Missionaries, Missionaries Every Where!
You've probably seen Missionaries walking around the streets of your town, two young men, or two young women, smartly dressed with a name tag proudly declaring their name as Elder "Surname" or Sister "Surname" and the name of the Church that they represent. They have probably smiled at you, spoken briefly with you and you've probably thought something along the lines of "How can I make a quick exit?!" and then thought nothing more of them as you've ended the conversation and gone on to your destination.
I get it. Talking about religion in the middle of the street isn't top of most peoples list of fun things to do and it can be a little awkward talking to strangers, especially ones who seem to look super formal, have smiles that could power a small town, be jolly all the time and look like they are young enough to be your child.
And yet... it's honestly a lot of fun talking with these young people.
They really are young. The men are aged between 18 and 25 and the women are between a slightly older 19 and 25. They give up two years (18 months for women) of their life to share the Gospel with others, to serve and to teach and honestly one of their most favourite things to do is to talk with new people.
My family and I have a lot of love for the Missionaries, it's thanks to them that I and the children are members of the Church after all.
If a pair of Missionaries hadn't knocked at my Parents front door many years ago (I'd still like to know which member suggested they come visit with my family as I'd like to thank them properly!) and my parents agreed to have an appointment with them, then I probably wouldn't be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints now.
I probably wouldn't have met my husband and I probably wouldn't have done a lot of things that I love and am known for doing in my local community.
Anyway.
We love feeding the Missionaries as, over the meal that we share together, we swap stories and share tales of conversion or of things that have happened and events which we hope everyone will giggle at or have an interesting point of view on.
The great thing about this is that every few weeks or months, we get new Missionaries who don't know our stories and so we get to tell them all over again! Seriously, how great is the chance to repeat your favourite story to a new appreciative audience every month or two?! Plus, if you're lucky they'll serenade you after you've finished telling stories!
Missionaries love to share their talents with those around them. On my birthday, I have had Missionaries sing Happy Birthday whilst playing the Guitar, Violin and even once accompanied by a Harmonica! I've had Missionaries teach me about plants, help me with building garden furniture and moving heavy items (really appreciated that one!), they have helped me clean homes of people who were in need of service.
After our meal, the Elder's shared a short lesson with us and then went on their way back to the apartment they are staying in whilst they serve in the area I live in, leaving me and my family feeling happy from the laughter we had shared, full of the Spirit from the message and lesson they had shared and ready for our own challenges in the week ahead.
So there you go, maybe next time you see the Missionaries you'll feel more comfortable to stop and chat, or invite them into your home and hear a little more about the religion that they and I share and let me know if you do!
I get it. Talking about religion in the middle of the street isn't top of most peoples list of fun things to do and it can be a little awkward talking to strangers, especially ones who seem to look super formal, have smiles that could power a small town, be jolly all the time and look like they are young enough to be your child.
And yet... it's honestly a lot of fun talking with these young people.
They really are young. The men are aged between 18 and 25 and the women are between a slightly older 19 and 25. They give up two years (18 months for women) of their life to share the Gospel with others, to serve and to teach and honestly one of their most favourite things to do is to talk with new people.
My family and I have a lot of love for the Missionaries, it's thanks to them that I and the children are members of the Church after all.
If a pair of Missionaries hadn't knocked at my Parents front door many years ago (I'd still like to know which member suggested they come visit with my family as I'd like to thank them properly!) and my parents agreed to have an appointment with them, then I probably wouldn't be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints now.
I probably wouldn't have met my husband and I probably wouldn't have done a lot of things that I love and am known for doing in my local community.
Anyway.
We love feeding the Missionaries as, over the meal that we share together, we swap stories and share tales of conversion or of things that have happened and events which we hope everyone will giggle at or have an interesting point of view on.
The great thing about this is that every few weeks or months, we get new Missionaries who don't know our stories and so we get to tell them all over again! Seriously, how great is the chance to repeat your favourite story to a new appreciative audience every month or two?! Plus, if you're lucky they'll serenade you after you've finished telling stories!
Missionaries love to share their talents with those around them. On my birthday, I have had Missionaries sing Happy Birthday whilst playing the Guitar, Violin and even once accompanied by a Harmonica! I've had Missionaries teach me about plants, help me with building garden furniture and moving heavy items (really appreciated that one!), they have helped me clean homes of people who were in need of service.
After our meal, the Elder's shared a short lesson with us and then went on their way back to the apartment they are staying in whilst they serve in the area I live in, leaving me and my family feeling happy from the laughter we had shared, full of the Spirit from the message and lesson they had shared and ready for our own challenges in the week ahead.
So there you go, maybe next time you see the Missionaries you'll feel more comfortable to stop and chat, or invite them into your home and hear a little more about the religion that they and I share and let me know if you do!