Missionary Work

I love being a missionary!

It is like living in a different world! 

You eat, drink and sleep missionary work.

You talk differently, you work differently, you listen differently, you focus differently.

You really begin to understand what is meant by "being in the world but not of the world".

 

I am beginning to understand how "re entry" into the world can be difficult.

We will soon see why...

In the meantime,

 

We savor our mssionary experiences.  They sometimes surface in odd ways.

Here are the latest.

 

We were in the Preston Market wandering among the vendors.  Richard picked up a jar of shoe polish and the man offered him 3 for £1.  They began chatting -- and wouldn't you know it -- they were soon talking about the church and our assignment.  A few days later we were in the cafeteria having lunch and someone came down to say there was a man upstairs asking for President Walker.  Low and behold, it was the man from the market with a bag full of shoe polish jars for the missionaries.  He had taken a bus from Preston to the MTC to bring this gift to the missionaries!  This is only the beginning of that friendship.

 

Yesterday we took the missionaries to Manchester for their first "finding" experience.  On the train home I sat by 2 women and Richard stood by a young Chinese student from Mainland China.  I had a most delightful chat with my women but could get no further than a pass along card.  Richard, on the other hand, hit a gold mine.  The young man asked if he could have a Book of Mormon before Richard even offered it to him.  He wants missionaries and we have sent a referal.

 

And then....last night...

Our stake does a Nativity  Festival in the stake center that is adjacent to our building.  It is such an amazing event.  Monday we went to the Chorley market to invite the vendors who have become our friends.

And last night while we were in a meeting with the missionaries, an instructor came in and said there was someone in the lobby who wanted to see us.  Richard went out and found one of our vendors and his wife who had come to see the Nativity Festival.  They were all dressed up like they were going to a party.  We took them downstairs, fed them dinner and then took them to the stake center.  They simply absorbed everything they saw.  They looked through the entire building and listened as we told them what we believe and bore our testimonies.  It was one of those really warm fuzzy evenings.

 

Like I said, "I love missionary work".