English to hitchhiker at gas station. Thu, Mar 15, 2007.
03/15/2007. 802. I do not recommend giving rides to hitchhikers after dark, but I did it anyway. This guy hit me up for a ride as I got out of the car and going towards the front door to pre-pay at the gas station. He was walking away as to leave the station, and called after me, so he played it correctly by being non-threatening to me, and not blocking me as I walked towards the cashier. (I was between him and the door.) Where he was going was on my way anyway, so I did a quick calculation and decided that since he was polite, non-threatening, and not manipulative I would give him a lift. I asked him if he had any drugs on him, which he denied. I didn't expect him to admit it if he did, but I did that to let him know that I didn't want to know about any if he did.
After gassing the car, I rearranged my books and laundry so he could sit in the front seat. Before we even pulled out of the gas station I hit him up with an offer of a free Bible and a free Book of Mormon. He said he could use a Bible, and he knew what the Book of Mormon was, and accepted my offer of that too. On the way to his destination, he gave me his sob-story, stating his need of a hand-out, but not directly asking for one. I could detect a little alcohol on his breath, too.
We got to his destination, and I parked in a well-lit area. I asked whether he wanted a King James Version or a modern translation. He wanted a King James, so I got that from the back seat, and got an English Book of Mormon from the trunk. He thanked me, and we said good-night. After he got a few yards away, I figured I might as well give him a couple bucks anyway. So I took $2 out of my wallet, and called after him. As I gave him the money, I said "Don't buy alcohol with it" and he smiled. I probably should have said, "Go ahead and buy alcohol with it if you want, just don't use it to buy drugs."
The cynic in me says he'll try to sell the Bible and Book of Mormon. But even if so, the testimony of giving him scriptures was given.
Labels: English, gas station, hitchhiker
posted by Bookslinger @ 10:15 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
I know it is easy to be a cynic. I miss how open I was to everyone on my mission. What they did in the past did not matter to me.
One of the members in my area must have appeared very hardened to the people in his future ward(or Branch). I believe he said that none of the members wanted to be the one to baptize him. After joining the Church, I think he said that he spent a lot of time with the missionaries. People can change!
Change for some can be hard and there can be a lot of falling and backsliding and false starts.
I do think kindness can go a long way. I think it is important to be kind to people with no strings attatched. It may give them the strength to endure. Some people may not progress in this life but they need to know that we see worth and value in them. This is not to be confused with enabling someone.
I am not sure how many people join the LDS Church when they at rock bottom. I do know of someone who had an amazing conversation to Christianity when he was imprisoned for charges related to gambling.
I met so many people in Narcotics Anonymous as a missionary. Some of them had been clean for a few years. I found many of them to be very spiritual. I also liked the network they had of sponsoring people.
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