I seldom do... but once I did when our family was crossing Wyoming we picked up a man on the side of the road and drove him all the way to the next city (I think we drove him from Evanston to Rawlings or something like that... it might've been Rock Springs... or something like that... He was obviously one of these fellows hard up on life, probably drank a bit too much though I don't think he was drunk when we picked him up and claimed he was down on his luck. He seemed like a nice enough guy, if a bit strange. He would bring his fossilized fish that he'd dug up in Wyoming to festivals like "Burning man" and some spiritual festival in "Sedona", New Mexico.
We talked about the Mormons and what we believed in, and he was one of these guys that seemed to believe in everything, but didn't commit to anything...
We dropped him off at his house and he asked us to stay while he ran in and got us a little "gift".
My wife are looking at this rundown shack in which he lived. Wondering if he's gonna come out with a shotgun and kill all of us... I debated about driving away and just leaving him... he later came out with a little square flat stone that had two fish in it, fossilized. I thanked him and we were on our way...
Just a random memory... My wife told me I could never pick up hitchhikers again after that experience, though I thought it was a really cool experience...
--Ray
__________________
I'm not slow; I'm special. (Don't take it personally, everyone finds me offensive. Yet somehow I manage to live with myself.)
There used to be a time, long ago, that hitchhiking was a means of getting around for a few teens. My dh used to hitchhike from his home in West Covina to Huntington Beach to go surfing, but that was during the 60's.
I know dh has picked up a couple of hitchhikers when we lived in north east OR, we lived in a rural town and he used to drive to Richland, WA for work. He said he just listened to the spirit. Most times he was prompted not to stop though.
"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton
Haven't. Hard to hear the Spirit on that one, too, because my sympathies and fears are so loud and clashing. Plus, have been advised not to.
However...heard a GREAT story at EdWk from an instructor, went like this: it was Sunday, he was on his way to speak in a sacrament mtg, saw this guy standing on a corner. Thought it was odd, went on to the SM. On his way back, saw this guy at the same corner, just standing there. Spirit prompted him to stop & talk to the man, so he swung the car around and asked the guy what he was waiting for. Guy says (in broken English, so luckily the instructor knew Spanish and they started conversing in that language) he's waiting for the bus to Provo. Instructor says there is no bus on Sunday, to which the guy laments that this is very bad. Instructor feels prompted to offer this guy a ride, so he does. Guy accepts, instructor takes guy in then stops off at his home to let his wife know what he's doing, and takes the guy to Provo. On the way they are chatting, and finally instructor feels prompted to ask the guy what he needs to be in Provo for.
"I am meeting the missionaries," he says, "I am getting baptized today."
Aside from the fact that hitch hiking is illegal in many places it is just plain outright dangerous. A couple years back we had a young man that stopped to help some guys and ended up getting shot execution style for his kindness. Occassionally I will stop to help stranded motorists but generally only if it is a woman with children. I will never stop to help someone if I am alone or if I have my family in the car. I'm a 6' male and weigh 200 lbs, lift weights and run, and have martial arts training and I won't pick up hitchhikers. I've let people make a call on my cell phone before. Please use caution. The world can be a dangerous place.
My wife has the ability to look through solid walls and rows of cars, detecting poor wayfaring people of grief in a two block radius. I had no earthly clue so many people needed help until I met her.
If I'm not with her, she'll usually only stop and help people who are obviously no threat (mom with kids, etc.). She's hauled teenie-boppers out of snow banks while they sobbed on their cell phones to their mommies. I'm sure she's saved people's lives and innocence with her street smarts. She's given me numerous accounts about the "clueless pretty chick" stuck in the dangerous area. My wife'd tell her to put her stupid hood down, stop looking like a damsel in distress, and just sit in her car with the doors locked until the tow truck arives. Then my wife would wait for the tow truck with her, making direct and serious eye contact with the people up to no good, who were on their third or fourth or fifth pass of the scene, looking for their chance. She has one of the best "back off buddy" looks I've ever seen.
We've given rides to people in two different states, and had them say out of the blue "are you guys Mormon?" We didn't really expect to hear that in Florida or Colorado.
We once gave a ride to two party dudes in their late 20's, to the rave they wanted to get to. Then we kicked them out of the car and giggled ourselves silly when they discovered the rave was full of 14-18 yr olds.
But no, we never pick up hitchhikers.
LM
[edit] If memory serves, the guy who abducted and molested Elizabeth Smart was originally picked up by the dad while hitchhiking. He had a sad enough story that the dad gave him some work roofing his house or something. Dood used the time to case the layout of the house, see where bedrooms were, and plan the abduction.
-- Edited by LoudmouthMormon at 11:01, 2007-09-05
__________________
And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men, seven hours every day. That would be the sweetest thing of all.
As I drove from Salt Lake to Pocatello in the middle of winter, there were two men on the freeway who looked so cold I couldn't say no. They were jumping up and down and were very vigorous in their request for a ride.
After I got them in the car I found out they didn't speak English. They appeared to be Hispanic. So I asked them with gestures if they wanted to get off on the next exit or two, but they said no.
I was a bit scared, knowing all the stories of violence and stuff. So I decided not to tell them my destination, thinking that they might be faking not knowing English, and if I gave them my destination they would know how soon they needed to act if they were up to no good.
So without warning, in Pocatello, I got off the freeway, and they were suddenly alarmed, indicating that I needed to stay on the freeway. I had no idea why they thought it was up to them where I got off the freeway, but any reason I imagined was not encouraging. Surrounded by witnesses on a busy street, I let them know it was time to get out.
So they smiled as if they knew I'd beat them, and out they got. They began hitchhiking, but were headed up a canyon road rather than back on the freeway which would have been real easy to get to. I have no idea if they knew what they were doing, but glad to be done with that episode.
I've never picked anyone up, but I was picked up once.
Did you viciously murder the person who picked you up?
__________________
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
Like she's gonna tell if she did. There's no statute of limitations on murder, remember.
__________________
"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton
years ago I recall hearing about a bishop in TX who was killed by a hitchhiker he picked up. ( eta: or it may have been just helping a "standed" motorist, I don't remember)
One time I did pick up a female who was on side of road. It was Thanksgiving Day and I was in grad school (in FL) en route to visit aunt for Thanksgiving. The lady I picked up was a middle-aged African American I passed her and was debating whether to pick her up, I turned around and waited again while I thought about it. When I picked her up, she said "you hesitated", etc. Well of course. She ended up being harmless, she was on way to Thanksgiving Dinner but it seems to me the person who invited her should have picked her up.
Last week on my way home, along a road w/lots of bends, I almost picked up someone walking on crutches. It was dark, as I said the road was bendy and this guy wasn't wearing reflective clothing. (eta: this road is very dangerous in that lots of pedestrians walk in it w/dark clothing. I am surprised no one has been killed on this road in walking on the side of it). I debated, then again went up a few roads and turned around to find this guy. It was hard in the dark to locate him across 2 lanes of traffic. Anyway, I found him but by then a lady had stopped her car and was talking to him, so hopefully she helped him. I drove on and figured I'd done my part.
A couple times I've stopped to try to help women w/car problems but that is about it. (couldn't offer help as they alrady had the help. In one case I had just bought pizza so gave a lady some pizza while she waited for her help). People are dangerous and I realize the need to be careful about who we allow into our car, etc
Ok, but have you ever put down a hitchhiker? Or would that be too easy?
__________________
"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton
as a child my father would pick up hitch hikers all the time. That was about 30 or more years ago though. I do remember the LAST time he picked up a couple of hitch hikers though. We were in our small truck so no room for them except in the back. My father offered them to ride in the back and they did. After about 15 min. I turned around to look at what they were doing in the back and they had taken pistols out of their back packs and were holding them in their laps. I told my father they had guns and he immediately pulled over and kicked them out of the truck. Thankfully they didn't shoot him or all of us at that time. Pretty scary for a small child. My husband has picked up a few hitch hikers here and there but he says only when the spirit was very clearly telling him to do so.
"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton
I have not and probably never will pick up a hitchhiker. It is too dangerous. Of course, I've really never had much of a temptation as most of the time my car if full of family.
I picked up a lady whose car had broken down on the freeway during a rainstorm. That's about it.
I hitchhiked all the time on my mission. That was the accepted alternative to riding the bus. I never felt like I was in any danger because it was so common in Ukraine. You held out your hand to flag down a taxi, and got in whatever car stopped first, whether or not it was a taxi. Then you paid for the ride. Nice system. Too bad it wouldn't work over here.
I never hitchhiked on my mission but when you are walking as a missionary in Utah along a rural road you get plenty of unsolicited offers from passing Church members.
We once missed our bus and were stranded in the rural mountains of Italy, when a bus that was delivering a whole lot of Jehovah's Witnesses dropped off convention goers and started back into the bigger town. We were actually going to walk the 10 miles or whatever to the closest trainstation, but the busdriver stopped and asked if we wanted a ride, and we took it.
We weren't quite sure he even knew who we were... thinking we were JWs... (It was a common mistake in Italy... JWs have had a lot of success there... Italians like to argue... ahem)
--Ray
__________________
I'm not slow; I'm special. (Don't take it personally, everyone finds me offensive. Yet somehow I manage to live with myself.)
"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton
I've picked up a few, and was picked up MANY times hitchhiking during my mission, baptizing at least 20+ people that way.
I haven't picked up any since the Bishop in TX met his demise, prior to that I picked them up regularly and preached their ears off.
__________________
no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing... the truth of God will go forth till it has penetrated every website, sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done
"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton
I remember my dad stopping to help a woman whose car had broken down in the middle of the winter. Dilbert and I and our two small children were picked up when our vehicle broke down en route to visit family in WA state.
I picked up my one and only hitchhiker in the middle of the night when I was in college. I saw him briefly in the dark on the side of the freeway as I flew along at 60+ mph. I slowed, and stopped, and as he jogged up to the car it occurred to me that it was a very stupid thing to do, but I felt completely calm, so I rolled down the window a bit as he approached. Turns out it was a 13 yr old kid who had run away from his foster home in Salt Lake. He was on his way to Canada. As we drove I talked him into going back, and I dropped him off at a police station in Bountiful.
I still can't believe I did that. I don't expect that I will ever pick up a hitchhiker again.
funny, hiccups
