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Today I saw the missionaries on the computers at the local library. That there are missionaries in my tiny southern hamlet is interesting enough, but to find them in the local library on the computers at the time I was randomly in town to do research is even more coincidental. I was under the assumption that missionaries can't get on the Internet, at the very least an unsupervised public computer reeking of anonymity.

Partly because I was bored with my own research as well as stirred by own curiosity, I passed by and did a quick scan to see what they were doing on the computer. Horrors! I saw the iconic layout of youtube on one screen and google's search engine on the other. Not what I expected I assure you! Truly I expected to see MD&D, LDS.org, or a similar website, but sadly not. The boy* on youtube wasn't even watching Kerry Shirts' videos! Double horrors! I went back to finish my last bit of research but when I left they were still there, so they were there at least an hour. Apologists should be happy to hear I didn't walk by and whisper "mormondiscussions.com".

Anyway I had this daily chuckle to myself, but would like to throw this thread open to tales of missionary sightings in unexpected places.

*Damn I'm getting old, I think of the missionaries as "boys" nowadays. He looked about fifteen to me.

About two years ago, I saw a pair of missionaries walking down fourth ave towards ninth street. I was driving around the area doing some pre-commute street photography when I saw them. I pulled over, got out, introduced myself and gave them 20 bucks and directions to good cheap Taqueria a few blocks down. I had to get going to campus or I would have taken them to lunch myself.

I haven't run into any Mormon missionaries since, though I'm apparently a Lubavitch magnet. Why, I have no idea. I look about as goy as they come...

Blixa wrote:I haven't run into any Mormon missionaries since, though I'm apparently a Lubavitch magnet. Why, I have no idea. I look about as goy as they come...

Googling "Lubavitch". . .

Dr. Shades wrote:Googling "Lubavitch". . .

Hasidic Jews (really orthodox) who think they are going to change the world by having secular Jews perform various observances and rituals. They are probably the close as Judaism gets to having annoying tracting evangelicals or pairs of clean cut white kids passing out ambein with the title of "Elder".

I once saw missionaries in a book store, in the travel section, looking at pictures of tropical islands. Apparently, they weren't too happy with Alaskan weather.

I almost literally ran into a couple of missionaries a few years ago. Their car had run out of gas on an uphill curve, and they were genuinely stuck, unable to decide what to do. They couldn't both leave the car where it was (likely against mission rules, but unsafe in any case), but neither could they split up so that one could go to the gas station a half mile away.

I solved the problem for them by getting them a can of gas.

They were in such a tizzy that they didn't ask who I was or anything else about me. Perhaps they tell tales about how one of the 3 Nephites (albeit an overweight, balding white guy - very white) came to their rescue.

To their credit, they tried to pay me for the gas, and for going for it.

malkie wrote:I almost literally ran into a couple of missionaries a few years ago. Their car had run out of gas on an uphill curve, and they were genuinely stuck, unable to decide what to do. They couldn't both leave the car where it was (likely against mission rules, but unsafe in any case), but neither could they split up so that one could go to the gas station a half mile away.

I solved the problem for them by getting them a can of gas.

They were in such a tizzy that they didn't ask who I was or anything else about me. Perhaps they tell tales about how one of the 3 Nephites (albeit an overweight, balding white guy - very white) came to their rescue.

To their credit, they tried to pay me for the gas, and for going for it.

That was a very kind thing for you to do, malkie.

Blixa wrote:About two years ago, I saw a pair of missionaries walking down fourth ave towards ninth street. I was driving around the area doing some pre-commute street photography when I saw them. I pulled over, got out, introduced myself and gave them 20 bucks and directions to good cheap Taqueria a few blocks down. I had to get going to campus or I would have taken them to lunch myself.

I haven't run into any Mormon missionaries since, though I'm apparently a Lubavitch magnet. Why, I have no idea. I look about as goy as they come...

Blixa,

I remember as a missionary how much I appreciated kind gestures like this. When you spend the majority of your day getting rejected and verbally abused (i'm only being a bit hyperbolic here as I'm sure many RMs on this board understand) it really brightens the day when someone is actually nice, and in the case of you, Blixa, incredibly generous.

If these missionaries are anything like me, it is mission moments like this that they will always remember.

Seth

The Internet had just come out when I was a little missionary. There weren't any rules about internet use because the technology was so new. The branch president of our little branch had a computer connected to the Internet. My comp and I started making regular visits to their house to teach the BP's mother, recently moved in from her home country. While I visited with the mother and BP, my comp would "look up information about his college". The computer was upstairs in a little office far away from us. To this day, I'm not totally sure what he was looking at.

About a month later, he was sent home after serving for a total of 15 months.