seriously, I would say learn. Learn about what other people believe, not in a "oh, those poor lost souls" way, but understand why they believe what they believe. Some people find the bible is false. Don't just assume, "the devil led them astray" or "they don't understand"...really find out why and understand for yourself. You can maintain your faith and still give other ideas a fair chance. If you understand why people believe what they believe, you will be in a better place to discuss religion with them. Feel free to practice on me if you like davinci@sanbrunocable.com
I'm not a Mormon but a JW and you have to know what you re talking about, know what you want to say before you get to the door, listen to people when they speak and try to find a common ground and really have a deep love for people.
Be a good example. Don't be pushy. Be polite to everyone. If someone tells you they are not interested smile and thank them for their time. Don't go into places of employment or stores and talk to people about the religion.
heehaw. um...besides read the book of Mormon, read books about missionaries, or a book that an apostle/prophet wrote. but besides that, just make sure you have a testimony of the church. make sure you know how to share you testimony. oh, there is a book called "preach my gospel". it's manly for missionaries but i think you can buy it at dessert book. the missionaries in my ward challenged all the families to read it 2get her. it's pretty good. well i hoped i helped.
I'm Catholic, not LDS, but I do have some thoughts on this...
1. Don't try and sell the thing like its a vacuum cleaner. Talk to people like they are people - meet them where they already are, like Jesus did. Don't even think of the endeavor like a sales call, where you have to "rack up numbers." If you meet someone you don't convert out of their cultural milieu, but you both learn something from the exchange, you have already done well.
2. Don't sell the thing with cheesy "pickup lines." The rest of us Christians? We all feel the "burning in the bosom" too, each in our own way in the denominations we are already in. If in doubt, remember #1 - taint a vacuum cleaner.
3. Follow the example of St. James the Just - "I show my faith by what I do." Lumen Gentium - be the Light of the Nations, and people may want to be where you are.
St. Francis said, "Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." There's your answer right there...
If u r Mormon, u r going to hell. I feel Sr for u. Please go to a Baptist church for once in your life. Read a Bible, King James Version is most accurate, and learn John 3:16 and Romans 3:10-12, and may u search for the truth in that Bible
One thing that might help you is to actually do a search here on Yahoo Answers for questions and answers about Mormons and Mormonism, LDS, etc. The reason I say this is because you will inevitably find by doing such a search many of the arguments against your faith that people tend to raise. You will probably encounter some of those types of arguments on your mission, and at least this way, you will have heard of them, and perhaps be prepared to answer them and know how you feel about them. This will help you feel prepared and lend to your confidence.
I also urge you to be real. Don't be pretentious. Be kind if that's who you are, but just be honest and be yourself.
You don't want Sunday School answers - good. The LDS church is known for being very closed with its teachings and practices. If you are truly seeking a deeper meaning, you need to look at the church from the outside, as well as the inside.
1. Don't talk to a stranger unless you already know that their spiritual needs are not being met. People door to door, or people walking by in parks or shopping areas are generally not in need of spiritual advice. Try the difficult places - drug and alcohol treatment centers, homeless shelters. These are people that NEED help.
The average person you meet door to door already believes in God, and in Christ, and follows His commandments, even if they aren't in church every Sunday, or Saturday. They pray and worship in quiet ways where they find comfort. And a stranger talking to them about their private beliefs doesn't really help.
2. You are in a position to com mitt for life to your religion. In marriage, you agree to know and share the good, the mad, and the middle of your life with someone. As part of your process of committing to the LDS church, promise yourself that you will find and talk with three people who left the LDS church. If you don't adequately test your faith, you will never fully accept it.
Your leaders will not recommend this - they don't want you to look outside the church, they want you to accept a Sunday School answer. But after you complete this process, you will be a more powerful believer, having truly tested your faith and its limits, having discovered a deeper truth about God and your religion.
1) Take what is good from the other responses here-some of them are right on..others not so much...
2) Emphasize with those you teach, but don't get so close that you can't remember your role as a missionary. Learn the basics of other religions so that you can help them bring their beliefs to the table so we can talk about the similarities and introduce new concepts...
3)I served my missionary in Brasil, if you get to a walking mission...get Doc Martens...they're the most comfortable on the long run...especially when you walk 6-8 miles a day minimum...and drink a LOT of water...a gallon per day is minimum..oh yeah..and key..BOTTLED WATER.
4)Look at people for who they are, while you will have a job to do...don't give up on people...if you put an ultimatum on them, be very sure of that decision, I stuck with a family and they have been members ever since, because I was patient and willing to help them with their concerns. Doors will slam because you decided to go door to door...there is a reason for this...it is a BAD way to teach families. After 20 doors, instead of thinking..this next one will be the one...take the hint and find some creativity and find different ways to teach people. Go on buss es, take occasional taxis, the more creative you are the better chance you'll have of meeting people without a door to shut you out.
remember above all, LOVE the people that you serve with unfeigned love, don't be sarcastic..that sarcasm will KILL you especially if you are overseas...it is the American smugness and smarmy attitudes that get missionaries thrown out QUICK...don't be pushy...if it is meant to be..it will happen.Pay very close attention to your intuition, listen to the Sisters of your mission, their intuition will prove invaluable to you.
I've already given my answer to this question a little while ago, but I'll add more. Cassanova's answer was great.
I completely agree with him that there are much more effective ways of finding people to teach than going door to door. The church actually has statistics that show that door-to-door contacting usually leads to one baptism in 3000 or 4000, while member referrals usually lead to about one baptism in 20. I noticed that the elders in my mission didn't visit the members very much. Remember that, if the members are going to refer their friends to you, they want to trust you and know that you will do a good job. They probably won't trust you unless they know you. So visit the members often, but always use it as an opportunity to encourage them to introduce you to their friends, not to kill time. Members don't trust lazy missionaries.
Knocking on doors is good, too, though, when you feel that's the best way to spend your time. It's better to be knocking on doors than not working! And I think it shows God that you are really willing to do His work. Actually, I really enjoyed tr acting, because if you knock on 10 doors and you bear testimony at each of those doors, you have felt the confirmation of your testimony from the Holy Ghost 10 times. It's a really good way to get a little pick-me-up, actually, if you feel like things are difficult or intimidating. I actually tr acted into a young man who ended up getting baptized, so it can happen.
Another thing you can do to gain the trust of the members is to tell them about your experiences. Missionaries are constantly having promising, if little experiences, but the members might not know about that. My zone leader taught me that we could simply make a point to tell members about recent missionary experiences when we see them. It could be something small, like, "Yesterday we were over tr acting on Empire Street and we met a man who said that we could come back and tell him about the Book of Mormon." Sharing even little experiences like this with members shows them that you are hardworking missionaries, and then they will be more willing to trust you with the care and teaching of their beloved friends. When my companion and I started doing this, pretty soon the members in the small town where we were working said that we were the best missionaries they had ever known. I'm not sure if that's true, but they really trusted us and it helped them to feel a lot more positive about the missionary work that was going on in their town.
When you're a full-time missionary, in many ways, you are outside of all social circles that you are used to. Although you interact with people every day, you feel somewhat separated from them because of your new role in life. The only people who seem to truly understand you are other missionaries. For this reason, it's natural to want to socialize, spend time with, talk to, and commiserate with other missionaries. Please be careful, though, to always keep these conversations positive, and not to drag each other down. If you feel it's getting out of control, you'd be much better to just not have as much contact with the missionaries that are causing the problem. I'll say here again that the mission president is the only person to whom you can tell EVERYTHING. He is inspired, and he can help you with whatever you are worried about. Please don't allow yourself to be intimidated by his authority; he's there to help you.
Don't argue with your companion. Ever. If conflict arises in your companionship, you be the one to ask for forgiveness. This is part of practicing what you preach.
There are many little details that I could say, of course, but honestly, if you study the gospel and do your best to live it in your personal life, you will teach by example. I heard of a man who was walking through the lobby of a building and passed two sister missionaries. The man stopped and asked them, "Why do you shine?" You and your companion will have the right to receive inspiration about how to conduct yourselves and the best way to do your work. Don't feel afraid to ask for His guidance on a daily, even hourly, basis. Bear testimony a lot.
I think it's fabulous that you are so willing to learn from those who have served missions before. I suspect that you've probably asked other returned missionaries that you know, and they've given you tons of advice. It's really hard to explain what a mission is like until you get there, but I repeat, it's the funnest adventure I ever had. The hard work is totally worth it, if you let it be. Many missionaries get to a point on their missions where they feel like they could see themselves living that lifestyle for a very, very long time because it is so wonderful. Don't worry about all the things you'll be missing; I think you'll discover that, although you've missed that stuff, it's not important to you that you missed it. I think you'll be great.
I'd like to just let you know that I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior, that the Book of Mormon is the Word of God, and that Gordon B. Hinckley is a prophet. I hope my testimony will help to make yours stronger so you won't be afraid to share it often.
I would like to know what I can do to be a better Mormon missionary any tips besides
davinci@sanbrunocable.com
