Last month I had a
flight get cancelled and found myself stuck in the Philadelphia airport for 10
hours. I met people from all over the country and made new friends that I’ll
probably never see again…kind of a sad thought. One of my best experiences, though, was with Sarah
and James—an atheist couple I sat with on the long flight from Philly to
Phoenix. Sarah got her bachelor's in religious studies and is now doing her
master’s in public policy. I asked her what she wants to do, and she told me
upfront that she's interested in the separation of church and state and would
like to work for one of those advocacy groups like the AU in Washington D.C.
I said, "Oh then
you must be fascinated by Utah politics!" This of course led to a
discussion which allowed me to tell her I'm Mormon. We had a long talk about
theology and I told her the Church’s doctrine on the pre-earth life (where we
came from and why we are here) and talked about Jesus Christ’s atonement (how
he suffered for our sins and took upon himself all our pains and afflictions
and temptations in Gethsemane) and then answered tons of her and her
boyfriend's questions. It was a great experience. They are hardcore atheist, in
a committed long-term relationship though they aren't married, and told me they
don't want kids. I can tell you now that I would be completely shocked if they
ever got baptized.
But that's the whole
point!! Sometimes doing missionary work doesn't mean you'll lead someone to
accept the gospel and be baptized. Sometimes it's just showing them that
Mormons are caring, relatable, fun, cool people. Sarah and I had a lot in common - both
intellectual, both love politics, both interested in religion, shared feminism....
I think she was surprised by how much she liked talking to me (and I liked
talking to her!). We even talked about the fact that we've both been
discriminated against (some Christians are mean to her just like some were mean
to me growing up in the Bible belt where Mormons aren’t always accepted as
Christians).
For me, that was a
successful missionary encounter because I influenced her and her boyfriend's
opinion of Mormons and general Christians, and made a friend. I also taught her
some precious truths that I hope she'll remember. They were so nice at the end of the
flight...telling me to take care and how much they enjoyed our conversation. I
teased them and said it's a shame they don't want kids because I think they'd
make cool parents.
In the Bible Dictionary
under "Faith," it says, "Faith is kindled by hearing the
testimony of those who have faith" (see Romans 10:14-17). Maybe somewhere
along the line my faithless friends will exercise faith because of what I
shared with them about the doctrines of our Church! I’m a firm believer that we
should always be “building bridges”-- reaching out to and connecting with those
who believe differently from us and focusing on what we share. Surely this is
the way to bring others to the Savior.
-Caroline S.
Note:
The purpose of
missionary work is to help bring people to Christ so they can enjoy the
blessings of a peaceful, purposeful life. True happiness only comes from
following the Savior Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father needs us all to take part in
the work of sharing the gospel so his sons and daughters can one day return to
live with Him.
