Chinese, Hindi, Punjabi. Tue, Oct 9, 2007.

10/09/2007. 897. Cantonese, Together Forever DVD. I went to a nearby town to buy something. I didn't see any ATMs for my bank along the way, so I had to make a little detour. Fortunately, it wasn't far before I found a branch of my bank. There was a Chinese restaurant in the same strip mall so I planned to go back there to eat.

I made my purchase, and went back to that Chinese restaurant. The cashier noticed the material on the table when she brought my meal. I usually put out a Chinese and English Liahona magazine, Chinese and English copies of the Book of Mormon, and a bilingual Chinese/English New Testament from International Bible Society.

We had a pretty long conversation. They didn't have any other customers or phone-in orders at the time, so she was free to chat, and I engaged her as long as she stood next to my table.

She said she already had those books, while pointing to the Chinese and English Book of Mormon. But I think because the Chinese symbol for "Book" on the cover of the Book of Mormon actually means "Holy Book" or "Bible", she probably meant she already had Chinese and English Bibles. Anyway, she politecly declined to receive material.

After I finished, I went back to the cashier counter to put some money in the tip jar, and another young man behind the counter thanked me, and we struck up a conversation. I assumed he was her brother, but didn't verify.

He talked about how much they worked and he didn't have time for some other important things. That is one of the themes of the "Together Forever" DVD, wherein the dad works hard for the family, yet the family thinks he doesn't care because he's always working. I described that scene, and they both nodded their heads and indicated their family was like that.

So I got a little bold and brought back in a Together Forever DVD, and handed it to him, and he accepted it.

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10/09/2007. 898. Hindi/English Book of Mormon. In the same strip mall as the Chinese restaurant was a gas station. It was a brand that often has people from India and Pakistan as owners/operators. I drove around and parked near there. I went in to buy a newspaper, and the cashier looked like was from India. She said "hi", and I said "hi" and "Namaste". She spoke Hindi and Gujerati. (The church doesn't have anything in Gujerati yet.) I paid for the newspapers, and asked if she like to read Hindi. She said yes, so I said I had something to show her, and would be back.

I retrieved Hindi and English copies of the Book of Mormon from my car and got back in line. When it was my turn again, I presented them, and she gratefully accepted them. She started reading the Hindi, but another customer soon came up to check out.

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10/09/2007. 899. Punjabi/English Gospel Fundamentals, and Punjabi Joseph Smith Testimony Pamphlet. Instead of back-tracking and going home the way I came, I continued on this detour so that I would take another route back to the Interstate and go through some commercial districts. I stopped at another gas station that had 2 liters of soda on sale, and bought some, but didn't see any opportunties there.

Eventually I came to another brand of gas station that commonly has foreign-born owners/operators, and decided to stop in there. I bought a fountain drink and a different newspaper this time. The cashier there was from India and spoke Punjabi. I offered him a Punjabi copy of our Sunday school manual from church, and he enthusiastically agreed to see it. I retrieved a Punjabi copy and an English copy of Gospel Fundamentals, and a Punjabi Joseph Smith Testimony Pamphlet from the car. He gratefully received them.