I'll Be Two Inches Shorter When I Come Home

To be sung to the toon of She'll Be Comin Round the Mountain

Wonder why my discs are all compressed
Should have known that this was just a test
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter when I come home

Hauling loads of groceries in and out
While unlocking four doors ya wanna shout
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter when I come home

Assigned to bring a luncheon, that I'll do
Though it compresses my discs, that is true
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter when I come home.

Boxes for the missionaries weigh a ton
Hauling them to meetings not so fun
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter when I come home.

I will stand up straight next time we meet
But you will think I'm not even on my feet
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter
I'll be two inches shorter when I come home.

OK...that is my complaint for the week. Now on to the good stuff. When we feed the missionaries from either of our wards now, we get to feed four. It is so fun. They are so appreciative and leave such a special spirit in our home.

My husband has become the most popular man in the mission. He is not only the Car Czar and the Phone Crone, now he is in charge of Facebook. Yes folks, we are alive and well on Facebook now. It has been a trial for some. They came out on their mission, anxious to leave Facebook and now they are asked to spend one hour a day on it. We had been deemed an obedient mission so that was why we were chosen.....9th worldwide. Elder Taggart has to be friends with them, answer questions all day, monitors appropriate and inappropriate posts, texts them on what to change,monitors their sites through each day and reports to mission president as necessary. Elder Crook said, "I will accept them as friends but that doesn't mean I have to talk to them after that." That has been my take on the whole thing....get a picture on it and....done. I accepted one hundred friends last week, all of them missionaries. Imagine that. I get referrals from text now and sometimes they report back via text. That means my phone has to be charged every single day....and I have to check it!!! Overload!

Transfers are Tuesday. On Monday we get 33 more new missionaries. Only three go home. I think I am ready for this one.....I hope. To add spice to the soup, Elder Martino will be here for the whole week. Someone asked me if I was nervous for a General Authority to come. "Nope--cause he's not staying at my house." Two zone conferences later I may feel differently. One is with the ward that made the water/bone soup last time and all the missionaries went away starving. The other ward I have yet to hear back from so I'm planning peanut butter sandwiches just in case, with gallons of milk and Oreos for dessert. I love working with no responsive people. I would rather prepare and take the whole luncheon myself.

We had a baptism in one of our wards Saturday. The parents come to our Gospel Principles class each week.....for three months now. Problem is, they aren't married. They are expecting child # 4 together. She had one by a different father, he had two by a different mother. The baptism was for her oldest son and their oldest son. She felt something, you could tell. Her partner has some doubts. He pays child support for his first two so he sees marriage as a trap. He also has issues with the church because women can't hold the Priesthood. I'd like to corner him for 30 minutes and talk to him about that one. I've watched my husband for years as he magnified his Priesthood and I never once wished I could switch places with him. Happy with my role, thank you very much. His wife is chasing five kids around all day long. When does she think she would have time to fit the Priesthood in? We told them the Bishop would marry them for free and we would arrange the refreshments afterwards but still no go. But the mother felt something.
Now we just pray the ward will accept them, fellowship them, and weave them into the fabric of the ward. This ward thinks it is silk and has issues with any other fabric. Their loss, but we worry about our converts in this ward.

Another neat story to show you my small part in this big picture. I assigned a name in the referral system to two missionaries. They didn't get to see her before transfers in August so she was put on hold. An Elder came in August who was frustrated he got his call to Chicago. I speak Tagalog. I wanted to go to the Phillipines. He was assigned to the "hood" on the south side of Chicago. An Elder got sent home early so this Elder was driven into the area at night by the President. The President told his companion to find some Phillipinos for him to teach. He laughed. "President, we are in the wrong neighborhood for Phillipinos. This area is black." So a week later, they find this referral name in their Area book and go visit her. She is from the Phillipines. The new Elder bore fervent testimony in Tagalog. She is now a member of the church. So I had a small part in that miracle, and the delay was for a reason. This Elder has since found a couple more Phillipino families.

I could tell you stories about our Polish sisters and our Italian sister. They just end up where those language skills are needed. The Lord is in control. Things in this life are not left to chance. Patience is part of our learning curve when it comes to His will. Last week was a good week. I learned more about spreadsheets and now I have a spreadsheet for everything. Pray for our stamina to hold out. These big transfers after so many incoming take a toll. We had a sweet conversation with our Jewish friend in Hancock Fabric. She is now looking for the tender mercies in her life after our last conversation. Our influence reaches places we never tout it would. We love you and miss you.
 
Yes,that is Elder Taggart sewing on buttons....without his name tag on, sorry.
Love,
Sister Taggart

Facebook

Ok, I just have to start by saying that I have learned more and spent more on Facebook this past week than I have my entire life. We now have 170 missionaries online using Facebook and various LDS sites to share the gospel and invite people to learn more about who we are and what we believe. They currently spend 1 hour per day online and it is my responsibility to monitor their activity, posts, etc. I have read more posts and commented on more pictures this past week simply to make sure they know what is acceptable and what is not. I have literally fallen into bed every night this week from brain cramp and fatigue.

But, exciting things are happening. We are already seeing success from this online activity. In addition to being able to connect with people right here, many of them have been able to connect with family and friends back home to teach the more. Three missionaries actually have someone on date to be baptized from activity just this week.

I had really never chatted on Facebook prior to this past week. Now I probably have 30-40 chats per day answering various questions that missionaries have. These young people really are amazing and it has been fun to read their posts and invitations to others to learn.

Tomorrow we receive 34 new missionaries which will bring the total number of missionaries here in Chicago to 200. So this past week I have made sure that all of the driving records of the new arrivals is complete and ready for them to drive here; I have new cars ready to be assigned to the 15 new areas that we will open up; I have new cell phones ready to be assigned and I will provide training on driving, cell phone, the use of Facebook, etc. Oh, I have rented two additional 12 passenger vans to use in addition to the one we already have just so we can pick them all up at the airport. We will also take the pick-up truck and utility trailer to haul all of their luggage. All of this takes place tomorrow and Tuesday.

On Wednesday we have a member of the Quorum of the Seventy arriving to do a mission tour. He will be here until Sunday morning. So we will have meetings with him all day on Thursday and Friday. As I write this, I think I should quit and go to bed just to get a head start on the week. We will be running fast all week; it will be exhausting but it will also be very rewarding.

The weather has made a shift this past week. I had to scrape frost off the windows three mornings this week. So we know that winter is right around the corner. The leaves have finally changed color and I am sure will fall off the trees very soon. That will change the landscape significantly. But for now, it is very beautiful.

We attended the baptism of two brothers yesterday. Mom, dad and the whole family have been being taught by the missionaries and have been coming to church for many weeks. The mom, Yolanda, really wants to get baptized. But before she and her husband can, they have to get married. They have been together for years and have 5 children. But the husband is hesitant to get married. I don't know if that's because his first marriage didn't work out or not, but you would think that after years together and several children together, you would have determined if it was all going to work out.

Since getting married is one of the best things I have ever done in my life, I really have a difficult time understanding people being hesitant to make that commitment. I do love serving my sweetheart and being able to share this whole experience together.

One last comment about Facebook for those of you who use it regularly; think about posting a link to a video from LDS.org or Mormon.org or just a quote from one of the Apostles this week. You may be amazed when one of your Facebook friends decides they would like to know more. Also, when someone 'likes' your post, it becomes visible to their entire base of friends. Multiply that and it is exciting to think about how many people just one uplifting post may reach. I love this work and am so grateful to know that God knows who I am, that he cares about me personally, and that he really wants me to be happy. Living the gospel of Jesus Christ does make it much easier to be happy.

Have a blessed week!

Elder Taggart

Your child is safe in Chicago

Yes, I heard myself say those 6 words over the phone to a concerned mother this week. We are ramping up for transfers again.....meaning 34 new missionaries arrive a week from tomorrow (only three are going home), boxes of bedding and winter clothes started to arrive in the mail this week, and the moms sending said boxes are slapped up the side of the head with the reality MY CHILD WILL BE LIVING IN CHICAGO...MURDER CAPITOL OF AMERICA!!!
This mother is sending her eldest daughter. Will she be driving a car in the snow? Will she be in a safe neighborhood? Can I send pepper spray or mace so I can have peace of mind? ( I assured her she could but if her daughter gets sent to Buffalo Grove or Valparaiso, IN, the only thing she can use it on is cows.)
The letters I address are sent to locations such as Lake in the Hills,Crown Point, Homewood, Libertyville, Round Lake, Crystal Lake, Vernon Hills, Crestwood, and Blue Island. Sounds like a resort town, exotic, isolated, pristine, and beautiful. Most of Illinois is just that. A business associate of Elder Taggart from Buffalo Grove (38 miles from downtown Chicago) hunts from his front porch----deer, duck, pheasant---legally. He owns a hunting cabin and lake on his property and lives a simple life. (He also pays $22,000 a year in property taxes) Then there is downtown Chicago and a few surrounding neighborhoods that ruin it for the rest of us.
So I calmed a troubled mother who had heard all the myths about missionaries getting mugged each week in Chicago. It just doesn't happen that way.
Kyleygirl and BFF Bethy.....who are these people and why does their mail cross my desk? It is a postcard written to Kyleygirl, addressed to our mission. I go through 180 first names of missionaries. We have one Kylie. I call her. "Sister --------, do you have a BFF named Bethy?" She assured me she doesn't have a BFF. I believe her. So I go back to the list of 180 missionaries. We do have one Bethany, second to the last name as luck would have it. I call her. She forgot to put an address on the card, just the return address of our mission. She is embarrassed. She is young. I've just used 45 min. Of my life trying to solve the mystery of Kyleygirl and Bethy. I learn patience.
An Elder calls. His mail is being stolen. I call the Postmaster General. Guess what I am told??? In downtown Chicago there is nothing he can do about it! Are you kidding me? Is's a Federal Offense!! He suggested they pay for a PO box at the post office. They are on bikes in downtown and that is out of the question, they say. Yes, I'll hold your mail and send it via district leaders when they come into the office. (Did I just tell a mother her daughter would be safe in Chicago? Daughter, yes....mail, no.
We are an online mission now and I have lost a husband. The President turned the whole baby over to Elder Taggart and this week has been a flurry of training the leadership, getting their Facebooks up and running, cleaning up old accounts with missionaries so they will be missionary appropriate. My tiny miracle amid this flurry is a small piece of paper on my desk with a name and an email address on it. A " referral" of sorts, that couldn't be assigned because I had no phone number or address so who do I assign it to? It was from Australia. The man came to Chicago to work, leaving his family at home. He is a Spanish speaking Puerto Rican who wanted the missionaries. So this week I texted two missionaries the info and during their Facebook time they will find and teach him. Hurray for technology.
Two sisters called me with 8 PI (potential investigators) they met while street contacting for 8 hours one day. Facebook will speed that up for them, I hope.
We had a surprise visit from our mission president this week. He and his wife came to pick up training DVD's and copies after an appointment, and wanted to see what "retro ghetto" looked like. We laughed and laughed. Good thing we keep it clean. Anyway, as they were about to leave, the President said the saddest thing, "Katie, do you think the Taggart's would trade houses with us for a night or two so nobody would know where we were and we could have alone time? Guess retro ghetto is not so bad after all .
I got a call from an Elder in Chicago this week. He was with an investigator who was distraught. Her grandmother in Mexico was in the hospital and needed missionaries there to give her a Priesthood blessing. Could I notify them today? No address. No phone number. No name at first. The hospital was really a clinic behind a bus station in Volcan. Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and Mexico were locations I had to work with. I got on CDOL , entered what I knew, located an email address, pushed a button and prayed someone on the other end would come through.(Elder Asher was in the office and he translated it all into Spanish for me) I think technology is amazing.
I did 4 Excel spreadsheets, to include tabs on the bottom, for our 4 stakes apartment inspections. When the stake presidents saw how many of our 93 apartments were not inspected, boy did that raise a ruckus .( yes, I emailed it, with attachment, to stake presidents and high council and ill bet they rue the day I learned how to do that!)
Trivia: we have to walk 53 steps down a long hall to use the restroom at our office. That gets old.
In one day I rerouted 24 packages, 111 pieces of mail, and unloaded 44 cases of supplies from the distribution center. I'll be buff when I get home.
I mended 3 pair of slacks. For that I am appreciated.
Highlight of the week was dinner with Dave, Jill and Tyson Conrad from Utah.(Elder Taggart's little sister) so fun to see family and catch up.
Two new rules for us#1. We can't have two cooked meals in the same day. It dirties all the pans, most of the utensils, and there isn't room on the drainer to stack all the dishes. #2 lunches and garbage should not be put in the look alike recycle Wallmart bags. Senior couples will then throw away lunches and supplies for the office (did really happen.....3 times) and open garbage for lunch!
We love you. The Gospel is true. We are having a blast. We are needed. Have a great week.
Love,
Sister Taggart

We've Gone Live

Well I have figured out now why I am here. It is to save our mission president from going crazy. He is buried and in some respects overwhelmed by all there is to do. We found out late last week that our mission will become an on-line mission which means that ever missionary will be given a mini Ipad and will use Facebook one hour per day to reach out to people to share the gospel to them. That is exciting and also very scary at the same time.

So Monday morning as our mission president was in the shower, he said, "Heavenly Father, how am I going to be able to do one more thing? He said the answer quickly came to him; give it to Elder Taggart and let him be in charge of all of the on-line activity and work. So on Monday he asked me to take on that responsibility. We met with all of the leadership of the mission, meaning the assistants to the president, the Zone Leaders and the Sister Trainer Leaders. We initially launched this whole new initiative with this leadership core. They were all instructed to either set up a Facebook account, if they didn't have one, or to modify their existing account to be missionary approved.

All of this means that I, and old man, must get to know Facebook inside and out and become the resident expert so that I can help walk young missionaries through the whole process. The Lord knows that there are many in the world who have no idea who the Lord, Jesus Christ is let alone what or who a Mormon is. He also knows that there are millions of people throughout the world who might be interested in learning more but whom would never consider allowing two young men or women into their home to share the message of the gospel with them. But many of those people spend a lot of time on social media and may respond to an on-line invitation to learn in a very non-threatening environment.

I have spent many hours on Facebook this week and have learned a ton. I have answered numerous questions both by phone and also on Facebook in a chat. And this was in only involving 24 missionaries so far. On Monday this next week, we will invite an additional 145 missionaries here to get things set up on Facebook and begin to use that tool one hour per day to find people who are interested in learning more. I can only imagine how crazy my week will be.

Once everyone is set up and ready to go with a Facebook account and have also created a personal profile on Mormon.org, they will each receive an Ipad to use while they are serving their mission. We are only the 9th mission in the world to go live on-line so we have the added responsibility to share what we learn, etc. to make it easier for other missions to go live later on.

It has been exciting this week to see just how many contacts and on-line lessons the 24 missionaries have made. The most exciting for me has been a young man who joined the church just 3 years ago. His mother is not a member. Neither are his father, step-father or brother. This week he has reached out to his mother, his brother and his biological father on Facebook. His mother has agreed to learn about the gospel from him on-line. He had a Facebook conversation with his brother whom he hasn't spoken to for 5 years. He has still not been able to get a response from his father but he is continuing to try. This missionary has been serving now for a year and he told me this week that this week has been the best week of his mission just because he has been able to share something so precious to him with family that he loves.

My job will be to teach, train and monitor their on-line activity to make sure what they are doing is appropriate and that they are safe as they use this on-line tool. After all, they are 18-21 and there is much that is not praiseworthy or uplifting on-line. Of course these new responsibilities are in addition to the other I have had which has kept me busy for about 50 hours per week. But I have always been up to a challenge and this one will stretch this old brain of mine.

Last night we went out to dinner with some dear business friends, Jon & Kim Starke. Jon and I have done business together for many years now and he has become a dear friend. Needless to say, we had a wonderful evening together. They only live about 25 minutes North of us so hopefully we will be able to enjoy their company many times while we are here.

My sister Jill and her husband Dave are in town this week along with their son Tyson and their neighbors and friends, Spence and Shannon Spencer and their two youngest kids. Their sons wanted to take a trip together before they leave on their missions. They are both seniors in high school so neither one of them will leave until at least next summer. But since they chose to come to Chicago, we got to go out to dinner with them tonight. It is really such a small world. The Spencer's used to live in Kent, WA and know many of the people that we know and have loved to associate with for many years. Thanks Dave and Jill for a nice dinner and fun conversation.

We are loving life; loving being together and loving this opportunity to serve and in some small way help to further the Lord's work of bringing souls unto Christ. It is truly a marvelous time to be alive.

May you each have a blessed week. Check us out on Facebook if you are prepared to see lots of posts about missionary work. We love you.

Elder Taggart

Car Czar, Phone expert and now on-line whiz.

I Love General Conference

Hi,

We were thrilled to be able to watch all sessions of general conference this past weekend. What inspiring messages and insights. With all of the talks about hastening the work of salvation, I am very glad to be on this side of the badge right now. We are beginning to see far more members begin to realize that they need to step up their game if they are not going to get pummeled by the wave. What an exciting time to be alive and to be a part of this great work!

There were several testimonies shared today from individuals who stated that they had made a personal commitment this week to become more engaged in the work. If, in fact, the members will simply pray every day for opportunities to share what they know and love and then be willing to act when the Lord provides those opportunities, we will see an explosion in the work. We had two investigators in each of the two wards we attended today.

I had a stressful experience this week relating to cars. Actually we had three vehicles involved in accidents this week. But those didn't necessarily cause the stress because no one was injured. We have 7 brand new cars parked at the stake center. One morning I decided that I needed to go put a cleaning kit into each of those cars so that they would be ready to assigned out. When I got back from doing that, I realized that I was missing one set of keys. So I drove back to the stake center and searched the parking lot everywhere I had been. But alas, I didn't find the missing keys. So then I was really stressed and worried that someone else would find those keys before I did and perhaps a brand new car might disappear. So putting into practice what I have preached for so many years, I offered a sincere prayer asking Heavenly Father to help me find those keys. I then grabbed a set of keys to everyone of those cars and headed back to the stake center. I popped open the trunk of every car hoping that perhaps they had dropped into one of the buckets I had just placed in every car. At this point, I had my trusty companion with me knowing that two pair of eyes would be better than one. In answer to my prayers she found them in the bucket of one of the cars she searched. So, yes God does care about all things and he does hear and answer our prayers. That's true even for an old guy like me.

We only have two weeks before another 31 new missionaries arrive. I am hoping that before then the additional 4 new cars that I will need will arrive or they will be walking or using the bus to get around for a few weeks. This will likely be the last large group of new missionaries we will receive. But this next batch will put us at over 200 missionaries with almost 100 of those arriving within the last 3 months.

We have been enjoying beautiful, fall weather which has been warmer than usual. We have continued to have highs in the 70's but the nights are now getting down into the 40's so we know that winter is right around the corner. The leaves are beginning to change which is later than usual because it has stayed so warm. Personally it could stay just like this for several more months and I would be a happy camper.

For the curious, here are answers to some frequently asked questions:

• What is the most common road-kill? That would actually be skunk. They are everywhere.
• What is the most seen wildlife, other than dead skunk? That would be squirrel. We have even seen black squirrels which is a first for me.
• How much does it cost you to be on this mission? So far it is averaging about $2,500 per month. We pay our own rent, utilities, gas, groceries, etc. So that means we will spend almost $60,000 by the time we return home. But we have been amazed at how much we have been blessed to have our funds stretch.

For those business associates who are reading this, we are going out to dinner with Jon & Kim Starke this coming Friday night. He is a great friend from the industry who lives about 15 miles away from us.

Ok, I have now rambled, but just let me say that we love what we are doing and we are being blessed to have a positive influence on the lives of many of the people we meet. Life is great in our humble apartment because we have each other to share it with. Tell those close to you just how much you love them. Have a great week.

Elder Taggart

Two brothers and feeding the 5,000 .... OK.... 120

I must make mention of my two brothers first. I woke up my eldest brother to wish him a happy birthday. He wondered why I was up so early. I assured him I was on Chicago time and it wasn't so early here. Glad he is my brother. Then yesterday I got to spend time with my baby brother and his wife in the Chicago temple and then dinner. They must drive 2 1/2 hours to attend either the Chicago or Nauvoo temple. Since they have spent their married life in the Midwest we haven't had many occasions to spend one on one time with them. Dana had lots of questions, they saw our apartment it didn't repulse them, and we had fun getting caught up. Thanks for being my brother.

I have won a place in the Hall of Fame in every one of these missionaries hearts..... Or stomachs at least. New missionary training meeting, I'm responsible for the whole lunch--$4.50 per missionary allowed. Most of them are sick of Mexican food. Hmmmmmm---Little Cesar's Pizza---$5.00 per large pizza. Promise each of them half a pizza--$2.50--which leaves me $2.00 per missionary for a killer Caesar salad,lemonade,and cookies for dessert. Everyone is happy and stuffed and I come in $85 under budget. Win- Win. 70 pizzas, 24 heads of romaine lettuce (broken the night before) Countrytime....I'm getting good at this. One major problem, I get to the building and there is only one 1 1/2 quart pitcher in the entire building. Are you kidding me? No in Chicago they either lock everything up tight or the English wards take it out of the buildings so it doesn't disappear when the Spanish branches come in. They do the same thing with paper in the library, hymn books, anything portable. So I stirred and poured and stirred and poured and stirred and poured until I was fuming. I was ready to yank a few temple recommends.

As we sat by two Elders, Elder Taggart said, " Did you get your car tabs and put the sticker on your license?" The Elder responded, " Oh, we were supposed to put that sticker on the license? I put it on the back of my name tag !" Heart skips a beat....then he starts laughing. Gotta love em.

We are pleased to report our former gang member who was baptized got accepted into law school. We are so proud of him. As I entered the information on his baptism in the computer, a warning popped up for his single mothers birthdate. " the mother was 12 when she had this child." I thought that could not be right. I checked. Everything was correct. This man has finally beat the odds and is going the right direction.

Two Elders accepted a referral from me this week---a lady teaching Bible classes in the city who wanted hundreds of free Bibles from us. They contacted her, offered her a case of Books of Mormon. She declined but ask if they had any comfort to give several in her class who have suffered death of a loved one. These two offered to teach the Plan of Salvation and she accepted. These are my Elders!

Elder Crook (from Wyoming) went to Bishopric meeting in his ward and as they were assigning home teachers, he noticed only the Elders were assigned to go home teaching. He serves as first counselor in the Bishopric.....in his spare time. He tried to suggest home teaching is a Priesthood responsibility for Elders, Teachers, Priests, High Priests. They had never heard of such a thing. He said he didn't dare suggest they open the handbook, which they have never done, because it would blow their minds. Elder Taggart was surprised to find out in one of our wards they only assign home teachers to active members to keep percentages up. Senior couples are desperately needed, even in Chicago.

As I did mail the other day, ( which has gone from 30 letters a day to 90) I realized how much you can learn from letters sent. Two Elders receive letters from a prison, some come with awesome stamps from foreign countries, we get letters from almost every state. I can tell when a grandparent writes because the address is written with a shakey hand and they arrive like clockwork---once a week. With e-mail weekly, letters from parents are not as frequent. I think that is a shame. There are a couple of dads who write to their sons daily. There are steady boyfriends or girlfriends who write weekly. One Sister received letters from three different Elders serving in different countries, in one day. An Elder received 25 birthday cards from his mom on his 21 st birthday. That is a record. I love letters from younger siblings, written in pencil, very large. A Sister received a letter from her Elder brother, serving in Japan. I detest nicknames, known only to friends and family that the dumb secretary is supposed to guess who they go to.
The MOM on the return label with address isn't much help either. Like the missionaries, when one has your name on it, a smile comes to your face and your heart picks up a beat or two.(not soliciting mail, thank you)

Elder Taggart gave a Priesthood blessing ,a beautiful one I might add, and the recipient went ballistic afterward because he didn't say what she wanted to hear. Never had that happen before. We may not be invited back to home teach.

So our life is full. Fall is in full swing here and we wish it would stay just like this. Winter is just around the corner and we keep getting warnings about it. We are going just about fast as you can go, loving our work....most days......and glad we chose to do this mission before we settled into retirement. Our temple president will be released after three years, on Nov 1 and they are to report to the Hong Kong Temple by Nov.15 for their 4th mission. What an inspiration. We love you all. We miss you but we are needed here, for many reasons. Have a great week as we know we will.

Love,

Sister Taggart

All Systems Down

This week has probably been the most frustrating of my whole mission thus far. The computer, when down, can be as frustrating as a computer up and running that you don't know how to work. One day this week I couldn't do referrals because that system was down. So I calmly decided to order from Distribution the $1000 worth of supplies I need to replace what missionaries have taken. The volume of missionaries consumes many more supplies than it used to. With 35 more scheduled to arrive in two weeks, I need to be prepared. Each companionship requires a case of Books of Mormons, all six of the pamphlets we give out, two or three types of pass along cards, a DVD player for training, a couple of Bibles, Restoration videos to give out, Faith in Christ DVD to give out, etc. So my job is to anticipate what they will need next and have a supply . Last week I phoned in an order and she confused so many items because she didn't speak English all that well and I didn't have order numbers....I vowed never to phone in an order again.( like the Scripture mastery bookmarks we put in our missionary welcome packets....she sent the tear apart scripture mastery cards given to seminary students. Also the Book of Mormon pass along cards she sent with the phone number on the back for the U.K. And Ireland to respond to. Sure they would appreciate us passing those out...NOT) as I got the order to the check out point, a white bar came across the screen and said YOU ARE NO LONGER CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET. I took a deep breath and started my wondrous coping skills. I went on to my next task.....address labels for 90 letters. Yes folks, I readdress that many letters every day, plus 11 to 15 boxes a day. Those mothers are sending letters and stuff to their young missionaries like crazy . Our mailman loves us. He calls us his job security. So I get the labels typed on the computer, put the labels in the printer, print them up, and the last line of every label ends up on the top of the next label. At that point I said something about putting my shoe through the computer, Elder Taggart came to my aid, but nothing could be done to fix the problems. I did a few other menial tasks and we headed to Costco to buy food for the Leadership Luncheon for 45 that was the next day. We decided to treat ourselves to dinner first. I never eat Costco hotdogs but I was in the mood that night. We stepped to the window. They were out of hotdogs! Hoe can Costco ever run out of hot dogs? Just go back on your own shelves and buy a few. I mean really. Not my best day, but to my credit, I showed up the next day to begin again.q

We did Subway sandwiches, salad,chips,and cookies for the lunch. They love me, what can I say. I told the Elders they could have the entire footlong if they wanted. They love me. Clean up was a snap and we were back to pick up a wrecked car, now fixed. We believe in repentance for cars. I think the reason Elder Taggart's neck has been stiff is because he dealt with three accidents and two tickets this week. He hates to call in the photo tickets knowing each one in the companionship because they split the cost of the ticket and they are a minimum of $100. A right turn on a red light is $100. In most states that is legal so it is hard to break that habit.

I helped pick up 6 new cars from Fox Lake Chevrolet this week, took three cars in to be fixed, took Bruce to have massage therapy, and drove back and forth from the stake center to the office. I don't like driving here. They are too aggressive and act like they have nothing to lose.
I have mended three pair of slacks this week. One shy Elder, from Mexico, was too embarrassed to show me where the crotch needed to be fixed in his pants. Do they think I mend them with my eyes closed to preserve modesty. The pants are not on them. They are just pants! I love these innocent Elders and Sisters.

This week we did missionary work at Pep Boys, Subway, and the Chevy Dealership. They all want to know who is buying so much, what this work is all about, why we would give up our normal lives to do this for a bunch of 18 to 21 year old "kids". We do it out of love for our Savior Jesus Christ, Love for our fellowmen who we want to have the gospel in their lives, and obedience to a Prophet's request to leave the comfort of home and family for a period of time and serve. We love our missionaries and many of their faces light up when they see us. To some we extend the feeling of home--normal--safety. This week the mailman ask me what he could call me. "What is your name?" I explained we use the title Brother or Sister in the church because we are all God's children and literally brothers and sisters. He hesitantly said OK and then I told him I would be proud to have him as my brother. He smiled, about a mile wide, and said, "I would like that." So he is Brother Mailman and we all get along fine.

We got a single missionary from Bogata, Colombia this week. He didn't need the two weeks of Spanish so he came in ahead of his group. He liked the connection when I told him my little brother had served in his country many years ago. We transferred him to his area as we went to pick up cars. He and another Elder, from Mexico, began to compare notes about their respective countries and language. The Elder from Mexico said the dialect this Colombian Elder spoke was like a dialect in the high mountains of Mexico. I had chills as I watched these two handsome Elders speak, knowing the stories of the Book of Mormon and how people were separated. Here I was with two descendants of those great Book of Mormon peoples, listening to them reconnect. My testimony of the Book of Mormon was strengthened that day.

I have suffered persecution this week. I bought a new skirt,blouse,and two pair of earrings with the gift card Natalie sent and a new dress with the money Doug sent. Any time you rotate new items of clothing into your rotation of outfits, there is a feeling of something from the Sisters around you. They think you have entered the "costly apparel" cycle or something. I also bought 5 jackets from the Salvation Army to take me into winter. It is fall here and I keep getting warnings I will need lots of layers to stay warm this winter. So go ahead and hate me, I got new clothes , deal with it. Also, the shoes I have hated all summer because of swollen feet now fit me loosely. Go figure.

Conference has convinced me I am in the right place at the right now. We consider ourselves the stabilizers . So many, many young missionaries, away from home for the first time. We just have to love them and make them feel like they can do hard things, adjust quickly,and learn to love where they are and the people they work with. This week will be better. The Church servers will not be dedicated to General Conference this week. I have faith my computer will work. I feel if we are not part of the hastening, we may get mowed down by its momentum ,so I keep getting up and trying to give my all and do my best....even if I am tempted to put a foot through my computer occasionally. I'm learning patience with myself and technology. What a task! Love it.

Love,
Sister Taggart

Pain in the Neck

Hello from Chicagoland,

You are probably wondering why my title this week is pain in the neck. I woke up Wednesday morning with a stiff neck. As the day progressed it got worse rather than better. By Thursday morning I was in pain and very tight from my neck down to my rear end. So I made an appointment for a massage. She really worked my neck and back over but she could not get the muscles on the left side of my neck to release. This morning it is feeling much better but it is still stiff and sore. I have never had something like this that just wouldn't relax. So I have probably been a pain in the neck to Sister Taggart this week.

We picked up 7 more brand new cars this week. The car funny of the week: a young sister missionary called me and was quite concerned that she was missing the cap to two,of her valve stems. At first I appreciated her concern because I knew that she heard my instruction about checking tire pressure or she wouldn't have noticed it. I told her I would get her a couple but that it was perfectly fine to operate her car without them. She called the very next day asking I had those for her yet. I tried to assure her that they really only kept the valve stem clean. I am convinced that in her innocence she thought that without them her tires would lose pressure. I gave them to her zone leaders yesterday to get them to her. She apparently had also asked them about them. They being younger and perhaps not as wise and kind as you know who, told her that as long as she made sure her driving fluid was full the car would be fine. Oh the innocence and naïveté of some of these young missionaries. I love my job.

I helped Sister Taggart feed lunch to 45 missionaries on Friday and Tuesday we get to provide lunch for 135. For someone who really doesn't like to cook, as most of you know, she is doing a marvelous job. I am sure she will add many more details in her email.

I have never given a Priesthood blessing to someone before that was rejected by them. I had a first this week in that area. A lady we visit regularly asked me for a blessing which I gladly gave her. Apparently I didn't bless her with what she felt she deserved and she was quite upset afterwards. Oh the things we experience as we simply try to bless and lift those around us. I have now been praying that she will come to realize that the blessing she received was exactly what the Lord wanted her to hear. If the Spirit had not prompted me to say the things I said, I would not have done so.

My personal highlight of this week has been the opportunity to sit with my sweetheart at the feet of prophets and apostles of the Lord, Jesus Christ and listen to inspired counsel and direction at general conference. I am so grateful that a loving Father in Heaven loves us as much as he did his children in Old Testament and New Testament times in that he has provided prophets today to show us the way just as he did in times of old.

The gospel of Jesus Christ brings such peace, joy and direction in my life. I am grateful every day to know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer, my friend and Advocate with the Father. I know that God lives and knows us individually and cares and provides for our every needful thing as we draw unto him in humility and gratitude. May you feel of His love and blessing in your life this week.

Elder Taggart