More people knock on my door Part I

I think I have had more random visitors to my door in the one month I have been in Japan than probably the two years I spent in Atlanta. I feel like at least once or twice a week someone knocks on my door wanting to sell me something or tell me about some product, even give me something. I don't know what half of them want, because they are speaking Japanese. I usually just smile and say in Japanese that I don't understand Japanese and sometimes they smile and say excuse me and leave. But sometimes they keep right on talking as if I understand them. Eventually the blank look on my face tells them that they are wasting their time.

My most recent visitors came the other night. I had a friend visiting me and we were talking when the doorbell rang. I looked out the peephole and saw two college age men standing at the door wearing white button down shirts and neckties, and I thought to myself, "They look like Mormons." So I opened the door and they looked at each other clearly surprised to see a Western face and said something to each other trying to figure out what language to speak to me in. Turns out they spoke three: Japanese, English, and Portuguese. They were Portuguese Mormon missionaries in Japan. Who'd a thunk. They introduced themselves as Mormon missionaries. And I said oh that's nice, my friend here is a missionary with the Presbyterian church. They asked if they could talk to us a for a minute. And I said sure. They aren't going to convert me and maybe I can keep them from converting my Japanese neighbors or maybe even think more about some of the things they believe. So they talked to us and we asked some questions.

Its kind of sad because they told us their beliefs and they were right on, until they got to the part about Joseph Smith and needing more Scripture than what is in the Bible. They were so close and then they had to go and add stuff.

Then they asked if they could come back later and give me a copy of the Book of Mormon. They had it in Japanese and Portuguese with them, but no English. I said sure they could give me their book. I have been meaning to read it anyway, just to know more about their beliefs. So I can speak more intelligently with them. This was not my first interaction with a Mormon. So they are coming back tomorrow night, and we'll see what happens.