Guest bat Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 Despite the potential for being arrested, this brave sister relentlessly made efforts to visit a member that had requested to have no contact with the church and she finally came back to the church. :) The ends always justify the means.LinkNo TrespassingBy Linda Marx TerryLinda Marx Terry, “No Trespassing,” Ensign, Feb. 2004, 69It was almost the end of the month, and I had visited every sister on my new visiting teaching list except one. I’d never met Joan (name has been changed). She did not attend church, and in the recent past, she had not wanted to have contact with the Church.I had made many phone calls to her home throughout the month, but they were always greeted by her answering machine, no matter what time I called. I left several voice messages, introducing myself as her new visiting teacher, telling her I was looking forward to meeting her, and asking her to return my call. But Joan never called back.With only a few days left in the month, I decided to drop by Joan’s home unannounced with a plate of muffins. But as I drove up and down the busy highway near her street, I realized that none of the numbers on the houses matched the address I had been given for her. I became increasingly frustrated, thinking, “Why am I doing this? She probably won’t even be home, and if I leave the muffins on her porch, some dog will most likely eat them.” Finally I checked my ward directory and discovered that Joan’s address on my visiting teaching list was incorrect. With the correct address, I found the home within minutes.Armed with my muffins, I walked toward Joan’s house. I hesitated when I saw a big No Trespassing sign but cautiously continued toward her porch. I rang the doorbell two times. No answer. Thinking, “Well, at least I tried,” I left the muffins and my note near Joan’s front door.That evening at dinner, I mentioned to my family my apparently wasted hour attempting to reach this faceless, voiceless, impossible-to-contact sister. During the meal the phone rang. Contrary to our mealtime practice, I answered it. The woman on the phone identified herself as Joan. Suddenly feeling as though I had been reunited with a friend, rather than the stranger she was, I whooped, “Joan! I’ve wanted to hear your voice for so long! I’m so excited you’ve called!”Joan explained that she hadn’t returned my calls because of recent turmoil in her life. She continued, “Today I was at the courthouse, feeling defeated and humiliated as I stood in front of the judge and my estranged husband. When I drove home, I prayed, ‘God, I feel so worthless and unloved.’ Sobbing, I asked, ‘If You love me, please show me.’“When I reached home, there before my eyes, as though a miracle from God, was a plate of muffins and a note saying, ‘I’m thinking of you. Love, your visiting teacher.’ It was as if God were saying to me that He loved me. I just wanted you to know that I know God used you to answer my prayer today.”Since that day Joan has become my friend. We have read the scriptures and prayed together, and she has joined me at church. She has been a gift to me, teaching me never to give up when serving the Lord.Gospel topics: friendship, prayer, visiting teaching Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bat Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 How come nobody ever brings me muffins? I like muffins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bat Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 Maybe I should make some muffins and take them to a neighbor's house. Well, I only like one of my neighbors. He once brought me a fish, and after Mithramas when I had a tree branch fall from a tree due to the excess of snow that brought down his power line (which I paid to have fixed) he offered to take me fishing in his boat. I should make muffins for him. Or maybe some homemade beer if it doesn't suck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindy Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 Well, Bat, I had to pick myself up off the floor from a dead faint from reading your first post...you just blew my mind!(I was waiting for some zinger...and never found it) :) Sometimes it's just the little things that make a huge difference to someone.....You make those muffins for your neighbor and then send me your address and I'll think of something to send to you... BTW...I was proud of you! P.S. Tell Jenifer you need to be fed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Starsky Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 Hey we can all send you a goodie if you put out your addy. Then maybe you will come back. It is nice that you were being a great neighbor... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrawberryFields Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 This is just ONE of the reasons why I ADORE Bat. Bat always keeps us guessing. Just the otherday I was in the general area where Bat lives and I thought "Gee I wish I knew exactly where he lived so that I could do something nice for him". :) Jenifer is keeping him very happy it appears. Way To Go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsha Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 Well Bat, check your paper box. That is where my VT leaves cookies and a photo copy of the message of the month. I have actually seen her once in almost a year and that was only because we were outside working on the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest curvette Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 Is leaving muffins on someone's doorstep really considered trespassing? I don't think so. I do think the "no contact" requests though should be respected and they often aren't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holdyourfire Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 I love irony. -Lets go and visit those who have said that they want NO CONTACT from the church ANYWAY!! I don't think that's what Bat was getting at. No. he was just very touched by the spirit -of peoples FREE WILL being violated! (not)Holdingmyfirerightnow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bat Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Originally posted by Holdyourfire@Feb 6 2004, 12:08 AM I love irony. -Lets go and visit those who have said that they want NO CONTACT from the church ANYWAY!! I don't think that's what Bat was getting at. No. he was just very touched by the spirit -of peoples FREE WILL being violated! (not)Holdingmyfirerightnow I don't think anyone's Free Will was violated in the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Starsky Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 I think there are several different levels of inactives. Some are like our neighbor who will 'shoot' to kill any mormon who darkens their door. Then there are those at the opposite end of this, who are really wanting and needing someone to show they care whether or not you show up to church.... There are hundreds of different levels inbetween these two extremes. I would think that those who are on the most extreme hateful level are fewer than you might think. So there is always room for 'trying'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindy Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Originally posted by Peace@Feb 6 2004, 09:04 AM Then there are those at the opposite end of this, who are really wanting and needing someone to show they care whether or not you show up to church.... I know, there is a difference between offering a smile or a helping hand to be accepted if needed or wanted....and trying to shove the smile down their throat just to make the numbers look good. BIG DIFFERENCE!I think that sometimes just letting someone know that you care about their well being might be enough to help them through a rough time in life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holdyourfire Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Originally posted by bat+Feb 6 2004, 07:54 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (bat @ Feb 6 2004, 07:54 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--Holdyourfire@Feb 6 2004, 12:08 AM I love irony. -Lets go and visit those who have said that they want NO CONTACT from the church ANYWAY!! I don't think that's what Bat was getting at. No. he was just very touched by the spirit -of peoples FREE WILL being violated! (not)Holdingmyfirerightnow I don't think anyone's Free Will was violated in the story. Sorry to put words in your mouth. I assumed that your posting a seemingly warm fuzzy story would have an angle of some kind. So much for precedence. -Holdyourfire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holdyourfire Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 Originally posted by lindy9556+Feb 6 2004, 11:42 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (lindy9556 @ Feb 6 2004, 11:42 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteBegin--Peace@Feb 6 2004, 09:04 AM Then there are those at the opposite end of this, who are really wanting and needing someone to show they care whether or not you show up to church.... I know, there is a difference between offering a smile or a helping hand to be accepted if needed or wanted....and trying to shove the smile down their throat just to make the numbers look good. BIG DIFFERENCE!I think that sometimes just letting someone know that you care about their well being might be enough to help them through a rough time in life.I personally like my friendships to develop naturally. (1) I would seriously be ticked off if a stranger was visiting me from ANY church that I requested no contact from. (2) This stranger would not be visiting me if she had not been assigned to me. -So much for naturally developing friendships. How would you feel in the reveresed situation? -You know, if the LDS people were not in Gods true church and some TRUE church had strangers coming over to your house once a month to do their duty to their church.I tend to believe that people are basicly decent and won't usually chase off well intentioned oblivious people who come reguardless of requests not to. Besides sometimes baked goods are desirable to recieve despite the source. In this instance the the woman recieved the LDS womans efforts. Thats her choice for whatever reason. You will not hear about the stories with negative resultsHere's the Irony - LDS believe in a plan of salvation that works soley on the merits of free will. Your God grants us freewill and he cannot do otherwise lest he violate his own plan and it becomes like satans little plan. Yet this same God will instead in a round about way get his children to violate peoples do not visit requests for him. Kind of like a member getting a gentile to purchase something for them on sunday so they won't draw the sin on themselves.Those innactives just don't know whats good for themselves. Lets fix that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HalleysComet Posted February 6, 2004 Report Share Posted February 6, 2004 I read that story at Institute and I thought it was amazing,just like my friends here are... HC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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