my mission.

I served in the Southern U.S. well before missionaries got to exercise. I later learned that some of the biggest influence I had was while playing on pdays with high school kids in a particular area. Some of them played on the high school team, some LDS and some not. They liked to play locals vs missionaries and we pretty much always won. Years later I returned to the area and they were excited to see me. I learned that they had always beaten the missionaries before and after I was there. I learned that they really looked up to me and talked about those games long after I left. Many of them (more than I would have guessed) were active returned missionaries.

I was a very very hard working missionary trying to do what was right, but I wonder if I missed out on an even greater opportunity. I feel like it would have been more effective to replace some of the door knocking with building relationships and teaching those I befriended, kind of like Ammon winning over the Lamanites he was serving. Ammon was good with a sling and sword. I could play ball. Oh well.