Mormons On Parade

Today I will tell you a story that I should probably save for some girls camp testimony meeting or general conference talk that I will never actually be asked to give:

One christmas, my boss, who is not mormon but has many mormon friends and lives right next to the LDS temple in DC, bounded into my office with unbridled enthusiasm and said to me, "I have an idea! Let's get everyone in our office together to eat dinner at my house and then go to the LDS visitors center to see the festival of lights!" Since I AM mormon and generally like to share what is most important in my life with those around me (you'll recall the many posts about bathrooms, vegetables, Smart Boy, diet coke, Smart Boy, God, Thrift Stores, diet cherry coke, oh, and SB) you might think that I would be as excited as Boss, right? WRONG. I smiled woodenly as I listened to her plan for a weeknight sometime in the next two weeks thinking to myself that I would rather poke a hot iron into my eyeball than hang out with work after work. Not because I don't love my work friends and my job, but I have things to do and people to see and presents to make and buy.

But then I started to think about it. Really. How often does your non-mormon boss want to plan your missionary opportunities for you? And how often do you get the chance to really talk about the things that are most important in the world in meaningful ways with people who you spend all day with? And frankly, what kind of disciple of Christ am I if I can't do what I said I would do and share the most important message of the restoration of the fullness of Christ's gospel (even if it is in an informative, un-preachy, professional sort of way)? So, I popped into Boss' office the next day and with renewed enthusiasm, I said, "Hey! let's do it next Thursday!"

And we did it. It was really really wonderful to share the things that I love the most with these good friends. At one point in the evening, I think I sounded a little like Ms. Teen South Carolina when I bumblingly tried to explain the "Temple In Terms We Can All Understand". "like, we don't totally do like ancestor worship, but such and we like, there is baptism, but not like people baptism, but like and such and yeah." So, false doctrine aside, I did get to talk about moroni and the book of mormon and The Savior was everywhere.

And there were Ukrainians.

Adorable little Ukranian children waving their hands and talking in stage voices that reminded me of "Waiting for Guffman". Hilarious and sweet.