Dinner Guest #3 - The Missionaries

Each Sunday at church, a sign-up sheet is passed around on a clipboard.  On the top, it reads:

MISSIONARY DINNER CALENDAR

I’m a little ashamed to say that generally, I pass that clipboard right along to the person sitting next to me without batting an eye.  I know I shouldn’t do that.  It’s just with missionaries, I never know what kind of dinner guest I’m getting.  Over the years, I’ve had all kinds at my table:  the polished and the socially awkward, the mute and the talkers, the eaters and the allergic, people who can hold a fork and others who eat like cavemen.

For karma’s sake, I gave it another shot.  After all, my father was a missionary in the Western states of America many years ago, my husband was a missionary in Brazil in the early 1990’s, I have a nephew serving a mission in Jakarta, Indonesia right now, and someday, I hope that my sons serve missions.  Church members around the world have looked out for my family members.  I should do the same.

This particular Sunday, our dinner guests were two female missionaries from our church:  Sister Walker and Sister Argueta.  Knowing that Sister Argueta was from Guatemala, I found a few Guatemalan recipes on the internet and gave them a try. 

For the main dish, I made Pollo en Jocớn, a chicken dish with a green-colored sauce consisting of sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, corn tortillas, cilantro, tomatillos, scallions, jalapenos, and broth, all pureed in my food processor.  Unfortunately, the final product looked like the contents of a newborn baby diaper, but the taste wasn’t that bad.  I also made an attempt at baked plantains, but they hardened into inedible, crunchy, chip-like coins that tasted so vile I hid them in the oven until the missionaries left.  Knowing my children would object to the chicken dish, I served side dishes of rice, corn pudding, orange slices, and edamame. 

During the meal, we heard stories of the missionaries’ families, home towns, and experiences in Las Vegas.  At the end of the meal, the missionaries shared a spiritual message with us.  As expected, they encouraged us to think of friends who may want to hear their message.  It’s their job.

These ladies were kind, sweet dinner guests.  They arrived on time, ate my bizarre food, made polite conversation, and left with a hug.  These missionaries are definitely welcome back.