Jessica Robin
A passion for music with a message drew Jessica to Nashville in 1999, where she has worked in and around the music industry in many different facets. She has written for Release Magazine, 7Ball, CCM Magazine, Christian Music Planet and various web sites. A proud fan of dc talk, Switchfoot and Jars of Clay since the early days, her current favorite band is needtobreathe.
Get the door, it's the Mormons
- By Jessica Robin
- Published 07/14/2008
As a freelancer who works from home, I have learned to ignore the midday ringing doorbell. One especially annoying visit from a security system salesperson—he interviewed me for almost 15 minutes before telling me I didn't qualify for the free trial—has demonstrated that it's not worth the interruption to my work to answer the door when it is usually someone I don't know selling something I don't want.
However, last Thursday, I made an exception. Perhaps I needed a break from the computer screen, and the giggling I heard as I approached the front door gave me hope that it was some neighborhood children and not a salesperson or UPS guy. I opened the door to two young, sweet girls wearing nametags - Sister Melissa and Sister Ellen (I don't remember what their real names were so I made those up). Below their names in small print it said "Church of LDS" or something along those lines. We exchanged greetings and some small-talk banter about the weather and the fact that I work from home. I'm not sure if it was due to their gender, their friendly dispositions, or the mood I was in, but I ended up talking with them longer than previous encounters with Mormon missionaries.
I don't remember the entire content of the conversation, but days later, I'm still thinking about it. I basically told them that I already attend a church and believe in Jesus. I went on to say that while I admired their dedication, I did feel that our beliefs differ quite a bit. I finished with a postscript about how I do respect the members of the Mormon church for their absolute dedication, their family values, their tendency to be kind, caring people and their reputation for tithing faithfully. I outright told them, and I believe it, that the Protestant church could learn a lot from the example set by the Mormon church.
As our conversation wound to a close, Sister Ellen asked me "do you know any of your neighbors who could benefit from the Gospel message of hope in Jesus Christ?" (or something to that effect) I almost laughed at the question (because, think about it, you can't say "no" to that) but I was stopped by the sincerity of it. Instead I gave her some vague answers about the families in nearby houses.
The entire experience didn't seem like a big deal to me until that moment. Typically I think of these doorway encounters with Mormons as a motivator for studying the differences between what I believe and what they believe, in an effort to have a more informed debate with them and maybe poke holes in their errors in Christian theology. But when she asked about my neighbors, it made me wonder why I had not thought about it before (who could benefit from a message of hope in Jesus Christ ... the obvious answer is who couldn't benefit). I was more concerned with the Mormons being wrong than with sharing my version of the Gospel with my neighbors. Talk about convicting.
Interestingly, the next time my doorbell rang a few days later, it was two of the guys who live next door. One had played a practical joke on the other, stripping his bed linens and replacing them with girly pink sheets and comforter. We were enlisted to store the boy-colored bed linens and now they wanted to reclaim them. In an attempt to act clueless, I made some remark about the strange things people come to my door and ask me, including a quote about knowing Jesus from the Mormon girls and the guy asking for his sheets. This remark prompted a conversation about the Mormon girls, which turned into a discussion about whether or not Mormons are Christians, and gave me an opportunity to share my beliefs with them.
And hey, anything that opens the door to honest discussion about Jesus is a good thing in my book.
However, last Thursday, I made an exception. Perhaps I needed a break from the computer screen, and the giggling I heard as I approached the front door gave me hope that it was some neighborhood children and not a salesperson or UPS guy. I opened the door to two young, sweet girls wearing nametags - Sister Melissa and Sister Ellen (I don't remember what their real names were so I made those up). Below their names in small print it said "Church of LDS" or something along those lines. We exchanged greetings and some small-talk banter about the weather and the fact that I work from home. I'm not sure if it was due to their gender, their friendly dispositions, or the mood I was in, but I ended up talking with them longer than previous encounters with Mormon missionaries.
I don't remember the entire content of the conversation, but days later, I'm still thinking about it. I basically told them that I already attend a church and believe in Jesus. I went on to say that while I admired their dedication, I did feel that our beliefs differ quite a bit. I finished with a postscript about how I do respect the members of the Mormon church for their absolute dedication, their family values, their tendency to be kind, caring people and their reputation for tithing faithfully. I outright told them, and I believe it, that the Protestant church could learn a lot from the example set by the Mormon church.
As our conversation wound to a close, Sister Ellen asked me "do you know any of your neighbors who could benefit from the Gospel message of hope in Jesus Christ?" (or something to that effect) I almost laughed at the question (because, think about it, you can't say "no" to that) but I was stopped by the sincerity of it. Instead I gave her some vague answers about the families in nearby houses.
The entire experience didn't seem like a big deal to me until that moment. Typically I think of these doorway encounters with Mormons as a motivator for studying the differences between what I believe and what they believe, in an effort to have a more informed debate with them and maybe poke holes in their errors in Christian theology. But when she asked about my neighbors, it made me wonder why I had not thought about it before (who could benefit from a message of hope in Jesus Christ ... the obvious answer is who couldn't benefit). I was more concerned with the Mormons being wrong than with sharing my version of the Gospel with my neighbors. Talk about convicting.
Interestingly, the next time my doorbell rang a few days later, it was two of the guys who live next door. One had played a practical joke on the other, stripping his bed linens and replacing them with girly pink sheets and comforter. We were enlisted to store the boy-colored bed linens and now they wanted to reclaim them. In an attempt to act clueless, I made some remark about the strange things people come to my door and ask me, including a quote about knowing Jesus from the Mormon girls and the guy asking for his sheets. This remark prompted a conversation about the Mormon girls, which turned into a discussion about whether or not Mormons are Christians, and gave me an opportunity to share my beliefs with them.
And hey, anything that opens the door to honest discussion about Jesus is a good thing in my book.
Spread The Word
Comments
Comment #1 (Posted by Jerry Varner)
Great post. You're so right about our need [as humans, and even moreso as Christians] to be right. Being right outweighs the need to love people where they are, for who they are; not for who we think they ought to be. Thanks for writing!
Comment #2 (Posted by Will Penner)
Excellent post, Jess. Great insights.
Comment #3 (Posted by Ben Terpstra)
Yes your right, anything that leads from talking about oh say the weather to talking about the things of Christ is worth it! We need more people that do know Christ as Savior to have that mind set to tell others of His saving power all the time even at home in our own door way!
Comment #4 (Posted by Decaffed)
Way to go, Jessica! As a freelancer who's been known to draw the curtains upon sight of unknown people selling security or salvation, I could relate to your situation! It was really cool how you engaged those girls with neither condescension nor fake interest in order to garner a gotcha moment. You acted like a real Christian to both the girls and your neighbors. You're an inspiration.
Comment #5 (Posted by Judith F. Jollota)
Good thinking, and good you went right "at it!" I would know the right thing to do but no doubt would dilly, dally! Great example!
