Lately, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, there has been a BIG push for missionary work... and it is exciting. It is exciting to me for many reasons:
- It is a reminder that my everyday actions are important, the smallest act is being watched, and I can be a missionary through my simple example.
- It is a push to prepare myself to know my scriptures well so that I can share the best and accurate answers possible.
- Why not be excited about sharing the Gospel!
I think being a missionary can be hard; whether you are a full-time missionary or just an "every-day" missionary. Sometimes people just want to ruffle your feathers (I just ignore those people, they don't want to really hear the answers), sometimes I'm scared I won't know the answer, sometimes I not sure how to best answer a question, sometimes I'm scared I might offend someone, etc.
There are only a few times I have ever truly shared the gospel with someone through my words and from those experiences I had to learn to simplify my answers (not everyone knows the "lingo" of the church) but also not to be afraid to thoroughly explain so that they truly understand the answer. I have found making the atmosphere and setting casual, like "we're just having a conversation," helps the person feel more comfortable to ask more questions instead of a setting of "let me shove this down your throat." Even just saying, "Good question. Feel free to ask me any others if you have them" really helps; it may not mean that person will ask you another question at that moment but it leaves the door open so that they feel like they can ask. I could be wrong, maybe there are better ways to go about this; this is just what has worked for me when missionary moments have come along.
Another thing I have learned... don't laugh when someone asks a question even if it is ridiculous to us! I once had a girl at work ask me a simple question about the church:
Girl: Hey, are you mormon.
Me: Yeah.
G: Can I ask you a question?
M: Of course.
G: Can Mormon's wear swimsuits?
M: Oh yeah! I'd die if we couldn't because I love swimming. We have been asked to dress in modest ways though, so when we wear swimsuits we have been asked to wear modest ones as well. For myself, I like to wear one piece swimsuits.
G: Oh cool. Ok.
-Conversation ended-
To be honest, when she asked me if we could wear swimsuits I laughed a little and I felt pretty bad about it because I didn't want her to think it was a stupid question because she really didn't know and she was curious. I went to her later and told her that I appreciated her asking and that she could come to me with any more questions she may have; little or big.
Even though I don't usually share the gospel through my words all the time, I can always be a missionary through my actions and the way I live my life at all times.
While I was traveling in Peru this past summer, my friend and I met a guy, our same age, from Northern California. When he asked us where we were from we told him Utah and he instantly said, "Mormons?" and we said, "Yes" and he said, "Cool" and then the subject ended. We continued to chat with this guy through out the day about other things; what we had done in Peru so far, school, work, movies, etc. At the end of the day we went our separate ways but this wasn't the last time we saw California (let's just call him that). We ran into California almost daily for the rest of our trip whether it was on a tour or just walking around. We eventually started to invite him to go to dinner with us or to a museum. The only question California asked us about the Church, while in Peru, was when he asked if we would like a beer and we turned it down and decided to be brave and say that as members of the church we have been asked not to drink alcohol. It was funny because he could not get over the fact that we didn't drink beer, he even said, "If you don't drink, then what do Mormons even do for fun." We just chuckled at him and said, "Well everyone's different." My friend told him about her hobbies and the things she liked to do and then I told him about mine.
It wasn't until I got home from Peru that California started emailing me and asking more questions about the Church. He started out simple and asked me if it was true that Utah really shut down on Sundays. I told him no but that in our Church we have been asked not to work on Sundays and to do our best not to make others work on Sunday. Because of that, most LDS business owners close their businesses on Sundays but because Utah businesses are not all owned by members of the church, most places are open on Sunday. I felt like he was wanting to ask a lot more but was holding back so I asked if he had anymore "Utah" questions. He replied by saying that he didn't really have Utah questions but was wondering if he could ask me a few things about the church and I told him of course.
Oh My Goodness! His next email had at least 10 questions. I'm grateful this conversation was going on through email because I had to think about some of my answers. I thought it was interesting that by telling him it was ok to ask me questions it opened up a whole door of curiosity. I did my best to answer them in respectful and simple terms. I even asked a few people for advise on how to best answer him. One of his questions was, "Do you believe everything you are taught?" My initial quick answer would be "yes" but I didn't want to sound like a blind sheep. My answer was quite long (But here is the reader's digest version). I first told him that we believe we have a latter day prophet who speaks with our Heavenly Father and then teaches us the things that we need to hear. But I then told him that we have been asked to find out for ourselves, through prayer with our Heavenly Father, if what we are being taught is true. I finished by telling him that I have never found anything not to be true.
I tried to take opportunity to teach him while answering his questions. He asked if we believed in a God and I told him that we believe in God and we call him our Heavenly Father because we believe that he IS our father and that we are all his children. I went on to explain that we believe that everyone IS a son or daughter of God. You know, I've been taught that my entire life and so that statement sounds so simple but not everyone has been taught that and I find that so sad. They're missing out on knowing that this greater being loves them like a father.
Nothing big came from these emails, California didn't ask to know more, but I am glad I still answered his questions thoroughly so that he can know more fact instead of rumor and speculation.
That's all I have for now... thanks for letting me share (or I guess thanks for reading). I would love to hear about your own missionary moments.
"If you're not a full-time missionary with a missionary badge pinned on your coat, now is the time to paint one on your heart - painted, as Paul said, 'not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God.' Our desire to share the gospel takes all of us to our knees, and it should, because we need the Lord's help."
- Elder Neil L. Andersen, "It's a Miracle," Liahona, May 2013
Missionary: A link to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints' website about Missionary Service.
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