Does anyone want my mission phone?

I think I found my new part-time retirement job for when we get home; used car salesman. I sold a car on Monday night and then another one on Wednesday night. That makes 8 vehicles sold in the past two months. At a mere $1,000 per vehicle, that would be a nice retirement supplement. I still have 3 more ready to sell. We have 7 new vehicles on order, 6 cars and 1 truck, so I will have several more to sell once the new ones arrive. I get calls all the time like, "Do you have any cars for $2,000?" Or, "I'll give you $8,000 cash for that Ford Fusion." The price on that car is $10,425 I reply. Yes, but I have cash; will you sell it for $8,000?

I had two sister missionaries come into the office this week to hand deliver their DVR (daily vehicle report for the month). They had gone over miles and were nervous to give me the report. In the envelope with their DVR were two $1 bills. On one of them, they had written, "Sorry we went over miles, buy something nice for yourself. Love, ________. On one they also wrote, $1 for you and on the other one they wrote "and $1 for her". Now, how could I get upset with them for going over miles after such a generous gift?

With another DVR, that came in the mail, there was a coupon from Subway for a free 6 inch sandwich as their offering for going over miles. But the coupon had expired. I guess it's the thought that counts, right? Oh how we love these young missionaries.

Here are some phone conversations, Facebook chats, or text messages that came in just yesterday. Mind you, yesterday was our preparation day (our day off so to speak). Two Sisters, "Elder Taggart, we have a flat tire, what should we do? Put the spare on and take it to Pep Boys to get it fixed. We don't know how to do that. Are there some Elders or a member close by that could help you? They sent a text later indicating that Elders had rescued them and it was only a nail. Two Sisters, "Elder Taggart, our car is in the shop for two hours getting new brakes as you asked us to do. But we have an appointment in an hour. What should we do? Call the other Sisters in your area and see if they can give you a ride. Oh, that's a good idea. Two Elders at 8:30 pm, "Elder Taggart, We accidentally locked the keys to the van and our apartment in the van. What should we do? Pray really hard that the presidents assistants are close to the office so they bring you the spare set of keys from my office. Otherwise, find someone you can sleep with for the night. I had no intention of driving 25 miles to the South side of Chicago that time of night. A text from an Elder, "Elder Taggart, my iPad screen broke, what should I do? It still works but the screen is really cracked. When I got up, it was connected to the charger and I totally forgot, so when I grabbed it, the cord made it slip out of my hand and broke when it hit the floor. I'm sorry. The best thing to do is have a good cry and then pray that Elder Taggart is in a generous mood and will replace it, haha. The next time you are in the office, I will give you a replacement.

Moms and dads, please teach your daughters how to change a tire. And please teach your kids some basic coping and life skills. I didn't think the big red "A" emblazoned on my chest was for answer man. It's a good thing I love these young people.


On a brighter note, we drove an hour North to a beautiful state beach park. We sat under a tree on a section of beach that was a bit rocky, watching the swimmers, sail-boarders and numerous motor and sailboats. The swimmers were all on a beautiful sandy beach not far from us. Below is a picture of my companion I have loved for many years. We sat there for a couple hours just enjoying the sun, the breeze and the beauty of nature. Lake Michigan is so large, it really reminds us of the ocean. You can see nothing but water for miles and miles except along the coastline you are on.


I decide to call the IRS since we still haven't seen our tax refund after the identity theft. After a long wait on hold, they told me that they had mailed it almost a month ago. Supposedly it was mailed to the mission office but we have never seen it. So I got to fill out some more paperwork letting them know the check never arrived. It hasn't cleared any bank, so hopefully it really did just get lost. But now that means we wait even longer. But the good news is that they have now proven that I really am me.

We honestly do love what we are doing. And we love being able to do it together side by side. We do what we do because we love the Lord and are so grateful for the many blessings he continues to give us. His gospel is true and following Him is the on,y way to true happiness in this world and the next. Have an awesome week.

Elder Taggart