Crazy week

Boy, it has been a crazy busy week. Monday, we received 10 new missionaries, 3 Elders and 7 Sisters. I drove the 12 passenger van and trailer to the airport to pick up their luggage. They then got on the "L" train and went to downtown Chicago. On the train ride, they are expected to co tact as many people as they can and give away a Book of Mormon to someone who shows interest. While they saw downtown and had lunch, I drove their luggage back to the mission home, unloaded it, went to the office for a few hours and then drove to the train station in Skokie to pick all of them up. After having a quick dinner, we then went back to the mission home and provided training on our various responsibilities. We got home about 9:30 and dropped into bed.

Tuesday, Claudia dropped me off at the stake center at 7:30 so I could everything set up to get their iPads set up and ready to use. But since the guy in SLC who creates their Apple ID's had been out of the office for four days with family medical issues, I didn't have their Apple ID's. Thus we were not able to set their iPads up which created yet another challenge for later to activate them one at a time. At the transfer meeting that day over half of the companionships in the mission were changed creating apple cart upset. We got back to the mission office at about 12:30. At 1:00 droves of missionaries stopped by to get supplies, have some lunch which the three office Sisters fix every transfer, and to just visit with each other before heading to their apartments. We left the office tired and headed to the mission home where we had dinner and a testimony meeting with the 13 missionaries who were going home the next morning. It was really hard to see these missionaries go home because they have become ours. We have been here most of their mission and have so grown to love them. Powerful young people finished this chapter and headed home to begin the next chapter in their journey.

Wednesday and Thursday were absolute nightmares for me. SLC decide to push a software out to all iPads with no notification to anyone. They sent an email to the missionaries on Tuesday letting them know of this change, but the missionaries can only access that email account on Monday, so none of them knew about it. This change caused Gospel library, LDS Tools, LDS Music and the Book of Mormon app to disappear. So my phone went crazy with calls from missionaries wondering what was wrong with their iPad. After 4 phone calls and 2 emails to SLC, I was finally able to find out what had happened. The apps were supposed to reload automatically but they didn't for most missionaries. So then after 2 more phone calls to SLC I found out how to have them download them again without creating problems. I finally sent an email asking SLC to please send an email to the mission offices before they do something like that so that someone's know before the chaos begins. Thursday night we visited a family who hasn't been to church for years and were warmly received. So we will continue to visit them and see if we can make a difference in their lives for good.

Friday morning, I got a panic text message from the lady who cleans and works at the mission home. She needed us to come over there and help her clean and prepare the house for the wedding reception that night for the mission presidents son and new bride. From Monday to Thursday about 25 family members of the wedding party arrived and many stayed at the mission home. So, when they left to go to the temple, we got the panic text to come help since the house had been trashed. So for two hours we vacuumed, swept and picked up all kinds of things that adults should have done themselves. But I guess since they were guests, they didn't feel the need to do so. We grabbed a quick, unhealthy, late lunch at McDonalds and went back to the office to get our normal work done. We went straight from the office back to the mission home and spent the rest of the night until 10 pm serving and cleaning up at the wedding reception.

In between all of this, I showed cars twice and sold another one leaving me with none to be sold for right now, did the laundry, went to Costco to pick up prescriptions, had various phone calls about car problems, etc. ok, now I know why I was wiped out yesterday and felt the need to relax and put a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle together.

Sister missionaries backed into a parked motorcycle this week causing it to tip over. This broke the gear shift, fender and kick-stand. I found out, not from the missionaries, but from the insurance company, that this wasn't just any motorcycle. No, it was a female police officer's, and it is her only transportation. So she wants the insurance co to rent her a motorcycle until hers can be fixed.

Another Sister, who, whole leaving the church parking lot, hit the curb with not just one, but with both right front and rear wheels. The rear tire blew out and the front had a big bulge in it. Two knew tires and an alignment later, they were back on the road thinking nothing of what had happened.

Yesterday we had an amazing thunder/lightning storm. We had planned to go for a walk on the forest, but decided not to because of the storm forecast. As we watched and listened to the pouring rain, bright flashes of lightning and very load claps of thunder, I was glad we decided not to go to the forest.

We were blessed to have the stamina to survive a crazy week and amongst all of the chaos and stress, we enjoyed being with each other, we enjoyed the spirit of testimony and we felt Gods love as we pressed forward. The gospel is true; it changes lives and helps people to find joy and peace. May you have a wonderful week; we pray for a calmer one. Love you.

Elder Taggart