It All Started When ...
I was walking back from the local convenience store in Nashua, New Hampshire, after having purchased my latest pack of cigarettes. (Word of Wisdom) As I approached a set of benches under some shade trees, I saw two young men wearing suits. From behind me, I heard a car speeding up. As the car came closer to the intersection, the young man in the passengers seat leaned out the window, screamed some swear words at the young men, and then spit at them. I was horrified and felt the compulsion to apologize for what had just happened.
I sat down on the bench and the young men approached me. I then saw their name tags and realized they were missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The young men asked politely if they could talk to me. I agreed and we talked for about ten minutes.
As our talk drew to a close, the missionaries asked if they could come to my home and talk to me some more. I was ashamed of where I was living at that time. I was living with my youngest girl and we were having serious issues about proper conduct. I didn't want the missionaries to see this happening in my life. I told them my mother and I were supposed to be moving into our own apartment in about two weeks. I would give them a call as soon as I got everything set up in our new apartment. The missionaries sighed and said that would be fine.
For the remained of the two weeks I lived in my daughter's apartment the "Book of Mormon" the missionaries had given me sat atop the television in the living room. Although everything wasn't completely quiet, life was at least calmer.
Three weeks after my mother and I moved into our new apartment, I called the missionaries just as I had promised. The missionaries started talking to my mother and I in November, 1997. By March, 1998, the missionaries had convinced me to give up my cigarettes and my mother (who was deathly afraid to be submerged in water) and I were baptized and became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
It was only after my mother and I had become members that I found out the missionaries hear many times that they will be called sometime in the future. Those calls don't come very often. I don't know what to say about that except that when I give my word, I keep it. Of course, the missionaries had no way of knowing that.
