Hope nobody flames me for this. We got home late for dinner because we went to a movie. It was about 7:30pm and I finished up making some depression food--split pea soup, which I had on the stove during the movie, and bratwurst to go with it. (And all Germany runs on pea soup or lentil soup with sausages, so it's kind of favorite winter comfort food for us, and reminds us of the place.)

I was interrupted when the missionaries knocked. DW led them into the living room, and it was the usual thing--appointment had fallen through and they were looking for someone to chat up to fill in time. It was cold and dark and they were on bikes. I were overcome, I were, with the spirit, feeling sorry for them. I asked them if they had eaten, and since they hadn't, I invited them to get in out of the cold and eat pea soup with bratwurst. They seemed pleased, so we did it. DW was surprised at my sudden burst of Christian guilt. Nice thing is, they were super polite, kept calling me "sir," and did not bring up religion. DW, the ward RS president, announced, "We don't pray at meal time, but if you want, one of you can do it." I felt very glad she said that in that kind of a way, rather than pretend that we do. Took the pressure off of me to ask someone.

A good time was had by all, as they say. I was kind of shocked, bemused, and a bit disappointed that they were both right out of high school, had had no tertiary education whatever, and were both from little outposts in Utah. They admitted they had never eaten split pea soup before, which I found incredulous, but they weren't raised by parents always cooking Depression food like DW and me. I did my good deed for the missionaries.

Thanks for being very kind. It is the little things like that which will help these missionaries see another side of the church. It is not always possible to be so hospitable to missionaries as they may show up at inconvenient times, may be rude, or may lie about why they are at your door (attempt to reactivate) etc. So when opportunities such as yours occur when the missionaries seem a bit contrite, it is a time to show compassion.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2016 08:02AM by Eric K.

What Eric said. Nicely done.

You did what!?!? What's the world coming to?

You won't get any flaming from me. That was nice. There were so many times on mission that it would have been so good to be treated like that.

I was raised hearing constantly that only Mormons were truly happy and that Mormons were the most full of goodness. On my mission was when I saw most of the rest of the world was pretty damn happy and wonderful. It was an eyeopener.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2016 10:37AM by blueorchid.

I agree with Eric K. You did a good thing and everything went well. Hospitality and kindness. Did they like your Erbsensuppe?

Aber natürlich. Thick and savoury. One missionary played with it just a bit, and I was afraid he wouldn't try it. I told him the German soldiers in the field are normally fed from two giant pots, one with Erbsensuppe mit Wurst, the other generally with "Linsensuppe mit Wurst," sometimes goulash. Why? Thick hot soups and sausage really fill the belly and taste good in the rain and cold. And Germany is rainy and cold a good part of the year. They both ate their bowls clean. (Full disclosure: I have no idea whether or not they stuck their fingers down their throats afterward to purge themselves.)

Ach du lieber Gott! Jetzt bin ich für deutsche Speise hungrig. Wurst mitt Spätzle und Soße. Vieleicht mit einem bissle Rotkohl dazu. <sigh>

And, good job OP.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2016 10:13AM by Heidi GWOTR.

Mensch, wir essen so gerne Spätzle, in Butter leicht gebraunt. Auch Rotkohl, natürlich. Zu 3. Okt. heben wir die deutsche Fahne vorne am Haus, und Schnitzel und alles dazu machen. (Leider wird Bier nicht zu Hause getrunken. Zur Zeit. Hoffentlich wird das sich in der Zukunft ändern.)

the dehydrated Spätzle that is sold in stores and comes in packages is really horrible. the chickens seem to like it, however, but then again they will eat anything.

Das klingt so was von lecker gerade. Aber ich hätte auch gern ein bisschen Gulasch mit Kartoffeln :3

I'm glad to read this. There are some on this site that take great joy in being rude to the missionaries. I'm not sure what their goal is.

I'm atheist and, yet, still believe in the golden rule.

As alluded to by others, if your goal is to persuade and help a set the path for a missionary to find his/her way out of the cult, kindness goes farther than cruelty.

Funny, I have a pot of split pea soup simmering on the stove at this very moment. One of my favorites during the winter.

I think you did well with the missionaries, and hopefully their minds will allow them to process the kindness shown by you and not just associate it with the ward RSP.

With the crazy weather, I'm doing kosher chicken broth.

My grandma used to make the most WONDERFUL split-pea soup, so I learned to love the stuff as a kid.

While I'm not much in the cooking department myself, I made up a few pots of split-pea soup as a grown-up married lady, using a meaty ham-hock for flavoring, and trimming off little bits of ham to be in the soup. Darned good stuff.

My first husband wouldn't touch it because his mother (who had to feed a family of four on very little money) used to make it a lot and hubby associated it with "poor" people - and once he had made it big in business, he would not have any such thing served in his house.

My current husband will eat it, but his kids wouldn't, when they were growing up. They thought that green, lumpy soup "looked gross" and they wouldn't even try it. I don't cook voluntarily, but I put a lot of effort into that one, mainly because I loved it so much. (With a side of corn muffins!) But the negative attitude of the kids REALLY hurt.

I may still have to take another shot at it, now that the kids are all grown up and moved out. . .doggone good stuff!

I may have to make us a pot of split pea soup! Yum! Comfort food, and this is definitely the weather for it!

One of the first things that began to open my eyes about TSCC was that when I was a missionary and also in the military, the people I met there, seemed so much happier that I was...and I was the one with the gospel.

It didn't connect for a long time that there could be anything wrong with the "gospel" I was carrying with me. But certainly, as soon as I took it less seriously, the happier I was. And then when I realized that it was all a fraud, I was overjoyed about my discovery.

Kindness sticks in people's minds, and although these two Mormon missionaries were very young, they will some how, perhaps sub consciously, remember how great that food tasted on a cold night. Thank you for your kindness.

Do they have whole pea soup? I don't like slicing carrots, much less peas.

In Mexico, among the wealthy, Shattered Pea Soup is a real treat.

You freeze the peas, then just before you put them into the soup, the servants take turns smacking each pea with a ball peen hammer and then sweeping up the frozen pieces and tossing them into the big bubbling Aztec pot.

The servants pretend they are smacking the family members and they have a wonderful time of it. Many of you have probably seen this acted out in one or another telenovela.

I'm one more that loves split pea soup.

And I also like to invite the missionaries in. As they are, I once was, as I am, they may become.

Of course, when they start asking what I think of church, I end up telling more than they want to hear, and it will be years between visits. But still nice to see them.

I suppose in a few years when they're back to reality and start seeing more BS, they might think back to some things they saw and heard from exmos.

I am an ex-mo, spouse is a still-in and quite active. Fortunately we live in a relaxed California stake and it's never any kind of issue at all.

We regularly have the missionaries over for dinners, once or twice a month. For whatever reason, "our" ward is always staffed by sister missionaries. Overwhelmingly they are sweet girls from small towns in the Mormon Corridor, places where Boise seems like a looming metropolis, and plopped down in one of the most diverse and liberal urban settings in all of North America. We feed them well, listen to whatever they want to say or are supposed to tell us that month, and send them happily on their way, perhaps with some extra slices of pie.

Whatever one thinks about the founders and the BRETHREN, there's no need to take it out on harmless youngsters away from home.

Should we take it out on them? No.

But to say they're harmless is beyond logic.

Good for you! The missionaries are KIDS. Anger and abuse only push them further into the Morg. It's great when they see happy, friendly folks living good lives outside Mormonism--it gets them thinking. The Boner.