The Big Squeeze
by Godfrey J. Ellis
This cartoon was NOT drawn for the book. In August of 2019, we attended a 50th reunion of the Vancouver 1st Ward. Participants were encouraged to share the story of their joining the Church at that time. My story, from back in early 1963, included the funny incident of two large missionaries who came to dinner one day. They showed us a film and then invited Godfrey to a youth activity the next evening. The missionaries in their tiny missionary fleet car – an old Rambler. I found himself squeezed into the none-too-spacious front seat between these two large bodies. As I was fighting for breath, they started asking questions that were difficult for a 12-year-old. I felt like a nincompoop (and I hate that). Truly, it was getting hot in the car and it wasn’t only the temperature; it was the pressure I felt as they bombarded me with their strange terms and stranger questions.
Now, 50 years later, I still remembers how relieved he felt when we finally arrived at the meeting house only to find out that the missionaries had the wrong night! They bought me an ice cream cone but then the inevitable questions started all over again, all the way home. As soon as they reached home, one of them asked, “Tomorrow night, then?” I was so dazed that I mumbled. “Err, okay, I guess….” Sure enough, the whole process repeated itself the next day. It’s funny now, but it wasn’t so funny then. I decided to illustrate that incident with the same kind of fun illustration I had drawn for the book.
Below are some of the early stages of the illustration so you can see how it progressed.
