Sister Ma has been inviting people to the Lord’s house for 10 years. More than 20 of those who have come have accepted the gospel. “I’ve never seen Sister Ma at a Church function without a nonmember in tow,” President Middleton says. And she always lets people know what to expect before their first visit.

Case in point: Ruby. Lena Ma met Ruby at the library and struck up a conversation. “I asked Ruby what she usually does on Sunday,” Sister Ma says. “I asked about her son, if there was anything in her church for him. I then explained about our Primary organization and invited her to come and see for herself. She came and then attended some more. She started the missionary lessons yesterday.”

Sonny and Shaina Sala, who recently moved from the Salt Spring Island Branch in British Columbia to the Cardston Eighth Ward in Alberta, have adopted much the same approach as Sister Ma. Sonny and Shaina have talked to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of acquaintances and strangers about the gospel. “When we meet someone,” Shaina says, “right away, we ask, ‘Do you go to church in the area? We go to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Have you heard of it?’

“We do try to have some fun with it. The other day, Sonny told me to go say hi to a man because he looked like a former member of our branch. When I walked up to him, I discovered that Sonny was teasing me. The man was a stranger. There was this awkward moment, and then I just said, ‘You look like a friend I once knew. He was a member of my church. Have you ever heard of the Mormon Church?’ It turns out he used to be a member. We got into a discussion about faith, and I invited him to church. And then he said, ‘You know, I just got out of the hospital, and here you are, this angel, inviting me back to church.’ If I hadn’t opened my mouth, I wouldn’t have known he’d been in the hospital and needed to reconnect with the Church.”

“When you turn yourself over to the Lord,” Sonny says, “He’ll put people in your path.” He tells of backing up his motor home one day and ending up in a ditch. He called for a tow truck, and the Spirit prompted him to speak to the driver about the gospel. “I told him, ‘The Lord put me in this ditch so I could meet you.’ He laughed, and we talked. It turns out his grandmother was a Mormon at one time. He wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon. We try to keep copies nearby, and I was happy to give him one.”


R. Val Johnson, “How to Be a Great Member Missionary,” Ensign, Aug 2007, 50–55