Moment #531. French/Hausa. Thu, Mar 2, 2006.

03/02/2006. I had just left placing an English Bible and English Book of Mormon at a gas station. Instead of taking the shortest way home, I retraced my route to stop at a gas station I had noticed on my way there.

But before I got there, there was yet another gas station I hadn't visited.

Sometimes I receive a clear and definite prompting to stop someplace for a book placement, and sometimes I decide entirely on my own to stop someplace and seek out an opportunity. And, sometimes I'm confused, and I don't know whether the idea to stop someplace is my own idea, or a prompting.

This time, I was confused. But I stopped anyway, and bought some pop on sale. The cashier was an upbeat lady. There was no specific prompting to offer her any books. But I did detect some kind of light. Not as bright as the man who accepted the English Bible and Book of Mormon. But enough to make me want to mention it as I write this. I did not make any offer.

There was no guilty feeling afterwards, so I'm not sure what to make of it. Maybe it was optional, or maybe it was my imagination.

Anyway, my next stop was the gas station I hadn't been to before.

I parked my car. The front door to the station was locked, so I went to the night window. The cashier was on the phone, speaking in a foreign language. He indicated he couldn't get off the phone, so I waited. When he got off the phone, I asked for a local newspaper, but they were out. I asked if he spoke French, and he said yes. His other languages were Gurma and Hausa. I offered to give him free church books in French and Hausa, and he enthusastically accepted.

I went back to my car and got out French and English copies of the Book of Mormon, and Hausa and English copies of Gospel Fundamentals (or Gospel Principles Simplified), and Hausa and English copies of the Joseph Smith Testimony pamphlet.

There were two other customers at the night window, so I waited a bit. When it was my turn, and I showed him the books, he got excited and ran to the front door and unlocked it to let me in.

I gave him the Hausa Gospel Fundamentals first, and he quickly flipped through it and started reading. I gave him the English version, and then the French Book of Mormon, and then the English version.

We chit-chatted a bit, and he was very excited and happy about the books. He was neither Christian nor Muslim, but his roommate was Christian, who let him borrow his French Bible. We shook hands, and I said I'd get him his own Bible. I probably should have gotten him a couple of the church DVDs that have a French audio track too, but I didn't.

He let me out, and I got French and English copies of the New Testament from my car, and went back and gave them to him through the night window.

Definitely another wow moment.

On the way home, I stopped at one more gas station for a newspaper and another hot chocolate. I was also confused here about whether it was a prompting or my imagination. I did not see any obvious opportunities, and made no approaches.