{Day 7} the light

Today a man unexpectedly stopped, looked at us, and with a smile exclaimed, “The light! They have the light!”

People notice that we’re different, they just don’t know why. I remember knocking on a woman’s door once and although completely uninterested in what we had to say, she thanked us for our willingness to serve and said, “You have a light in your eyes.”

I thought about this many times.  I think the light comes from being a disciple of Christ.  Everyday we talk to people who know members of our church, and they comment about the kindness, happiness, and light of our members.  This is because they live the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the light shines within them.  

{Day 6} Going to great lengths

You know when you think of a funny memory then accidently laugh out loud and get a couple of "that girl's crazy" glances?  I'm having one of those moments. 

Today we were trying to find someone who, at one point, was interested in learning about our church.  We walked down her street and this car breezed past us.  Then....he slammed on the breaks and drove backwards at least 50 yards.  He stopped right in front of us, rolled down the window and said rather sharply, "Can you not knock on door 62?"  

It amazes me how people go to great lengths to avoid our message.  But it's the greatest message on the planet. I wish I could climb to the top of a mountain and shout so everyone could hear: "The true gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth!"  I will go to great lengths to declare this message because I know it is that amazing and important.  

Read it for yourself-- The greatest message on earth!

{Day 5} People with good hearts

Something interesting happened today that never happened before!  Today we received a special letter in the mail.  As we opened it up, we were pleasantly surprised to see it was an apology letter.   One night we were going door to door and it was dark and cold.   I can't remember everything that happened, but I do know that we faced some rejection.  Rejection is not a unique thing for us. 

I'm sure he was having a rough day....maybe our little knock was the straw that broke the camel's back.  As he opened the door, the man saw our tags and before we could say anything we heard "No no no!"  followed by a door slam.  

I barely even remember him, but I know that at one point he felt sorry enough to find out who we were and send us an apology.  He commended us for our work  "It must not be easy, and I didn't make it easier"   To that man, I say thank you.
We all have our struggles, and we all have different beliefs.  But underneath it all we all have something in common.  All of us are brothers and sisters, children of our Heavenly Father. 

{Day 4} "We're all set"

The reason why I knock doors is because, honestly, I'm happy and I want to share it. Today we invited tons of people to hear our message about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In response, we mostly heard this phrase:  "We're all set."

Life to me is like running a race.  While on my mission, I have found that I love running.  I never knew this before, but I had a teaching companion who loved to run and her enthusiasm rubbed off on me.  She gave me the inspiration to run beyond when I thought I was all set.  

She encouraged me as I keep running that my time, length, and endurance will improve until I can accomplish great things.  My potential is limitless and I always have room to progress.  But what if I thought I was all set at 3 miles?  I would never know the joy of accomplishing a marathon.  I would not know the potential my mind and body has to endure. 

What makes our message unique is that the gospel of Jesus Christ allows us to progress and come closer to Him.  It allows us to go far beyond our limitations.  I'm glad to know that I am not all set, but that I can become better and grow closer to my Savior. 

{Day 3} Shout for joy

As my Grandpa would say "All of us are young, some are just younger than others."  I learned that to be true. As we passed the window, an old lady looked at us with a toothy grin.  Her husband answered the door.  "Hi, How are you doing?" we asked. 
"What do you say now?" 
"How are you doing!?!?"
"What?"
The couple invited us in.  I'm pretty sure they had not seen young people in a while.  But their bodies, much worn with time, did not affect their young hearts.  They told us their adventures and showed us pictures of their past.  They had once been a dynamite couple, and they still were. 
I think this is the first time I ever yelled an entire lesson.  "HAVE YOU EVER HEARD ABOUT THE BOOK OF MORMON?"   I told them of this book that has meant so much to me. 
The Book of Mormon is written by Prophets of ancient America.  But the cool thing is....it's not just a bunch of random stories written by some old guys.  They are stories of people who really lived, who had struggles, who found happiness through the gospel.  I love the Book of Mormon because it has changed me. It gives me peace. I wish I could shout this at the top of my lungs! Oh wait, I did!  

{Day 2} The wreath

I've seen a lot of doors.  Behind every door there is a story.  I like to look at the doors and think of the person that might be inside.  Are they happy?  Are they artistic or love sports?  Do they have a family?  I think of what they need to hear from me.  As we approached this door there was a big beautiful wreath.  It was impressive. Someone put some genuine love into this wreath.  It had ribbons, bows, and it was evenly fluffed.
A man answered the door.  We excitedly told him that we loved his wreath.  "That's good, because I made it, and my wife hates it,"  he chuckled.  We invited him to hear our message, we promised him that His faith in Jesus Christ would grow.   He didn't accept our message, but it was the nicest "no"  I'd ever gotten in my life.  He expressed thanks for coming anyway.  His kindness touched me.  I thought about the wreath and how he put a lot of love into.  It was a reflection of the kind of person he was. 

{Day 1} I'm a Mormon

I'm a Mormon missionary.  I understand that we might not look normal.  Always smiling, wearing church clothes, and wearing a black name tag titled "Sister" or Elder".  It might be a little strange that we knock on random peoples doors to talk about Jesus Christ.  But I promise that our message is the secret to life.  That's why we want everyone to hear it. 
 
After dodging 2 dogs, we approached a door to a rather cute home.  Knock.  Pause.  The door creeked open.  The lady was kind and started talking to us.  "My daughter has a friend whose Mormon.  She's really nice and talks to us about what you believe."  Though not interested in our message, she complimented this young girl who was a member of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Every time I hear something like that I am grateful for the good people of our church.  They are living testimonies that we follow Jesus Christ.