During the first week that my husband, Larry, and I wore our brand-new missionary nametags we found that people paid attention to them and wanted to know more about who we are and why we wear them. We have been called to serve in the New York New York North Mission.
Our first experience occurred at the JFK airport at midnight on the day we flew from Salt Lake City. Unfortunately, our direct flight took a side trip to Detroit due to bad weather in New York, which caused us to miss our connection to Boston. (Prior to our scheduled arrival date of July 31st in New York, we planned to attend our twin grandchildren’s baptisms in Massachusetts.)
The whole airport was filled with long lines of tired and frustrated travelers who were in the same predicament as we were. Finally, a ticket agent beckoned us to her station and booked us on a flight for the next morning. That necessitated traveling into the city and finding a place to sleep, not an easy task in the height of tourist season and with thousands of passengers needing the same thing.
The young female agent looked at my nametag and asked if we were here for some kind of conference. I explained that we were moving to New York as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When she gave me a blank look, I said, “the Mormons.” She then brightened and said, “Let me help you out. Here are some meal vouchers (we hadn’t eaten since breakfast) and a taxi voucher. I try to do one good deed a day.”
Our next nametag encounter was at a restaurant near the temple. As we waited to be seated for lunch, the man standing in front of us turned around: it was Regis Philbin. Looking at our nametags, Regis said, “Oh, that musical. Don’t go see it. If the churches of my religious friends had been treated that way, they would be outraged. But you Mormons . . .” He indicated that we wouldn’t be outraged because we are “so nice.” When the maitre d’ approached, Regis said, “Take good care of my Mormon friends.”
One Saturday night we had dinner with our friends, Elder Val and Sister Patty Greenwood, who are teaching institute in New York. The tables in this restaurant were very close together so it was instant mingling. A party of four was seated next to us and immediately wanted to know what our nametags meant. When we said we were missionaries, she responded, “I thought your missionaries were all about 20 years old.” We explained that besides the young elders and sisters, there are thousands of senior couples who also serve missions. She commented that she had seen the Book of Mormon musical. A discussion ensued about living prophets and the Book of Mormon. Sister Greenwood handed her a Book of Mormon and her card.
We know that we will have many more opportunities to share a message about the Church in the next 18 months because someone will notice our nametags. Like other missionaries around the world, both former and currently serving, we desire to help people come to know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world.
