Why missionary service is both awkward and great

I got to go on a few visits with the sister missionaries while Matt and I were in Michigan. I love doing this since I did not serve my own mission. Whenever I go to a teaching appointment, I am reminded of two things: 1. missionary work/teaching can be VERY awkward, and 2. it's so much easier for me to bear my testimony, when I get in the situation, than I think it will be. (Fear of rejection/offending people/reluctant to share something so personal/precious to me).

The man the sisters were teaching was named Randy and was very kind and sweet. He had definitely studied the Bible, and had also watched a lot of TV preachers because he referenced them a lot. He was also an expert at rambling and straying off onto random tangents. Random Randy. That just came to me. Genius, I know.

When we invited Randy (Random Randy...catching on yet?) to church, he was very hesitant because he told us that the last time he was there, he had listened to a musical number performed by a husband and wife. He said he really enjoyed it, but that as the couple walked past him back to their seats when the performance was done, he was suddenly "overcome by something" and stood up and hit the man hard on the back with his hand.  Maybe a well-intentioned back slap gone wrong? I'm not sure. So...awkward. BUT, I still bore my testimony of the atonement (per request of the sisters) and I realized I needed to hear my own testimony that day. It helped me feel the spirit, and I hoped Randy did too.

Unfortunately, the appointment felt all over the place and unsuccessful to me. Randy did not feel comfortable coming to church, and his comments were so random and rambly that I didn't think he really understood much of what was taught. When I got home I told Matt that I thought the sisters were wasting their time with him.

Randy did not come to church, but come to find out at the next appointment, he had attended the stake's Christmas "One night in Bethlehem" program on a Friday night, even though he'd been in a minor car accident earlier that day! What?! Awesome! Talk about determination. The lesson was still random and all over the place, but I once again felt the spirit as the sister's asked me to bear my testimony.

By the end of the lesson, Randy's wife and teenage granddaughter had joined us in the room for a little video and the closing prayer. The granddaughter was especially intrigued that I was there and was not a missionary and talked to me a little bit. Randy let his granddaughter choose someone to say the closing prayer, and she asked me. I tried to include as much as I could in the prayer about feeling the spirit at church, a very brief description of the atonement, etc. It made me really wish I was sticking around longer to get her involved with the young women's program. We invited all of them to church, and were met with maybes.

When we left, the sisters told me they had always known the wife and granddaughter were home and behind closed doors, but they'd never come out to participate in the lesson. We hoped it could lead to interest from the whole family.

It's a small glimpse into the life of a real, full-time missionary, but I like getting small tastes. I can easily see how my brothers and sister, as well as Matt, Jess and Ryan fell so completely in love with serving the people in their missions and sharing the gospel all the time. I can see how the awkwardness doesn't really matter and melts away after practice. Missionary work is truly a two-way blessing, strengthening both the listener (hopefully) and the sharer. No wonder it's such an important work for us to do! And I've got a long way to go.