Did your mother ever look at you with the look of exasperation and say "What in the name of Sam Hill were you doing?" Mine did. I wondered for years who Sam Hill was and what he had done to put him on my mother's wrath list. Then as I studied in school, I wondered if Sam Hill may be a location rather than a person--like Bunker's Hill. This week, with my mother long gone, I made the discovery that solved the mystery. I turned on my computer to assign referrals and there he was----Sam Hill. He is a real live person and he lives in Chicago. Won't he be surprised when two missionaries show up at his door!!! I also had Ray Charles show up on my referrals in Chicago. I live in a real happening city.
I had an Elder call in a panic this week. One of his members had a friend who needed a blessing from the missionaries in......you guessed it.....Colombia. I felt confident until I Google Earthed the country of Colombia. It looks smaller on a world map. It was a country full of jungle and mountains and people who live very close together in the cities. I called our resident Elder who is from Bogata,Colombia----one of my favorites. He calmed my troubled heart. He described the missions in his country and assured me the Cali Colombia Mission would be the one I needed. I put that name in the Church's search engine and voila--Elders assigned to give a Priesthood blessing in a different country that same day. The next day I was asked by a different Elder to do the same thing in Mexico--and I did. One year ago I would have told you that was impossible. Now I just go and do---creatively sometimes--but do nonetheless.
We need big squeegies in Chicago. We have had sunshine, rain, sunshine and things are a melted mess. Not to worry...another Polar Vortex in on it's way. A week of below 0, can hardly wait.
Valentine mail and packages are done. It never ceases to amaze me what mothers send and what they are willing to pay to send it. I have seen every love nickname in the book on the outside of envelopes and boxes. Please people--we are running a mission here, not a dating game. I let Jenna Cat go. I let the lip marks go. I let 100 "I love you" go. I got stumped on "Megan Bird." Why would you address it to Sister Megan Bird?? How am I supposed to know?? I researched our mission list of 212 missionaries. We have 5 Megan's so I started phoning them. The first one laughed and said no one would dare call her Megan Bird and she didn't know the Elder who sent it. #2 didn't know the sender either. #3 thought maybe her companion might have known that Elder in the MTC.(desperate for mail, I say. Your companion's name isn't Megan.)
The fourth Megan is spelled Meagan so she knew it wasn't for her. The 5th Megan laughed and said she thought it should be sent back to the sender. As a last resort, I called the Chicago West Mission. Yes, Megan Bird is one of theirs and that is her real name!! Don't I feel dumb???
An excited Elder called me. He had been teaching a girl on Facebook. She is from Arizona. She went to the Gilbert Temple open house and "felt something". Could I find missionaries in Tempe, Arizona to go teach her? That is what I do.....with pleasure.
Don't get me wrong. I have had my frustrations this week.
* We picked up the President's car from the auto repair shop. (He has had 2 accidents) I was following Elder Taggart out of Arlington Heights and he got lost in the fog and rain. Not a happy time for me.
* I called the Distribution Center to find out where my Large Print Scripture order from Nov. 6 was. Somebody back there had cancelled my order!!! Grrrrrrr
* I had 48 new referrals to assign on a day Elder Taggart needed me to help him pick up 4 new Toyotas. I stayed behind this time and the Abbotts and Crooks went with him.
* I only had 4 pair of slacks to mend on my p-day this week. That has gone down since they don't ride bikes in the winter.
* Elder Taggart has been fighting a cold all week.(Thanks Elder Crook for bringing it into the office and sharing.)
* We survived our first audit. My records for supplies weren't as bad as I felt they might be.
Mostly we are good. We reached Alma 42 in the Book of Mormon this week in our companion scripture study. (we steal time in the evenings for this) We are learning many new things. We attended the baptism for 2 new members in the 1st ward tonight. I had a nice visit with my sister, Annette on her birthday. We talked to Brian, Billie and family for FHE. Sadie refers to us as the "Grandpa and Grandma in the picture." We love hearing from our children and families and friends.
My faith is strong that we will out-live this winter! We drove past Beck Lake and our summer hiking trail...the lake is still frozen but our hope is bright that it will thaw eventually. We are grateful for this opportunity together. It has deepened our love of each other and our love of our Savior.
Have a great week. Make it even greater by serving someone outside your home.
Love,
Sister Taggart
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Flooding
I understand in watching the weather that the Northwest is supposedly being hit with high winds and heavy rainfall possibly resulting in flooding. Hunker down and try to stay warm and dry. I don't miss the wind damage from the occasional high winds.
I dealt with a flood myself yesterday. I was shining my shoes when I heard someone yelling, "help me, somebody help me. I ran out into the hallway and saw our neighbor yelling for help. In the 4 condos that share our hallway, I am the only man. All the rest are single women. The toilet tank was spraying water everywhere and by the time I got there, she had almost 2 inches of water in her bathroom. She was in a panic and not doing anything except screaming. I tried to turn the water off but the everything was rusted and frozen up. By the time I could get pliers and get the water turned off the bathroom, her hall and entry as well as the common hallway were all flooded. Our neighbor across the hall said she was super grateful that I was home. It felt good to do my boy scout good turn.
Stake conference was great this weekend. I enjoyed the speakers, the music, the warmth of the Spirit and most especially not being the one in charge and in the hot seat. I was able to relax and enjoy everything including a quick snooze as one speaker spoke in Spanish. Since I couldn't understand a thing he was saying, I had a quick power nap.
Now is a time to be participants, not spectators, in bringing others to Christ and his gospel. I absolutely love seeing the enthusiasm and excitement of new members and investigators who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ and press forward in faith one step at a time to become more like Jesus in their choices and lives.
It tickles me to see young missionaries who get excited when they see the two of us. We love interacting with them and being able to be like grandparents to them. They bring out the young in us if there is any of that left.
Sister Taggart decided to finish the popcorn she popped last night as a snack tonight. On her second handful she let out a scream. She almost bit into a silverfish which is a centipede like bug here. I just about died laughing as she couldn't get ride of the popcorn bowl fast enough.
I enjoyed a relaxing and fun Valentine's Day with the woman I have loved for most of my life. I love serving with her as my companion. She truly does complete me.
Have an awesome week.
Elder Taggart
I dealt with a flood myself yesterday. I was shining my shoes when I heard someone yelling, "help me, somebody help me. I ran out into the hallway and saw our neighbor yelling for help. In the 4 condos that share our hallway, I am the only man. All the rest are single women. The toilet tank was spraying water everywhere and by the time I got there, she had almost 2 inches of water in her bathroom. She was in a panic and not doing anything except screaming. I tried to turn the water off but the everything was rusted and frozen up. By the time I could get pliers and get the water turned off the bathroom, her hall and entry as well as the common hallway were all flooded. Our neighbor across the hall said she was super grateful that I was home. It felt good to do my boy scout good turn.
Stake conference was great this weekend. I enjoyed the speakers, the music, the warmth of the Spirit and most especially not being the one in charge and in the hot seat. I was able to relax and enjoy everything including a quick snooze as one speaker spoke in Spanish. Since I couldn't understand a thing he was saying, I had a quick power nap.
Now is a time to be participants, not spectators, in bringing others to Christ and his gospel. I absolutely love seeing the enthusiasm and excitement of new members and investigators who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ and press forward in faith one step at a time to become more like Jesus in their choices and lives.
It tickles me to see young missionaries who get excited when they see the two of us. We love interacting with them and being able to be like grandparents to them. They bring out the young in us if there is any of that left.
Sister Taggart decided to finish the popcorn she popped last night as a snack tonight. On her second handful she let out a scream. She almost bit into a silverfish which is a centipede like bug here. I just about died laughing as she couldn't get ride of the popcorn bowl fast enough.
I enjoyed a relaxing and fun Valentine's Day with the woman I have loved for most of my life. I love serving with her as my companion. She truly does complete me.
Have an awesome week.
Elder Taggart
Observations from the mountains of Chicago
Just a few observations for the week:
#1 I love stake conference now. We had a visiting General Authority, Elder George F. Rhodes.He came by to shake our hands both Saturday night and Sunday morning and that was enough. I didn't have the stress of cleaning a bedroom for him to sleep in, worry about cooking meals for him, or watching a husband stressing over multiple talks to prepare.
Our stake (Wilmette) has 2.5 million people living within the stake boundaries.(Renton had about 300,000) There are only .2% Mormons in all of Cook County. Potato chips have .6% salt so we have our work cut out for us as far as missionary work if we are to be the salt of the earth.
This stake has only 100 youth in 10 wards. There are 70 full time missionaries serving in the boundaries of this stake. That means there is an average of 8 missionaries per ward. Our youngest missionary just turned 18 and our oldest missionary is 83 with a companion who is 73. There are 5 Senior missionary companionships in this stake plus the mission president.
As we watched the stake president and the mission president fight sleep on the stand, Elder Taggart was dozing comfortably next to me in the congregation. Ah, the perks of not being the one in charge anymore.
We had Sara sitting next to us and what an eye opener. Sara is a 25 year old investigator who will be baptized March 22.She warned me she would be asking me questions through-out the conference. I forgot we Mormons have our own language. Here are some of the questions: Why is that man walking up and down the aisles counting us? What is a general authority? What is a fireside? Do they have a real fire? Why are there so many presidents sitting up there?(Stake/Mission/Temple) Who is he?(video with Pres. Monson speaking) So I spent a fair amount of the conference answering questions and drawing diagrams of church organization. I love being a missionary.
#2 There are mountains in Illinois. I rest my case. Picture proof!!! We actually saw a loader loading snow off the side of a road into a semi-dump truck to be hauled to.....Sochi? And we are forecast to get 4-6 more inches of snow this week. Eat your heart out Russia.
#3 I missed my #4 referral baptism Saturday because the email Sister Crook sends out weekly said there were no baptisms this week. It was down in Indiana and would have taken 2 hours to get there but I feel bad I let a missionary down! (I had promised I would be there) By the time he called to ask if I was coming, we didn't have enough time to get there.
#4 Unusual name....Brother Barfuss is my winner for this week. How would you like to go through life with that???
#5 Valentine's Day...thanks for the boxes, kids.It made us feel loved.I still love my valentine more than ever.We are having such fun together, serving until we drop into bed. I guess we not only beat the odds (young marriage) but we have developed an even better relationship. We are very much in love and still happy to be together 24-7.
So be more observant this week. Notice someone next to you who needs a question answered. Learn a few stats about your area. It is fascinating.And when life gives you more snow than you know what to do with......make a mountain out of a mole hill.
Love, Sister Taggart....survivor of Snow by the Boatload 2014
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#1 I love stake conference now. We had a visiting General Authority, Elder George F. Rhodes.He came by to shake our hands both Saturday night and Sunday morning and that was enough. I didn't have the stress of cleaning a bedroom for him to sleep in, worry about cooking meals for him, or watching a husband stressing over multiple talks to prepare.
Our stake (Wilmette) has 2.5 million people living within the stake boundaries.(Renton had about 300,000) There are only .2% Mormons in all of Cook County. Potato chips have .6% salt so we have our work cut out for us as far as missionary work if we are to be the salt of the earth.
This stake has only 100 youth in 10 wards. There are 70 full time missionaries serving in the boundaries of this stake. That means there is an average of 8 missionaries per ward. Our youngest missionary just turned 18 and our oldest missionary is 83 with a companion who is 73. There are 5 Senior missionary companionships in this stake plus the mission president.
As we watched the stake president and the mission president fight sleep on the stand, Elder Taggart was dozing comfortably next to me in the congregation. Ah, the perks of not being the one in charge anymore.
We had Sara sitting next to us and what an eye opener. Sara is a 25 year old investigator who will be baptized March 22.She warned me she would be asking me questions through-out the conference. I forgot we Mormons have our own language. Here are some of the questions: Why is that man walking up and down the aisles counting us? What is a general authority? What is a fireside? Do they have a real fire? Why are there so many presidents sitting up there?(Stake/Mission/Temple) Who is he?(video with Pres. Monson speaking) So I spent a fair amount of the conference answering questions and drawing diagrams of church organization. I love being a missionary.
#2 There are mountains in Illinois. I rest my case. Picture proof!!! We actually saw a loader loading snow off the side of a road into a semi-dump truck to be hauled to.....Sochi? And we are forecast to get 4-6 more inches of snow this week. Eat your heart out Russia.
#3 I missed my #4 referral baptism Saturday because the email Sister Crook sends out weekly said there were no baptisms this week. It was down in Indiana and would have taken 2 hours to get there but I feel bad I let a missionary down! (I had promised I would be there) By the time he called to ask if I was coming, we didn't have enough time to get there.
#4 Unusual name....Brother Barfuss is my winner for this week. How would you like to go through life with that???
#5 Valentine's Day...thanks for the boxes, kids.It made us feel loved.I still love my valentine more than ever.We are having such fun together, serving until we drop into bed. I guess we not only beat the odds (young marriage) but we have developed an even better relationship. We are very much in love and still happy to be together 24-7.
So be more observant this week. Notice someone next to you who needs a question answered. Learn a few stats about your area. It is fascinating.And when life gives you more snow than you know what to do with......make a mountain out of a mole hill.
Love, Sister Taggart....survivor of Snow by the Boatload 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
Most blessed man in the world
I am definitelly the most blessed man in the world! I have an incredible posterity and the most amazing lady who stands at my side encouraging, understanding, helping.
I do love her more than life and you all know how much I love life.
I pray continually that each of you can find the same love in your marriage that we so enjoy.
Happy Valentine's Day to my 6 lovely daughters and to their wonderful husbands. We love you and miss you.
Elder Taggart (Dad)
I thought I loved him then
I thought I loved him when we met in fourth grade and he was such a cute freckled face boy.
It felt like love when he was a muscular football player in high school.
I knew it was love as our marriage brought six beautiful babies that he cradled,sung to,played with and paced the floor with when they couldn't sleep.
I was so grateful for the deep love we had developed as career, teenagers,and life pulled us this way and that.
An adoring love made me watch with awe as he served as a church leader for 30 years, always sitting on the stand.
My frantic love willed him to get well after heart attacks but especially lying in that bed after bypass surgery.
Sentimental love has seen us through thick and thin. Travel together deepened the love we already had. Date night and being his #2 priority helped keep it strong.(I have always known The Lord came first and I came second...which is how it should be.)
This mission love is the best by far. Shoulder to shoulder, serving day after day is the best. We come last and that is OK. Back to basics as far as living conditions, which is fun. Falling into bed exhausted every night, but together. Meetings together,inspecting cars together, laughing at cooking together in our three pans and finally buying 4 more dinner knives so every missionary we feed at our "pad" can have one.....this is true love. He sang "when I fall in love" this morning while he was taking a shower and I was in the bedroom getting dressed. Homemade oatmeal pancakes just for me. I am one lucky girl.
I love you, Elder Taggart and I don't care who knows it!!!
Happy Valentine's Day
Sister Taggart
It felt like love when he was a muscular football player in high school.
I knew it was love as our marriage brought six beautiful babies that he cradled,sung to,played with and paced the floor with when they couldn't sleep.
I was so grateful for the deep love we had developed as career, teenagers,and life pulled us this way and that.
An adoring love made me watch with awe as he served as a church leader for 30 years, always sitting on the stand.
My frantic love willed him to get well after heart attacks but especially lying in that bed after bypass surgery.
Sentimental love has seen us through thick and thin. Travel together deepened the love we already had. Date night and being his #2 priority helped keep it strong.(I have always known The Lord came first and I came second...which is how it should be.)
This mission love is the best by far. Shoulder to shoulder, serving day after day is the best. We come last and that is OK. Back to basics as far as living conditions, which is fun. Falling into bed exhausted every night, but together. Meetings together,inspecting cars together, laughing at cooking together in our three pans and finally buying 4 more dinner knives so every missionary we feed at our "pad" can have one.....this is true love. He sang "when I fall in love" this morning while he was taking a shower and I was in the bedroom getting dressed. Homemade oatmeal pancakes just for me. I am one lucky girl.
I love you, Elder Taggart and I don't care who knows it!!!
Happy Valentine's Day
Sister Taggart
Sunday, February 9, 2014
It's a blast
We have another arctic blast coming. It's not really such a blast. Chicago has run out of salt. Now they plow but with no salt or de-icer, they are often treacherous after a plowing. Nothing ever melts because of our frigid temperatures. I am so glad I brought my snow boots. When I left in June, they were just an after thought. For months after I got here I couldn't imagine anything cool except standing right in front of the air conditioner. Chicago has greater extremes in weather than anywhere I have ever been. Utah will not be a challenge after this and in our old age we will always talk about "being in Chicago during the big freeze of 2014".
We have a new couple in the office so now we are six. She is a nurse so she will help Sister Woodbury with medical but she needed more to do. Welcome to my desk--what do you want? So she took all the missionary meals--hurray. She helped with the Sisters Conference luncheon (feeding 110) which was a success. She couldn't believe what I have been called upon to do after putting in 9 hours at the office. She will be doing much of the shopping and preparation during daylight hours which I could not do because of what else is on my desk. Her husband took apartments off Elder Crook's desk (finding/legal/problems) and all apartment inspections/repairs off my desks. Hip-Hip Hurray!! I feel like I just got 2 raises! 106 apartments--gone! Meal preparation-gone! I can now get my work done and lower my stress.
What am I to do about the mail? I am impressed then disappointed in our postal service. An empty envelope with water damage and tire tread marks arrived this week. It should have had 18 missionary nametags in it. To me the concern is "Who will find them and perhaps use them as a cover" worries me most. But someone is also out $85. The MTC said they would make new ones and charge us again. The postmaster said that envelope should never have been delivered in that condition. (what...you hide it so we assume it just got lost in the mail?) The mailman said they have no liability--the sender does. So beware what you send through the mail. The craziest mail this week was to BFF Bethy (see past letter). A young man from a Texas school boldly wrote on the outside of the envelope "FROM ONWARD NOBLE STEED TO THE HOT MAMA IN GLENVIEW." For a moment I thought he meant me!!
Sister----is our newest single senior sister. She got here 2 1/2 weeks ago....after driving herself from Nevada. She is 83. This is her fourth mission. She volunteered then made homemade bread for 110 for the Sister's luncheon. She reminds us of Bruce's mom. What an example of enduring while being anxiously engaged. Her children would only let her sign up for a 12 month mission this time.....but she says she can extend if she wants to and what are they going to do about it. She said her life changed with the words "tell her we'll wait." She came from a less active family and a friend invited her to church one week. When the friend arrived on Sunday, Sister ------had forgotten. She said she wasn't ready so she told the friend to go ahead and she would come next week. That dear mother in the car said, "Tell her we'll wait" and the rest is history. A valuable lesson for us all.
I received a referral from a lady who put in her comment box "please have missionaries find me. I have Alzheimers ." The Elders I assigned called me two days later. "Sister Taggart, we called the phone number and it doesn't work. We went by the address and she doesn't live there." How sad....when you don't remember your address, phone number, or name....yet you have computer skills enough to refer yourself. We get a few referrals from rehab centers where someone just wants someone to break them out.
We have two couples who do record preservation daily in downtown Chicago. They ride the train in and spend 8 hours a day scanning/recording death certificates. Right now they are working on 1921 records. They say it is fascinating seeing what people died of during prohibition or during a time when there were no antibiotics. They spent the first half of their mission in Montana doing the same thing. How is this missionary work? Approximately 50% of these people will be found online by relatives and their work will be done in temples.
So you see, there are many different areas a Senior missionary can serve in. We are grateful for where we were called to serve. A nice warm office is a great place to be during a winter like this one. And with the pressures taken off my desk--I am one happy camper.
Love, Sister Taggart
We have a new couple in the office so now we are six. She is a nurse so she will help Sister Woodbury with medical but she needed more to do. Welcome to my desk--what do you want? So she took all the missionary meals--hurray. She helped with the Sisters Conference luncheon (feeding 110) which was a success. She couldn't believe what I have been called upon to do after putting in 9 hours at the office. She will be doing much of the shopping and preparation during daylight hours which I could not do because of what else is on my desk. Her husband took apartments off Elder Crook's desk (finding/legal/problems) and all apartment inspections/repairs off my desks. Hip-Hip Hurray!! I feel like I just got 2 raises! 106 apartments--gone! Meal preparation-gone! I can now get my work done and lower my stress.
What am I to do about the mail? I am impressed then disappointed in our postal service. An empty envelope with water damage and tire tread marks arrived this week. It should have had 18 missionary nametags in it. To me the concern is "Who will find them and perhaps use them as a cover" worries me most. But someone is also out $85. The MTC said they would make new ones and charge us again. The postmaster said that envelope should never have been delivered in that condition. (what...you hide it so we assume it just got lost in the mail?) The mailman said they have no liability--the sender does. So beware what you send through the mail. The craziest mail this week was to BFF Bethy (see past letter). A young man from a Texas school boldly wrote on the outside of the envelope "FROM ONWARD NOBLE STEED TO THE HOT MAMA IN GLENVIEW." For a moment I thought he meant me!!
Sister----is our newest single senior sister. She got here 2 1/2 weeks ago....after driving herself from Nevada. She is 83. This is her fourth mission. She volunteered then made homemade bread for 110 for the Sister's luncheon. She reminds us of Bruce's mom. What an example of enduring while being anxiously engaged. Her children would only let her sign up for a 12 month mission this time.....but she says she can extend if she wants to and what are they going to do about it. She said her life changed with the words "tell her we'll wait." She came from a less active family and a friend invited her to church one week. When the friend arrived on Sunday, Sister ------had forgotten. She said she wasn't ready so she told the friend to go ahead and she would come next week. That dear mother in the car said, "Tell her we'll wait" and the rest is history. A valuable lesson for us all.
I received a referral from a lady who put in her comment box "please have missionaries find me. I have Alzheimers ." The Elders I assigned called me two days later. "Sister Taggart, we called the phone number and it doesn't work. We went by the address and she doesn't live there." How sad....when you don't remember your address, phone number, or name....yet you have computer skills enough to refer yourself. We get a few referrals from rehab centers where someone just wants someone to break them out.
We have two couples who do record preservation daily in downtown Chicago. They ride the train in and spend 8 hours a day scanning/recording death certificates. Right now they are working on 1921 records. They say it is fascinating seeing what people died of during prohibition or during a time when there were no antibiotics. They spent the first half of their mission in Montana doing the same thing. How is this missionary work? Approximately 50% of these people will be found online by relatives and their work will be done in temples.
So you see, there are many different areas a Senior missionary can serve in. We are grateful for where we were called to serve. A nice warm office is a great place to be during a winter like this one. And with the pressures taken off my desk--I am one happy camper.
Love, Sister Taggart
Ye are the salt of the earth
I love a bit of salt to flavor and season things. But I am personally tired of salt this winter. 100's of tons of salt mixture have been used this years here to keep the roads drivable. They have already used more salt than they usually use in an entire winter. There is actually a shortage because a barge with another 500 tons of salt is stuck in a frozen river here. I am tired of cleaning salt off our shoes, the car and the windshield. I have to clean and shine our shoes twice as often just to keep the salt from ruining them.
How about those Seahawks? I didn't see the game but I am thrilled and impressed for them to be the champions. We have several missionaries serving here who are from Washington so it has been fun to interact with them about the Seahawks.
We got tired of our 50 year old bathroom so this week I redid the floor using large self-stick tiles. It does look much better and Sister T feels better about being on it with her bare feet.
We now have 18 senior missionaries her with another couple coming next month. We all got together on Friday night for dinner, conversation and fellowship. It was an enjoyable evening. It is interesting to hear their stories and get to know them. We have an 83 year old sister who is here serving her 4th mission. She is feisty and quite the lady. Most of us are serving our first senior mission but hoping to serve other ones as well.
We have a 25 year old single lady who has been coming to church for the past 3 weeks. She knew and watched some LDS youth in high school though she was never close friends with any of them. She has found answers to questions she has had for years in what she has studied and learned. Last Sunday her mother came to church with her so that she could find out what was being taught. On Monday night mother, father and daughter went to dinner at the stake president's house. At the end of the evening, mom and dad each accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and committed to read it. I love seeing the gospel of Jesus Christ change the hearts and lives of those who embrace the gospel. It takes faith, courage and humility but definitely brings meaning, understanding and joy to their lives.
Ye are the salt of the earth. I thank those who have allowed their life and example to season and flavor my life. I encourage you to be unafraid to let your light shine so that others can be blessed by your example.
Elder Taggart
How about those Seahawks? I didn't see the game but I am thrilled and impressed for them to be the champions. We have several missionaries serving here who are from Washington so it has been fun to interact with them about the Seahawks.
We got tired of our 50 year old bathroom so this week I redid the floor using large self-stick tiles. It does look much better and Sister T feels better about being on it with her bare feet.
We now have 18 senior missionaries her with another couple coming next month. We all got together on Friday night for dinner, conversation and fellowship. It was an enjoyable evening. It is interesting to hear their stories and get to know them. We have an 83 year old sister who is here serving her 4th mission. She is feisty and quite the lady. Most of us are serving our first senior mission but hoping to serve other ones as well.
We have a 25 year old single lady who has been coming to church for the past 3 weeks. She knew and watched some LDS youth in high school though she was never close friends with any of them. She has found answers to questions she has had for years in what she has studied and learned. Last Sunday her mother came to church with her so that she could find out what was being taught. On Monday night mother, father and daughter went to dinner at the stake president's house. At the end of the evening, mom and dad each accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and committed to read it. I love seeing the gospel of Jesus Christ change the hearts and lives of those who embrace the gospel. It takes faith, courage and humility but definitely brings meaning, understanding and joy to their lives.
Ye are the salt of the earth. I thank those who have allowed their life and example to season and flavor my life. I encourage you to be unafraid to let your light shine so that others can be blessed by your example.
Elder Taggart
Sunday, February 2, 2014
It's too cold to shoot people
Murder rates for the month of January are down 40%. Dah!!! Do guns even work when it is this cold? I promise you one thing. When temperatures rise in March and April---so will crime rates. People will be so sick of this cold and this much snow---they will go out and be irrational.
A bit of trivia:Glenview (the community we live in) has received 45 inches of snow so far this winter. They have used 541 tons of salt and 1,807 gallons of calcium chloride just to keep roads drivable. Snow in some piles in parking lots is already 14 feet high. Crazy though it sounds, we pray for more snowfall to make the piles white again when they get gray and yucky looking. Maybe we are part of the problem??
Another week, another dollar as they say in business. Another week, another blessing is how we see it.
* Mending of missionary clothing is down. They are covering their holes with layers. I have put in a sleeve on a lined coat (pain) this week and mended a pair of suit pants that needed the hem re-done, both sides near the pockets sewn, and the crotch rebuilt. Gotta love the enthusiasm of our missionaries. "Sister Taggart, can you sew a new zipper in my boot?" "No, I can't fix a boot on my sewing machine......yes, I'm sure." Ah, the faith of missionaries.
*I reassigned about 500 referrals this week with our 5 new areas. Two of the areas--Logan Square and Chicago 7--get tons of referrals, so new areas were created there and I had to reassign every referral in these areas. It's my job and I can do it now but the system still boots me off (3 times one day) and that is a bit frustrating. My alternative is calling Salt Lake and listening to "Consider the Lilies of the Field " endlessly.
* I received a referral from Serbia this week. An orthodox Priest from Serbia has a son here going to school. He has watched our missionaries in Serbia and thinks that type of young man would make good friends for his son here.
*I had a BYU recruiter call to interview me on reasons why Chicago would be a great place to live and work after college graduation. I had a hard time not saying "GO WEST--AS FAR AS YOU CAN--SEATTLE!!!" Why would anyone choose to live in Chicago?
#ridiculous taxes
#high crime rate
#horrible weather summer and winter
#good mass transit systems if you don't mind watching cops and robbers while riding to town.(refer to Dec letter)
#pay scale must be great to live in the mansions some of these people live in.
#it is impossible to park in downtown....unless you pay an arm and a leg (literally if you get out of you car during rush hour, oncoming traffic
#the Church is strong here, in places, with room for growth
#we haven't come across any poisonous snakes.....yet
*A sister in Elder Taggart's office this week: "Are you leaving the mission anytime soon?"
"No, we're here for 2 years." "Good, you'll be here my whole mission. I couldn't love anyone like
I love you two." We love our missionaries.
*A concerned mom called. Her son gets here in March. "I just heard Chicago has bedbugs." Yes, we do. Every year one or two apartments have to go through "the treatment". What a cute Mom....a million thugs on these streets and she is worried about bedbugs.
* It was the end of the month and I still had 8 baptismal forms that had not been turned in. I called to remind the missionaries. The baptism was great but until it is entered and reported to Salt Lake, they don't know it happened. One set of sisters was upset because they had given it to their District Leader for a signature and two weeks later I still didn't have it. When this District Leader finally got called on it--he apologized profusely. "I'll get it there today, Sister Taggart." That was Thursday--Jan 30--a cold day here. He showed u[ right before closing time in the office. He and his companion are not in a car area so they rode 3 buses and walked a stretch to get that form to me in time. I love our missionaries.
*One afternoon I got a phone call from a man in a mission office just like ours only across several states. His brother's fiancee was in a hospital in Evanston and had agreed to a Priesthood blessing. Did we have missionaries there? His brother was not a member of the Church and neither is his fiancee but they were to the point of desperate. The caller had joined the Church while he was a student living in Evanston. I assured him I would get the Elders there within the hour. I then called our Elders in Evanston and told them the whole story. (they are in a "car share" area and I had no idea they didn't have the car that day) No mention had been made at all about the nationality of the woman in the hospital.....or our missionaries. It was just hoped that the woman and the man's brother would feel the Spirit the missionaries brought and want to learn more about Jesus Christ. Elder D & Elder B rode their bikes and when they got there, found out the woman was from the Philippines and spoke Tagalog. Elder D is from the Philippians and speaks Tagalog. (our only missionary who does out of 212) He was able to give her a blessing in her native tongue and then teach her family in the waiting room. Coincidence? No--God is in the details and watches over all of His children to give them exactly what they need. (today at Church these Elders told us they have a return appointment tonight to teach the whole family. They thanked me for making it happen. I assured them all I did was answer the phone and direct the request their direction.)
I love being a small part of this work. I love serving. I love knowing my Heavenly Father is blessing my children and grandchildren because of our service. I love our missionaries. And maybe one day I will learn to love 45 inches of snow in one month!
Sister Taggart
A bit of trivia:Glenview (the community we live in) has received 45 inches of snow so far this winter. They have used 541 tons of salt and 1,807 gallons of calcium chloride just to keep roads drivable. Snow in some piles in parking lots is already 14 feet high. Crazy though it sounds, we pray for more snowfall to make the piles white again when they get gray and yucky looking. Maybe we are part of the problem??
Another week, another dollar as they say in business. Another week, another blessing is how we see it.
* Mending of missionary clothing is down. They are covering their holes with layers. I have put in a sleeve on a lined coat (pain) this week and mended a pair of suit pants that needed the hem re-done, both sides near the pockets sewn, and the crotch rebuilt. Gotta love the enthusiasm of our missionaries. "Sister Taggart, can you sew a new zipper in my boot?" "No, I can't fix a boot on my sewing machine......yes, I'm sure." Ah, the faith of missionaries.
*I reassigned about 500 referrals this week with our 5 new areas. Two of the areas--Logan Square and Chicago 7--get tons of referrals, so new areas were created there and I had to reassign every referral in these areas. It's my job and I can do it now but the system still boots me off (3 times one day) and that is a bit frustrating. My alternative is calling Salt Lake and listening to "Consider the Lilies of the Field " endlessly.
* I received a referral from Serbia this week. An orthodox Priest from Serbia has a son here going to school. He has watched our missionaries in Serbia and thinks that type of young man would make good friends for his son here.
*I had a BYU recruiter call to interview me on reasons why Chicago would be a great place to live and work after college graduation. I had a hard time not saying "GO WEST--AS FAR AS YOU CAN--SEATTLE!!!" Why would anyone choose to live in Chicago?
#ridiculous taxes
#high crime rate
#horrible weather summer and winter
#good mass transit systems if you don't mind watching cops and robbers while riding to town.(refer to Dec letter)
#pay scale must be great to live in the mansions some of these people live in.
#it is impossible to park in downtown....unless you pay an arm and a leg (literally if you get out of you car during rush hour, oncoming traffic
#the Church is strong here, in places, with room for growth
#we haven't come across any poisonous snakes.....yet
*A sister in Elder Taggart's office this week: "Are you leaving the mission anytime soon?"
"No, we're here for 2 years." "Good, you'll be here my whole mission. I couldn't love anyone like
I love you two." We love our missionaries.
*A concerned mom called. Her son gets here in March. "I just heard Chicago has bedbugs." Yes, we do. Every year one or two apartments have to go through "the treatment". What a cute Mom....a million thugs on these streets and she is worried about bedbugs.
* It was the end of the month and I still had 8 baptismal forms that had not been turned in. I called to remind the missionaries. The baptism was great but until it is entered and reported to Salt Lake, they don't know it happened. One set of sisters was upset because they had given it to their District Leader for a signature and two weeks later I still didn't have it. When this District Leader finally got called on it--he apologized profusely. "I'll get it there today, Sister Taggart." That was Thursday--Jan 30--a cold day here. He showed u[ right before closing time in the office. He and his companion are not in a car area so they rode 3 buses and walked a stretch to get that form to me in time. I love our missionaries.
*One afternoon I got a phone call from a man in a mission office just like ours only across several states. His brother's fiancee was in a hospital in Evanston and had agreed to a Priesthood blessing. Did we have missionaries there? His brother was not a member of the Church and neither is his fiancee but they were to the point of desperate. The caller had joined the Church while he was a student living in Evanston. I assured him I would get the Elders there within the hour. I then called our Elders in Evanston and told them the whole story. (they are in a "car share" area and I had no idea they didn't have the car that day) No mention had been made at all about the nationality of the woman in the hospital.....or our missionaries. It was just hoped that the woman and the man's brother would feel the Spirit the missionaries brought and want to learn more about Jesus Christ. Elder D & Elder B rode their bikes and when they got there, found out the woman was from the Philippines and spoke Tagalog. Elder D is from the Philippians and speaks Tagalog. (our only missionary who does out of 212) He was able to give her a blessing in her native tongue and then teach her family in the waiting room. Coincidence? No--God is in the details and watches over all of His children to give them exactly what they need. (today at Church these Elders told us they have a return appointment tonight to teach the whole family. They thanked me for making it happen. I assured them all I did was answer the phone and direct the request their direction.)
I love being a small part of this work. I love serving. I love knowing my Heavenly Father is blessing my children and grandchildren because of our service. I love our missionaries. And maybe one day I will learn to love 45 inches of snow in one month!
Sister Taggart
The Super Bowl of Life
I am excited for the Seattle Seahawks to be in the Super Bowl; though I won't be watching the game today. I will watch highlights tomorrow.
On a much bigger plane, we are all playing in a Super Bowl of sorts called the game of life. The outcome of that game is immensely more important than the outcome of the game today. Like those who are playing today, I hope we have and are preparing to be able to give our best, to leave everything on the field in our performance to return with honor to live with our Father in Heaven. This is the game that really matters. The Super Bowl will come and go, but how we play this game will affect the eternities and will bring us far greater joy or sorrow than the outcome today.
Ok, that was a bit too heavy, but totally true.
On a lighter note, we are starting to have some exciting results from using Facebook to share the gospel. Many of the missionaries are now teaching the gospel using chats on Facebook or using Skype to have a face to face conversation. They are teaching people in many states iN the US as well as in many countries throughout the world in English, Spanish, Polish, German, Italian, Russian and several other languages. They are gradually learning how to use their online time more effectively.
I have been working on our taxes which is not a fun task. But thankfully, we should get a nice refund this year. Because of how I was paid for January and February which included contract payments for 2012 and part of 2011, they took almost as much in withholding for the two months I worked as they did the entire previous year. That refund will help to find another year of missionary service.
I can't believe I have been retired for 11 months. Boy does time fly when you are busy and engaged in exciting things.
The snow and cold continue to keep life here interesting. I finalized and filed the paperwork on 6 accidents this week but still have 12 that are open. I physically saw the 2013 Silverado this week as I stopped to get mission things out of it because it will be totaled. If anyone saw me, I am sure they were laughing as I worked and worked just to get any door open far enough for me to squeeze my fat, not so little, body in so that I could retrieve things. I am so thankful the missionaries were in this truck when they got hit. Had they been in one of the regular mission cars, I am sure we would have had serious injuries. A loving God is watching over them.
I have developed a friendship with the fleet manager at Pep Boys. We get most of our vehicle maintenance done with them. The Church is their largest and oldest account in the United States. As he and I had lunch together this week, he asked me many questions as he has every time we see each other. He is struggling with several things right now in his life, with a wayward son and at work. He asked me quite a few questions about my business and after our conversation he said, I think I would have enjoyed working for you. Hopefully our chats will lead to him wanting to know more about Jesus Christ and his gospel which changes lives for the better.
I love what we are doing and even though it is crazy cold, my heart and life are warm because of the joy that comes from serving others. Have a Super week and may you win against the world this week.
Elder Taggart
On a much bigger plane, we are all playing in a Super Bowl of sorts called the game of life. The outcome of that game is immensely more important than the outcome of the game today. Like those who are playing today, I hope we have and are preparing to be able to give our best, to leave everything on the field in our performance to return with honor to live with our Father in Heaven. This is the game that really matters. The Super Bowl will come and go, but how we play this game will affect the eternities and will bring us far greater joy or sorrow than the outcome today.
Ok, that was a bit too heavy, but totally true.
On a lighter note, we are starting to have some exciting results from using Facebook to share the gospel. Many of the missionaries are now teaching the gospel using chats on Facebook or using Skype to have a face to face conversation. They are teaching people in many states iN the US as well as in many countries throughout the world in English, Spanish, Polish, German, Italian, Russian and several other languages. They are gradually learning how to use their online time more effectively.
I have been working on our taxes which is not a fun task. But thankfully, we should get a nice refund this year. Because of how I was paid for January and February which included contract payments for 2012 and part of 2011, they took almost as much in withholding for the two months I worked as they did the entire previous year. That refund will help to find another year of missionary service.
I can't believe I have been retired for 11 months. Boy does time fly when you are busy and engaged in exciting things.
The snow and cold continue to keep life here interesting. I finalized and filed the paperwork on 6 accidents this week but still have 12 that are open. I physically saw the 2013 Silverado this week as I stopped to get mission things out of it because it will be totaled. If anyone saw me, I am sure they were laughing as I worked and worked just to get any door open far enough for me to squeeze my fat, not so little, body in so that I could retrieve things. I am so thankful the missionaries were in this truck when they got hit. Had they been in one of the regular mission cars, I am sure we would have had serious injuries. A loving God is watching over them.
I have developed a friendship with the fleet manager at Pep Boys. We get most of our vehicle maintenance done with them. The Church is their largest and oldest account in the United States. As he and I had lunch together this week, he asked me many questions as he has every time we see each other. He is struggling with several things right now in his life, with a wayward son and at work. He asked me quite a few questions about my business and after our conversation he said, I think I would have enjoyed working for you. Hopefully our chats will lead to him wanting to know more about Jesus Christ and his gospel which changes lives for the better.
I love what we are doing and even though it is crazy cold, my heart and life are warm because of the joy that comes from serving others. Have a Super week and may you win against the world this week.
Elder Taggart
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