Keeping up appearances

Wisteria · Post by **Wisteria** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:01 pm

I'm looking for opinions. This isn't a big deal, it's just something I'm a little curious about. I was traveling last week, and on two occasions I saw missionaries. Neither time were they directly in my path, so I didn't go talk to them either time, but in general, is it frowned upon for missionaries to speak to young women roughly (getting more and more rough) their age? I thought I heard some of my friends discussing this topic and saying that they were strongly discouraged from approaching young women on the street, but I may be remembering that incorrectly. What sayest thee, friends?

Post by **bobtheenchantedone** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:08 pm

I just want you to know that my brother is sitting next to me correcting your grammar. And mine.

Katya · Post by **Katya** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 2:16 pm

I don't think that the missionaries in Champaign-Urbana were under any such prohibition. (After all, they were serving on a college campus, so they would have been ignoring nearly half the population.)

chillygator · Post by **chillygator** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 3:50 pm

I was a fan of my mission (also around a lot of college students) how the elders could talk to them but had to give them to us to teach. Worked out really well for our potential list (o: But I served in two missions and that was only true in one of them so I don't think it's a world-wide thing.

Nanti-SARRMM · Post by **Nanti-SARRMM** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 4:19 pm

If you had gone up to them and spoken to them, they most likely would have looked at you in horror, grab a batarang from their secret missionary utility belts and high tailed with such speed usually only reserved for when they find out that the Missions President's wife is coming to inspect their apartment for cleanliness within the next 30 minutes.

Actually, they would have said hi back, had you spoken to them. As to them being discouraged from talking to young ladies, there is nothing wrong with it if you're attempting to get them to accept the bible. Some techniques may be questionable, of course, but there is nothing wrong with talking about the gospel and getting a young lady interested in joining the church.

Hobbes · Post by **Hobbes** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 5:47 pm

I'm a big fan of not passing judgment on missionaries.

That's not necessarily what you're doing, but different missions will have different cultures, and different missionaries will have different approaches. Perhaps they shouldn't be approaching these young women, but frankly, it's just not for us to say. So let's all play nice.