Opinion: When Twin Falls ID Missionaries Shouldn’t Stop To Chat

Knocks at the door are common on weekends in our Twin Falls neighborhood. Whether or not I'm going to open the door depends on who I'm seeing on my phone's doorbell camera app.

I'm someone who likes to get a head's up when friends or family are going to stop by, especially on the weekends. This is largely because Saturdays and Sundays are big chore days for my wife and I, and interruptions can set you back hours.

Missionaries are a common sight over the weekends in Twin Falls. While I respect what they're doing and usually try to pause for a few minutes to chat with them, there are sometimes when I feel a visit from them is inappropriate.

When Is A Visit From A State Missionary Inappropriate?

In all my years in Idaho of being visited by these conveyors of faith, I'd never been stopped while outside doing chores, until this past weekend.

READ MORE: Idaho Missionaries Are 'Preaching' Into Car Windows, Says Local 

As I was about an hour into landscaping and mowing the lawn, I noticed two young females sitting in a car at the end of the driveway with the engine running, both waving in my direction. The only logical thing that came to mind was that they were lost and trying to find an area home.

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Dripping with sweat, I turned off the mower with more than half the lawn unfinished, and walked over to the window. That's when the introductions started. I much prefer when they knock on the front door.

We spoke for about five minutes before I told them the truth, and that was that I was in a hurry to finish chores because I needed to run errands. They were very pleasant and went about their way. I later had a conversation with a co-worker about it, and he told me the same exact thing happened to him the previous summer.

Some locals have reported missionaries approaching their car windows while they're stopped at traffic lights on streets such as Pole Line, which I find to be problematic. It's not a good time to preach any religious angle while someone is behind the wheel of a car.

I find that family gatherings, chores, when kids and dogs are in the yard, and when it's obvious someone is getting ready to run out, should all be moments when missionaries should exercise restraint from striking up religious conversations with homeowners.

Are there other times when you believe it's bordering on rude when local missionaries decide to pay a visit?