Sunday, October 6, 2013

Argetina: Missionary Street Meeting: Man's Search for Happiness

On my mission, we did not generally tract.  We did more contacting, and worked off referrals.  One of the ways we contacted was to great a community meeting.  We would use a film strip as our drawing card.  We would find a convenient white wall.  In my first area this was easy as there was a complex with lots of white wall.  It was always possible to find a good spot.  We then asked the owner of the home if we could use their home, and their electricity.  We didn't usually have a problem with getting permission.  Everyone wanted to see something different.
We had slide projectors, and came with an assortment of three or four films:  Man's Search for Happiness, and The Ancient Americas were our favorite.
After finding a wall, we then would show the film after dark.  We would canvas the block, and pass out flyers to invite people. 
Where am I from? Why am I here? Where will I go after death?  Free film.
The attraction of a free movie would bring some interested people.
That evening we would arrive a bit early to set up.  We would usually have four or six missionaries.  Someone had to run the film.  Those films would beep for moving to the next slide.  The other missionaries would move throughout the crowd, talking to those watching and getting their ideas.  The goal was to get their name and address, and invite them to hear our gospel message.  Sometimes we would have narration which would include the Joseph Smith Story.  We would also like to keep people's interest a bit longer, and give ourselves more time to contact people by showing another movie.  Some meetings were very successful, and would keep us following through on the referrals for a couple days.
We would also contact people on the street, or on the bus.  This was probably our most successful way to get names.  Argentine people are usually honest, so if they gave you a name, it was usually accurate.  However there were some false addresses this way.  Sometimes we would pass out a pamphlet.  A common pamphlet was a one page flyer called "Your Search for Happiness."  It basically included the script from 'Man's Search for Happiness."
http://billywardlefamily.blogspot.com/2013/10/mormon-movie-mans-search-for-happiness.html


The last says: This is one of the most important responsibilities of life, to form a home and direct it wisely.  It is in fulfillment of this responsibility that we find true happiness:  We want to help you fulfill this goal.
This flyer also included the address of all the local congregations.  I know that 35 years later, this list is much more exhaustive.



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