Missionaries

We have some great missionaries in our ward. They live reasonably near us, and every chance they get (which averages out to be about once a week) they stop by to visit. Because of church and mission rules, they're not allowed to come inside the house of a woman who is alone, but they always take time to play outside with the boys. I know people who aren't members of the church sometimes get annoyed with our missionaries. In fact, one of my neighbors came outside while they were here playing with the kids, and said that she thought the missionaries were annoying. I turned to her and said, "It's a big deal, you know. These boys are 19 years old, and leave their home and family for two years to go out and tell people about God and church. They get rejected over and over again, and it's not easy for them. It's not easy, and it deserves respect." The thing is, I don't expect everybody to believe as I do. I accept that I am the only member in my apartment complex, and that most of my neighbors roll their eyes in good nature when they hear about yet another thing I don't do. I hope that underneath it all there is a respect growing, but I don't know. I do know this, though. These missionaries are good people. Whether you accept the message they bring or not, they deserve respect for the job that they do. They are unfailingly kind and patient, tolerant and giving. They have taken two full years-TWO YEARS- out of their life at a time when they could be out dating, going to college, and hanging out with their friends. Instead, they sign on for a life of poverty, for rejection, and of endless service. I admire them, and I love them. Every Elder who comes through my area I greet warmly, and I always honk at wave at them when I see them in the street. When I run into them in the grocery store, I always say hello. I help them whenever I can, and when Ammon was alive would invite them over for dinner frequently. They do what they do because they believe with all their hearts and souls that the church, this church, is true. So do I, and that belief has gotten me through more rough spots in the last six months than in my entire life combined. I'm not asking you to convert, or even to take the discussions that the missionaries offer. What I am asking is this: the next time you see them walking down the street, instead of snorting in derision, recognize the sacrifice that they are making to be doing the work they're doing, and give them the respect they deserve. Even if you do it silently.