Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Because I Like BiV

And no other reason.

Rules--
1. Answer the three missionary questions
2. Do the missionary activity and return and report.
3. Tag 5 of your friends.

Here are the questions:
1. Did you serve a mission, and where?
2. What was your best missionary experience?
3. Who is the most missionary-oriented leader you have ever had?

Missionary Activity:
Ask a random stranger if they have ever heard about the Mormon Church, and if they would like to know more (Golden Question)


1. Yes, I served a mission in the Germany-Munich-Austria Mission.

2. I had tons of great missionary experiences and tons of distressing ones. The one that always sticks in my mind is a little odd, for a missionary experience. We were tracting in an apartment building in the near-freezing cold. As often happened, an old lady was watching us from her window. When we got to her door, she told us not to bother and launched into the usual diatribe about "die Mormonen". I joked around with her a bit - something she absolutely loved, it was probably the most entertainment she'd had in weeks. We continued ringing doorbells despite her taunts. Another old lady stuck her head out the window and seemed a bit interested in talking with us, but it was nearly impossible with the first lady jeering. We moved on, finished out the apartments and walked back to the street. Lo and behold, the second lady was standing at the end of the street. We spoke with her. We spoke of faith and the life after this one. We listened to her bear testimony of her beliefs of the afterlife, which mirrored our own. She testified that it was not what her church taught, but that she knew it to be true. She mentioned that her husband had recently passed away.

It was the most beautiful moment in my mission.

3. I really couldn't tell you that one. My mission presidents, I suppose.


As for the activity and subsequent tagging, I'm going to have to respectfully decline. I don't believe in either.

3 comments :

  1. Thank you, SR! I was interested to read that you don't believe in asking the GQ--may I ask why? It's not that I'm defending the Golden Question, it's just that I've never heard anyone object to it before, and I'm curious...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well, it has its uses, it's not that I think it is evil, exactly. I just feel that although it can help someone speak who would not otherwise, it is impersonal. I believe it is more effective to think about the person, rather than about any rote spiel. If you are repeating back a memorized or preplanned stanza, you aren't really opening yourself to teach by the Spirit.

    Naturally, with as much contacting as I did on the mission, I resorted to such methods, I'm sorry to say. Still, I don't believe approaching a random stranger with a strange question is the best way to share the gospel. It reminds me of extremist and wacko tactics.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I got to catch up reading your blog soon. I am busy trying to remember my friends and wish them a happy holiday season. That brings me here to say, "Have a Merry Christmas!" By the way, I served a mission in Pennsyvlania Dutch Country :)-Barb

    ReplyDelete

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