We finally had one of those experiences that so many talk about. Grandchildren are visiting because today is the birthday of one of them. So we get the cake out, light the candles, start to sing, and then a hard pounding on the door. DW goes to door and two elders are standing there. They want to come in a give a message. She says now's a bad time because we are celebrating a birthday. I blurt out from the kitchen, "Ask them if they know about appointments!" Rest of family is embarrassed at my outburst. They agree to come back at a different time.

In all "fairness," who in their right mind would keep an appointment with the missionaries? They probably feel they have to barge in.

I think that many of them believe that since that are the lords annoited they have a free pass on the appointments thing.

I kinda hope they come back so that I can set things straight: They will be welcome and I will feed them and help care for them. They don't even have to keep a comfortable distance. But they do have to act within the cultural norms of being considerate and polite. No appearing out of nowhere. No bringing messages I don't want. No circumventing me in order to talk to my wife. And, Oh, God!, no singing me hymns!, as they've done in the past. I'd sooner set my hair on fire than hear missionaries singing me a hymn again.

thanks for reminding me.I had companion to get that too I always thought it was weird. Very embarrassing. But when you're out there there's a weird culture but you don't second guess sometimes--I was feeling bad that I was second guessing that culture. Hahaha.

Bill, Joe told me your wife shags like a minks.

A minks for me to poop on.

Just WHY? This garble is making me lose any respect for you.
Inappropriate and adds nothing to any discussion.

"for me to poop on" is part of a comedy routine. Diablo is drunk tonight.. Take it w a grain of salt

So, are the minks alive? Or is this a starfish accusation?

cludgie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'd sooner set my hair on fire than hear
> missionaries singing me a hymn again.

For some reason when I read this I had an image of you (or, you know, some conjured image of 'some guy') with the mishies, calmly lighting your hair on fire and, as it catches and spreads, looking directly at them and saying "please leave."

It was amazing.


Edit: P.S. in my head you look kind of like Peter Falk. This may help the image.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2013 05:03PM by schmendrick.

schmendrick Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cludgie Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I'd sooner set my hair on fire than hear
> > missionaries singing me a hymn again.
>
> For some reason when I read this I had an image of
> you (or, you know, some conjured image of 'some
> guy') with the mishies, calmly lighting your hair
> on fire and, as it catches and spreads, looking
> directly at them and saying "please leave."
>
> It was amazing.
>
>
> Edit: P.S. in my head you look kind of like Peter
> Falk. This may help the image.

Awesome visual in my mind. I laughed. Thanks!

I really appreciate that hope that I look like Peter Falk. But life is not that good, and as I age I look more and more like Michael Gambon, even if I've kept my hair. But the bags around the eyes, the several chins... I'm afraid it's very true. Looking like Peter Falk, with one glass eye and everything, sounds a treat right now. But it's Gambon all the way down, I'm afraid. There are those here who know me and and can attest to it.

cludgie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I really appreciate that hope that I look like
> Peter Falk. But life is not that good, and as I
> age I look more and more like Michael Gambon, even
> if I've kept my hair. But the bags around the
> eyes, the several chins... I'm afraid it's very
> true. Looking like Peter Falk, with one glass eye
> and everything, sounds a treat right now. But it's
> Gambon all the way down, I'm afraid. There are
> those here who know me and and can attest to it.

I once read in a book about the benefits of living in the same place all your life is because when you get old people don't look at you as you are, but as you were. And the younger generation was told what you were like. Aging sucks.

"Ask them if they know about appointments!"

Bingo!!

I remember once some missionaries were trying to enter my home and I told them it wasn't a good time. They asked if they could come back the next day. I said sure, fully knowing I would not be home. Haha! Poor missionaries. I can't stand pushy people!

the "mormon knock" is SO annoying and rude. Two VT's nearly broke down my door trying to see me. Sometimes they rang the bell first and then it was WWE time. The RUDEST thing is when they open your screen door and then pound like a maniac. Who just opens a strangers door like that? ugh I started locking both which was funny

what is up with the urgent dingdong!dingdong!dingdong! followed immediately by the BANG! BANG! BANG!???
I hear that and think my husband's locked out and being swarmed by killer bees or something, not that people I don't know from Adam just showed up on my doorstep.
However, it serves them right when I yank open the door in my daisy dukes and tanktop! Their faces are priceless and that should teach them to call ahead. I'm not very svelt.

some sort of f@cked up sales tactic I guess!?

I would never dream of assaulting someone's door. Especially if I wanted something from them!

Maybe Sheldon from 'Big Bang theory' should be a mishie: Knock knock knock, "Penny?" Knock knock knock, "Penny?" Knock knock knock, "Penny?"

No....wait.....Oh my god!! An episode of 'BBT'! Sheldon takes the discussions and every time the elders come to the apartment: Knock knock knock, "Sheldon? Knock knock knock, "Sheldon? Knock knock knock, "Sheldon?"

Sheldon, of course, would HATE the rude mishies knocking unannounced, and would yell to Leonard "Ask them if they know about appointments."

+1

In my experience, most of the time, when we would just randomly stop by random less-actives or whatever, it was because we were utterly bored and had nothing else to do. It was either that or another 17 straight hours of tracting.

I hope your family didn't think you were "the bad guy" in this. Nothing, I mean absolutely nothing you could do or say would be more rude than the Mormon missionaries are. You would have had to interrupt something they felt was important, to ask them for 10% of your income for the rest of your life, and your children's incomes, split up your family, and ask them all to clean their toilets.

No matter how polite, or how rude I am, my TBM daughter and her TBM husband think I'm not very nice when I close the door to the missionaries. A visit from them ALWAYS goes bad, and puts me in a horrible mood. So, I figure, why not go ahead and be rude.

My TBM SIL made me take down my "No Soliciting" sign, because it seemed rude to the Mormons. I said, "You must realize that the Mormons really are solicitors--otherwise why would your think this sign is for them?"

Now, I think I'll put up a "By Appointment Only" sign. I loved your comment!

Shoulda offered them a beer at least!LOL

Ron Burr

We were sitting around one evening, watching TV (he was extra-encumbered: one cat on his lap and another on his feet) so I got up and answered the door.

There were three suits standing on my front porch. I didn't know any of them. One asked, "Sister Catnip?" I replied, "I'm sorry, were we expecting you?"

They looked flustered and said no, they were just in the neighborhood. I said, "First, I'm not Sister anything. I resigned from the Mormon church years ago. Second, NOBODY comes into our home without making an appointment first. You guys have our phone number. Use it if you want to talk to us. Thank you for stopping by. Goodnight, gentlemen." And I closed the door. I gave them time to get back to their car before I turned off the porch light, which I thought was nice of me.

Now DH does the same thing. It wasn't easy for him, but he insists that if they want to come into our home, they MUST call first and make an appt. NOBODY just shows up on the front porch.

It must be in our (well, HIS) records somewhere, because we have finally trained them. They still contact us from time to time, but they ALWAYS call first. (This just goes to show - like cats, Mormons CAN be trained if you are persistent. Though personally, I prefer cats.)

They don't make appointments because inspiration is their guide. It was inspiration they knocked on your door. Don't ya know the Lord wanted them at the party?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/2013 06:19AM by ladybug.

they were bored, but since they were interrupting something that was going on with you and could not come in, they had to find something else to do .... maybe go home and sent something on fire .......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9VDRe17heEh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN6xXS6rUPo

I've never once seen a missionary keep an appointment. To me, that phrase means, show up at the agreed upon time and date. Missionaries, IME, are nearly 100% always late, at least by an hour.

I kept my last "appointment" with the missionaries because I wanted to discuss resigning (I had no idea at the time you could just write to SLC). They showed up an hour and a half late. I was furious. Who the hell does that? I'd already given up and started making my dinner and they turned up juuuuust as it was ready. So it sat there, getting dried out and cold, while they pelted me with personal questions that were none of their business.

I would've eaten in front of them.

Or... told them they missed their appointment and are welcome to make another?

The whole point of making appointments is to work around other scheduled events. If you miss an appointment, you miss it.

Never had mishies out here on the farm, but it sure was liberating some years back when I told the HT's not to bother coming again...

Ron Burr

My mission was all about appointments. For a long time, getting an appointment was the single-most important stat that could be reported to the zone leaders. I walked the streets for hours each day talking to people, trying to get appointments. It was very stressful. I rarely got any - perhaps 1 for every 100 hours worked - and I was almost always stood-up. Sometimes I would relax by knocking on doors instead.

No missionary on my mission would have ever been late for appointments. They were way too important, and they provided relief from working the streets and houses. I was almost always early. I'm not an organized person, but it was pretty ridiculous how much effort I went to taking down every detail of every appointment, putting it on the calendar, reviewing the calendar each day, and confirming the appointment if possible, even though I knew that most of the time they weren't going to show up.

I admit, other missionaries and other missions are probably different. I was also looked down on by my superiors for not teaching enough discussions, even though the reason for that was because I wasn't going to barge in on anyone without full informed consent from all parties.

Missionaries, in fact no religious solicitors will knock on my door. We have a metal screen door and when you open that you can see our door knocker. The door knocker is the head of demon with horns and the knocker is in it's mouth. It is fun to watch people open the screen door, see the knocker, close the screen door and then try to knock on the metal screen :)
Because they closed the screen I keep it closed and make them talk to me through it. If people have the courage to use the knocker on the door I will talk to them face to face :)