As a missionary, you can expect to encounter certain
hazards. Hannah’s father had warned her
about the inevitability of a dog confrontation.
He had even given her some tips on how to prevent pursuit by a
canine. Nonetheless, she was not
prepared for her first animal encounter.
Having no investigator appointments for Fathers’ Day, Hannah and Sister
Allred decided to go tracting (that’s dedication!). Perhaps they were less alert than usual
because of fatigue and heat, or maybe their senses were dulled by rejection,
whatever the cause, they initially dismissed the motionless gray bulk on the
far end of the porch they were approaching.
As they ascended the steps, the beast heaved to its feet to confront the
trespassers. It was a vicious guard. . .
.er, pig! Hey, pigs will eat ANYTHING
(even bacon), as evidenced by the remains scattered across the porch. Wisely, the Sisters slowly backed down the
stairs and left that door unknocked.
Hannah felt bad that the residents of the trailer would not have the
opportunity that day to hear the restored Gospel. To comfort her, we’ll remind her of Matthew
7:6. Go ahead, look it up – you won’t be
disappointed.
That reminds me of another unpleasant encounter the Sisters
had – this time of the two-legged variety.
An older man invited them to play basketball, and then added, “I’ll be
shirts and you can be skins.” Hannah
would rather face down a guard pig any day.
Some highlights from the past two weeks:
The neighbor of someone they were trying to contact ended up
becoming an investigator himself. This
past week he committed to be baptized!
This past Sunday, two investigators and one family who had
recently been inactive, attended Church.
Hannah and Sister Allred called a potential
investigator. The person who answered
the phone listened to their introduction and then hung up. Hannah assumed that the man was no longer
interested in being taught. A few
moments later, however, they received this text: “This isn’t John*. I stole his phone.” Hannah wondered how you even respond to that.
An investigator’s wallet was stolen from his home. Hannah and Sister Allred offered a prayer for
its recovery. Less than an hour later,
one of the man’s neighbors came over and said that he had found the wallet in
the road. The cash was gone, but all of
his cards and ID were still inside. He
recognized this as an answer to prayer. I
can’t help wonder if the neighbor who “found” the wallet also experienced a
change of heart. Wouldn’t it be weird if
the neighbor was the same guy who has John’s phone!
Sister Allred sent a sweet letter to Hannah’s family. Basically it told us how great we are to have
a good daughter (for which we cannot take the credit). Nevertheless, in our book, this makes Sister
Allred the best companion EVER!
We are also grateful for the wonderful people who, upon
finding Sister Bonner and Sister Allred at their door on Fathers’ Day, invited
them in for a delicious steak dinner (and wouldn’t take “no” for an
answer). God bless you.
*name changed
