I took my mom to a doctor's appointment this morning, and in the car we listened for a bit to a Catholic radio program she likes. When I turned to the station, the host was in the middle of talking with an older Hispanic man from the Los Angeles area who was discussing how he deals with missionaries when they knock on his door.

He said that the last time Mormon missionaries came to his home, they had knocked on the door and offered to mow his lawn. He asked them what the catch was. They told him he would "only" have to attend an LDS service with them that Sunday.

He said he told the mishies that he would attend that weekend, but rather than having them mow his lawn, he wanted them to agree in turn to attend a Catholic Mass with him afterwards. He said that they agreed, gave him the details of the time and location of the LDS service, and left.

Anyway, this caller then claimed that he did show up on time to the LDS service that Sunday and that the mishies were friendly but also very surprised to see him. Afterwards, he said he approached them and said, "Well, I've held up my part of the bargain. So, let's go to Mass." He said they refused, but as my mom and I were listening to this part she received a call on her phone, so I didn't hear the exact details of his story at that point. I don't know what excuse, if any, the mishies may have given him, etc. I did hear the caller say he never saw those mishies again and has not had LDS mishies call on him since (though he didn't say how long ago it happened).

Of course, he could have been making up the story, but the man sounded sincere. Either way, I thought it was an interesting approach to dealing with missionaries (albeit one involving more effort than I'd be willing to expend).

I am also wondering if this is something LDS missionaries are doing nowadays to try to have more success. I know my TBM neighbor has mentioned several times in passing that mishies in this area have helped her with yard work, or helped a ward member move, etc., but those are things they've done for other Mormons. I wasn't aware that mishies would offer to do chores for potential converts.

In my area in rural SoCal, they've entirely given up tracting or "street contacting" or anything of the sort.
They try to rely on "member referrals," and they spend time trying to find "less actives."
When that doesn't keep them busy (which is nearly all the time), they go around asking people if they can help them with their yardwork. Last mishie I talked to at the public library on p-day said about 1 in 50 takes them up on it.

in my mission we did offer to do chores. Yardwork, raking leaves, pulling weeds, stuff like that. Its a really clumsy and obvious ploy. Most people distrust, sometimes people took advantage and had us do yardwork with no intention of having a lesson.

I got invited to a nondenominational church, catholic mass, and a baptist church on my mission and I went to all three. But I guess it would make some missionaries uncomfortable.

I think it's foolish to go door to door with this offer as a way to gain entry to someone's home.

If these guys actually wanted to help anyone, they'd target areas of special need, possibly where there is a concentration of older very modest homes with elderly owners.

But no, mishies go where they think they might get converts, not where their strong backs are needed. And they're never wearing work clothes or carrying shovels, mops and brooms, only Books of Mormon and LDS pamphlets.

The intent is to make residents beholden to them in hopes they'll read the materials or let them in the house to preach.

Cheryl Wrote:
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The intent is to make residents beholden to them
> in hopes they'll read the materials or let them in
> the house to preach.


It sounds like the man who called the radio station suspected exactly that.

nonsequiter, I admire you for at least attending some other faiths' services on your mission. Assuming that the man I heard this morning was telling the truth, I think it's a bit pathetic that he did go to the LDS service, yet the missionaries would not attend a Mass as they had agreed to. It didn't sound to me like the man had any interest in converting them to Catholicism; he just wanted to see how sincere they were. Even though he clearly had no interest in converting to Mormonism, at least they likely would have gained his respect by attending the Mass.

Oh I wasnt all that great. I did go, but I wasnt open to them in the slightest.
Since then Ive been to a jewish service which was very interesting to me out of all of the religions ive seen.

Anyway, yeah those missionaries are basically proven liars. They should have been respectful to their end of the deal, especially since they can now report about the "miracle" investigators to family. Or would that be a lie? Funny how missionaries can be so picky and choosy with lies.

I knew someone once who scared them off by asking if they believed in the bible and then asking how they could call something so full of incest, murder and rape, scripture!

It might be a good approach to know enough about the uncomfortable aspects of mormon scripture and doctrine to throw in their faces. I'd like to see a missionary try to mess with me today, he'd get a lot more than he bargained for!

I just finished a song called 'Missionary Man'

The chorus is-

You'd better run while you can from the missionary man

(and repeats).

The lyrics are specifically about mormonism and the things they don't like to tell you..

Once I have a recorded version up I'll be sure to post a link on this forum !