As a missionary, I have the wonderful opportunity of interacting with hundreds of people every day. It's a very eye-opening experience. I get to hear a lot of different viewpoints and see a lot of different ways of life. We talk to many different people every day. Every one of them is unique and individual. Every one is a member of the human family; brothers and sisters in the family of God. Some of them love to talk to us. Some very nicely reject us. Others do so not as nicely. Some engage in very educated discussion. Some of them love to share their opinions, sometimes very forcefully and rudely. Some think that yelling at us is a good solution to the problems of the world. Every now and then, one of them is sincerely looking for something. Of course, all of us are looking for things in this life, but some don't know where to find it and others have given up. Every now and then we find that person who is ready to hear what we have to say and recognizes it as a possible solution to their search.
What saddens me is those who simply just brush us off or quickly close the door when they see us. For me, that's the most disappointing rejection. At least the person who yells at us took some amount of time to listen. Many people just walk away or close the door because they're distracted by other, less important things. The usual excuses are "sono in fretta (I'm in a hurry)" "che se ne fregga (I don't care)" "ho problemi abastanza (I have enough problems)" and the most upsetting one "non mi serve niente (It's not worth anything to me)." I'm not saying that people have to believe every word we say and get in line at the baptismal font. Of course, I'd by lying if I said that wouldn't be nice. It would be nice though if people would at least listen. Too many people in this world are distracted by things that just aren't important. The other sad excuse is "Ho gia pregato oggi (I've already prayed today)." Prayer is so much more than something on a to-do list. It's literal communication with your Father.
Once in a while though, we find that person who is ready to listen. One of those people is Jola (yola). She is from Poland and we found her sitting on a bench in the piazza. She at first introduced herself as "una donna (a woman)." With that, we began to teach her. As we talked, she began to open up and share her thoughts about God, religion, and faith. We saw light dawning on her with every principle we taught and it was amazing to see. Moments like that make all of the rejections way more than worth it. Finding that one gem among thousands of grains of sand is such an awe-inspiring experience.
Another one of those people is José, who we found at the immigration office of all places. He is progressing fast and he came to church this week! He's hungry for the truth and he loves finding it. He's already seen it blessing his life and the life of his family.
Yet another is Daniela, who we've just started teaching. We found her while visiting the house of a less-active member. She told us that she used to be one of those people who would just shrug off the missionaries. She said she never knew what we were there for, so she never bothered to listen. Now she says she's grateful she took the time to listen because she feels herself coming to closer to God. She says she feels a peace in her heart whenever we teach her and whenever she reads the scriptures. That's the Holy Ghost. It testifies of truth and leads us down the right path.
What do I mean by all this? Find time for the things that are most important. We don't expect people to believe everything we teach. We don't want people to believe everything we teach. We want them to listen and then ask themselves and God if what we're teaching is right. God is the source of all truth. I know we're just two young men with white shirts and ties. However good-looking we may be, that alone doesn't qualify us. What qualifies us is that we bring truth, being given authority from God to do so. He qualifies us. We are only mouth-pieces. Yes we bear testimony in our own words, but that alone means nothing. I could give the most eloquent speech ever written and it wouldn't mean a thing unless I had the Holy Ghost as witness. That's what teaches us. We expect all we teach to seek for the truth on their own.
All that being said, it's an amazing opportunity to be able to do this every day. I love people. I love talking to people. I love all of the people that I've met and that I serve every day. It's challenging and tiring and all that, but it's worth it. Besides, I know it's true, so what else matters?
Vi voglio bene,
Anziano Simcox
The picture is of the Piazza del Popolo (Piazza of the People). It's the main piazza here in Pesaro. This is where we do a lot of finding work.
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