It has now been one year since I retired. And oh, what a year it has been. We sold a house, built a new house, moved to Utah and then moved to Chicago to serve a mission for 23 months. We have experienced highs and lows, joys and sorrows. I miss the wonderful people of the Renton/Kent area, I miss the people I spent so many years working with in the candy industry, I miss my posterity and the comforts of home. But I don't miss the day to day rat race of work and all the drama that goes with that.
We are enjoying a wonderful adventure here in Chicagoland serving with 225 young missionaries as well as 18 senior missionaries. We are as busy as we have ever been in our lives but we are learning, growing and being blessed by opportunities to serve. I am convinced that service to others brings joy, happiness and sweet satisfaction. Our love for each other has grown even deeper and we have found that we thoroughly enjoy being with each other 24/7. I am personally looking to spending the eternities with this woman who has brought so much experience and meaning to my life.
Here are a couple of interesting statistics for Chicago:
* There are 80,000 - 100,000 gang members in Chicago. 1,600 of them are responsible for 70% of the murders here.
* As of Friday night we are officially the 4th snowiest winter on record here. Normal snowfall is 29.3 inches. We had 69.5 by Friday night. We woke up today to an additional 2 inches. That's almost 6 feet of snow in the city.
I felt like our cars were targets this week. We had one car that was hit by a deer that ran into the driver's door, shattering that window and destroying the door. Another car was hit by a coyote damaging the front quarter panel of the car. Amazingly, both of these animals ran off seemingly not harmed too badly. We were the victims of 3 hit & run accidents; none with major damage thankfully. And the week wouldn't be complete without 2 more rear end accidents. No missionaries were injured in any of these accidents which is a testimony to me that the Lord does watch over and protect those who are serving Him.
We had a missionary slip and fall on the ice while crossing the street Thursday night. In falling, he hit his head which caused him to have a seizure and black out. As his companion tried To flag down a car to call 911 and assist him, another car hit the fallen missionary and threw him about 15 feet. He ended up with a concussion, broken ribs, a punctured lung and some internal bleeding. He was given a priesthood blessing by his companion. Even though he was injured, the combination of the Lord watching over him, the result of a priesthood blessing and the faith and prayers of many, the doctors were amazed that he was not much worse. When they opened him up to explore and repair the internal bleeding (about a 12" incision), the lung they were sure was punctured had closed back up. They repaired a couple of bleeding organs and have said that he will have a complete recovery. Again, the Lord does watch over and protect those who serve Him. He doesn't necessarily eliminate any injury or harm, but he does protect and bless. This young man should probably have been killed.
We have 14 new missionaries arriving tomorrow which will start yet another crazy transfer week. But we will enjoy the spirit and enthusiasm of these new missionaries and will be blessed to see many other missionaries as they come to the transfer meeting to find out what area they will be moving to and who their new companion will be. We will also say farewell to 6 who are either returning home after serving faithfully or who have finally received their visa so they can go to the country they have been assigned to serve in. It hurts every time we have to say goodbye because these young people have wormed their way into our hearts and have become like family to us. But we know there are others who are anxious to see them and feel of their love.
The gospel of Jesus Christ has an amazing ability to change hearts and lives. People who have the faith and courage to recognize the truth of the message we share start on a path that will enrich and bless their lives immensely. I am grateful to know that when I consider how insignificant I seem to be when considering all of God's creations, He knows my name and cares deeply for me, his son. My life is blessed to know Him and to love Him and His son, Jesus Christ. May yours be also as you draw unto him and learn of him. Make time in your busy life to pause and have a meaningful conversation with your loving Father in Heaven who sent His son to suffer and die for us.
Have a rich week.
Elder Taggart
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