There are no snowmen in Chicago

I know why there are gangs, murders and violence in Chicago. They can't build snowmen. they get 40 " of worthless snow in a month and none of it can pack to make a snowball let alone a snowman. I am starting to feel violent too. It is so cold you can't breathe out there. The cars are caked with salt, snow and dirt. All the streets are lined with piles of filthy snow. The yards and trees are covered in the white stuff. But there has not been one snowman sighting. It is just a theory but I firmly believe if kids here could build a snow fort and have a good snowball fight, then build a six foot snowman with a carrot for a nose, there would be less violence in Chicago. But alas, all this snow is worthless. It just doesn't pack. No wonder everyone is angry on the roads, in their high-rise apartments, and as they  get on the train.

This letter will be a different format. I decided to give you a peek into the window of THE TRANSFER from my perspective.

* You get their names and photos long before you know exactly who this Elder or Sister is going to be.

* We gear up supplies. They will need new area supplies, a phone for their area, an Ipad for each missionary, and maybe a car. Elder Crook hopefully has a place for them to live--with furniture.

* The transfer board is moved around and kept under lock and key as Elders and Sisters photo cards are moved. A.P.'s are in then office more.

* Phone calls from Moms increase. Will she be safe in Chicago? What can I send ahead? Is he going to need a bike? Can he buy a warmer coat there?

* Our missionaries are told the Saturday before where they will be going. Thus begins the goodbyes to an area and people they have grown to love. And my mending pile builds up...the panic "I'm not going to be close to her and have access to her sewing skills as frequently."

* We get an arctic snow. A storm dumps 8" in most places but 12" in parts of our mission.

* The night before 19 new missionaries come in, the new pick-up truck that pulls the trailer filled with luggage from the airport, is totaled in an accident. Three Elders walk away shaken up but not injured after a stolen car going 90 mph runs a red light, hitting another car into the front of the van. That call comes in at 9 PM and is resolved by 10:40 PM....on a night we both needed our rest before several looooong days.

* Instead of a day at the office to prepare----Elder Taggart is now driving the transfer van--hitching up the trailer to it and driving to the airport to pick up luggage.

*Missionaries come in two batches--one from the Mexico MTC the others from SLC.

* Elder M____, who is a Visa waiter for Brazil and was to be dropped off to catch his flight--is dropped off too late and misses his flight. A call to Salt Lake to make one for the next day.

* There has been an undercurrent of buying and preparing food for the incoming and outgoing missionaries and all the ones who will come to the office before departing to their various areas.

* The office has a lull the day before. The phones are quiet. It is like a pressure cooker in the office. Did I order enough of everything? When the Elders and Sisters show up, can I assist them quickly?

* We get more phone calls about more accidents. Hermana K------- has a near miss of a head on and her car must be towed. No one was hurt. Another miracle.

* We have training at the mission home. We always do ours on the night they arrive. We hope they are alert enough to "get it" after being up for 20 hours. Car safety, phones, baptism forms, referrals, supplies, mail, library letters of verification, areas, then Sister Woodbury takes them through healthy cards, etc. Their eyes glass over half-way through.

* Our tile is being done in our bathroom right now so we are down to 2x4 wall studs and insulation. Nice touch! Everything in the bathroom has to be transported to the bedroom each morning before we leave.

* They sing "Called to Serve and I can't sing. I am overwhelmed by the love I feel for these 212 young men and women. None were seriously injured in accidents. They are excited to be together.

* Transfer meeting. So many are honestly seeking me out for a hug or a handshake. I recognize all but a couple without looking at their name tags. Amazing after only 6 weeks with some.

* There are 2 companionships who don't have apartments to go to. Elder Crook is still working on it. We were out-bid on one in Chicago 7 last minute.

* Bruce gets a call at 8 AM. (when he is supposed to start the Ipad training) Another set of Elders has been in a bad enough accident the car had to be towed.

* We have two Elders going home early. One just wasn't prepared emotionally and mentally to handle the stress of a mission outside Utah. Please parents, put them on an airplane, take them to Disneyland where there are lots of people, show them a good world outside the boundaries of Utah. The other Elder knocked his companion unconscious. It required head stitches. Anger issues, I think. He has other obedience issues. We get the phone calls from parents to please keep them on their mission. Another Elder needs knee surgery. Others are sick with the flu.

* I get a phone call to have Elders go give a blessing to an 85 year old lady who was brought into the hospital last night almost dead. We have more than 100 hospitals....who do I call? Do we still have Elders in that area or are they Sisters now? Several areas had Elders and Sisters swap apartments so they can do car sharing--Elders with Elders/Sisters with Sisters.

* The look of anticipation on the faces of the older Sisters and Elders as the 18 new missionaries walk into the chapel. (one bailed out before he came) Which one will be my new companion? Can they cut it? Will we get along? Where are they from? Do we have anything but the gospel in common?

*The embrace as they are assigned. It touches me each transfer. I brought my eternal companion with me. These kids change companions every six weeks sometimes.

* One Elder loses his phone.....and his Ipad on the same day. He expects Elder Taggart to pull new ones out of a hat.

* There is a glitch in Ipad training because of server issues in Salt Lake. Not one of them could activate an Apple ID needed to get them going.

* Joey (our mailman) comes in with 50 boxes and 120 letters. The 30 nametags I ordered came in. 20 grabby Elders begin "mine-mine-mine". I assure them not one can be taken until I get names and record what they owe. Joey shakes his head in disbelief and says he is glad he doesn't have my job.

* I frantically make 4 loaves of bread into tuna salad sandwiches for all. I also put out veggie platters, orange wedges, chips, crackers and cheese, and pans of brownies. The feeding frenzy begins. They come, they eat, they leave.

* "Sister Taggart, do we have any children's Books of Mormon? Do we have the Book of Mormon in Ewe (from Ghana) or Arabic? Do we have large print Books of Mormon in stock yet? Can I have a DVD player? Do we have any pictures of Christ? Where are the baptism forms? Can I order a new name tag? I need two verification of address letters. Will you write them for me? Did my mom send my bedding? Do I have any letters in that pile of letters? Can you print me off a new list of my referrals for my new area? Are there any more sandwiches? " Sister Crook calmly sits at her desk and transfers phone calls to the three of us while I am "squirreled " all over the office, trying to do everything for everyone who needs something.

* Down the hallway---"Elder Taggart, I can't get my Ipad to work. Do you have anymore windshieldwasher fluid? What car can I drive since I wrecked mine? I didn't get a snow scrapper with a brush. Are there any left? Did you find an extra phone anywhere? My phone got dropped in a puddle, can I get a new one? Are we allowed to Facebook our old friends? How many miles am I allowed each month in my new area? Does my oil need to be changed? The loight keeps coming on.l Can I have a Smartie? (only if it will help.....take two)

* Our Elder from Equador gets his Extremely Urgent Express UPS envelope. Elder Taggart and I have helped him get all his info processed and faxed to BYU. The International Educational Research Foundation has given him a full-ride scholarship to BYU-Hawaii. I cried!!

* I get a phone call from a father. His son will be released tomorrow after serving honorably for 2 years. They haven't told this son they have been unemployed for some time. Can we find money somewhere to help him pay luggage fees to get his bags home? I assure him we will cover it--personally if necessary.

*Fed missionaries dinner Thursday night. Our ward now has us, one set of Elders and 2 sets of Sister missionaries.

*The outgoing batch of missionaries has 3 sister trainer leaders, a zone leader, and a district leader. It hurts to let them go home. We have grown to love them.

I am exhausted. We wonder why we fall into bed each night dead tired. Yet we are grateful each morning to wake up and begin the process again. I ordered supplies again to replace what they took. Our frig is empty again. Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I have lots of grandchildren waiting for that card. Crazy as it seems, we love the work. We love being with each other. We love serving. We love sharing our testimony whether it be to a missionary, a church member, a clerk at the store, or people at the bank. Joey says he will help me next transfer by telling them to back away from my desk. I doubt it. Know that we love you. Better yet, know that you have a Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, who loves you. You are never far from their thoughts so keep in touch.

Love,

Sister Taggart

 

The Indy 500 in Snow

I do hope that by the time I finish my mission here, I will be able to get young missionaries to realize a few things related to winter driving. It amazes me that too many of them think they can be the first off the line, drive at normal high speeds and screech to a stop last minute and avoid sliding, losing control and such. This week I finished the paperwork on 6 accidents and still have 11 others in various stages of repair. We have truly been blessed however in that there have not been any serious injuries; just lots of cars with boo boos on them.

 

Last Sunday night, 3 missionaries who were driving the mission Silverado pick-up truck, were hit while stopped at a red light in the left turn lane. A van going at least 80 miles per hour according to the police report ran the red light. It was hit by a Honda Civic spinning the van around and directly into the front of our truck. The truck will be totaled, but none of the missionaries were injured other than a bloody nose and some sore muscles. Had they been in one of the regular mission cars, I am convinced they would have been seriously injured. Coincidence; I don't think so.

 

In another accident, the Sister missionaries started to slide on ice, overcorrected and had a glancing head-on with the oncoming vehicle. $5,000 in damage to our car. But had they been 1 foot farther to the left, they could possibly have been a fatality. Again, coincidence; I don't think so.

 

Because of the service they are engaged in and their overall obedience and faith, I am convinced that a gracious Father in Heaven is watching over them and protecting them. That is not a coincidence.

 

It continues to snow and the wind continues to blow. On the news yesterday morning they said that so far this winter (Dec. 21) we have had 45.4 inches of snow. The entire winter last year they only had 2.8 inches and the year before was only 12.9 inches. Lucky us to be here for a record winter of snowfall. They are now selling sweatshirts that say, "Chiberia 2014" with a thermometer showing the temperature below zero. We received another 3 inches of snow last night. The high temp on Monday is supposed to be -4 and on Tuesday -3. Then you have the wind chill factor on top of that. Utah winters will be a cakewalk when we return.

 

Last week I was privileged to assist a young Elder from Guatemala fill out and send paperwork to receive financial aid so that he can afford to go to BYU Hawaii when he completes his mission. This week, he received an urgent overnight envelope telling him that he had been given a scholarship. It is humbling and yet at the same time heartwarming to see young people from other countries whose families are from very humble circumstances, serve here with faith and diligence trusting that the Lord will bless them for their service. This young man will now be able to get an education that will give him an opportunity to rise above the meager existence that he has grown up in and be better able to provide for a family and contribute to society. Both Sister Taggart and I were a bit tender as he opened his envelope and read it out loud.

 

The two of us had annual physicals a week ago. We had each lost 5 lbs. since we began our mission; that was a surprise because we really haven't been trying to do so. Overall we are both in good health in spite of our ailments. I am now officially a type II diabetic and on medication to help control that. He tweaked some meds for both of us, but I think we both stand a good chance to live much longer.

 

We had 18 new young missionaries arrive this week; 5 others finished their mission and returned home. Transfer weeks are a bit crazy and definitely busy. But it is exciting to see another batch of young, enthusiastic, full of faith missionaries who have committed 18-24 months of their lives to serve the Lord and invite others to come unto Christ and feel of His love and mercy. We now have 6 missionaries (3 companionships) in most English wards and 8-10 missionaries in most Spanish units. The Lord continues to hasten His work in His time, which is now.

 

I invite each of you to learn of Him, listen to His word and strive more diligently to know Him and become like Him. True joy and happiness in this life and in the next to come as we turn our lives over to Him conduct ourselves more as He did in all that we do and say. I love Him and appreciate His love in my life. We love you and miss being able to see and talk to you on a regular basis, but we are loving what we are doing and definitely loving being able to do so with each other. Have a blessed week.

 

Elder Taggart

A peek into my week....

The weeks seem to fly by. That is a good thing. We are having a record breaking winter with frigid temps in Chicago. Sure are happy we could be here for that.....NOT!! My knees kill.
We have 19 new missionaries arriving Monday and only 5 going home. This keeps happening--more in than out--and we will have 225 missionaries by March. That increases everything in my job, referrals, mail,supplies ordered, phone calls, and food to fix. I could probably open a restaurant when I get home--serving only those from 18 years old to 23 years old.
I have said at least 10 times this week, "I love my missionaries." I honestly do. Here we go;
An everyday phone conversation:
Elder " Hello Sister Taggart. We have a new referral for you and we even got the zipcode."
Me  "Good, I'm ready." (He proceeds to give me the name, phone number, address, zipcode but     
        not the city) "Are there any notes you would like to include?"
Elder " They are really nice. We met them at the jail. They were coming out and we were going                  in."
Me  " You're in jail? Don't tell me this is the one phone call they allowed you!"
Elder " (after a good laugh) "This is our one phone call. we wanted to get this referral to you so                  badly, we gave up our phone call to the President to try to get us out."
We do have fun with our missionaries.
                    No coincidences..............
I was given a message by Sister Crook . A Bishop had called from Hawaii with a name and address of a young man who was in his ward who lives here now. This Bishop was afraid this young man would fall through the cracks and become inactive. Would we find Elders to take him to the Young Single Adult ward and shepherd him until he got established? So I Google Earthed the address. He was in Chicago 1 but the YSA is Lake Shore---with two Sister missionaries. I didn't feel good about turning him over to Sisters. I felt better about the 2 Elders in Chicago 1. So I called them. The Elder wrote down the info and said he would be happy to contact him that afternoon. Meanwhile--Elder Crook called these same Elders to see if they could move furniture for 2 Senior Sisters ASAP. While writing my contact info down (at the church because they had just finished District meeting) another Elder was from Samoa. At closer glance he recognized the name. This young man on the paper had lived 16 minutes from his house in American Samoa. He wanted to know if he could make contact with him instead. After a phone call to me explaining the situation, I said absolutely!! When these 2 alternative Elders arrived an hour later, they were greeted by the Tongan, one LDS friend and 3 non-member friends.One of the non-member friends was having surgery the following day. He wanted a Priesthood blessing. The missionaries were able to give that service, invite them to church, and leave a message. What a blessing for everyone involved.
One of our new converts said Sunday,"I love the way this Church fills all our needs. A few weeks ago I was wrestling withy a challenge. In fact, I almost didn't come. When I came into Sacrament meeting, there was Sister Taggart giving a talk on tithing---the exact thing I was having questions about. She answered my questions and I decided to pay tithing. We help each other like that in this Church." We had 6 investigators in that class last Sunday. One sister from Haiti spoke only French. Bro. Kasanga, from the Congo, sensed a need and came into our class to translate for her. He translated the entire lesson. We help  each other like that in this Church. One of our investigators is on date for baptism in Feb. She was a referral I sent.
I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love being on this mission with my best friend. We are enjoying this experience together. I love my missionaries and the interaction I have withy each of them. It makes all of the sacrifices we are making worth it. One Elder was talking to the two of us about our marriage. I said, "I think every marriage should have a heart attack. It puts things in perspective and makes each day together a gift." I guess it sounded funny. He said he loves watching how our marriage works.
Our bathroom.....it will get put back together eventually and still look as old as it did before. We still have hot water, which I am grateful for.

Love, Sister Taggart

Let it snow

Well it is highly likely that we will break the record for snowfall in the month of January. The record is 41.7 inches and we are at 38.9 inches with snow in the forecast 5 of the next 6 days. That's 3 1/2 feet of snow in one month. That's nothing in the mountains of Utah or Colorado, but there are no mountains here.

We were thrilled with positive doctor's appointments this week. We have each lost 5 lbs. since we left on our mission. Now if the bloodworm comes back with satisfactory results we will be giddy. The Chicago cold is not being kind to Sister Taggart's arthritis but other than that we have been healthy. We were so excited, we went to McDonalds immediately afterwards which is the worst place you can eat if you want to be healthy; go figure.

They have been working on fixing our shower since Tuesday. They tore out all of the tile and wallboard, replaced a couple of rotted studs and then put up new concrete board and tile. They have covered it with plastic every evening so we could still use the shower. It has been like a makeshift shower in the mountains when you go camping. Hopefully they will finish he job tomorrow. I am really grateful for any kind of shower when I know my granddaughter, Sister Ewell is in the Dominican Republic showering using a bucket, a cup and cold water. I am truly blessed.

Our mission president challenges all of the missionaries to read the Book of Mormon before general conference the first weekend in April. He asked us to read it and mark all of the references to the Savior and The Atonement. We are using the Institute manual as a study guide as we do so. I continue to be amazed at how much more I learn every time I read that book. I am also grateful for its witness of Jesus Christ and his redeeming love. It truly does go hand in hand with the Bible and brings clarity to much of the doctrine that was removed from the Bible through numerous translations. I love the scriptures and appreciate the guidance they provide in my life.

In December, we were shopping at K&G's to buy some gift certificates for missionaries who don't have much and really need some new clothes. The lady who checked us out asked us about what we are doing here. We tried to paint a picture for her in the 5-7 minutes she was ringing up our purchases. As we were leaving she said that she had a 17 year old son who would really benefit from e kind of experience our young missionaries are having. She said that she may bring him to visit us sometime. We left thinking that the conversation was nice, but not really thinking we would see her again. Well this week she called me and asked if she could bring her son in that day to talk to us hoping that we would be able to help him see the need to make better choices. When they arrived, the assistants to the mission president just happened to be in the office. These are two sharp young men who help the president in any ways to run the affairs of the mission. This young man has no direction in his life and really doesn't want to listen to mom and dad. He just wants to be a rapper and live to do gigs whenever and wherever he can get them. It just happened that one of the assistants was a rapper and native dancer in his country before coming here. He was able to connect with this young man on a personal level and hopefully help him to see the need for higher goals and direction in his life. Both missionaries testified to him of the power and direction that comes from allowing God to be involved in your life. I responded to some questions his mother had and provided some council as I had done many times as a father and in various church callings. I don't believe in coincidences; God is in charge and places people and circumstances in our lives to bless us and others and to help us to stretch and grow. I have been praying that this young man and his more will read the book the missionaries gave them and come back to see us again with a desire to know more.

Life is amazing; my companion is awesome and I am loving the opportunity to be with her and share many experiences with her. We are together 24/7 and it doesn't get much better than that. I encourage you to look for the tender mercies and little miracles in your lives this week. They are there often if we pause to take note of them. Have a blessed week.



Elder Taggart

"Hell has frozen over"

Notice the  quotation marks?  A news  person said it first. I laughed and laughed. I had not thought of Chicago as Hell but when a city has the dubious honor of being the murder capitol of America---I guess the name fits.
Mission Trivia for the week:
1/ One letter was addressed to Elder d-dawg Otter-Puppy. Come on people---really?
2/    I found out Elder Potter was made to sleep in the mission home closet the first night he was here. Why does persecution still follow some names? He said he didnt't mind, the familyroom floor being filled with 26 sleeping, snoring bodies. I made sure he knew we loved him and that he wasn't traumatized by the incident.
3/ we have felt like the Frozen Chosen this week with temperatures ranging from -40 (with windchill) to 40 above...all in 7 days. One Elder suffered frostbite on his ear by not wearing a hat while he shoveled snow. 5 minutes is all the longer it took. By Friday we had rain which started making everything icy slush and eventually flooded several areas. What a mess. At least Seattle can handle it's water! We went to the Mall Friday night for date night and needed hip boots in the parking lot. (We also saw Saving Mr. Banks which was interesting---not cheer-y-o)
4/ May I just say I have the most amazing companion. As I watch him patiently deal with accident after accident in a calm, loving way---I love him more each day. Our life has much day to day stress yet our safe oasis is our apartment and each other. His phone rang non-stop on our p-day but he patiently walked each one of them through what needed to be done. (two blown tires from hitting pot-holes, one Elder filling out his accident report for rear-ending another car, one Elder needing anit-freeze because the heater in his car wasn't working (I know, right?, and some needing windshield washed fluid. We all know I would not be so patient but he lovingly deals with it all in a Christlike manner. Glad I married the boy who became such a great man.
The bulk of my time has been spent on referrals this week. Manually reassigning them is time consuming but Salt Lake assured me there is no other way to do it. Most of our referrals come from the internet. A person visits the Mormon.org site and expresses an interest in the Book of Mormon or a church DVD or just having the missionaries visit. I then go to a map and assign them missionaries in their area. I push a button on my computer that sends a text to the phone of the appropriate Elders or Sisters. I average 25 new referrals a day. Then I change the status of each referral as missionaries drop off the requested item, teach a lesson, or drop them because they are not interested in a gospel message. We have 200 missionaries so that takes up a chunk of every day as they phone in the results. I have a few heros this week.
One Elder actually found the circus train referral. The train is in Mexico now so he can't be taught except on Facebook. We are an online mission now. See the miracle of Ipads? This same Elder found a referral in a Woman's Shelter and gave her the Bible she wanted. He covers Gary, Indiana---found a sweet lady there who is on date to be baptised. We will attend that baptism.
Some of the referrals have their comments in a box under their contact information.
"I have issues to discuss with you. Certainly, need the Mormon Book of Covenants. I filed Letter of Recommendations, Formal complaint Pending investigations of, 7th charges, within 50 states." This man was contacted.  He has a minister license and demanded our Elders pay him money for being out there sharing the gospel for free. He was dropped.
Another woman wrote "I am a minister interested in reading the Book of Mormon to lift my spirits."
Salt Lake says we are one of the highest referral missions in the Church. That is a blessing for our missionaries yet not even half of the 200 "get it" yet. Another comment, "Have been waiting several weeks to hear from missionaries," I want to wring some necks when I read comments like that!! Lucky I have Elder Taggart to counter balance me.
We are concerned about one of our Senior missionaries who is showing signs of dementia. Elder Crook said there are advantages to dementia: a) you meet new friends and family members every day and b) you can hide your own Easter Eggs.
We have another cold front coming next weekend. Utah will seem like a paradise after we live through 2 winters here. Take care of each other. Treat people around you with Christlike love. Take time to enjoy the beauty nature provides--even if it comes in the form of frost and ice crystals on the inside of your cars' windows.
We love you and miss you.
Sister Taggart

CARS 3

If you have someone in your family who is going to drive please teach them some basics of caring for a vehicle. Basic things like how to check the oil, the windshield washer fluid, tire pressure, tread depth (such as noticing that your tires are almost bald) and what safety precautions to take when driving in the snow and winter conditions. My week has been consumed by various vehicle issues and accidents related to winter driving.

We have had 5 accidents this week; 4 of them the fault of my missionaries. In one the Elders were going 55 on snow-packed roads and while trying to slow down over-reacted and ended up spinning into a big snow bank on the side of the road. They had to be towed and did $2,500 worth of damage to the front on the car. The same Elders called me the next day and asked if they could be reimbursed if they purchased some antifreeze. I said, yes but how do you know you need antifreeze. They said, because our heater is only blowing cold air. The problem ended up being an actuator that needed to be reset because their car wouldn't start and they needed to have it jumped. We had another car hit by a garbage truck as the missionaries were in their apartment studying. It almost tore the rear bumper off the car. We had 2 tire blow-outs from hitting potholes.

I had a group of 4 Elders say, Elder Taggart, our windshield washer isn't working. I asked them if it had washer fluid in it. Their reply, we don't know; how do you check that and where do we get washer fluid.

I replaced 6 cell phones this week, three of them snow-related. 2 were dropped in snow banks and 1 remained deposited there until the next morning because the missionaries didn't realize they had dropped it. Another one was dropped in a slushy parking lot puddle and was water-damaged. By the way, putting them in rice didn't resurrect any of them.

I honestly love these young missionaries but I am constantly reminded that they are 18-20 and have very little life's experience. So I patiently and calmly try to help them solve their dilemmas and then ask them how their teaching is going, hoping to hear something that will lift my spirits. And quite regularly I do hear wonderful things from them. I am reminded that the Lord has told us that by small and simple means He will accomplish great things. I then realize my own inadequacies and short-comings and then express my love and appreciation to young missionaries who are working hard, learning much and making a difference for good in the lives of many.

I can picture a loving Father in Heaven shaking his head at some of the dumb things I do and have done. And yet, He is patient, kind and loving towards me. So I am trying even harder to be like Him and be patient and loving with others who are working their way through this mortal journey just like me. I do know that all of the challenging and frustrating things of life are for our good and do give us experience to help us to grow. In all of those things, we can see the hand of the Lord if we take time to notice.

The cars and and the phones are just things that can be fixed or replaced; they really are of little importance other than to help,us accomplish what we need to. The blessing and miracle is that none of my missionaries have been injured in any of the accidents. For that, I am grateful.

My younger brother, Steve Taggart and a distant cousin Paul Taggart have both been called to serve as mission presidents staring on July 1. I am excited for them and proud of them. And I am also glad that is them and not me. I am very content to not be the one who is responsible for everything that goes on in a mission.

We have been blessed the past couple of days to have much warmer weather. It was a balmy 37 degrees yesterday and is supposed to be 43 today. The downside is that the 2 1/2 feet of snow is now melting and causing some flooding concerns. Mother nature is truly amazing.

As you deal with your busy lives this week, I encourage you to make time to notice the many blessings in your life. Miracles are evident all around us; we just need to pause long enough to recognize and appreciate them. May you have a week filled with tender mercies from the giver of all.

Elder Taggart

Beautiful Snow

Hi,

The immense amount of snow we have received makes all of the trees, etc. look like a winter wonderland. It really is quite beautiful. But it is extremely cold as well and the wind is always blowing. We just got home from church and it is currently 12 degrees. The forecast high for tomorrow is now -15. With the wind chill it will feel like -45-50. As of this morning, we had received 26 inches of snow already this year. The normal is only 11 inches. And it has been snowing all day. It is pretty to see when you are looking out from a warm apartment, but it is just too cold to breath.

Missionaries have been in 5 car accidents this week; the latest just an hour ago. 4 of the 5 cars had less than 3,500 miles on them. Fortunately no one was hurt in any of them. One accident was our car getting hit by a snowplow in the morning while the missionaries were studying. It ripped the rear bumper off the car. Sadly I have been keeping the body shops busy. 18-19 year old missionaries have just not had enough winter driving experience to handle these conditions. I have actually had fun driving in the snow, but I also have all-wheel drive.

We had a fun New Year's celebration. The two of us played games and drank Sprite New Year's eve. Sister T whooped me good at the games this time. On New Year's Day we went to the Palmer's house along with 4 other missionaries and celebrated Happy Noon Year. Since missionaries can't be out past 10:30 they have them over at 11:30 am and do the countdown, noise-makers, lunch and play games. We played a game called Encore where there is a word or a category that each team has to sing a song that includes that word or category. You go back and forth until one team can't think of any more songs. We laughed and had a great time.

I have found that someone who has had an accident, lost a loved one or had some other tragedy tends to be far more interested in hearing about Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation. We have had several missionaries who have found someone interested in learning more who has recently had such an event in their life. It is exciting to hear them share their experiences as I monitor their Facebook activity. They are amazing teachers and are so full of faith and enthusiasm. There are so many people who really need God in their life, but don't realize that is what they are missing.

As we try to stay warm in this deep-freeze, I am so grateful for the warmth of companionship and friends. I am grateful for the warmth the gospel of Jesus Christ brings not my life. Share the warmth of your smile and life with someone and bring some warmth into their life. Have a blessed week.

Elder Taggart

Greetings From Chiberia

You may think I'm kidding. Tomorrow is forecast to be - 18 with a windchill down to -50!!! Tomorrow in Siberia it is supposed to be 10 degrees. What is wrong with this picture? We bought Elder Taggart an overcoat and boots Friday after work. Enough of him freezing in a suit coat and me having to stomp the snow down around the whole car because I have boots and he doesn't. That was the only way he could scrape the windows without filling his shoes with 12" of snow. You can't even build a snowman with this worthless stuff. It squeaks when you walk on it but it is dry and powdery snow. Too bad they didn't rate mountains on the Great Plains. They have several man-made ice rinks that are always busy. The man- made sleigh riding hill by us hasn't had much use because of the frigid cold. My thoughts have often turned to our ancestors who crossed the frozen Mississippi River and then camped out on the Other side. We think we suffer going from home to car to heated office. I can't even imagine how cold they must have been wrapped in wool coats and a quilt. They have already cancelled school tomorrow because skin exposed to these temperatures freezes in 10 minutes. We have already received 26" of snow.....11" above average for this time of year. Lucky us. I hope I can remember this next summer as we swelter in the heat and the humidity. Why would anyone live here on purpose?
I finished a quilt for our bed....out of necessity. I pieced the top on our last p-day and put it together and machine quilted it yesterday on p-day. It felt good to do something familiar and it felt super good to sleep under last night.
This week has been "nose-to-the-grind" week for me. We fed 120 missionaries subway sandwiches,chips,sliced oranges,and homemade brownies. I was baking brownies galore the night before. They appreciate homemade. My main project has been straightening our referrals. Since September we have had 100 new missionaries thus creating 50 new areas. Our Pres. And his assistants failed to enter the names of the new areas into the IMOS system with the transfer scenario. I cannot do that....only the Pres. Or his assistants. So I merrily enter and assign hundreds of referrals into a system at fault. With this last transfer I finally figured out the problem and they named all the areas correctly. But since Sept. they have been to the areas I had in the system.....not the 50 new areas. Thus 1,000 past referrals need to be reassigned to make sure they are assigned to the right area and the right missionaries in that area. It is a daunting task.
I had an interesting referral this week from Taiwan. They e-mailed me a name and phone number they found on an old list of referrals. He is a black dancer who was in Chicago....supposedly. I can't assign a referral without an address so I called the phone number. He now lives in Brooklyn, NY, is dancing with a company and is living the dream. He lived in Chicago 2 years ago and Taiwan 4 years ago. When I asked if he would be interested in having the missionaries come and visit, he said, " sure, why not?" I have sent referrals to Ethiopia, Texas, Mexico, Tennessee,new York, and California just this week. We have received them from Hawaii, Utah, Taiwan, and lots here from Chicago. It amazes me that a person can express an interest in the Church and have 2 missionaries on their doorstep within 24 hours in most places of the world.
On the dark side, two missionaries were moved this week because of two murders in that neighborhood. We had a murder right across the street from one of our buildings last week. One of our missionaries was pulled over by police for soliciting. When he assured him he was proselyting and went to pull out his ministerial certificate....it was gone. I ordered him a new one. I do that quite often. I have also ordered 24 new name tags this week for missionaries who have lost them while shoveling snow, pushing cars, or as they take their coats off.
Some Elders don't suffer at all on their missions. Our Elder who received a $72 box full of fresh cornbread his Mom baked for him just got a refrigerated box full of steaks, chicken breasts, hot dogs, and a roast. Long apron strings is all I have to say about that.
Our two December 8 year olds are now baptized members of the Church. We are so proud of Adam and Abigail. Sorry we weren't there in person but we were there in Spirit. We know we are supposed to be here now. Our service matters. Our love for these missionaries matters. We teach occasionally in Gospel Essentials and know we can make a difference in the lives of these new converts and investigators. I'm grateful the Lord's plan is an individual one. We make a difference one individual at a time. Our most recent baptism in our ward goes to the temple weekly to do baptisms. It warms my heart to see this depth of conversion right from the get go. We love you and miss you but time goes by quickly. Share the gospel warmth with someone this week.
Love,
Sister Taggart

Happy New Year from Chicago