Step away from the recliner and nobody gets hurt

In Alma 29:3 we read....." For I ought to be content with the things which The Lord hath allotted unto me."  I have tried, but this week when another Senior couple vacated, leaving 2 perfectly good recliners, I couldn't be content. They were new, ( as in, not out of a storage unit) they matched my couch, and I had visions of reclining with a good book for the winter.  So when the Elders stopped by our office at the bank to get keys to the storage unit.....pounce.....we were down in that parking lot in a jiffy.  As my competition, I only had Sister Crook.  She is younger and bigger but I'm faster.  We then began the "mine,mine,mine" game and I came out a winner.  A recliner, 4 more butter knives, another paring knife, and two beautiful lamps, tall enough to shine over our couch arms.  SCORE!!  Yes, I have become a scavenger.  It nearly killed me helping Elder Taggart carry the recliner into our pad....through four locked doors and a couple of tricky turns.  Crooks did much better than we did.  They are used to lifting bales of hay....and smart enough to recline the chair before getting to narrow doorways.  Out with the Mother's Lounge chair rejected by some church and in with my prized recliner.  Ah, but the sad reality is----when do I have time to sit in a recliner?  Funny, huh?

I want you to have a glimpse of some of the funny/sad parts of our mission this week.
"Elder Taggart, do we have to count miles we put on our car going to and from meetings?  Those are half our miles and we heard we could deduct them,"
" No, miles are miles.  You have 1200 per month in your area and need to keep it to that."

"Sister Taggart, could you order me the Missionary Gospel Library.  I would like to study that."
(Jesus the Christ,Our Heritage,True to The Faith, Our Search for Happiness)
"Elder, I order supplies for the mission.  I'm not supposed to order personal items.  Could you have your mother order those and send them?"
" She is not a member and is very anti."
"How about your father ?"
"He's not a member either."
"I'll order them for you."
He is 19 .  It's $12 out of his food money, which is a lot .  I'll order them and pay for them out of a special account we have for such needs.  I have already mended a pair of slacks for this Elder.

"Elder Taggart, our car has issues.  It jerks and has problems accelerating.  Our apartment is possessed and I'm scared of driving on these freeways." (She is 18, this is her first time out of Utah, and she has already been moved because her last apartment was possessed.). The accelerator problem----turns out to be her hesitant, shakey right foot.  Companion can't drive.  She is from Italy and doesn't have a license.  You would have been touched listening to "Grandpa Taggart" talk through her fears with her.

One area closed this week and two Elders removed because their new apartment is on the border of two rival gangs.  Poor Elder Crook, trying to find good apartments.  Who knew?
With street names like Lake in the Woods or Blue Island or Park City....sounds like a dream vacation, right?  Not in Chicago.

"Sister Taggart, we are calling to report on our referrals. OR Sister Taggart, could you send us an updated list of our referrals in this area to make sure we haven't missed any?"  They are 18 and 19.

Call from Salt Lake referral center----
"Sister Taggart, we have a HQ referral from Aug 6, who hasn't been contacted yet.  He speaks Mandarin Chinese. Can you get your Mandarin speaking Elders on it?"
"We are a Spanish speaking mission.  We have no Mandarin speaking Elders."
"Where is the nearest Mandarin Branch in Chicago?"
"There is not a Mandarin Branch in Chicago."
"How about Chinese members in his area?"
"He lives in a heavy Black/Hispanic area.  Four Elders have assured me they have no Chinese in either of their wards .  North Chicago has many Chinese and also West Chicago but not South Chicago." ( I'm thinking, where are Ted and Audrey when I need them?)
"I guess we'll continue teaching him over the phone from headquarters."
Our mission president is considering asking Salt Lake for a set of Mandarin and a set of Mongolian speaking missionaries.  Our Polish sisters are kept busy teaching Polish speaking people.  Who knew?

An Elder, who has 4 weeks left before he goes home, cornered Elders Taggart and Crook for an hour to ask them, "How do you know ?" ( he comes from a broken home). How do you select a career but mostly, how did you know when you found "the one"?  Again, Elder Taggart became a loving Grandpa and quoted Steve Taggart's 3 questions:
"Are we compatible?"
"Does she make me want to be the best I can be?"
"Can I reach my heist potential with her?"
Then he counseled about a wife who has the same priorities and how important a wife is in your ability to serve The Lord."
"Elder, has the Spirit prompted you here on your mission?  Don't you think he will do the same when you go home?"
I LOVE ELDER TAGGART !!!

So as we peeled carrots together last night and each of us had our own paring knife---life is good.  Keep it simple.  Don't get caught up in the non- essential.  Scavenge a bit.  You'll be surprised how happy you can be.

Love,
Sister Taggart