Five thousand miles of road lay ahead of us, and the recent “Hasten the Work” broadcast was still fresh in my mind. I knew there was more I could be doing to share the Gospel with others, so I decided our cross-country family vacation was an opportune time to try something new.

Several years ago, the Church made available a variety of pass-along cards and my favorite is the “I’m a Mormon” version that is blank on the back other than pre-printed lines. The thought hit me that these would be the perfect way to tell others I’m a Mormon by directing them to my about.me site and my faith blog. So I pulled out some blank labels leftover from Christmas card season and went to work. I got a stack of pass-along cards from the church, and my 13-year-old son even wanted to be a part of the challenge as well. Our goal was to give out 100 pass-along cards over the time we’d be gone, and we would monitor online traffic to our sites. We handed out cards to ticket takers, cashiers and fellow tourists. We didn’t hand out all 100, but we enjoyed giving out the ones we did.

Here’s what we learned, and continue to learn, from our “passing through-passing along” experience:

• Giving a pass-along card is easy. No one felt threatened or overwhelmed when we gave them one. It takes two seconds to hand one out with a simple invitation
• Having a personal touch made it more meaningful. The URL to my Mormon.org profile is a little long, so I created a profile page on about.me which enabled me to include several links, including my Mormon.org profile and my blog. I could then invite people to “check out my site when you have a moment. There’s something there I like sharing with people.” It made the interaction more personal.
• You don’t have to have a conversation. We left them on hotel nightstands for the housekeeper, we left them in phone booths (yes, those still exist) and with toll-booth workers. …but a verbal invitation is still meaningful when possible.
• It’s free! Pass-along cards are available to members of the Church. You can order them, or ask your ward leaders for a stack. You don’t have to print out labels like we did. You can hand-write the information if you have time, or you can order a rubber stamp with the information if that’s easier for you.
• They’re great at home, too. Before we left town, I wrote notes on the back of pass-along cards telling neighbors we’d be on vacation along with our phone numbers. Because the cards say “I’m a Mormon,” they now all know that, well, I’m a Mormon. You can write the address to your church building, the time of a ward activity, or a “thank you” or “glad we’re neighbors” note with a plate of cookies for friends or others in your neighborhood.

So whether you’re passing through or staying put, pass-along cards are tried-and-true options for sharing your beliefs with others.

-Chris S. Overland Park, Kansas