#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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