The other day I went for a hike and had quite the experience. I wanted to record it here just so that I can look back on it and reflect from time to time. It's been a couple of months since the experience, so I will give a condensed version.
I often go hiking alone. Because I am alone, I like to have my phone in my pocket playing my scripture podcast on speaker mode rather than have ear buds in my ears. I want to be able to hear my surroundings, I feel less vulnerable that way. As I was hiking along and listening to my podcast on the New Testament, I came upon another hiker. I realized that it would be a slow pass. The man was hiking fairly close to my speed, but I was just a bit faster--I would eventually pass him, but it was going to take a little bit of time. As I went to pause my podcast, I stopped myself. I had the distinct impression not to, I said to myself, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, let it play." Interesting impression. I let it play.
I got about five feet in front of the man when he called out to me, "who is preaching to you?" I told him that it was a podcast about the bible. He told me that he was looking for a new church. I thought to myself that this was the reason that I must have had that impression. I told him that I was happy to talk about my faith and answer any questions that he may have. We talked for a few minutes when he asked me if I was Mormon. I told him that I was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and that we don't prefer to go by that nickname anymore, but yes, I was a Mormon. At that, his whole demeanor changed. I learned very quickly that he was out to destroy my testimony and that his "questions" weren't genuine but they were an attempt to get me in a "gotcha" moment. I stayed calm and happy and continued to defend my faith, but I was not interested in participating in any form of contention. He wouldn't leave me alone, and he continued to hike alongside of me.
His voice was elevated, and once we reached the top, he was causing a scene. He was practically yelling at me, calling me a blasphemer and he told me he was worried for my soul. He was combative, and quite a bit bigger than me, so he drew a small crowd. Two women joined the on-lookers and for a moment I thought they were there to help me, but then I noticed them nodding along with what he was yelling. I was able to stay calm and positive. At one point, I told him that I couldn't force him to believe what I believe, that he had his agency to choose and that I encouraged him to meet with the missionaries, read the Book of Mormon, and decide for himself what he believes of it. He told me that he was going to pray over my soul, and I told him that I needed all the prayers I can get and I appreciated it. But, when he took a step towards me I decided that the conversation needed to end, not only for my safety, but also because it was clear that he wasn't interested in conversation. I took a step back and told him to have a nice day but that I was going to start back down the mountain. The two girls that joined the on-lookers earlier asked to join me on my hike back down. They told me that they had questions and wanted to continue where the conversation ended.
As we continued to hike, one woman stayed quiet and the other asked a bunch of questions. However, it was quite clear from the start that she was also out to destroy my testimony. She was seeking real knowledge about what I believed, she instead told me that she thought I was dead wrong. At that, I said to her that I love talking about my faith, It is my favorite thing to talk about. But, I told her that I thought she'd agree, as a fellow follower of Christ, that the conversation needed to be respectful and kind--contention drives away the spirit--and so if she wanted to continue, then I would invite her to ask her questions so long as we remained respectful and kind. She agreed and with that the tone of the conversation changed. She asked wonderful questions (although she clearly had had her fill of "anti-Mormon" literature). I knew that she attempting to be a missionary for her faith, but I was also going to do my best to be a missionary of mine. We hit on all sorts of doctrine and scripture. I listened to her respectfully, she listened to me respectfully. I told her that we had a lot of common ground to stand on. It was a wonderful conversation of mutual sharing.
At the end of the hike, the other woman--who had said nothing up to this point--turned to me and thanked me. She told me that she was a newly baptized member of the non-denominational Christian church of her friend. She told me that she was new to Christianity and didn't know a lot. She told me that she has so many questions and really enjoyed listening to the two of us talk and she was learning so much.
After all of that, I think that she was maybe the reason why I needed to let my podcast play. I'll never know what comes of it. But, at the end of the day, I can still say that I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ and I will always be willing to discuss my faith and defend my faith if the case may be.
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