I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go......." (2)

FYI from Claudia. As you can see by her time-stamp, she finished after I had gone to bed. 

Honestly, I was too tired when we got home from the fireside to really care about writing. And my week was quite hum drum as weeks go. 

I will share one vehicle experience with some Elders. My phone rings, Hi, this is Elder____, we have quite a situation here. How can I help you? Well my companion made a left turn, which apparently was illegal where he did it. The police pulled us over and they are writing him tickets right now. But he didn't have his driver's license on him; he left that in the apartment. And you didn't put the registration and proof of insurance in our car. I assured him that, yes I make sure that is in every car. His companion said to him, it's not in the car because it's on our desk. Why they would take it out of their car is a total mystery to me. The Elder continues, They said they would probably impound and tow the car since there were three violations. Well the officers had mercy on them and didn't two the car. But they cuffed the driver, put in the squad car and took him down to the station where they booked him, tug a mug shot, etc. Fortunately, they released the Elder to his companion.

I spoke to them the next day and they informed me that he was given a mandatory court date, and told that if he failed to appear he would be arrested and incarcerated. So I made sure he knew that whatever he had planned for that day or wherever he was, he must not miss that court appearance. I also told him to make sure that he was extremely humble and not a typical 18 year old. Oh, and that he should pray that he gets a judge who might be merciful and a bit lenient. So I asked him how much the three tickets were. He shyly said, $1500 and then said, Elder Taggart, my parents will kill me if we have to pay that much. I then shared all of the previous advice again. Hopefully once he shows proof of a drivers license and proof of insurance, those two will be dismissed. We then talked about what he had learned from the experience. 

My real highlight for the week was bring able to sing with the young missionaries at the fireside last night. We love these young people. They love us and don't hesitate to tell us so. They always  seem thrilled for a handshake and a hug. We do love what we are doing. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true and we are all known and loved by Father and our Savior. 

Have a great week. 

Elder Taggart

"I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go......."

January 25, 2015

This week has been typical, crazy, and busy. Ernie Banks died. Some may be asking, "Who is Ernie Banks?" A Chicago Cubs baseball player from days gone by. He was the Cubs first black player. He hit 512 home runs in his career with his skinny 185 lb. frame and no steroids to help him.....just determination. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977 on the first ballot. He is a rare player in that his whole career was played on one team....the Cubs. He earned the title of Mr. Cub. It has been all over the news here, a real blow to the community. Even White Sox fans were in mourning.

We fed 2 sets of Elders, Thurs. then Fri. nights this week. I was on the phone with one set of Elders while another set was at my desk. They heard the cancellation, heard I already had a turkey breast in the crock-pot, and chimed in as soon as I hung the phone up, "We're available for dinner tonight." They love being in our home for an hour, having a home-cooked meal, then going back out into the cold cruel world. I had to scramble the second night to feed the original invitees. Costco roasted chicken with leftovers of everything else from the night before was good enough. We have no leftovers now, but they leave a spirit in our home better than leftovers.

RANDOM THOUGHTS
Odd referral name for the week: CLANTCHA. Can't you picture a mother holding a baby in her arms and saying, "You look like a little Clantcha." Some of these names crack me up.

Chicago has a coyote problem. There are 2000 within the city limits and they are even producing little ones in the city limits. Adaptation is the name of their game. I say good for the coyotes!!

A man in our ward got a $400 ticket for walking too close to the commuter train tracks this week. They said they have had too many suicides recently so they are ticketing anyone they see close to the tracks. They don't have enough police to stop the murders, confiscate guns from teens, come to our house for identity theft.....but there were several officers there ticketing commuters as they got off the train. It's all about revenue and how Chicago can make money to keep the insanity going.

I received a pair of suit pants from an Elder this week with a 4" tear (off the seam) across the rear. "Can you mend these?" When I questioned how it had happened---I almost told him no. A few missionaries decided to build a human pyramid in the gym after district meeting and these pants were the casualty.

A  young sister came into the office this week, took one look at my outfit and said, "I would totally wear that outfit! I would trade clothes with you anyday." I think I have arrived. The jacket was 15 yrs. old, the skirt from Salvation Army, and the blouse a gift from last Christmas. Stylin'

We are not on a count-down but I have hit the panic button. We have 3 months left and no replacement in sight. I am cleaning out drawers and binders at the office and closets and shelves in our apartment. We came in a car and we go home in a car.....without adding a trailer my husband reminds me. How did we accumulate this stuff? I spent my last 6 months in Renton eating down our food storage. Now I'm doing the same thing here. Soup, rice, and chicken. I give food to all the missionaries who eat here. I mailed 4 boxes "home" this week and the car still won't hold all it has to. Hoard and purge seem to be a pattern in my life.

I also started writing detailed instructions to whoever takes over my job. I may not get to train a replacement so I must leave instructions so any warm body can do the tasks I do daily. All systems have changed since I was trained. Referral system with Ipads is completely different. Baptisms are recorded the same but you must bird-dog missionaries to get the signatures they need on the records, mail them in the same month they are baptised in, then reconcile reports, dates, months, and wards, put it all on an excel spreadsheet to attach to an email to 4 stake presidents and the mission president each month. We have an audit coming up. Invoice matching with supplies ordered gets scrutinised by the bearded wonder who audits us yearly. I spent $26,000 on supplies for this mission last year and I can account for every dime. I am more than a cute outfit sitting in an office! So in my spare time I write instructions as if she is as "out of touch" as I was when I got here. (Turn on computer. This is a mouse.)

We were invited to dinner again this Sunday....by the teenage daughters in that home. The parents said, "All the teenagers in our ward love you." We love them too. I guess one Youth Conference was enough for them to know who we are.

Tonight we had a Book of Mormon fireside in the Wilmette Stake. It was packed. 60 missionaries serve in this stake so we were all here. Young families, older families, Spanish ward members (there are 4 in this stake), new converts, investigators all joined for narration, a slide show to go along with music and the spoken word. A harp accompanied our ward's children's choir as they sang "Easter Hosanna" with slides of the Savior coming to the American continent after he was crucified in Jerusalem. After our mission president spoke about the Book of Mormon and sharing the gospel, our missionary choir of 60 sang "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go." I was moved as I looked over and saw my husband surrounded by young Elders. (They all wanted to be by him in rehearsals because he has a good voice.) It feels good to be part of this group.

So that's our week. Nothing spectacular. I tell people we are plodders. We are assigned a job and we just go about doing it the best way we know how, loving those we meet along the way.
We love being part of this work. We love The Lord. We love the Gospel. We know it can change lives.....it certainly has changed ours.

Love,
Sister Taggart

Grateful for simple things

I think my week could be summed up with the word gratitude. Gratitude for simple, seemingly small things. Those things include:

-Gratitude that a Priesthood blessing, cortisone shot, faith and prayers have made it so that Claudia's knee has not been so painful. Thank you for your prayers in our behalf; they are felt.
-We have had an amazing week of weather. Several days this week I wondered if we missed Winter and Spring had arrived. As we drove home from church today, it was 41 degrees with bright sunshine. I know this won't last, but it has been appreciated.
- Zero new accidents this week; the arrival of 3 new cars; 5 being prepared to be sold.
- The quilt is finished! I get my companion back.
- The power, strength and enthusiasm of young missionaries who are full of faith and who press forward knowing that the Lord will sustain and bless them as they continue to be obedient and faithful. Wednesday we practiced a song with 60 missionaries serving in the Wilmette stake. Next Sunday night the missionaries are doing a "Book of Mormon" fireside. This will be the real Book of Mormon musical. There will be musical numbers performed by a variety of missionaries, vocal and instrumental, narrations and then all missionaries will sing "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go".
- the strength and spirit of the senior missionaries serving here is such a blessing. There are 22 senior missionaries serving here. We get together every other month for a potluck dinner and an evening of conversation. The president asked each companionship to share a tender mercy or miracle they have seen in their service. It was sweet to hear of those experiences. The responsibilities are so varied for the different companionships.
- As I worked on income taxes yesterday, I realized our retirement account was only $473 less on Jan. 1 this year versus Jan. 1 last year. What a blessing that they had grown to almost make up for everything we withdrew last year.
- Claudia and I team-taught the gospel principles class today. And I was reminded how much I enjoy being with her and serving with her.

So my week is really summed up as gratitude for many blessings and opportunities. I appreciate each of you and your influence in my life. I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven and for my Savior. I do see and feel their influence in my life and in the lives of those around me. Have a blessed week.

Elder Taggart

If I had not served..........

January 18,2015
This week I have been grateful for missionaries who teach me so much.  They come from Idaho where cultural diversity does not exist. Then they embrace the ethnic and cultural differences here in Chicago like it's as easy as driving a tractor. (Sister Taggart, we're teaching a man from Ethiopia right now. Do we have a Book of Mormon in that language?)

They may be a foster child who was bounced from home to home to home......never feeling stability. They come here with humility and gratitude and a cheerful countenance because they too can be part of this great army and work.

They come with challenges like anxiety or ADD and a loving Heavenly Father helps them channel the energy to share the gospel. Anxiety about getting on trains and talking to strangers turns into the many referrals I assign each week.

They come with gifts and talents and then sing or accompany whenever they are ask. And they sing with all their heart and soul, even though it may only be one note the entire song.

They come from homes where money is plentiful and they had their own room and nice bathroom. Now they live in apartments that make college dorms look like luxury condos. For $1200 a month in Chicago you get an attic apartment or maybe a basement. The Church furnishes a kitchen table, 2 folding chairs, 2 desks, 2 beds, and 2 nightstands. One Sister from Poland said, "This is much nicer than what my family has at home." Yet her family sacrifices so she can be here sharing the gospel.

They come from divorced, dysfunctional homes yet they teach about eternal marriage and forever families with hope in their hearts they can go home and practice what they preach---not what they experienced. (They corner Elder Taggart and I whenever they can and ask how they can have a marriage just like ours. I want to say--"Start in 4th grade.")

They come inside-out shy and their loving companion trains them, encourages them, praises them, and nurtures them until they become confident, sure missionaries.

They come from other countries and enjoy America for 2 years and then go back to their own countries anxious to do missionary work and build the Kingdom in their home countries.

They come with mental and emotional challenges and it is hard. Some don't make it. But some find that when they focus on others, serve diligently, and lose themselves, most of their challenges go away.

One gave up a U of U scholarship to play soccer.
One put medical school on hold.
One walked away from a career as a Jr. High Music teacher. She is paying her own way.
Many go home to bank accounts drained and know they must work a year before getting into school again.
Many, many are the only member of the church in their families.
I am humbled as I watch them teach and bear testimony of how much they love their Savior and the gospel. A religion that does not require sacrifice really doesn't have power to hold us firm.

I watch missionaries who are nervous to go home because of the environment or abuse or anti-Mormon they know awaits them. Our hearts ache as we see them go. We know from experience not all of them will make it.

I finally got Salt Lake to give me an answer on the referral in Vietnam. The Church has no mission there. Vietnam currently has 4 branches in the entire country and 2 missionaries. So they told me to email the Cambodia Phnom Penh Mission. I received a response shortly thereafter that those 2 missionaries would contact the branch of the church closest to her and branch members would meet with her. I know Heavenly Father loves each of His children and tries to reach them one by one through faithful servants. What an honor and blessing to be part of that.

I shook hands with Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy today. He just showed up at our sacrament meeting. I was grateful to be wearing the tag.  There was an unspoken moment as he read it....yes, for now I am a full-time servant too. My pressures and stresses are minuscule compared to his but the consecration of all my time is similar. His family meets every New Years for a reunion. This year they decided to re-focus on better Sabbath Day observance. I love the Sabbath. We listen to church DC's all day, attend Church in a ward we love and feel loved , read from the Book of Mormon, write home and visit with some of our children and grandchildren. I reflected on how many general authorities I have fixed meals for, hosted in my home, been in meetings with, and fixed meals for even here. Today I was grateful to be wearing "the tag". It says much about my priorities and who I am becoming.

So as I try to finish my mission strong I continue to write personal notes to all outgoing missionaries. I'm surprised at how much that means as missionaries call to thank me. We focus on the peace felt in the office. Such a blessing. We watch Senior missionaries leave, and then be replaced with other valiant, selfless Seniors. I am humbled to be part of this group in the church right now. Our efforts may be slower than the young missionaries but sincere nonetheless.

Grateful for the life I have lived thus far. Goad to have no regrets continues on the horizon. By small and simple means, The Lord will continue hastening His work. If I had not served this mission i would have missed so much. Good choice. Have a great week.

Sister Taggart

Glad to be me in spite of myself

Greetings from Chicagoland. We got more snow this week and it hasn't gone anywhere until today because the highs most days this week have been in single digits. Today is balmy, about 32 degrees. Who ever thought you would be excited for it to get up to freezing?

We had a young man from our ward here leave this week to attend Utah State to begin his college studies. He has some challenges socially that have prevented him until now to leave home. He is 21 and after spending 6 months living with an uncle's family in Utah, he and his parents decided he might be able to handle being on his own. Last Sunday I told him that my ancestors had a connection to that school. When his mother dropped him off, they told him to go to the TSC. They didn't know what that stood for. Before she drove away, he came running out of the building excitedly to tell his mother that is was the Taggart Student Center. She told me today how grateful she was that he had made a connection to something familiar that calmed him before she drove off. Who'd of thought that a connection to Taggart would calm and assure him.

Claudia's knee has been causing her much pain lately. After X-rays and an exam this week, the doctor told her that her right knee is bone on bone, thus the pain. I was impressed with him as he explained the possibly options, etc. which ultimately will be a knee replacement. The next morning, he gave her a cortisone injection, which as of today has relieved much of the pain. Hopefully we can buy 4 months of minor pain and have the surgery after we get home in May.

We had the two young Elders who are living right next door come give her a blessing. I have given her 100's over our years of marriage and we felt it would be good experience for them. Elder Warner gave her a beautiful blessing. Now we press forward in faith to finish our labors here.

Hey, how about those Seahawks? I just has to give them a shout out.

We had 7 accidents with mission vehicles this week, so you know what I have been doing. I haven't figured out how to get them to think and to have their brain engaged in what they are doing as they drive. The majority of the accidents continue to be due to not paying attention, lack of judgement or lack of experience.

I was asked to give a blessing today to a sweet sister from Mongolia. They are quite new to the church and thus have not had much experience with those things. So I walked her husband through doing the anointing and then I sealed and gave her a blessing. They are such humble people so full of faith and are here to get an education so they can go back to Mongolia and make a difference for good.

I am grateful for all the Lord has blessed me with and for His trust in me. I love being part of this great work and appreciate all the good people we are meeting as we serve. The gospel is true, a loving Father in Heaven knows us personally and is aware of our every need. He is indeed involved in the very details of our lives. Take time this week to see His hand in our life. We love and miss you all.


Elder Taggart

Needle in my knee, a whole lot of cold, and the quilt is done!!!

January 11, 2015


Every week I think life will be routine, nothing out of the ordinary. Then I am proven wrong.
Apparently, with this cold snap, there are several Sister Missionaries who want my job. Can't blame them, out there in the cold, cruel world at 18 degrees below with the wind chill factor. We just have to run from the parking lot into the warmth of the office---62 degrees this week. The grass is always greener.
A Sister missionary asked me this week, "What is your favorite part of your mission?" It gave me cause to reflect a moment. In order, I would have to say my three favorite parts of my mission are #1 Serving full-time, shoulder to shoulder with Elder Taggart #2 Serving these wonderful young missionaries #3 Being able to get on the computer and match missionaries with needs, no matter where in the world they are. This week I was able to match up Elders in Mexico with a lady dying of cancer who wanted a visit and a blessing. Last week it was Thailand and I am still waiting for Salt Lake to get back to me with the request from Vietnam. To me, that is a miracle.

I chuckle at our missionaries. The other Senior couple was out of the office Tues. serving lunch at the New Missionary Training meeting. As luck would have it, that's when the call came in. "Sister Taggart, our pipes are frozen. We have no water. We have called the landlord and the office and left messages but they don't respond. Do we just sit here and wait for the pipes to thaw?" A) In Chicago, that could be a very long wait. You could wait months for "the thaw." B) We are paying $1200 for that apartment, you better get running water with it---and an indoor toilet C) It's 1:00 in the afternoon. How long can you wait? We found another phone contact for her and he came right over.

We have had 2 sets of missionaries to dinner this week. I have pretty much proven they will eat anything I serve. Some meals are better than others. We just love having them in our home.

My right knee has been giving me fits since this summer. Walking became painful. Sewing 230 hands (yes, I just put 8 more on) on a quilt didn't help. Throwing freight in the supply room of our office doesn't help either. Finally, this week, the pain became unbearable. When you can't sleep--that's pain. So off to Dr. Goldstein we went on Wed. afternoon. How do we select doctors here, you ask? We go to Zoc Doc, find a friendly face that goes with a solid name, and see who has the first opening. So far we've found 2 really good doctors. Dr. Goldstein gave me several options, took x-rays of both knees, came back with fewer options. My right knee is bone on bone, my left knee is not much better. So how to buy me 4 more months before knee replacement surgery??? You guessed it, a shot in my knee. So behind door #3 is a new knee for me as soon as I get home. The cortisone shot didn't work for about 48 hours but when it kicked in (no pun intended) I was able to walk without limping and to sleep. This development opens a whole can of controversy as far as being careful with my knees my whole life.....every knee only has so many bends in it over a lifetime, etc. To the athletes in my family, I didn't have a running chance. (no pun intended) Thanks to arthritis, which is in all my joints, I may be singing this song again.
The neatest experience was having Elders W & W come over and give me a Priesthood blessing. I was promised I would complete my mission without surgery. I was also told this is my refiner's fire and this trial was given to me so I would be more compassionate and have empathy for the pain of others. I was also told this trial is mine because of my great faith and strength. So there you are.....I'm the chosen one for this particular roadblock.(don't trip over it with your bum knee)

We continue to enjoy our time in the office with the Abbotts. Compatible is a good word for us. Another office couple arrives in 2 weeks but still no replacement in sight for us.

THE QUILT IS DONE!!!!!!! 85 hours and 5 of my p-days plus countless hours in the evening. It is done. It is not a masterpiece but will be adequate. I plan on it being the last king-sized quilt I ever make. Pictures will follow when I ever get a place large enough to open the whole thing, which our apartment isn't .

So life continues. We try to do a bit of good every day. We try to lighten the burdens of others. We try to laugh several times each day, at ourselves and our circumstances. We know we get two notches on the belt for these two winters we have lived in Chicago. We are grateful for Celestial Marriages which can exist on earth. And like one Sister suggested, I find joy in the journey each and every day. Maybe you could do the same. It's worth the effort. We love you and miss you.
Sister Taggart 

Happy New Year & Boy it is cold

Happy New Year to each of you. I hope that the Holidays were enjoyable and relaxing for you. We enjoyed being able to have a few days off allowing us the opportunity to relax as we celebrated the Savior's birth. The Ekins came to visit us over Christmas; a visit we thoroughly enjoyed. We played games, talked, laughed and spent on day at the Field Museum with them. Their visit was much more relaxing because we were able to have them sleep, etc in the condo just next door to us. So we were able to have more room to do crafts and to play games.

Thank you to many of you for your cards, letters and even gifts! We enjoyed catching up on your family and activities as we read letters and cards.

I am always excited for one year to end and a new one to begin. 2014 was packed with lots of experiences with young missionaries whom we have grown to love and to consider as family. Since we have been here 19 months, many missionaries who have and are returning home have shared that time with us. I think many of them will continue to be part of our lives since many will be attending BYU in Provo, just down the road from our new house. I am grateful to be able to look back on this past year, to reflect on experiences, challenges and growth and then to ponder what changes, improvements, etc I want to focus on this year. I am very appreciative for the Atonement which makes it possible for us to make minor course corrections and, at times, even major ones to help us to get on the path that will bless and enrich our lives.

Several have come back to Chicago to visit people they grew to love here. Saturday night, the Abbott's joined us and we took Elder Dahiro Chicago Vivas out to dinner. He is from Ecuador and several senior couples helped him to get accepted, registered and then to fly from Ecuador to Idaho where he has just finished his first semester of studies. It was delightful to see his growth and the experiences he is having. He said that if it wasn't for his mission, he never would have had this opportunity to get an education.

The world is really small in the Church. Our granddaughter who just returned from her mission in the Dominican Republic just emailed us that she met a girl at church today who had served here in our mission. The two of them plan to hang out together and no doubt will have many stories to share of this old Taggart couple.

It rained and snowed yesterday and has snowed most of today. We are grateful that this winter has been extremely mild so far, particularly as compared to last winter. But, I think things are about to change. The forecast for this week includes more snow and highs that are in the negatives or just single digits. So we will bundle up and be cautious as we are out.

You are important in my life and I pray that the Lord will bless you abundantly in many ways in 2015. Know that you are loved from Chicago.

Elder Taggart

Happy New Year from Chicagoland

Jan 4, 2015
Happy New Year!!! Sorry we didn't write over the holidays. We had Ekins here and wanted to enjoy every minute withy them.
Christmas away from home is never easy. We had activities to participate in, gifts were finally all delivered, yet there was a yearning to be with family. The Utah and Texas branches had both texted singing together so we briefly got a peek into the window that was our lives and will be our lives. After 2 years away we were grateful they only included 1 song each so it wouldn't hurt so much. Now my vent on Skype.....I dislike it intensely. We know our computer works well with Skype, we did a whole fireside with it......can't say the same for our kids' computers. We got 4 minutes of viewing a 1 1/2 year old grandson we haven't seen since we got here 1 1/2 years ago. One daughter the sound worked but not  the picture,one son the picture worked but not the sound. One daughter had a 5 second sound delay so they spent the whole time pointing at us and laughing. The son who Skypes us regularly had no issues with technology. Thus the less-than-fulfilling visit with children on Christmas.
Ekins arrived in time for Christmas dinner in the evening and it was celebration time. They drove 8 hours from Ohio on Christmas Day to be here and we were grateful. We had great conversation to get caught up, had good food, played games, and relaxed for 5 days. They were able to sleep in the empty apt. next door so there was plenty of room to spread out, do crafts, etc. I think we got more sleep those 5 days than on our whole mission. Ellis would wake up early,, slip out their glass door and into our glass door to help Elder Taggart make breakfast. Fluffy pancakes, muffins, omelettes, with hot cocoa and Cutie oranges. Each day was a new creation. Ellie was so proud she had grown taller this year and didn't need to sit on the counter to help. We watched Night at the Museum before going to the Field Museum and it made the adventure that much more fun. (except our dinosaur bones didn't move) Alas, they had to leave and we came back to reality.
The quilt is nearing completion thanks to helping hands. Our office looks so empty now that boxes are cleared out. My life in the office is much the same....175 letters to readdress my first day back. Who does the letter addressed to Z-DUBS belong to? "Who in Chicago speaks Ethiopian, Sister Taggart? We have an investigator from Ethiopia." Some Elders were checking out my new phone case and the next thing I know, their "selfie" of themselves is my new
screen saver! This life either keeps you young or ages you rapidly!!
Our bonus came when our Elder from Ecuador had a layover in Chicago and the Taggarts and
Abbotts took him out to dinner in Hispanic Chicago.
He has had 1 semester at BYU-I, carried a 19 credit hour load, and got a 4.0 while also serving as the Executive Secretary in the Bishopric. He said he was not a student before his mission but now he finds it easy. His enthusiasm for life and gratitude were contagious. We laughed and enjoyed the common experiences we have had in Chicago. He will be a Church leader someday in Ecuador.
We have snow and it has turned cold this morning. No complaints. We have had a Seattle winter up til now. We loved receiving cards from so many of our old friends and family. Feels good to reconnect with your lives.
We press forward with hope and gladness. As we see each new batch of missionaries arrive, full of hope, our hope in the Church's future increases. We feel gladness as we meet with outgoing or released missionaries because they have blessed our lives. We laugh as we think of 400 extra grandkids we have grown to love and care deeply for.
That which does not kill you makes you stronger. I will be a much stronger person than when I came.
We love the gospel. We love being missionaries. We have grown to love Chicago and the people here. May we all feel the need to share what we know to be true with those waiting to hear our message.

Love,
Sister Taggart