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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