I continue to marvel at the change in a person's countenance, behaviors
and outlooks as they embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ and begin the
journey of becoming more like him. When good people make Christ their
focus and begin to ask themselves before making any decision, what would
Jesus do, they become a different person and their heart is changed
forever. Seeing, and at times, being a part of that process is exciting
and rewarding.
The two of us had a quiet, but enjoyable
Thanksgiving together. Claudia spent 6 or so hours sewing on the mission
quilt, so I prepared the meal and did the laundry. I enjoyed being able
to hear from most of our children in one form or another. I am so
thankful for each of them and their families; we do miss being able to
be with them right now, but know that there are blessings waiting for
each of them because of our service, if they will have the faith to
claim them.
I can't sit down to a Thanksgiving meal and not
reflect and be so grateful for life and the extension the Lord has given
me to linger here to enjoy so much of life. As most of you know, I had
my first heart attack 21 years ago on Thanksgiving day. And just over 20
years ago, after the second attack, the doctors told Claudia that I
only had 6 months to live. Obviously they didn't know the Lord's
capability to heal a 'broken heart'. How grateful I am for the detour he
has allowed me. Many choice life experiences have been enjoyed in that
time. I wonder at times if he is pleased with what I have done in those
years as a very imperfect man just trying to be more like him.
We
see change in the weather and things around us as we begin the
Christmas season, one of my favorites of the entire year. I am so
appreciative for the reason for this season, our Savior Jesus Christ. He
is the healer of broken hearts and lives. As we apply the healing balm
of his Atoning sacrifice and it's enabling power to heal, lift and bring
change, we can press forward with hope. Oh how I love his message of
peace and love and this season when most of the world shows forth
greater love and caring for others.
We decorated the Christmas
tree and starting playing Christmas music yesterday. We are well into
preparations for some presents, etc. for 40 of our missionaries who
rarely, if ever get letters or packages from home. It's fun to see their
faces light up as they have something to open even if it's not from
home.
The mission president told me on Friday that our mission
complement would be going down over the next 3-4 months. We currently
have 202 young missionaries, but the wave has crested and the number of
new missionaries available and ready to come serve is going down. So by
March or April, we will be down to 160 or 170 missionaries. That change
will be just the reverse of what we dealt with when we first arrived.
Instead of scrambling for enough cars and apartments to accommodate new
arrivals, we will be getting rid of cars and closing apartments as the
number returning home will exceed those coming out.
Change is
constant in our lives. We can either embrace it, hang on and enjoy the
ride, or we can let change leave us behind. I have found that as we are
striving to know and do what a loving God wants us to do, most of the
changes are for our good and help us to stretch and grow even though at
the time we may not want to. Enjoy the change in the season and look for
opportunities to make changes for good in your life and those around
you.
Elder Taggart
Sunday, November 30, 2014
23 more Mondays--4 more transfers--and one long drive
November 30, 2014
Holidays on a mission are hard. You find yourself saying, "If I were home I'd have a potato masher or 2 more pie pans or a platter to put the turkey on. Oh wait, we only had a turkey breast and that only requires a dinner plate, perfect. We had Elders J and W over on Monday for Elder J's 21st birthday. Pretty sad when at 21 you look forward to a dinner with two old folks. Such is life on a mission. So we decided Thanksgiving would be just the two of us. Elder Taggart fixed the whole meal while I frantically sewed on hands. Six hours of hand sewing, what fun. We had 3 dinner invites but I knew I needed this "day off" to work on the quilt. What a project to take on. I am 39 1/2 hours into it now and figure I'm halfway done, counting the quilting.
Highlight of the week was putting our small Christmas tree up. Our apartment is small and our ornaments lame but missionaries love coming here because they say it feels like home. Elder Taggart said wherever we are together, that is home. He has helped do everything I couldn't do as I sew and then he gives me neck and shoulder massages when I am too tight to sleep. What a companion!!
As we push toward another transfer with dread, I am reminded we only have 4 left. We hate to see our strong, seasoned missionaries go home. We are the old-timer couple now as we have been here longer than all but the J's. This is how we did Christmas last year. This is what we found works well. Ah--the voice of experience. The Abbotts are doing a great job in the office but as they flew to Denver for 5 days for Thanksgiving, one young Sister said, "You guys are always here for us." I guess we lend stability and we're good for something.
Only 23 Mondays left. That is our crazy day in the office and if we can survive Monday we know the rest of the week is doable. As we went to put the fall tablecloth and center piece away we realised we could send it to Salvation Army because we won't be here for another autumn.
Elder and Sister J came into the office this week with 2 more baptism records. They are the Military Liaison couple on the Great Lakes Military base. They have 40,000 recruits come through each year. They are there for basic training 5 weeks or 2 months if they are training to be a SEAL. In their time here they have had two dozen baptisms. They mostly give rides to and from O'Hare Airport back to the base. They are serving a different mission but they are making a difference.
That has been our hope--that we can make a difference in a life, lift a burden from a young missionary, assist where needed. As I wrote my appreciation cards to the 10 outgoing missionaries this week I know each one. We have had laughs together over the phone. I have hugged each Sister each time we meet. I have prayed for them by name.
So we continue to press forward with steadfastness. No glory or fame with this position, just increased love for our missionaries, our family, and our Savior. And I will continue to sew on hands until they're done, or my right arm falls off...whichever comes first!! We love you and hope your have a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones gathered close.
Love,
Sister Taggart
Holidays on a mission are hard. You find yourself saying, "If I were home I'd have a potato masher or 2 more pie pans or a platter to put the turkey on. Oh wait, we only had a turkey breast and that only requires a dinner plate, perfect. We had Elders J and W over on Monday for Elder J's 21st birthday. Pretty sad when at 21 you look forward to a dinner with two old folks. Such is life on a mission. So we decided Thanksgiving would be just the two of us. Elder Taggart fixed the whole meal while I frantically sewed on hands. Six hours of hand sewing, what fun. We had 3 dinner invites but I knew I needed this "day off" to work on the quilt. What a project to take on. I am 39 1/2 hours into it now and figure I'm halfway done, counting the quilting.
Highlight of the week was putting our small Christmas tree up. Our apartment is small and our ornaments lame but missionaries love coming here because they say it feels like home. Elder Taggart said wherever we are together, that is home. He has helped do everything I couldn't do as I sew and then he gives me neck and shoulder massages when I am too tight to sleep. What a companion!!
As we push toward another transfer with dread, I am reminded we only have 4 left. We hate to see our strong, seasoned missionaries go home. We are the old-timer couple now as we have been here longer than all but the J's. This is how we did Christmas last year. This is what we found works well. Ah--the voice of experience. The Abbotts are doing a great job in the office but as they flew to Denver for 5 days for Thanksgiving, one young Sister said, "You guys are always here for us." I guess we lend stability and we're good for something.
Only 23 Mondays left. That is our crazy day in the office and if we can survive Monday we know the rest of the week is doable. As we went to put the fall tablecloth and center piece away we realised we could send it to Salvation Army because we won't be here for another autumn.
Elder and Sister J came into the office this week with 2 more baptism records. They are the Military Liaison couple on the Great Lakes Military base. They have 40,000 recruits come through each year. They are there for basic training 5 weeks or 2 months if they are training to be a SEAL. In their time here they have had two dozen baptisms. They mostly give rides to and from O'Hare Airport back to the base. They are serving a different mission but they are making a difference.
That has been our hope--that we can make a difference in a life, lift a burden from a young missionary, assist where needed. As I wrote my appreciation cards to the 10 outgoing missionaries this week I know each one. We have had laughs together over the phone. I have hugged each Sister each time we meet. I have prayed for them by name.
So we continue to press forward with steadfastness. No glory or fame with this position, just increased love for our missionaries, our family, and our Savior. And I will continue to sew on hands until they're done, or my right arm falls off...whichever comes first!! We love you and hope your have a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones gathered close.
Love,
Sister Taggart
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Zone Conferences
I
am reminded this week that everything you do for the Lord and to help
move His work forward are needed and important regardless of how mundane
or insignificant the task may seem.
We
had 4 zone conferences this past week; one every day Tuesday through
Friday. So, we drove to Indiana, Lake Villa (not far from the Wisconsin
border), Wilmette and South Chicago. I had the responsibility to inspect
71 cars to make sure they had safe tires, etc. going into the winter
months. And since, I cannot check everything that is required to be
checked on a car by myself, my sweet companion helped me. It just
happened that those 4 days were the coldest days we have had yet with
temperatures ranging from 12 degrees (with windchill, it was -2) to a
high of 23 degrees. The wind was blowing every day, so what the temp
felt like was colder. I was encouraged that some of my training,
harping, etc. must be paying off because overall the cars were
considerably cleaner than they usually are.
We
had a couple of cars where sister missionaries had left a note on the
seat; one even had some Mexican candy as a bribe I guess. Their note
read, Dearest Elder Taggart, 1. We love you, 2. Don't hate us, 3. We
washed/vacuumed the car on Monday, then it snowed, 4. The scuffs/broken
taillight on the back corner are from when the police officer hit us, 5.
The scrapes on the right side of the car are from yesterday. We
accidentally scraped a car in a tight, narrow 2 way street trying to let
another car slide past us; there was no damage to the other car. We
are sorry, Love your fav Hermana's. Mind you the scratches on the right
side of that car went from the front bumper to the rear bumper. How the
other car got away without any scratches is a wonder to me since our car
will likely take $3,000 to fix. Oh, and this same compionship called me
last night; a semi had come to close to them (or them to close to it)
and the driver's side mirror was torn off. I think it's time for them to
be on the bus or train.
I did safety training
at all but one conference which obviously is desperately needed, since
we are now up to 16 accidents in the past two months and we really
haven't had any bad roads. I trained on helping them stay safe
physically by showing a video and also talking about winter driving,
etc. I also did some training on proper use of their iPads and Facebook
to hopefully help them to be spiritually safe. There are so many dangers
and pitfalls when they are online particularly for those who might not
be prone to being obedient with exactness to policies and guidelines.
I
assisted Claudia as she instructed and supervised every missionary
tracing their hand, cutting it out, writing on the backside what fear,
sin, etc. they were going to bury and give up and then writing their
name on the front. These hands are all being sewn onto a quilt that she
is making that the mission president asked for. I do hope that she
survives this project since she has to sew around each hand and 5
fingers for 225 hands. We have 203 young missionaries and 22 senior
missionaries. I know she will include much more detail on this in her
email.
The highlight of the week for me was
seeing and being with all 203 young missionaries. They truly are a
delight to be around. We love them and they love us.
I
celebrated my 65th birthday inspecting cars in the cold. But the young
missionaries sang to me, I was with my sweetheart and I heard from many
of you. Thank you so much. When I realized that 20 years ago, the doctor
told me I had 6 months to live, I am truly grateful to see 65 and now
hopefully many more.
As
we go into this Thanksgiving week, my heart is full of gratitude for
many things. I am appreciative for each of you and the part you play in
my life. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and its ability to
change lives as one embraces the gospel and then strives to live to be
more like Christ. The enabling power of the Atonement and its power to
heal all hurt and to give one hope to press forward is a huge blessing
in my life. I am blessed to have had righteous, hard-working ancestors
who embraced the gospel; I am also blessed to have a righteous posterity
who are striving to become more like Christ. We live in an amazing
country even with its problems and challenges. The beauties and wonders
of nature lift my soul and help me to know of the love of our Father in
Heaven. Music stirs my soul and calms me when troubled. I am grateful
for the influence that each of you has and is having on my life. May you
feel the love those around you as you gather to feast and may you feel
the love of the Savior as you make time to approach him. Have a blessed
week.
Elder Bruce Taggart
Run faster,Claudia, Run faster
What a week....aren't they all? We had 4 Zone Conferences this week.
That wouldn't be so bad if the previous week had not been transfers. Run
faster, Claudia, run faster. Buy more fabric, iron on literally 2 bolts
(20 yds each) of Wonder Under to yards and yards of fabric. Hurry and
get to bed and go to sleep so you can wake up by 5 AM to be ready for
the drive to Indiana. Bundle
up--it us 12 degrees, with the wind-chill factor -2 degrees. Remember you get to inspect 18 cars. (tire tread and pressure, cleanliness, mileage, dings and scratches on the body, trunk contents) Salt Lake has a funny way of showing a girl a good time. Check it faster, Elder Taggart, so we can go in and see if there is frostbite damage yet. I wonder how long it takes an eyeball to freeze solid. Hurry, hurry so we can set up tables for missionaries to cut out their hand in fabric and sign their name to the fabric side. I have taught pre-school for 16 years and these are young adults.....there should be no surprizes, yet there are. Wrap it up so Elder Taggart can do car safety training. Run, run,run so we can drive back to Illinois by 6:00 PM, eat fast, and be at the church by 7:00 PM for Young Women's. You see, they are helping with my missionaries who need Christmas. They come through in a big way. They look like elves in Santa's workshop as they bag up snacks, treats, notebooks, pens, containers for leftovers, popcorn, etc. Some of them wrote cards the whole hour so each package will have a personalized card. I spoke for a few minutes about some of our missionaries. They all deserve Christmas and these Young Women make it happen. We then hurry to the office at 9:00 PM to deliver the 40 bags of goodies to our conference room, get a little work done, and load the car with packages for tomorrow's Zone Conference.
Hurry faster to iron wonder under to the next color of fabric---yards and yards. Go to bed and sleep fast so you can wake up by 5:45 ( a sleep-in) to be ready to drive to the Foster Building. It is Elder Taggart's birthday today. I sing a pathetic version of Happy Birthday over breakfast. We collect keys and thank Heaven it has warmed up to 23 degrees. Inspect 18 cars. Come in and quickly set up for what one Elder called "the hand craft". Revision of schedule. We wait for 2 1/2 hours so Elder Taggart can do car safety training. The President then comes to him and says, "can you cut your training to 5 minutes? No video and just a brief training?" Sure, our mission has had 16 accidents in 3 weeks--2 cars totaled--and cut my training to 5 minutes. (Mind you, he has waited for a year for this opportunity to train and the next opportunity won't come until Feb. or March but we are obedient to our leader.) We drive back to the office to do in 2 hours what normally takes all day---and no we don't get it all done. We rush home so Elder Taggart can field phone calls from family while I ironed fabric. I notice the handprints already ironed on the quilt are peeling off. I time myself sewing around 10 hands takes me 1 hour....so 222 hands should take the rest of my life, right? Because of this exercise, I don't get to bed until 11 PM. (Breaking a mission rule to be in bed by 10:30 to work on a mission project....how ironic.) At 2:30
AM I wake from a sound sleep. My mind is in turmoil over the lack of concern by our President about driving safety. I argue within my mind:
"Not your call"
"The President is ultimately responsible for the safety and the lives of the missionaries."
"Don't steady the ark. He is your Priesthood leader."
"Not your job to correct the problem."
Then a word kept coming, over and over, IMPERATIVE. That is not one of my words. As I wrestled for 3 hours in the wee hours of the morning, I finally got the message.
"Imperatives vs fluff. This quilt project is fluff---sacrifice your time until the car safety training is done. Refuse to do the project. This is not your idea. I woke you up for a reason, as I have done before. The lives of these youth are in your hands. Talk to your husband when he wakes up, then talk to the President before the conference starts."
I had prayed and prayed that this wouldn't be the outcome. We have bent over backwards to be in supportive roles only. We don't want the authority or the responsibility. We have avoided at all cost stepping on toes or crossing that line of authority. When does Elder Taggart's stewardship cross over a decision made by our President?
We drove to Buffalo Grove near the Wisconsin border. Bruce was talking to the President when the Assistants to the President were telling me Sister Woodbury had chastized the President all the way home yesterday about cutting out car safety training. The agenda had been revised and Elder Taggart would have that opportunity from then on. We inspected 20 cars in 18 degrees with a wind stiff enough to blow keys off the hoods of the cars. Training, iron on hands, hurry back to the office to work until 6:30, then back to the apartment to iron Wonder-Under on many yards of red fabric for the Chicago Zone tomorrow. I thanked Heavenly Father for righting a wrong---imperative training needed by these missionaries from California, Arizona, Mexico and such who have never seen snow let alone driven in it.
Friday--is it Groundhog Day again? Get up early, drive into Chicago. It is a balmy 23 degrees. We should have brought our swim suits to inspect cars in. We inspect 15 cars, do our training, get 60 more fabric hands, hurry back to the office, leave at 6 PM for home sweet apartment. I wonder, do I have to get up tomorrow? Saturday is my Preparation day. Can I sleep all day?
NO--get up, clean this mess of an apartment, sew, sew, sew. 6 1/2 hours later I have completed "Fear not, I am with thee" and 53 hands appliquéd. I couldn't move my neck for the pain and my hands, fingers, and leg were done too.
So what were the lessons I learned this week?
1) I can do hard things and am expected to do them daily. A mission is hard work. The naps they told us would happen for Senior missionaries aren't available for our assignments. Maybe some other Senior missions.
2) I appreciate more our young missionaries who are out in this weather daily. I'll complain less about my office job. (not computer smashing photo......thrill but it was staged)
3) I love my companion. I love our jobs as they intertwine....I help you with cars and you help you with the quilt. Any chore is better with a companion who loves you, warts and all.
4) I'm grateful for children and friends who came through for Bruce's birthday. It was the bright spot of his day.
5) I have learned the Spirit wakes me up in the middle of the night because that is when my mind slows down and listens. And it is IMPERATIVE that I listen and obey, even though I didn't have to "correct" the President after all. Better for his wife to have done that.
6) Be careful what you wish for. I wished for more sewing time and now I'm sewing every spare minute I can find. (but never on a Sunday) All my sub-for-Santa sewing is at a stand still. But sewing is sewing, right? WRONG!!!
7) Oh how we miss grandchildren. As Sadie (age 4) said, "Grandpa, you could read that story to me over the phone," it melted Grandpa's heart. As more of our missionary "grandkids" are released, we yearn for more family time in the near future.
So hug a child. Take a nap. Curl up next to a warm fire wrapped up in a quilt---one that has no hands on it, I hope. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and know we are thankful for each one of you.
(quilt below was a quick laying on of hands so I could see if they would all fit.
love, Sister Taggart
up--it us 12 degrees, with the wind-chill factor -2 degrees. Remember you get to inspect 18 cars. (tire tread and pressure, cleanliness, mileage, dings and scratches on the body, trunk contents) Salt Lake has a funny way of showing a girl a good time. Check it faster, Elder Taggart, so we can go in and see if there is frostbite damage yet. I wonder how long it takes an eyeball to freeze solid. Hurry, hurry so we can set up tables for missionaries to cut out their hand in fabric and sign their name to the fabric side. I have taught pre-school for 16 years and these are young adults.....there should be no surprizes, yet there are. Wrap it up so Elder Taggart can do car safety training. Run, run,run so we can drive back to Illinois by 6:00 PM, eat fast, and be at the church by 7:00 PM for Young Women's. You see, they are helping with my missionaries who need Christmas. They come through in a big way. They look like elves in Santa's workshop as they bag up snacks, treats, notebooks, pens, containers for leftovers, popcorn, etc. Some of them wrote cards the whole hour so each package will have a personalized card. I spoke for a few minutes about some of our missionaries. They all deserve Christmas and these Young Women make it happen. We then hurry to the office at 9:00 PM to deliver the 40 bags of goodies to our conference room, get a little work done, and load the car with packages for tomorrow's Zone Conference.
Hurry faster to iron wonder under to the next color of fabric---yards and yards. Go to bed and sleep fast so you can wake up by 5:45 ( a sleep-in) to be ready to drive to the Foster Building. It is Elder Taggart's birthday today. I sing a pathetic version of Happy Birthday over breakfast. We collect keys and thank Heaven it has warmed up to 23 degrees. Inspect 18 cars. Come in and quickly set up for what one Elder called "the hand craft". Revision of schedule. We wait for 2 1/2 hours so Elder Taggart can do car safety training. The President then comes to him and says, "can you cut your training to 5 minutes? No video and just a brief training?" Sure, our mission has had 16 accidents in 3 weeks--2 cars totaled--and cut my training to 5 minutes. (Mind you, he has waited for a year for this opportunity to train and the next opportunity won't come until Feb. or March but we are obedient to our leader.) We drive back to the office to do in 2 hours what normally takes all day---and no we don't get it all done. We rush home so Elder Taggart can field phone calls from family while I ironed fabric. I notice the handprints already ironed on the quilt are peeling off. I time myself sewing around 10 hands takes me 1 hour....so 222 hands should take the rest of my life, right? Because of this exercise, I don't get to bed until 11 PM. (Breaking a mission rule to be in bed by 10:30 to work on a mission project....how ironic.) At 2:30
AM I wake from a sound sleep. My mind is in turmoil over the lack of concern by our President about driving safety. I argue within my mind:
"Not your call"
"The President is ultimately responsible for the safety and the lives of the missionaries."
"Don't steady the ark. He is your Priesthood leader."
"Not your job to correct the problem."
Then a word kept coming, over and over, IMPERATIVE. That is not one of my words. As I wrestled for 3 hours in the wee hours of the morning, I finally got the message.
"Imperatives vs fluff. This quilt project is fluff---sacrifice your time until the car safety training is done. Refuse to do the project. This is not your idea. I woke you up for a reason, as I have done before. The lives of these youth are in your hands. Talk to your husband when he wakes up, then talk to the President before the conference starts."
I had prayed and prayed that this wouldn't be the outcome. We have bent over backwards to be in supportive roles only. We don't want the authority or the responsibility. We have avoided at all cost stepping on toes or crossing that line of authority. When does Elder Taggart's stewardship cross over a decision made by our President?
We drove to Buffalo Grove near the Wisconsin border. Bruce was talking to the President when the Assistants to the President were telling me Sister Woodbury had chastized the President all the way home yesterday about cutting out car safety training. The agenda had been revised and Elder Taggart would have that opportunity from then on. We inspected 20 cars in 18 degrees with a wind stiff enough to blow keys off the hoods of the cars. Training, iron on hands, hurry back to the office to work until 6:30, then back to the apartment to iron Wonder-Under on many yards of red fabric for the Chicago Zone tomorrow. I thanked Heavenly Father for righting a wrong---imperative training needed by these missionaries from California, Arizona, Mexico and such who have never seen snow let alone driven in it.
Friday--is it Groundhog Day again? Get up early, drive into Chicago. It is a balmy 23 degrees. We should have brought our swim suits to inspect cars in. We inspect 15 cars, do our training, get 60 more fabric hands, hurry back to the office, leave at 6 PM for home sweet apartment. I wonder, do I have to get up tomorrow? Saturday is my Preparation day. Can I sleep all day?
NO--get up, clean this mess of an apartment, sew, sew, sew. 6 1/2 hours later I have completed "Fear not, I am with thee" and 53 hands appliquéd. I couldn't move my neck for the pain and my hands, fingers, and leg were done too.
So what were the lessons I learned this week?
1) I can do hard things and am expected to do them daily. A mission is hard work. The naps they told us would happen for Senior missionaries aren't available for our assignments. Maybe some other Senior missions.
2) I appreciate more our young missionaries who are out in this weather daily. I'll complain less about my office job. (not computer smashing photo......thrill but it was staged)
3) I love my companion. I love our jobs as they intertwine....I help you with cars and you help you with the quilt. Any chore is better with a companion who loves you, warts and all.
4) I'm grateful for children and friends who came through for Bruce's birthday. It was the bright spot of his day.
5) I have learned the Spirit wakes me up in the middle of the night because that is when my mind slows down and listens. And it is IMPERATIVE that I listen and obey, even though I didn't have to "correct" the President after all. Better for his wife to have done that.
6) Be careful what you wish for. I wished for more sewing time and now I'm sewing every spare minute I can find. (but never on a Sunday) All my sub-for-Santa sewing is at a stand still. But sewing is sewing, right? WRONG!!!
7) Oh how we miss grandchildren. As Sadie (age 4) said, "Grandpa, you could read that story to me over the phone," it melted Grandpa's heart. As more of our missionary "grandkids" are released, we yearn for more family time in the near future.
So hug a child. Take a nap. Curl up next to a warm fire wrapped up in a quilt---one that has no hands on it, I hope. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and know we are thankful for each one of you.
(quilt below was a quick laying on of hands so I could see if they would all fit.
love, Sister Taggart
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Transfer week
Monday morning I hurried to get everything ready to train new
missionaries, set-up iPads for the new ones and have everything to
certify them to drive. I then jumped in the 12 passenger van, hooked the
utility trailer to it and headed for the airport to greet 13 new
missionaries and load all their luggage prior to them getting on the
train to go downtown to see the city their first day and to do their
first street and train contacting. After delivering their luggage to the
mission home and disconnecting the trailer, I hurried back to the
office to get a few things done. At 4:30 we were at the train station to
pick them up and take them to the mission home. After dinner, Claudia
and I trained exhausted, brain-dead missionaries on our areas of
responsibility. This included vehicle and safety training; no wonder we
have so many accidents. They are so tired that first night, most of them
don't remember a thing you train them on.
Tuesday morning we were back at the church building at 7:30 to provision iPads for each of the new ones and train them on using Facebook, iPads and social media to invite others to come unto Christ. What I have learned is that most young people use Facebook prior to coming on a mission to be silly and goofy. So there is a major learning curve to get them to a point where they can effectively use it to be a blessing to people. I shuffled 4 cars around so that all areas that desperately needed a car were able to have one. About half of our 203 missionaries were at the transfer meeting. From about 1:00 until 4:30 those 100 plus missionaries were in and out of the office to get something to eat, pick up supplies, get packages for new missionaries(mostly bedding and warm clothes that mom sent because there wasn't room in their 2 bags of luggage). I had 6 additional missionaries who needed to replace their iPad, mostly because of cracked screens, and had 2 who needed help activating new phones.
We left the office at 5:15 so that we could be at the mission home by 5:30 to have dinner with the 11 missionaries who were going home the next morning and be able to hear their departing testimonies. We so love those testimony meetings with wonderful, young people whom we have known, loved and served with for most of their mission. These young people return home having experienced hard things, having had many spiritual experiences and having grown in so many ways that most young people will not experience for years if at all.
I ordered a new utility trailer for the mission this week, picked up a new Sabaru Legacy, picked up a car from the body shop and then sold that car on Friday. The guy who bought that car is an 84 year old man who has been investigating the church for about a month. His previous car was totaled when he was rear-ended about 6 months ago. That accident caused him to need surgery on his leg and also made it so his license was taken away until his mobility was sufficient to prove his ability to drive again. The state gave him approval this week to take the driving test, so he now needs a car. I drove the car to his house so that he could see it and then drove him to the bank to get a cashier's check. Yesterday we delivered the car to him so he can now go take the test and have a car to drive.
Well winter has arrived in Chicago. We woke up to snow and it was still snowing at noon. It is supposed to snow more tonight. The high for a good part of the week is only supposed to be in the 20's. So please pray for the missionaries to be safe and to have wisdom beyond their years. We have now had 10 accidents in the past two months and the weather hasn't even been bad yet.
We had dinner on Friday night at the mission home with all 22 of the senior missionaries. It is fun to get together with them and be able to visit and see just how different our missions are depending on what the assignment is. It has become very apparent to me that it doesn't matter where you serve; there are numerous ways and needs for seniors to serve. And, as long as you do your best, the Lord always makes sure that it is enough.
We have and are growing in so many ways even though transfer weeks are crazy. We love our mission because we are serving side by side with each other. We love the young missionaries and though they are so young in many ways, they are also quite mature in others. And just like us, if they will do the best they can, the Lord will always make up the difference. He knows us, loves us and always tailors opportunities and challenges specifically for us to be able to stretch and grow in ways and areas we didn't necessarily know we needed to. May your week be blessed as you strive a little harder to be just a little bit better. I promise He will bless you and help you as you strive to be and give your best. Til next week.
Elder Taggart
Tuesday morning we were back at the church building at 7:30 to provision iPads for each of the new ones and train them on using Facebook, iPads and social media to invite others to come unto Christ. What I have learned is that most young people use Facebook prior to coming on a mission to be silly and goofy. So there is a major learning curve to get them to a point where they can effectively use it to be a blessing to people. I shuffled 4 cars around so that all areas that desperately needed a car were able to have one. About half of our 203 missionaries were at the transfer meeting. From about 1:00 until 4:30 those 100 plus missionaries were in and out of the office to get something to eat, pick up supplies, get packages for new missionaries(mostly bedding and warm clothes that mom sent because there wasn't room in their 2 bags of luggage). I had 6 additional missionaries who needed to replace their iPad, mostly because of cracked screens, and had 2 who needed help activating new phones.
We left the office at 5:15 so that we could be at the mission home by 5:30 to have dinner with the 11 missionaries who were going home the next morning and be able to hear their departing testimonies. We so love those testimony meetings with wonderful, young people whom we have known, loved and served with for most of their mission. These young people return home having experienced hard things, having had many spiritual experiences and having grown in so many ways that most young people will not experience for years if at all.
I ordered a new utility trailer for the mission this week, picked up a new Sabaru Legacy, picked up a car from the body shop and then sold that car on Friday. The guy who bought that car is an 84 year old man who has been investigating the church for about a month. His previous car was totaled when he was rear-ended about 6 months ago. That accident caused him to need surgery on his leg and also made it so his license was taken away until his mobility was sufficient to prove his ability to drive again. The state gave him approval this week to take the driving test, so he now needs a car. I drove the car to his house so that he could see it and then drove him to the bank to get a cashier's check. Yesterday we delivered the car to him so he can now go take the test and have a car to drive.
Well winter has arrived in Chicago. We woke up to snow and it was still snowing at noon. It is supposed to snow more tonight. The high for a good part of the week is only supposed to be in the 20's. So please pray for the missionaries to be safe and to have wisdom beyond their years. We have now had 10 accidents in the past two months and the weather hasn't even been bad yet.
We had dinner on Friday night at the mission home with all 22 of the senior missionaries. It is fun to get together with them and be able to visit and see just how different our missions are depending on what the assignment is. It has become very apparent to me that it doesn't matter where you serve; there are numerous ways and needs for seniors to serve. And, as long as you do your best, the Lord always makes sure that it is enough.
We have and are growing in so many ways even though transfer weeks are crazy. We love our mission because we are serving side by side with each other. We love the young missionaries and though they are so young in many ways, they are also quite mature in others. And just like us, if they will do the best they can, the Lord will always make up the difference. He knows us, loves us and always tailors opportunities and challenges specifically for us to be able to stretch and grow in ways and areas we didn't necessarily know we needed to. May your week be blessed as you strive a little harder to be just a little bit better. I promise He will bless you and help you as you strive to be and give your best. Til next week.
Elder Taggart
They are driving me over the edge.......
November 16, 2014
Dear Family and Friends,
Transfer week.....not my favorite. We welcomed in 13 amazing, wide-eyed missionaries and said goodbye to 11 teary-eyed missionaries. In the process, 53 changes were made to companionships and several apartment swaps took place. When you get 11 Elders in, we have to move Sisters to accommodate the increasing numbers of Elders. Then I am supposed to happily return to my desk and figure out where Waldo went. It doesn't matter that you have 65 letters to change the addresses on, the phone keeps ringing, supplies need shelving and re-ordering, and referrals keep popping up to be assigned to missionaries in their area. Add to this a drive to Waukegan (45 min away) to pick up a repaired car. Whew! Will I survive?
Imagine my surprize when I get a request on Thursday from the President and 2 assistants to make "the commitment quilt project." And we need the design, fabrics, and other supplies to make it happen by Tuesday, the first of 4 Zone Conferences. I was planning on attending all the Zone Conferences anyway to help my hubby inspect 74 cars in sub-freezing temperatures. Why? a) because I love exposing myself to the possibility of frostbite b) because I'm an outdoor kind of girl c) because I love my husband---"you freeze, I freeze!"
Friday night was our Senior dinner, so Saturday was my only day to fabric shop and get it all together. They want the handprint of every missionary. Their idea is to have a quilt block per each missionary and have me stitch around each little finger and they stitch the blocks together. GET REAL--we have 200 missionaries, I work full-time, not gonna happen. How about a king sized flat sheet....no blocks? Great--and we can have them dip their hands in paint, each zone a different color. Not on my watch. I taught pre-school for years. They will get paint on their suits, you need 2-3 hours of drying time, the sheet will get moved and ruin a Sister's perfect handprint. (at this point, the Pres. said, "You sound like a mother or grandmother." SURPRISE!!) How about fabric hands in their zone color attached with Wonder Under? What is wonder under? Oh, and we want FEAR NOT I AM WITH THEE across the top in bold appliquéd letters, the Chicago Skyline in silhouette appliqued in the middle of the quilt and our mission scripture written at the bottom. (Alma 26:22....73 words plus punctuation and reference. So we're talking 200 adult handprints plus 22 Senior handprints, a skyline silhouette, two scriptures---are you sure that's all? And you want this done by the time I leave in May? Oh no---Dec. 15.( At this point I'm thinking, Did you forget you gave me the assignment to put together a gift box for Christmas for 40 missionaries who never get anything from home....also by Dec. 15?) I've got to start eating wheat again so I can "run and not be weary and walk and not faint." Each missionary will sign his name and also write one of his fears or sins to be covered the fabric hand.
They are trying to push me over the edge. We are down one couple in the office now so i've taken on part of my old responsibilities. No sweat. This will be continued I'm sure........
"Sister, where is your baptismal record?"
"We will mail it by the end of the week."
"Today is Friday."
"(laugh) ---oh---by Monday?"
We noticed 4 police cars gathered around a vacant house near our apartment.
"Did you hear gunshots last night?"
"No, did you?"
"No--must be a drug bust then." ONLY IN CHICAGO
"Sister Taggart, we have about 20 Polish speaking people who want to learn English. Is there a book for that?"
One of the women at the bank said, "Your new young recruits are amazing." Does she think we put up Wanted--You recruit posters? No--a prophet extends a call and they come. We have been warned not to give any Mormon literature out to those in the bank. Our young missionaries have been instructed to smile and be examples but not say a thing about the church to anyone in or around the bank. Imagine my surprize when I was confronted twice this week by bank employees.....in the bathroom. I was cautious--looking for hidden cameras in the lights or wires running into the pockets of those asking me questions. Was this a trap???
"How old are these missionaries?"
"What do they do?"
"Who pays?"
"They can't see their families or friends for 2 years?"
"Where do they live, with host families?"
"How long are they here?"
"My son could never be a Mormon."
I called 2 Elders to go to the hospital to give a Priesthood blessing, two others to take the sacrament to someone in a different hospital (cleared through a Bishop first), and 2 others to find some forgotten soul in a group home. They are more than willing and eager to serve.
We have Elders serving here from Nepal, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Chile, and Germany. I am getting the hang of their accents. Our Sisters from Italy, Poland, and Australia are easier to understand.
I went to vacuum the office after transfers and couldn't find the vacuum. Being the tidy person I am, I always put it back where it belongs. Not everyone does. So I began to ask, "Where is our vacuum?" At any given time we have 1-2 in our office, new or old, as apartments open or close. Now our floor has leaves and crumbs all over it and we have no vacuum. It finally came out Sister ____ had left it out in the conference room where we keep supplies. Our 83 year old Sister came in one day, ask Elder______ if there was an extra vacuum, was told to go look in the conference room, found our vacuum, and marched out with it under our very noses. And she didn't even have on her gorilla suit as a disguise!!!
One Elder excitedly told me, "You sent us a referral. We had stopped by her house 3-4 times and she was never there. She never answered her phone. (she had typed 1 digit wrong in the referral system) We were about to drop her when we noticed an email address. We contacted her via email and she responded "I've been waiting 3 weeks for your visit!" She had had many Mormon friends in college and liked what they had. Six weeks after contacting her, she was baptized.
And so our time here in Chicago goes. They have 400,000 tons of salt waiting for another glorious winter here. We shuffle as fast as we can most day just trying to keep pace with these missionaries. Our can turned 100,000 miles on Saturday. I think I have a few more than that on me. We love the work. We recognize the Lord's hand in our lives daily. He is in the details of all of our lives. Watch for Him in yours.
Sister Taggart
Dear Family and Friends,
Transfer week.....not my favorite. We welcomed in 13 amazing, wide-eyed missionaries and said goodbye to 11 teary-eyed missionaries. In the process, 53 changes were made to companionships and several apartment swaps took place. When you get 11 Elders in, we have to move Sisters to accommodate the increasing numbers of Elders. Then I am supposed to happily return to my desk and figure out where Waldo went. It doesn't matter that you have 65 letters to change the addresses on, the phone keeps ringing, supplies need shelving and re-ordering, and referrals keep popping up to be assigned to missionaries in their area. Add to this a drive to Waukegan (45 min away) to pick up a repaired car. Whew! Will I survive?
Imagine my surprize when I get a request on Thursday from the President and 2 assistants to make "the commitment quilt project." And we need the design, fabrics, and other supplies to make it happen by Tuesday, the first of 4 Zone Conferences. I was planning on attending all the Zone Conferences anyway to help my hubby inspect 74 cars in sub-freezing temperatures. Why? a) because I love exposing myself to the possibility of frostbite b) because I'm an outdoor kind of girl c) because I love my husband---"you freeze, I freeze!"
Friday night was our Senior dinner, so Saturday was my only day to fabric shop and get it all together. They want the handprint of every missionary. Their idea is to have a quilt block per each missionary and have me stitch around each little finger and they stitch the blocks together. GET REAL--we have 200 missionaries, I work full-time, not gonna happen. How about a king sized flat sheet....no blocks? Great--and we can have them dip their hands in paint, each zone a different color. Not on my watch. I taught pre-school for years. They will get paint on their suits, you need 2-3 hours of drying time, the sheet will get moved and ruin a Sister's perfect handprint. (at this point, the Pres. said, "You sound like a mother or grandmother." SURPRISE!!) How about fabric hands in their zone color attached with Wonder Under? What is wonder under? Oh, and we want FEAR NOT I AM WITH THEE across the top in bold appliquéd letters, the Chicago Skyline in silhouette appliqued in the middle of the quilt and our mission scripture written at the bottom. (Alma 26:22....73 words plus punctuation and reference. So we're talking 200 adult handprints plus 22 Senior handprints, a skyline silhouette, two scriptures---are you sure that's all? And you want this done by the time I leave in May? Oh no---Dec. 15.( At this point I'm thinking, Did you forget you gave me the assignment to put together a gift box for Christmas for 40 missionaries who never get anything from home....also by Dec. 15?) I've got to start eating wheat again so I can "run and not be weary and walk and not faint." Each missionary will sign his name and also write one of his fears or sins to be covered the fabric hand.
They are trying to push me over the edge. We are down one couple in the office now so i've taken on part of my old responsibilities. No sweat. This will be continued I'm sure........
"Sister, where is your baptismal record?"
"We will mail it by the end of the week."
"Today is Friday."
"(laugh) ---oh---by Monday?"
We noticed 4 police cars gathered around a vacant house near our apartment.
"Did you hear gunshots last night?"
"No, did you?"
"No--must be a drug bust then." ONLY IN CHICAGO
"Sister Taggart, we have about 20 Polish speaking people who want to learn English. Is there a book for that?"
One of the women at the bank said, "Your new young recruits are amazing." Does she think we put up Wanted--You recruit posters? No--a prophet extends a call and they come. We have been warned not to give any Mormon literature out to those in the bank. Our young missionaries have been instructed to smile and be examples but not say a thing about the church to anyone in or around the bank. Imagine my surprize when I was confronted twice this week by bank employees.....in the bathroom. I was cautious--looking for hidden cameras in the lights or wires running into the pockets of those asking me questions. Was this a trap???
"How old are these missionaries?"
"What do they do?"
"Who pays?"
"They can't see their families or friends for 2 years?"
"Where do they live, with host families?"
"How long are they here?"
"My son could never be a Mormon."
I called 2 Elders to go to the hospital to give a Priesthood blessing, two others to take the sacrament to someone in a different hospital (cleared through a Bishop first), and 2 others to find some forgotten soul in a group home. They are more than willing and eager to serve.
We have Elders serving here from Nepal, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Chile, and Germany. I am getting the hang of their accents. Our Sisters from Italy, Poland, and Australia are easier to understand.
I went to vacuum the office after transfers and couldn't find the vacuum. Being the tidy person I am, I always put it back where it belongs. Not everyone does. So I began to ask, "Where is our vacuum?" At any given time we have 1-2 in our office, new or old, as apartments open or close. Now our floor has leaves and crumbs all over it and we have no vacuum. It finally came out Sister ____ had left it out in the conference room where we keep supplies. Our 83 year old Sister came in one day, ask Elder______ if there was an extra vacuum, was told to go look in the conference room, found our vacuum, and marched out with it under our very noses. And she didn't even have on her gorilla suit as a disguise!!!
One Elder excitedly told me, "You sent us a referral. We had stopped by her house 3-4 times and she was never there. She never answered her phone. (she had typed 1 digit wrong in the referral system) We were about to drop her when we noticed an email address. We contacted her via email and she responded "I've been waiting 3 weeks for your visit!" She had had many Mormon friends in college and liked what they had. Six weeks after contacting her, she was baptized.
And so our time here in Chicago goes. They have 400,000 tons of salt waiting for another glorious winter here. We shuffle as fast as we can most day just trying to keep pace with these missionaries. Our can turned 100,000 miles on Saturday. I think I have a few more than that on me. We love the work. We recognize the Lord's hand in our lives daily. He is in the details of all of our lives. Watch for Him in yours.
Sister Taggart
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Blessings
Just one week left and the atmosphere in the office will change. One
couple is going home and hopefully with them most of the discord will
also leave. Enough said.
Claudia and I picked up a new Nissan Frontier pick-up truck. She was following me in our car as we drove the hour and fifteen minutes back. With only 7 miles on this new truck, I stopped at a light and looked in the rear view mirror just as Claudia realized that I had stopped. The look of horror on her face said it all as she was laying rubber trying to keep from hitting me. She stopped within one foot of this new truck. After that she was alert and attentive all the way back. She will embellish this story.
Two sister missionaries had stopped at a stop sign, looked both ways and proceeded into the intersection. Traffic coming the other direction didn't have a stop sign. They obviously didn't see the police car that t-boned them on the passenger side, totaling a second car in just weeks. The sisters were blessed in that neither of them was injured other than some bruising from the seat belt. To add insult to injury, our driver was ticketed and has also lost her driving privileges for the rest of her mission.
An Elder calls me on Saturday night to let me know that he had just run into the rear end of a car with his bike. He was coming down a hill, obviously too fast and couldn't stop in time. The Elder and his bike were ok, but the bumper and rear windshield wiper of the car were damaged by his resilient body.
We had a trio of Sisters to dinner at our place on Wednesday and 2 Elders to dinner on Thursday night. It is always such a blessing to us to have these young missionaries in our home for a meal. We love getting to know them; to learn of their stories both personally and in their missionaries adventures. We are uplifted by their spirits and humbled to hear some of their personal stories.
I was blessed to be able to arrange to have 6 strong Elders unload the moving truck for dear friends who had just moved from the Seattle to Texas. The Elders were blessed because of their service and our friends were blessed in several ways by their service.
I have been fighting a chest cold this week, but have been blessed that this old body has been able to fight and I have been able to accomplish all that has been necessary.
In everything around me, I see the hand of the Lord blessing and lifting me and others in so many ways. I marvel as I witness the protection He provides missionaries, when they could have been seriously injured. I am convinced that as each of us presses forward in faith striving to do and be the best we can, He blesses and sustains us to be able to accomplish all that He wants us to do. May your week be filled with blessings from a loving Father in Heaven and may you be blessed to see His hand in those blessings.
Elder Taggart
Claudia and I picked up a new Nissan Frontier pick-up truck. She was following me in our car as we drove the hour and fifteen minutes back. With only 7 miles on this new truck, I stopped at a light and looked in the rear view mirror just as Claudia realized that I had stopped. The look of horror on her face said it all as she was laying rubber trying to keep from hitting me. She stopped within one foot of this new truck. After that she was alert and attentive all the way back. She will embellish this story.
Two sister missionaries had stopped at a stop sign, looked both ways and proceeded into the intersection. Traffic coming the other direction didn't have a stop sign. They obviously didn't see the police car that t-boned them on the passenger side, totaling a second car in just weeks. The sisters were blessed in that neither of them was injured other than some bruising from the seat belt. To add insult to injury, our driver was ticketed and has also lost her driving privileges for the rest of her mission.
An Elder calls me on Saturday night to let me know that he had just run into the rear end of a car with his bike. He was coming down a hill, obviously too fast and couldn't stop in time. The Elder and his bike were ok, but the bumper and rear windshield wiper of the car were damaged by his resilient body.
We had a trio of Sisters to dinner at our place on Wednesday and 2 Elders to dinner on Thursday night. It is always such a blessing to us to have these young missionaries in our home for a meal. We love getting to know them; to learn of their stories both personally and in their missionaries adventures. We are uplifted by their spirits and humbled to hear some of their personal stories.
I was blessed to be able to arrange to have 6 strong Elders unload the moving truck for dear friends who had just moved from the Seattle to Texas. The Elders were blessed because of their service and our friends were blessed in several ways by their service.
I have been fighting a chest cold this week, but have been blessed that this old body has been able to fight and I have been able to accomplish all that has been necessary.
In everything around me, I see the hand of the Lord blessing and lifting me and others in so many ways. I marvel as I witness the protection He provides missionaries, when they could have been seriously injured. I am convinced that as each of us presses forward in faith striving to do and be the best we can, He blesses and sustains us to be able to accomplish all that He wants us to do. May your week be filled with blessings from a loving Father in Heaven and may you be blessed to see His hand in those blessings.
Elder Taggart
another week, another blessing,and so it continues
Nov 9, 2014
Talking to an Elder this week, we discovered he was on the crew who framed our new house. I felt some satisfaction that we may have helped finance his mission. My pride turned to anxiety when I heard him say, "Ya--that was the only time I have done that but it was cool!" Do we put the house on the market immediately? We knew he lived in American Fork but for him to have built our house--what are the odds?? And perhaps that explains why the granite backsplash in the kitchen is 1 inch away from the wall.
I have been the designated driver as we picked up a new Nissan Frontier truck from Crystal lake and a new Subaru Legacy this week. I almost rear-ended the new truck as Elder Taggart stopped and I didn't notice for a second or two. I laid some serious rubber and he said the look on my face was priceless--like out of a horror movie. I was grateful to angels who helped my car stop in time. Elder Taggart said I probably used 100 miles worth of rubber on that one stop. I can now understand--somewhat--how our missionaries have lapses in driving. Sisters totaled a car when a police car T-boned the passenger side of their car. The Sisters got the ticket, the car got totaled. An Elder backed a 2015 car into a parked car, a good trick since his companion was standing outside the car to help him back up. (a mission rule.)
"You aren't like our Catholic Sisters, are you? Don't you have a husband? Why does your nametag say Sister?" said a lady I met in the bathroom this week.
Thus started an impromptu discussion about why I am called Sister. We are all God's children and that makes us all brothers and sisters.
"Do you go to that big pretty church on Lake Avenue on Sundays?"
No, that is our temple. We go there but it is closed on Sunday.
"My mom says it's amazing inside with a stage and electronics for lights and music."
No, actually it is a calm, quiet place with no stage, no performers of music. We all wear white, speak only in whispers, and it is a pretty basic place. (I'm thinking, why doesn't she ask me about Mormon doctrine?)
"So your church doesn't believe in music in your services?"
I wanted to say.....Hello, Mormon Tabernacle Choir.....but I resisted. I calmly explained about the music in our meetings. What goes on in the temple has more to do with making covenants with God than singing and our regular worship services.
"Well I'll have to tell my mom she is wrong about the technology in that nice building."
Successful missionary contact? Probably not.
"Sister Taggart, I got two boxes last week and I'm not sure they are for me."
"Do they have your name on them?"
"Yes but I never get boxes. I'm sure they're for a different Elder ______"
"There is no other Elder ________. Keep the boxes, you deserve them."
We fed 3 Sister missionaries dinner Wed. night and 2 Elders Thurs. night. The Sisters eat like birds so the Elders got leftovers, chicken from Costco, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, salad, and dessert. We are thankful for our missionaries and now I won't need to fix Thanksgiving dinner.
Petty cash....who knew I would need a degree in accounting to do this job. Crooks are leaving in a week so Elder Crook is trying to settle all accounts before he leaves. He wanted to get rid of my petty cash box once and for all. It has been an irritant to him since we got here. Why do we need to have it. He is over finances and why have a petty cash box? I collect payment for nametags ($4 each) mini-Preach My Gospel books ($4 each) pocket Book of Mormons if they want them ($4 each), postage to the mailman if anything has postage due and a bunch of misc. items. We got a $5 rebate from an auto light on a mission car. The auditor shows up and we spend time trying to resolve this "problem". Elder Crook wants to deposit all my petty cash. All well and good until the mailman needs $1.15.....then who has change? An Elder gives me cash for a nametag....do we make $4 deposits when that happens each time. And what category do we put them under? Then Elder Crook wanted me to enter a voucher/receipt for everything that goes in or out of the box. That means turning on my computer, getting into IMOS, type a receipt for every transaction and then pick up the receipt when the missionary drops it on the floor because he doesn't care about a receipt. The auditor finally agreed with me, said I could accumulate up to ____ as long as I can keep a log for every transaction, which I had been doing anyway. Thank you, Mr. Auditor, for keeping it simple.
So another week has passed. We are thankful for this opportunity every day. It stretches us both, every day. With the Crooks going home, several missionaries have hit the panic button and asked us when we are leaving. We assure them we still have 6 months to go. Many are relieved to know they will leave before we will. One Elder said, "The mission will be in a world of hurt when the Taggarts leave." It's good to be loved and good to be appreciated. I have long said the Senior couples are the anchors that hold things steady in a mission. Sometimes the voice or reason, sometimes the patient voice that calms, sometimes a voice to remind them who they are and what they are here to accomplish. Elder Taggart has been sick this week with a cold/flu....no fever, just coughing and nasal congestion. He is a workhorse and doesn't let it slow him down much. So onto our next transfer tomorrow.....13 new missionaries in and 10 leaving. I know this drill.....I can do hard things.
Love,
Sister Taggart
Talking to an Elder this week, we discovered he was on the crew who framed our new house. I felt some satisfaction that we may have helped finance his mission. My pride turned to anxiety when I heard him say, "Ya--that was the only time I have done that but it was cool!" Do we put the house on the market immediately? We knew he lived in American Fork but for him to have built our house--what are the odds?? And perhaps that explains why the granite backsplash in the kitchen is 1 inch away from the wall.
I have been the designated driver as we picked up a new Nissan Frontier truck from Crystal lake and a new Subaru Legacy this week. I almost rear-ended the new truck as Elder Taggart stopped and I didn't notice for a second or two. I laid some serious rubber and he said the look on my face was priceless--like out of a horror movie. I was grateful to angels who helped my car stop in time. Elder Taggart said I probably used 100 miles worth of rubber on that one stop. I can now understand--somewhat--how our missionaries have lapses in driving. Sisters totaled a car when a police car T-boned the passenger side of their car. The Sisters got the ticket, the car got totaled. An Elder backed a 2015 car into a parked car, a good trick since his companion was standing outside the car to help him back up. (a mission rule.)
"You aren't like our Catholic Sisters, are you? Don't you have a husband? Why does your nametag say Sister?" said a lady I met in the bathroom this week.
Thus started an impromptu discussion about why I am called Sister. We are all God's children and that makes us all brothers and sisters.
"Do you go to that big pretty church on Lake Avenue on Sundays?"
No, that is our temple. We go there but it is closed on Sunday.
"My mom says it's amazing inside with a stage and electronics for lights and music."
No, actually it is a calm, quiet place with no stage, no performers of music. We all wear white, speak only in whispers, and it is a pretty basic place. (I'm thinking, why doesn't she ask me about Mormon doctrine?)
"So your church doesn't believe in music in your services?"
I wanted to say.....Hello, Mormon Tabernacle Choir.....but I resisted. I calmly explained about the music in our meetings. What goes on in the temple has more to do with making covenants with God than singing and our regular worship services.
"Well I'll have to tell my mom she is wrong about the technology in that nice building."
Successful missionary contact? Probably not.
"Sister Taggart, I got two boxes last week and I'm not sure they are for me."
"Do they have your name on them?"
"Yes but I never get boxes. I'm sure they're for a different Elder ______"
"There is no other Elder ________. Keep the boxes, you deserve them."
We fed 3 Sister missionaries dinner Wed. night and 2 Elders Thurs. night. The Sisters eat like birds so the Elders got leftovers, chicken from Costco, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, salad, and dessert. We are thankful for our missionaries and now I won't need to fix Thanksgiving dinner.
Petty cash....who knew I would need a degree in accounting to do this job. Crooks are leaving in a week so Elder Crook is trying to settle all accounts before he leaves. He wanted to get rid of my petty cash box once and for all. It has been an irritant to him since we got here. Why do we need to have it. He is over finances and why have a petty cash box? I collect payment for nametags ($4 each) mini-Preach My Gospel books ($4 each) pocket Book of Mormons if they want them ($4 each), postage to the mailman if anything has postage due and a bunch of misc. items. We got a $5 rebate from an auto light on a mission car. The auditor shows up and we spend time trying to resolve this "problem". Elder Crook wants to deposit all my petty cash. All well and good until the mailman needs $1.15.....then who has change? An Elder gives me cash for a nametag....do we make $4 deposits when that happens each time. And what category do we put them under? Then Elder Crook wanted me to enter a voucher/receipt for everything that goes in or out of the box. That means turning on my computer, getting into IMOS, type a receipt for every transaction and then pick up the receipt when the missionary drops it on the floor because he doesn't care about a receipt. The auditor finally agreed with me, said I could accumulate up to ____ as long as I can keep a log for every transaction, which I had been doing anyway. Thank you, Mr. Auditor, for keeping it simple.
So another week has passed. We are thankful for this opportunity every day. It stretches us both, every day. With the Crooks going home, several missionaries have hit the panic button and asked us when we are leaving. We assure them we still have 6 months to go. Many are relieved to know they will leave before we will. One Elder said, "The mission will be in a world of hurt when the Taggarts leave." It's good to be loved and good to be appreciated. I have long said the Senior couples are the anchors that hold things steady in a mission. Sometimes the voice or reason, sometimes the patient voice that calms, sometimes a voice to remind them who they are and what they are here to accomplish. Elder Taggart has been sick this week with a cold/flu....no fever, just coughing and nasal congestion. He is a workhorse and doesn't let it slow him down much. So onto our next transfer tomorrow.....13 new missionaries in and 10 leaving. I know this drill.....I can do hard things.
Love,
Sister Taggart
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Service with a smile
Last Monday night, we went out to dinner at Fogo De Chao with the Crooks
and the Abbotts from the office. The Crooks only have two weeks before
they return home so thiS was a farewell dinner. Food and company was
wonderful but a bit on the pricey side.
By Wednesday I had received calls from two missionaries informing me that they had left their iPad on top of the car as they drove off, and oh yeh, they are no where to be found. One Elder said they found his iPad case 8 miles from where he left it on the car. But no iPad to be found. He was pleased that it had stayed on the car that long. He asked me if it would cost him $400 to replace it and I replied, no I will give you the Elder ____ discount. He said, so it will. Ostrow me $500 then, right. I told him I liked his math. Honestly there are times I wish that. Could charge missionaries for some of the things that happen to iPads, cars and cell phones because they shut their brain off and didn't think. But I can't.
The first snow flurries appeared on Halloween and our first frost was last night. On the news they said that is almost a month early. So we fear this winter just might be crazier than last year when we set the record for the coldest winter on record and had the 2nd most snowfall with 84 inches. Oh goody.
We had Sisters to dinner last night and then went teaching with them. Sadly the lady they had an appointment with was either not home or wouldn't answer the doorbell or her phone. These young people face rejection and disappointment all of the time, yet they remain upbeat and positive. I am so impressed by the caliber of the youth today even they don't always engage their brain before doing some things.
As we left the grocery store yesterday, I had the opportunity to do a good turn. A man was standing by his car with jumper cables obviously hoping that someone would be kind enough to help him. I gladly did so and we got his car started just as his wife came out with the groceries. He thanked me and they were on their way. It always feels good to help someone in need.
Last night I received a call from a hesitant missionary. He had just backed their 2015 Toyota Corolla with less than 1,000 miles on it into another car. And so the car fun continues.
I get to help with the lesson in Sunday School today. The teacher called me last night and asked, since I had been a stake president, would I be willing to take a few minutes to explain the role of the stake and how the stake and the mission work together to hasten the work of salvation. Thinking about that brought back a flood of memories and experiences of 17 years in the stake presidency working with lots of wonderful people to know and to do what the Lord wanted us to do.
The picture below is one wall of Claudia's cubicle. It is one of two walls of missionaries we love and serve with. Being the overachiever she has always been, she is making a scrapbook page for each missionary so that in years to come, we can remember each one and their impact on our lives.
A dear friend and business associate, Linda, is moving to Texas to be close to family. She retired on Friday after many years helping many of us accomplish what we did. After talking with her a few weeks ago, I contacted the mission office there and have arranged for missionaries to help them unpack their belongings this coming week. Missionaries are hard workers and they love to serve.
May your week be filled with opportunities and blessings of service. Look for someone to lift or cheer this week and I promise you your life will be blessed just because you took time to care.
Elder Taggart
By Wednesday I had received calls from two missionaries informing me that they had left their iPad on top of the car as they drove off, and oh yeh, they are no where to be found. One Elder said they found his iPad case 8 miles from where he left it on the car. But no iPad to be found. He was pleased that it had stayed on the car that long. He asked me if it would cost him $400 to replace it and I replied, no I will give you the Elder ____ discount. He said, so it will. Ostrow me $500 then, right. I told him I liked his math. Honestly there are times I wish that. Could charge missionaries for some of the things that happen to iPads, cars and cell phones because they shut their brain off and didn't think. But I can't.
The first snow flurries appeared on Halloween and our first frost was last night. On the news they said that is almost a month early. So we fear this winter just might be crazier than last year when we set the record for the coldest winter on record and had the 2nd most snowfall with 84 inches. Oh goody.
We had Sisters to dinner last night and then went teaching with them. Sadly the lady they had an appointment with was either not home or wouldn't answer the doorbell or her phone. These young people face rejection and disappointment all of the time, yet they remain upbeat and positive. I am so impressed by the caliber of the youth today even they don't always engage their brain before doing some things.
As we left the grocery store yesterday, I had the opportunity to do a good turn. A man was standing by his car with jumper cables obviously hoping that someone would be kind enough to help him. I gladly did so and we got his car started just as his wife came out with the groceries. He thanked me and they were on their way. It always feels good to help someone in need.
Last night I received a call from a hesitant missionary. He had just backed their 2015 Toyota Corolla with less than 1,000 miles on it into another car. And so the car fun continues.
I get to help with the lesson in Sunday School today. The teacher called me last night and asked, since I had been a stake president, would I be willing to take a few minutes to explain the role of the stake and how the stake and the mission work together to hasten the work of salvation. Thinking about that brought back a flood of memories and experiences of 17 years in the stake presidency working with lots of wonderful people to know and to do what the Lord wanted us to do.
The picture below is one wall of Claudia's cubicle. It is one of two walls of missionaries we love and serve with. Being the overachiever she has always been, she is making a scrapbook page for each missionary so that in years to come, we can remember each one and their impact on our lives.
A dear friend and business associate, Linda, is moving to Texas to be close to family. She retired on Friday after many years helping many of us accomplish what we did. After talking with her a few weeks ago, I contacted the mission office there and have arranged for missionaries to help them unpack their belongings this coming week. Missionaries are hard workers and they love to serve.
May your week be filled with opportunities and blessings of service. Look for someone to lift or cheer this week and I promise you your life will be blessed just because you took time to care.
Elder Taggart
bird's eye view
November 2, 2014
Sometimes this mission seems like an "out-of-body" experience. I should not have "news" every week. We wake up early, get ready, head to the office and put in a 9 hour day. I answer the phones and solve problems all day long. We come home, fix our evening meal, read our scriptures together, sometimes do laundry or I do missionary mending, and Elder Taggart answers calls about cars or ipads all night. Then we get up and do it again.
As we meet with the Mission President each week, we realize we are the glue or stabalizing force for all these young Elders and Sisters. Shifts in rules and guidelines occur when their wisdom doesn't match their experience.
1/ No more weapons will be allowed. (blow dart guns specifically) Missionaries aren't supposed to have weapons at all. We have gone back and forth discussing pepper spray or mace. This week it wasn't a missionary protecting himself against thugs of Chicago. It was an Elder hitting a squirrel in the neck with a blow dart gun. We live in very crowded conditions in Chicago. There are eyes and ears everywhere. Fortunately for the squirrel but unfortunately for the Elder--a member of PITA was watching and reported the incident. Thus the rule....no more weapons.
Then an Elder teaches a family in "the Hood". This is their 3rd or 4th lesson and they are moving closer to baptism. At 10:30 PM those same Elders get a call from the family. Their son has been shot in the face and is at the hospital. This 20 year old missionary immediately feels like a Priesthood blessing is needed. He calls the Pres. and gets permission to go to the hospital. He gives this young man a blessing before surgery. The next day this young man is moved off the critical list. They left the bullet in his neck because it was to tricky to remove but they expect a complete recovery. The faith and Priesthood of that young Elder helped facilitate a miracle in the kid who was shot.
2/ No more sleepovers. "President, tomorrow we have a meeting up there so may we just drive up tonight and stay at the other Sister's apartment?" The church says one companionship is the standard arrangement in any given apartment. Any more than that is a party.
3/ Missionaries may not donate blood. Their schedule is harder than ours. They are riding bikes, catching trains or buses, walking. Two days later a picture appears on Facebook of two sisters donating blood. Enough said.
A white Elder was riding his bike in a predominately black part of the city.l This big black dude came running up, punched the Elder in the helmet, tipping the Elder and the bike over. He was then going to take the bike. The Elder hung onto the bike for all he was worth. The black guy persisted. Finally the Elder pulled off his nametag and held it up to the would-be-thief and said, "Hey, see this? I'M ONE OF THE JESUS BOYS." With that, the black man let go of the bike, apologized, gave the Elder a hug, and walked away. As the nurse later examined the egg-sized lump on his forehead, she asked him why he didn't just give up the bike. This 19 year old explained, "I've already lost 3 bikes in 3 transfers. I wasn't about to lose a fourth."
"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88)
I am watching this happen every day here in Chicago. A friend from Seattle asked me this week how dangerous Chicago really is. I don't feel a danger for us or our missionaries if they are obedient with exactness.
I had an extremely irrate man call me to see why "my" missionaries had not contacted the referral he gave them last Monday. I calmly tried to explain the possible reasons. Monday is their preparation day where they are cleaning, grocery shopping, playing ball. (or shooting squirrels in the neck with blow darts!) These Elders happened to try to assign the referral themselves without involving me or the referral system---with little success obviously. He wanted results immediately. I tried to explain my computer and maps were at the office above a bank and the bank was closed. Finally he agreed to give me until Monday! Whew! Sometimes our Elders are 18 and 19 and act accordingly. Mmmmmm a game of soccer or find Jose......we'll find him after the game, maybe.
We had frost this morning. It can't possibly be that time of year already. We had snow on Halloween. So about Halloween....a pagan holiday we all celebrate either by buying big bags of candy or by wearing costumes. I found a "secretary wig" at Wallmart for $3. Perfect. I donned
it and off to work we went. The bank people loved it, our office staff chuckled, I personally got a horrid headache from the vise-grip of a wig. Then a gorilla entered our office, handing out bananas. It was our 84 year old Sister, nametag and all. She was quickly followed by our bank security. He demanded she take the mask off and be identified--all joking aside--this is a bank!! So even 84 year olds can have a lapse in protocal.
We had a wonderful Skype fireside last Sunday night with our eldest granddaughter. She shared mission experiences from her mission to the Dominican Republic. It was wonderful to share in her adventures, see all of our posterity that live in Utah, and know Brianne is safe in the USA again. She had an amazing mission and we can see so much depth and growth in her. Job well done and strong to the finish.
All in all it's been another good week. We had Sisters to dinner last night, two sweet angels. What an opportunity this is, to have a bird's eye of a mission in action.We love you and miss you. Try not to have any lapses in judgment this week.
Sister Taggart
Sometimes this mission seems like an "out-of-body" experience. I should not have "news" every week. We wake up early, get ready, head to the office and put in a 9 hour day. I answer the phones and solve problems all day long. We come home, fix our evening meal, read our scriptures together, sometimes do laundry or I do missionary mending, and Elder Taggart answers calls about cars or ipads all night. Then we get up and do it again.
As we meet with the Mission President each week, we realize we are the glue or stabalizing force for all these young Elders and Sisters. Shifts in rules and guidelines occur when their wisdom doesn't match their experience.
1/ No more weapons will be allowed. (blow dart guns specifically) Missionaries aren't supposed to have weapons at all. We have gone back and forth discussing pepper spray or mace. This week it wasn't a missionary protecting himself against thugs of Chicago. It was an Elder hitting a squirrel in the neck with a blow dart gun. We live in very crowded conditions in Chicago. There are eyes and ears everywhere. Fortunately for the squirrel but unfortunately for the Elder--a member of PITA was watching and reported the incident. Thus the rule....no more weapons.
Then an Elder teaches a family in "the Hood". This is their 3rd or 4th lesson and they are moving closer to baptism. At 10:30 PM those same Elders get a call from the family. Their son has been shot in the face and is at the hospital. This 20 year old missionary immediately feels like a Priesthood blessing is needed. He calls the Pres. and gets permission to go to the hospital. He gives this young man a blessing before surgery. The next day this young man is moved off the critical list. They left the bullet in his neck because it was to tricky to remove but they expect a complete recovery. The faith and Priesthood of that young Elder helped facilitate a miracle in the kid who was shot.
2/ No more sleepovers. "President, tomorrow we have a meeting up there so may we just drive up tonight and stay at the other Sister's apartment?" The church says one companionship is the standard arrangement in any given apartment. Any more than that is a party.
3/ Missionaries may not donate blood. Their schedule is harder than ours. They are riding bikes, catching trains or buses, walking. Two days later a picture appears on Facebook of two sisters donating blood. Enough said.
A white Elder was riding his bike in a predominately black part of the city.l This big black dude came running up, punched the Elder in the helmet, tipping the Elder and the bike over. He was then going to take the bike. The Elder hung onto the bike for all he was worth. The black guy persisted. Finally the Elder pulled off his nametag and held it up to the would-be-thief and said, "Hey, see this? I'M ONE OF THE JESUS BOYS." With that, the black man let go of the bike, apologized, gave the Elder a hug, and walked away. As the nurse later examined the egg-sized lump on his forehead, she asked him why he didn't just give up the bike. This 19 year old explained, "I've already lost 3 bikes in 3 transfers. I wasn't about to lose a fourth."
"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88)
I am watching this happen every day here in Chicago. A friend from Seattle asked me this week how dangerous Chicago really is. I don't feel a danger for us or our missionaries if they are obedient with exactness.
I had an extremely irrate man call me to see why "my" missionaries had not contacted the referral he gave them last Monday. I calmly tried to explain the possible reasons. Monday is their preparation day where they are cleaning, grocery shopping, playing ball. (or shooting squirrels in the neck with blow darts!) These Elders happened to try to assign the referral themselves without involving me or the referral system---with little success obviously. He wanted results immediately. I tried to explain my computer and maps were at the office above a bank and the bank was closed. Finally he agreed to give me until Monday! Whew! Sometimes our Elders are 18 and 19 and act accordingly. Mmmmmm a game of soccer or find Jose......we'll find him after the game, maybe.
We had frost this morning. It can't possibly be that time of year already. We had snow on Halloween. So about Halloween....a pagan holiday we all celebrate either by buying big bags of candy or by wearing costumes. I found a "secretary wig" at Wallmart for $3. Perfect. I donned
it and off to work we went. The bank people loved it, our office staff chuckled, I personally got a horrid headache from the vise-grip of a wig. Then a gorilla entered our office, handing out bananas. It was our 84 year old Sister, nametag and all. She was quickly followed by our bank security. He demanded she take the mask off and be identified--all joking aside--this is a bank!! So even 84 year olds can have a lapse in protocal.
We had a wonderful Skype fireside last Sunday night with our eldest granddaughter. She shared mission experiences from her mission to the Dominican Republic. It was wonderful to share in her adventures, see all of our posterity that live in Utah, and know Brianne is safe in the USA again. She had an amazing mission and we can see so much depth and growth in her. Job well done and strong to the finish.
All in all it's been another good week. We had Sisters to dinner last night, two sweet angels. What an opportunity this is, to have a bird's eye of a mission in action.We love you and miss you. Try not to have any lapses in judgment this week.
Sister Taggart
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