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
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