So today I had a great missionary opportunity. For my education class we have to spend some time with the ESL (english as a second language) students. Our group wasn't very big today so we went to a local coffee shop to hang out and get some drinks. Because I am LDS I choose not to drink coffee. I love the smell, coffee cake and the occasional quart of haagen daas coffee ice cream... I just don't drink it.
One of the girls in the group asked me why Mormons don't drink coffee. I told her because it is part of the standards of the church to abstain from it. Then, she told me how she had asked that question before to other members and they had merely said, "We don't drink it because we just don't." She wanted an actual explanation of why we don't drink it. I tried my best to explain that it is important to be able to feel the spirit and keep the joy of the gospel in our lives. But, that spirit and joy can be overpowered if we are addicted to any substance. I told her how coffee is highly caffinated so it could become an addiction for some people; as in they can't function without it. The same can be said of alcohol, tobacco, pornography; basically any potentially addictive substance. So, abstaining from coffee is one way to keep the guidance and influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives. She had a satisfied look on her face after I said that. She replied with a simple, "ok that makes sense." Then she walked into the classroom for our next class.
This experience blessed my life today because it gave me an opportunity to practice and prepare to be a missionary. I don't know if this girl will ever convert to the church, or if our discussion made a difference in her life at all. What I do know, is that for me, it was another opportunity for me to use the training I'm receiving in my mission prep class and get that much closer to achieving my goal of going on a mission.
No comments:
Post a Comment