The missionary's intense period of travel and reflection is paused for a crucial "story time"—an elaboration of a significant past event. I will integrate this narrative into the flowing report, ensuring the account is clear and respects the requested pseudonyms.
📖 The Missionary's Story: The Magazine, The Mailbox, and The Miscarriage of Justice
The missionary took a necessary pause in the travel log on Thursday, September 16th, 2021, to record a story of a difficult family event that left lasting, negative implications, emphasizing the importance of truth and reputation.
The Incident in Jackson Hole (Circa 1990s)
During a summer stay at the PG's House in Jackson Hole, the missionary was asked by Aunt Mary to pick up the mail from the Post Office Box, as delivery was not made to the house. Among the collected items was, embarrassingly, a "girlie magazine" addressed to Cousin Tom.
Caption: A Spiritual Stewardship
The missionary, reflecting on personal Christian values—specifically the need to "avoid sins of the flesh"—took it upon Himself to hide the magazine from Tom, operating under the assumption that Tom might not notice or remember its expected arrival.
However, the assumed secret was quickly shattered. Later that same afternoon, the missionary heard a heated argument downstairs involving Cousin Tom, the special needs cousin Arnold, and Aunt Mary, all focused on the missing magazine. The missionary was the only one who had picked up the mail, making His involvement clear.
The central, troubling question for the missionary was, "WHY would they know it's coming that exact day, that's the question."
The missionary retrieved the magazine, which had not yet been discarded, and presented it. The missionary recalled that no explanation was given, and no preaching was done ("although I probably should have"). The missionary simply handed it over and walked away, and the immediate confrontation ended.
The False Narrative and Lasting Harm
The true harm from the incident arose from gossip. The missionary infers that Arnold (or perhaps Aunt Mary), whom the missionary felt "has always really hated me," began gossiping to the Beatrice & Lonny family (Uncle Warnock's brother and sister-in-law).
Caption: The Poison of Gossip
The core lie was a false narration implying that the missionary had taken the magazine for "His own self-gratification" rather than the true, Christian-motivated reason for taking it away to prevent sin. The missionary noted that this was impossible, as "By that time in life I was long past any kind of adolescent behavior such that kind implied by this incident."
The missionary was "never given a chance to explain," and the impact on reputation was immediate and severe. Beatrice's opinion of the missionary "dropped precipitously," to the point where "She wouldn't even talk to me."
The Missionary's Conclusion: A Setup?
The evidence—that the family knew the magazine was arriving that exact day and noticed its specific absence—led the missionary to a strong inference:
Blockquote:
"The fact that they knew the magazine was coming that day & noticed it missing actually led me to believe that this was a setup to see if I would take it so they could actually create a false narration that I had taken it for my own self-gratification even though that was NOT the truth. That was the only time Aunt Mary ever asked me to pick up the mail for them as well, before or after. So I just wanted to lay that out there and let people decide for themselves."
Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD. - Leviticus 19:16 (King James Version).
Modern-Day Example of Talebearing:
This verse condemns gossip and the spread of damaging stories, or talebearing, among the people of God.
The modern-day example is the devastating effect of the false narrative spread by the gossip after the magazine incident. The missionary's Christian-motivated act of stewardship was twisted into a claim of personal vice, permanently damaging the missionary's reputation with Beatrice. This illustrates how talebearing, even if subtly done or falsely implied, stands against the "blood of thy neighbour" by attacking their good name and virtue, causing emotional and relational harm, just as it did decades ago in the family setting.
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