My wife has shared this story a number of times with visiting missionaries, and it sounds a little (ok, very) hinky to me. I'm hoping someone here has heard it and confirm whether it is reality or fantasy.

As the story goes, a couple of tracting missionaries knocked on the door of a wealthy man who was expecting a nurse to change bandages and reapply ointments for some injury or condition he had. The nurse was late and the missionaries offered to keep the man company until she arrived.

When it became obvious that the nurse was not just late, but most likely not coming, the missionaries offered to help the man with his bandages and ointments. Though the man was prepared to call the nursing service to find out had happened to the nurse, he eventually accepted the help offered by the missionaries. The missionaries also promised to return regularly over the next weeks to help him complete his treatment.

True to their word, the missionaries returned several times like clockwork until the man was recovered.

The man offered them money for their services, much less than he would have paid the no-show nurse. They refused to accept of course, though the man was insistent and continuously increased the offer over the following weeks.

When it came time for the last of the two missionaries to go home, the man offered to pay his tuition, since he knew that the missionary was college bound. Once again the missionary turned him down.

A few years later, the man tracked down the return missionary, who was now married, had a degree, and just starting his career. The man arranged for the RM to visit him for old times sake.

When the RM arrived, he was surprised to see that the man had rewritten his will to name the RM as his sole beneficiary. All the RM needed to do was sign his name to the paperwork, and it was done.

The RM tore up the paperwork, which angered the man because the RM had refused literally everything the man had to offer. The RM remained resolute, but offered to help the man set up charities with his estate, saying that that would be the best way for the man to honor him.

The end.

I doubt anyone here at RFM can either confirm or refute such story. In my lowly opinion, I agree with you that it's hoky and unbelievable. If it really was a faith promoting missionary tale then the man's hand would have been cured by a priesthood blessing and the man would have joined the church to become a member in the stake presidency.

The companions that I had were money hungry; no different than an impoverished person finding a $20 bill on the ground. And yes! I had a companion find a $10 bill in the street. Not only did he pick it up, but we circled around on our bikes for a half an hour looking for more "lost money".

He was always looking for dropped money in the snow at bus stops.

He did find a used condom once. Cured him of picking up stuff.

It went south as soon as it got to the part where the nurse just disappears and the missionaries take over his healthcare for weeks.

No way did that happen....unless it was a 3rd world country perhaps.

And I don't think you have to sign any paperwork to be the beneficiary.....I didn't have to sign anything for my parents will.

It was in America, though I can't remember if she ever said where it was. I only half listen to some of the stories she tells, because I worry that I'll say something we'll both regret if I listen too closely.

The story is too "just so" for my tastes, and is the only story she's told that I wasn't able to chase down eventually on the internet. I haven't challenged her on the others, and I'm sure she believes them, but there's not much point in starting a fight with them. It's just good to have the "rest of the story" on hand if I should ever need it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2019 04:38PM by GregS.

A beneficiary does not need to sign anything to be in someone's will. A beneficiary can refuse to accept the money when the will is carried out, in which case the money is returned to the estate, and it is distributed to the other beneficiaries. If there are no others, then it is distributed according to the laws of that state.

So that detail about refusing to sign sounds fake.

Urban legends are one thing, but a Mormon faith promoting urban legend is beyond the pale. Gag me with a spoon----With all due respect to your wife, of course.

The last one I heard was a priest who said the sacrament prayer with his hand to the square over a beer and his arm shriveled up immediately never to be of any use again. Oh please, Mary!

The old man was one of The Three Nephites and the RM man was prophet-bound.

Did this happen to Paul Dunn when he was a young man?

I think it was Boyd K. Packer. That is why he was so "poor" when he died.

hahahahahahahahahha. HA.

A nursing service completely bailing on a wealthy client? Um… no.

Although as a missionary, my comp and I did refuse $5 once while we were out tracting. "We don't want your money, just your time!" we said. She didn't let us in, but we both felt super righteous anyway.

This story is obviously untrue.

A real true-blue Mormon would have procured all the money for the cult!

Real question.. Where is that nurse?

Leopards strike again, I guess.

feel to it.

Conveniently, no names, places, dates or details are given that would ever make it possible for someone to verify the story.

Nobody who tells the story ever has first-hand knowledge of the events in question.

There is no particular reason for the missionary to turn down the man's offer. While on a mission, mission policy prevents missionaries from receiving cash donations from people they meet, but that has no basis in doctrine or moral principles. It's a practical policy, probably designed to prevent some unscrupulous missionaries from bringing embarrassment to the church by panhandling for money. So there is no reason why the missionary in the story necessarily SHOULD have turned down the man's offer, especially if it would have made the man happy.

As others have pointed out, it really makes no sense that the nurse would have just mysteriously vanished without explanation. It makes less sense that a couple of untrained kids fresh out of high school would essentially start a pattern of weekly or more frequent visits to provide nursing care to someone who was so badly injured that they had previously found it necessary to hire a trained nurse to see to their wounds.

It is interesting that the story doesn't even say whether the "wealthy man" ever joined the church. I guess the point of the story was to portray the mythical missionaries as heroic figures, so virtuous and pure that they were inexplicably in the habit of turning down money from wealthy men offered to them with no strings attached. I guess the young missionary in the story thought it would be much better for his family to go into debt and carry a mortgage forever than to accept money from a many anxious to express gratitude.

Did your wife ever go on to say what the "moral of the story" is? It really is unclear to me what the lesson is supposed to be.

My wife usually rolls out the story whenever the subjects of "service" and the "value of missions" come up in the same conversation. She uses it to reassure the missionaries who visit us that service is its own reward and that they will be blessed for it.

I suspect that a number of missionaries who heard this story were hoping that they'd be in a similar situation and wouldn't pass up their chance to profit from their service.

Sounds like a variation of the Melvin Dummar story.

Thank you! I could see where some Mormon would want to use Melvin's story as inspirational, but without all of the fraudulent baggage that went with it.

Can we Stop You even if we Haven't heard that story?

Whuh?! ;)

This story is just like the fairy tale of 'the more you tithe the more blessings you will receive."

I think it would be termed an urban legend. So obviously made up. I agree with all the points from the sceptics here.