"HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM...."

MARCH 8, 2014
This week has been a hard week. Part of it has to do with transfers and the pressures that brings to my desk. Part of it has to do with unforseen disasters that his my desk and Elder Taggart's desk regularly. Part of is has to do with the feeling I am just treading water to keep my head above the water.
It all started last Sunday when Chicago 7th ward was dissolved and absorbed into Hyde Park and Westchester 1 wards. Elder Crook was released from that bishopric. It was the most disfunctional ward I have ever watched so I figured no big deal. Hold that thought.
On Monday/Tuesday we had 3" of new snow, 14 missionaries arrive, transfers all over creation, where's Waldo big time, and our water delivery man said he wouldn't be able to deliver our drinking water because of the snow. Are you kidding me??? 40 missionaries in the office to pick up supplies, new area kits, maps, and lunch and we have no water. Mormons don't drink coffee, tea, beer, soda pop (at our age) or alcohol and a skiff of snow prevents them from delivering the one thing we do drink! I wanted to tell them to come out West and we'll show you how it's done!! To make matters worse, the tap in our office sink spewed brown water for two days so we didn't dare do anything with that water!!
Transfers were all I thought they would be. "Sister Taggart, did my mom send a box of bedding for me?"  "Sister Taggart, did my name tags come?"  "Sister Taggart, do we have a Korean Book of Mormon I can have?" ALL AT ONCE!!! It reminds me of Finding Nemo seagulls saying "Mine, Mine, Mine" except it is a group of missionaries around my desk saying "Sister Taggart, Sister Taggart, Sister Taggart." I think I am learning patience---slowly. Some days I just don't like my name.
Our Elder from El Salvador told me about his one new white shirt from Walmart. He came out months ago with only 2 or 3 old white shirts. He was so proud of his new "white" one. Later in the week he got 4 more "white" ones from JC Pennys. I cannot even imagine not having enough shsirts to last one week without going to the laundromat.  He never would have dreamed of asking for them which made it more fun  to buy them for him.
Another tender mercy this week was the tie find. We went to Kohls for flannel sheets on clearance (finally) and I said, "Let's see if they have any ties on clearance." We had a gift card for our missionary Christmas stash from last year. There were were Chaps,Vanheussen, and Arrow ties for $3.50 to $9.00 on clearance....plenty of choices. I went crazy and now have the start of our sub-for-Santa this coming Christmas. Natalie says I have a sense for bargains. I think I am prompted to be in the right place at the right time....constantly.
Wednesday night we had 3 Sister missionaries in our home for dinner. One will be going to Russia next week because her visa came. She said a beautiful blessing on the food in Russian. After an American meal of roast, potatoes, carrots, jello and ice cream, she asked Elder Taggart to give her a Priesthood blessing. It was a choice experience for us. She will be put on an airplane alone from here, arrive in Moscow for a plane transfer, then another city where she will catch a train for a 10 hour ride to her new home. The courage of these youth is amazing.
Thursday the sky fell in. I turned on referrals to enter the 30 my missionaries had called in the day before and to assign all the unassigned ones. When I got to the Chicago 7th ward it said "Deleted Organization." OK, we know that ward is now part of the other wards. But they inadvertently deleted all the referrals from that ward--I estimate between 200-300!! That ward had 2 million people living within it's boundaries. I have missionaries in that area, they ride the trains daily, and they are referral machines, both in finding and teaching. Gone!!!They call me to retrieve the data....I can't! I talk to Elder Taggart. He is having the same problem with area books on their Ipads. They wanted us to go paperless and then they wipe out all our data from SLC??I called the Provo referral center, "Uh, Houston,we have a problem. I'm about to give you the worst headache you've had all year!"  "Oh, Sister Taggart, it can't be that bad." It was. At the end of my conversation with him and Elder Taggart's conversation with the Ipad people in Salt Lake at Church Headquarters.....they call an emergency meeting that night to try and figure out how to retrieve the data they deleted when the Chicago 7th ward was dissolved. I love being pioneers---NOT. So although none of it was my fault and there was nothing we could have done differently, I spent a restless night concerned for my missionaries and their loss. And Friday the problem was still unresolved.
Tomorrow we have recovering missionary patrol. We will stay at the mission home with our Elder who was hit by a car 10 days ago. He is making a remarkable recovery. We will take him to Church and care for him the rest of the day since the mission president and his wife have responsibilities all day on Sunday. Elder Taggart will be speaking in our Sacrament meeting so that is the one we will attend.
So our life in the pressure cooker continues. We will be training at 4 Zone Conferences this next week. Press forward in your spheres of influence. The work is hastening. We feel it every day.
Love,
Sister Taggart