You know how it starts — the clipboard passed around in Sunday School. It rests in your hands as you take just a moment to consider, "Should I put my name down?" Yup, it's time to feed the missionaries.
The chance to welcome the local full-time missionaries into your home to share a meal with your family can be a great blessing. However, it can also be a little bit nerve-racking.
"Will they like my food?"
"Will they like my family?"
"Will I have anything to say to them at all?"
What can you do to help this dinner be a fabulous experience for your family and for the missionaries as well?
Here are few simple tips that can help the adventure of feeding the missionaries feel like a great opportunity, rather than a daunting chore.
1. Be ready on time.
Most often, missionaries have a scheduled time set aside for dinner, and they plan their teaching schedule around that time constraint. Remember, their time is not their own. They are representing Heavenly Father as they seek out his children to teach. Be ready to start and end your dinner appointment according to the missionaries' timetable. You wouldn't want them to be late for their appointment with you and neither does anyone else. Help them to be as effective as possible by being conscious of their agenda.
2. Don't try anything crazy.
A visit from the missionaries is not the time to attempt that unique, ultra-spicy, new recipe. You always hear stories about the weird and sometimes disgusting things missionaries are called on to eat. Do you really want to be the subject of one of those stories? Now, that doesn't mean you can only serve pizza or spaghetti, but try to be respectful of these young people who may not be accustomed to unusual fare.
3. Focus the conversation on their missions.
While it is fun to know where the missionaries are from, and a bit about their families and homes, keep in mind that they are currently set apart to focus on preaching the gospel. Ask them about the work they have been called to do, rather than what they are missing back home like their girlfriend, their job or their schooling. Help maintain their attention on enjoying their opportunity to serve and teach. This will strengthen them and help them be a better representative of Jesus Christ.
4. Give them the opportunity to feel loved.
Take into account that for that evening, you are all the family the missionaries have. Let them feel the love and spirit of your home. Allow them to be strengthened by your love of your Father in Heaven. This is an opportunity for them to recharge their spiritual batteries with people who already know and love the gospel. Missionaries use their time to bless the lives of others with the truth, so let this be a time for you to try to bless them.
Having the full-time missionaries in your home for dinner is a beautiful opportunity. This can be an occasion to look forward to, instead of one to dread. The idea may make you a bit nervous, but as you open your heart — and your kitchen — to these servants of God, you will be blessed and so will they.