Chapter 13

Excerpt

I’m sure the people across the street were happy to see us go. The feelings were mutual. I was more than happy to be out from under their condescending noses and mettlesome ways. The “Stott’s” never really liked us, especially after finding out we were Mormons. But then again, they didn’t appear to really like anyone except for the people next-door to them and the ones next to us. All three families had something in common; they were “Born-Again Christians,” whatever that meant. At first I saw it as a “missionary opportunity.” Since they already believed in God it seemed like the ideal situation. All we would have to do is move them from well-meaning-but-corrupted-Christendom to the One True Church restored by the prophet Joseph Smith.

It didn’t quite work that way. No matter how many times I invited them to ward functions, or asked the ladies if they would like to come to Homemaking Meeting (held once a month), they always had an excuse for not going. Not only that, but the people next door never, ever let their two sons come into our house, and they rarely let any of our kids into theirs. I wondered if they had something against big families, but after a while I came to the conclusion they had something against Mormons…