to pick them up. I have been ordering supplies like crazy....800 English Books of Mormon, 400 Spanish, pamphlets galore. We are opening up 16 new areas. But that is not the half of it. In October we get 40 more missionaries and the whole process will be repeated. Being the "look ahead and be prepared" type person I have always been, I got on my computer to order supplies for the next wave. I had ordered over 650 items to the tune of $1300 when it came to check out time. I pushed the same buttons I have been pushing for three months but what to my wondering eyes should appear? They wanted my personal credit card to pay for the order. I'm all about consecration but really? So after several failed attempts, I called Salt Lake.....after all, they know me by name by now. After being transferred to four different people to figure out what my computer was doing, my computer told me due to inactivity, my session was ended and I lost the whole order! Then the call to Salt Lake dropped....probably because she didn't want to hear the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth that went on after that. Some days are like that. Ten minutes later there was an e-mail from SL wanting feedback on their global help system. Do they not know me by now? You don't ask me for feedback after you take so long you make me lose the order AND hang up on me. So I gave them feedback. I may be on my way home soon!
Picked up 6 more cars this week. My leg was paralyzed by the end of the drive.....from tension. Love this Chicago driving. Elder Taggart ask Salt Lake if they could find a dealership closer to our office. Not going to happen. Once they build a relationship of trust, they stay loyal....even if it takes 7 people 3 hours of driving. We now have 12 to open up new areas with new missionaries. Do they realize how lucky they are to get a brand new car? Probably not. When we got back to work we ordered Chinese food for the missionaries. No wonder they love us!
I have mended more pants, rebuilt some of them, hemmed skirts and pants, replaced zippers, and on and on during our four zone conferences. It feels really good to perform a service they can't do for themselves. I'm happy to do it. One missionary is on a bike and I literally had to reinforce and rebuild his pants. I said he needed a new pair.(he is from Guatemala) he said, "oh, Sister Taggart, now they will last for the rest of my mission." I asked him how many months he has left. He smiled and said,"18". Faith, hope, and a big patch!
We ate dinner in "the hood" one night this week. We invite missionaries to dinner every week and this set was told by their zone leader they couldn't leave their zone. So we took a Thanksgiving dinner on the road....into the hood. When we got there, they were out on the curb, surrounded by 5-6 people, preaching the gospel. They were so grateful, loved the half melted jello and especially the 2 pies I had made. Then they keep the leftovers. I love it.
Today was my 63 birthday. Elder Taggart booked two nights in the Marriott downtown Chicago to celebrate. It took our date night, our p- day, and we'll be to church tomorrow. We walked and walked until we had gone 5 miles total today. It was a perfect day. We love Chicago and I recognized so many places from our many years here for conventions. Filenes Basement is closed. I nearly cried. I loved that store. I love the Magnificent mile. We walked along the waterfront. We ate a Chicago hotdog. I was determined to hand out ten pass-along cards. The first woman rejected me.....I mean a total reject. I felt sad....but still determined. I started to use my birthday, "Hello, it's my birthday today. Will you accept a gift from me?" I handed out cards, met people from all over, had several Mormons come up to us because of our badges, and met lots of Husky fans from Seattle. I took pictures for a wedding couple from India, pictures of people in front of the bean, and pictures by the seashore. That opened the door for a conversation. Street contacting can be hard, fun, challenging,and rewarding. Missionary work is work. But it was a really fun birthday. We ate dinner at Rosebud Steakhouse and I had the perfect piece of halibut. Elder Taggart knows how to show a girl a good time. We have known each other for 55 years now and we are still having fun together.
Transfers Monday mean I start Where's Waldo again and I think every six weeks will be a repeat.....we'll see. Love you. Miss you.
Sister Taggart
Sister Taggert,
ReplyDeleteAs I read the story about the Elder from Guatemala it brought more tears to my eyes. You have one of my kids there, my daughter. We also have another son serving in Guatemala. When they are at the CCM (Missionary Training Center) there in Guatemala they immediately start feeling some of the weight of being in a different country. Many of the natives don't have but the clothes on their backs and the missionaries from the North often give them part of what they brought. I too hope my children are grateful for the conveniences they have here in the states. I know one of them is learning it first hand. Thanks for your hard working keeping the missionaries clothing in good repair along with everything else you guys do.