Moment #685. Romanian at Library. Wed, Aug 9, 2006.

08/09/2006. I left the Post Office and felt like going to my favorite dollar store. I bought some food for the missionaries and for me. I had a Triple Combination scripture (Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price) that I wanted to drop off at the missionaries, and decided to drop off some of the food instead of waiting for Sunday to give it to them.

I went to their apartment, and just left the bag on their apartment's doorknob. As I went out the main entrance to the parking lot, the missionaries drove up. And we chatted a bit.

From the missionaries' apartment, I felt impressed to take a longer way home, and when I got at the next major intersection, I felt impressed to go to a public library. I signed up for an Internet terminal, and browsed the some DVD and book racks while waiting. As my number rose up in the queue, I hung around the sign up computer, and browsed the magazine rack near it. Two men came to that reading area speaking a foreign language and sat down. I asked them what language they spoke and one said Romanian. I offered the Book of Mormon in Romanian, but they didn't understand. I made the "just a minute" gesture, and went out to my car and got a Romanian and an English Book of Mormon, and went back in and presented them.

I forgot that there is a member of our ward who went to Romania on his mission, and still speaks Romanian. I didn't have his number with me. I probably should have asked for their number, but at least they have my number on my cards in the books. I asked them to call me for another copy, so they could have one each, but I don't know if they understood.

After my time on the Internet terminal was up, I looked over, and they were reading the "info flyers" (list of local chapels, mission office, and church's toll free # on one side, and list of 104 Book of Mormon languages on the other side) I had put in the books. I don't know if they caught the idea of learning a little English by reading them in parallel, but I didn't want to belabour the contact since they didn't understand English well. I went back to them after I was done on the Internet, to ask them again to call me, and I finished with handshakes and a "Welcome to Indianapolis."

Afterwards, on my way home, I was prompted to eat supper at a restaurant where I had taken the missionaries on July 12th. The lady recognized me. I wasn't sure how to follow up. Anyway, after eating I bought a gift certficate so the missionaries could eat there again some time, and went back to the missionaries' apartment, and stuck the gift-certificate under their door.