To start out, there will be no more talk or obsession with Aggie Basketball...at least for the next few months.
This morning I was privileged to have a visit from a wonderful person named Ernesto. He came to my apartment to drop off some reading material to someone that was no longer living in that residence. The person he was looking for was no longer there, but he took the opportunity to talk to me. You see, he was a witness of Jehovah and had very important things to share with me. This is how it all went down...
I was just getting ready to have some breakfast around 10:00 and the doorbell rang. I thought it may have been the managers so I went to answer it. I was still in pajamas, I hadn't yet showered or eaten, and I am still quite certain I hadn't cleaned all the sleepers out of my eyes yet. I answered the door and there was Ernesto, an immigrant from Mexico who was clean cut, with a rather neat looking mustache and looking sharp in his slacks, shirt and tie, and vest.
As I stated above, he had some reading material he was looking to deliver to someone he had talked to in that apartment some time ago. My thoughts were that it must have been a Long, LONG time ago because the people who were there before would not have asked for some of that reading material. Ernesto seemed to be a few months behind schedule. Nonetheless, like a good missionary he took the moment to begin to preach to me.
I was kind and respectful as he valiantly began efforts to bring about the salvation of my soul. He talked of Jehovah and how his people are saved. How no one else will be saved and how only 144,000 (a.k.a. "Jehovah's People") would inherit the kingdom of Heaven. Much of what he had to say was quite exciting and interesting. There was much nodding in agreement, followed by some raised eyebrows.
As he talked and showed me scriptures from his "Bible", I was caught up in reflection of my time as a Missionary on the Lord's errand. Two years, spent far from home, family and friends, in a foreign land, learning a foreign language, preaching the Good News. I considered the differences between My mission and Ernesto's Mission. I asked to come in and sit down for a short while to leave with them our short message, while he preferred to stand in my doorway...for 40 minutes...and talk about Jehovah.
I asked him what I needed to do to become part of "Jehovah's People". His response: "Repent and Be Baptized." "Well great," I said. "I repent every day and I've already been baptized!" Logically, I thought I was already qualified to be part of "Jehovah's People." Apparently not. He said Mormon Baptism doesn't count. I smiled, shook my head and asked myself, "How could I have forgotten about that?" He told me the first great commandment to love the Lord God with all thy heart, and then the second to love my neighbor as myself. I asked him who is our neighbor and he said that it was all the other religions out there. "But some people don't have religion," I said. He shrugged it off.
The kicker...He began to say that I was like the Pharisees. (Whoa now...) He said that The Devil is my Father. (That wasn't so kind...) He said that all other religions are part of the Great Babylon. (Ouch...) He brought out a little plastic pouch that had anti-mormon things in it. (And the blood starts boiling...) Pulled out a paper that had Book of Mormon references on it and how they were wrong supported by scriptures in the bible. (Keep in mind that the References from the Book of Mormon had been taken completely out of context and hence, were invalid. I don't believe that he considered I might know that.)
The more it dragged on, the more he tried to pull me into a bible war it seemed. He was so concentrated on converting me with his words and his Bible that he forgot one thing...What I know, I know for myself. It burns deep within me, and carries through every fiber of my being. Lucky for me, I kept my cool. I was kind, polite and asked him to leave so I could get showered and go to work (which now I was about half an hour late for). He was a good man, who had concern for the salvation of my soul. I wish him the best of luck.
But Ernesto, if you want to be more effective, don't begin the conversation by bashing on one's religion. Don't tell me that The Devil is my father and I am part of Great Babylon. If you really want to talk about religion with me, don't start by bashing on my beliefs. As you told me "Love thy neighbor as thy self." Just sayin...
Oh...and don't just stand in my doorway. Come in and sit down...My knee was starting to hurt...
Good thing he thinks my name is Brad... HAHAHA!!!
(This was a long one, I know. Sorry!)
