Doin' what they do

Yesterday when the knock came on my door, I had on my oldest nightgown with the opening almost to my knees. I folded the gown to show the least amount of skin and answered the door.

On the other side of the door stood two almost identically dressed young men: black dress pants, white shirts with the sleeve buttoned at the wrist and blue ties. Hello, the one on the right said. Can we speak with your for a minute? Mormons, I said. Yes, the one on the right said. What do you know about Mormons, he asked.

Well, I said someone named Smith started out in Missouri in the 1800s and headed west. They ended up in Salt Lake City. Mormon Tabernacle Choir, I said. Donnie and Marie were Mormons, I said. Some girl was kidnapped. Elizabeth Smart, the one on the right said. Humm, yes. She played some instrument, I said.

Oh yeah, then there was that Jeffs guy. Warren Jeffs, the one on the left said. He was part of a splinter group. Right, I said.

Do you consider yourself a Christian, the one on the right asked. Well, I don't believe in heaven that has streets paved with gold or has many mansions. I guess I consider myself spiritual. I believe there is a God. I believe he is light and love and energy, I said.

The one on the right asked me if I knew why they were called Mormons. I drew a blank, but he opened his backpack and showed me a book. This is the Book of Mormon, he said, we believe it like we do the Bible.

Then I said something about all the New Testament was not written at the same time. Some books were written several hundred years after Christ died. Revelation, the one on the right said. John the Revelator, I said.

Then, I said there is one group who believes that only x amount of people go to heaven. The one on the right said, although I don't like to talk bad about other religions, I think it is 144,000. I said I've always wondered why if they believed that, why they kept trying to convert you. I'm sure the quota already has been met.

Then the one on the right, who I guess was the leader of the two, asked me if I prayed. Yes, every day I said. Did you know that God will always give you an answer if you ask, he said. Well, sometimes we aren't receptive so we don't hear, I say. But he always answers, the one on the right said.

Can we come talk to you again, the one on the right asked. No I said as I was saying I would pray that they would find someone receptive. I smiled as I slowly closed the door.