My Summer With The Mormons

 

Sarah Zacharek

 

July 25th 2014 started off as a pretty miserable day. I didn't much feel like speaking to anybody so when there was a knock at my door I answered it only because I was expecting a delivery. I'll admit my heart sank a little when I opened it in my pyjamas to find two young men in shirts and ties wearing name badges proclaiming that they belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormons.

 

We've all heard the stories of your Aunt or your neighbour or your Mum's hairdresser being 'pestered' for months on end by relentless missionaries looking to 'save' them. I myself can remember being told to stay quiet in the living room so as not to alert the Mormons outside to the fact that we were in the house. Ordinarily I would have stopped them in their tracks and politely told them 'I'm not interested'. But this day, out of curiosity, I found myself making arrangements for them to come back and talk to me about their beliefs. 

   It turns out, since I am a woman, it's not that straight forward. Although the missionaries always work as a pair they had to bring a friend along with them before they were allowed to come into the house with me. The first time Elder Wyatt, Elder Wilcox and their local Mormon friend Jesse came into my living room I 'warned' them I'm an atheist and would not be converted to their beliefs but I was more than willing to learn more about their way of life and what it really means to be a member of possibly the most misconceived branch of Christianity. I wanted to find out what would drive an 18 year old to leave their friends and family to spend 2 years knocking on doors in a rainy little island across the pond. Now, 6 weeks later I am so glad I invited them into my home and into my life. I have not been converted- not to God, anyway- but I have learnt so much about the Mormon faith, about the kindness of strangers and, rather cheesily, about myself!