Missed opportunity at restaurant. Mon, Jun 29, 2009.

06/29/2009. Journal entry. While doing an errand, I went to a Chinese restaurant that I had never been to before. It was between the lunch hour and dinner hour, so I was hoping to catch the hostess/cashier/owner at a non-busy time. But she was the only one there besides a bus-boy and perhaps someone else in the kitchen, and there were phone-in orders and carry-out customers, so she was pretty busy. There may have been a few seconds to start a conversation, but I missed them. And I wasn't quick enough to start up a conversation with the bus-boy. So I'll have to go back and try again.

More quotes on the Book of Mormon

Quotes by Richard E. Bennett, professor of Church history and doctrine, in a guest post on Richard Holzapfel's blog:

As John Taylor stated, it was the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants that “cost the best blood of the nineteenth century to bring them forth for the salvation of a ruined world” (D&C 135:6).

The published herald and evidence of the truthfulness of the Restoration was ever the Book of Mormon. More than any other factor, it was the Book of Mormon which distinguished the rise of the early Church of Jesus Christ and converted a foundation of loyal and devoted membership upon which the Church was built―and later thrived.

President Gordon B. Hinckley commented in much more recent times. “As the volumes of the first edition were circulated and read, strong men and women by the hundreds were so deeply touched that they gave up everything they owned, and in the years that followed not a few even gave their lives for the witness they carried in their hearts of the truth of this remarkable volume” (”A Testimony Vibrant and True,” Ensign, August 2005, 3).

Thank you Meridian Magazine, for the link.

Lots of traffic was generated by a link from Meridian Magazine.

Here's the post they referred to.

Spanish to missionaries. Wed, Jun 17, 2009.

06/17/2009. Journal Entry. I offered to take the Spanish-speaking missionaries in the adjacent ward, the one we share a building with, to supper at a Mexican restaurant. Then something came up, and I had to back out. But I was still able to stop by their place and give them some Spanish copies of the Book of Mormon, a couple of paperback Spanish Bibles, and a hand-ful of church videos that have Spanish audio tracks. I also gave them some money so they buy their own supper at a restaurant, and use the opportunity for contacting or prospecting.

Thoughts vs. deeds ~~ Belief vs. faith.

I think it important to remember that faith is in the doing, not in the thinking.

Whether you do something because you are absolutely sure of it, or merely with the least degree of confidence, the exercise of faith is having done it.

Granted, an internal attitude may be reflected in the vigor of the action. The liveliness of the physical motions, and the individual’s bearing, countenance and tone of voice may all betray the individual’s degree of confidence. And those tell-tale signs may then have a bearing on the efficaciousness of the action. So there is a marriage between thought/attitude and deed.

But regardless of the thoughts and attitudes, there is no faith until there is a deed. And if there is a deed, that is faith. James 2:17-20.

Here is a suggested exercise to develop faith in using the Book of Mormon to share the gospel. Use a blue missionary edition Book of Mormon. If you don't have one, use the church pass-along card. If you don't have a church pass-along card, make one up with a 3x5 index card, or use any piece of paper:


Just offer someone a free Book of Mormon. Don't just give the book to them. Don't just give them a pass-along card if you're using that. Make the verbal offer first: "Would you like a free Book of Mormon?" And then, if they accept the offer, then you can give them the book or the card.

And if they decline your offer, you have not failed. You succeeded in making an offer. You did your part, and you respected their agency by not forcing anything on them.

If you make an offer with the attitude that you don't mind if they turn you down, your confidence will increase. And if nothing else, even if you are turned down, you will have proven to yourself that you can offer the Book of Mormon.

That action, making the offer, is an act of faith. Exercising faith grows faith, and it brings spiritual growth and blessings. Once you cross that threshhold, knowing that you can make such offers, the Lord will likely reward that, as in the parable of the talents, and provide you with more opportunities.

Sac. speakers should invite their non-member friends to hear them speak.

J. Max Wilson suggested this over at his blog, Sixteen Small Stones.

Invite your Evangelical, Pentecostal, and A.M.E friends and have your own "amen chorus".

Quotes on goals.

From The Game of Work — How to Enjoy Work As Much As Play by Charles A. Coonradt:

“In the absence of clearly defined goals, we are forced to concentrate on activity and ultimately become enslaved by it."

It goes on to say: "Most businesses pay for attendance when they need to be paying for performance and productivity … Most business people don’t keep score; they don’t measure performance as effectively as they do in recreation.”

My goal is: to offer people a free copy of the Book of Mormon. And I enjoy it. It doesn't seem like "missionary work."

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“Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe, and enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass.”   Paul J. Meyer.

Chinese, Japanese, Korean. Sun, Jun 14, 2009.

06/14/2009. 1159. I was at the home of some ward members. They were having an open house for their high-school graduate, and the ward was invited. One of the ward members, a 20-something young lady, had brought a friend who wasn't a member. The friend was from China and multi-lingual. I asked the member if she had offered her friend a free Book of Mormon in her native language. She hadn't. So I asked the friend if she'd like some free books from the church in the languages that she spoke. She agreed to receive them, so I went out to the car and brought back in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and English copies of the Book of Mormon. I handed them to the member, and she handed them to her friend. They were well-received.

Woo-hoo! Another investigator! Sun, Jun 14, 2009.

06/14/2009. Journal entry. Our ward's full-time missionaries told me that one of the people to whom we gave a Book of Mormon at the restuarant on June 3rd, was able to finally make contact with the sister missionary who spoke the same language in a nearby ward. The person was actually very enthusiastic about it, and started taking the missionary discussions in the other ward.

The sister missionary who spoke the investigator's language has gone back to Salt Lake City, but still may be able to contact the investigator. I don't think she went home, but was transfered (back to?) the Temple Square mission.

If this investigator gets baptized, I'm afraid I might be insufferable... "I gave her her first Book of Mormon." Oh Lord, please don't let my lack of humility be a stumbling block for her or others.

Missionaries pray for an Indian blog.

06/12/2009. Journal entry. Two missionaries were out knocking on doors and encountered a blogger from India. They were invited in, and as missionaries are trained to do, they offered to say a prayer on behalf of the family or invidividuals. One of the things the residents wanted was more visitors to their blog, so the elders prayed for the blog.

In order to help answer the elders' prayer, please consider visiting this blog entry, and maybe leave a comment.

Spanish at restaurant. Tue, Jun 9, 2009.

06/09/2009. 1158. I was taking a break from volunteering at the storehouse and went to have supper at an Hispanic restaurant that I haven't been to before. It was pretty good food. As I paid, I told the waitress/cashier that I liked to give out Bibles, and asked if she'd like a free one in Spanish. She said okay. I then said we believe in the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible, and asked if she had heard of it. She had, but she hadn't read it. I asked if she'd like a free one, and she say okay. I went out to the car and retrieved Spanish and English copies of the Bibles, and Spanish and English copies of the Book of Mormon. I presented them to her, and she accepted all of them. I pointed out the information and list of chapels on the flyers I had put in them, and also wrote down the phone number for one of the sets of Spanish-speaking missionaries on that side of town.

Tips, part 4. Videos.

Previous posts in this series: Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

1. Videos are probably easier to give out than books, especially to English-only speakers.
   
2. Remember that placement success increases when you offer something ("Would you like a free ...?"), rather than just giving it out without asking them first ("Here, take this.")
   
3. I keep two to three copies of each in my car. But I only keep the "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" and "Joy to the World" during Christmas season, November and December. Be sure to order these DVDs, or their corresponding pass-along cards, in early October so you can start giving them out in early November. With the DVDs you can give them out through Christmas Eve. But with pass-along cards, the people you give them to will need to call the number about two weeks before Christmas to get it in time.
   
4. These videos are cheaper than the Book of Mormon, which is $3.00 for a hard-cover edition.
   
5. When I go into Asian restaurants, I usually include "Finding Happiness", "Together Forever", "Our Heavenly Father's Plan", and "Introduction to the Church" in my Asian-language book-bag.
   
6. When encountering beggars, I ask them if they, or one of their friends, has a DVD player. If they do, (and they usually have one or have access to one) I give them a $1 bill and a DVD. I tell them that they can either keep the DVD if they like it, or give it away, or even sell it if they want. The $1.00 is the "opportunity cost" in the placement. Even if they don't watch it themselves, as long as they give it away or sell it, someone is going to see it. If there is no time to talk, such as at an interstate exit ramp, I just hold the $1 bill against the DVD case, oriented so they see the bill, and hand it to them as one. (How much church material does your missionary give away for that $400/month? Do the math, and the $1 is very inexpensive for a placement. And remember that they'll likely give it away or sell it, which increases its exposure.)
   
7. If you don't have room in a bag or briefcase for the DVD clamshells, you can remove them from the clamshells, and put them in CD sleeves so they take up much less room.
   
8. The "language angle" still works. "Would you like a free DVD from my church in [their language]?"
   
9. By using the "quick description" (see below) sound-bite, you can also just flat out offer them to English-only speakers. See these posts for descriptions of some DVD placements.
   
10. I just about always take off the cellophane wrapper from the DVD's and insert a flyer of local-information in the clamshell. And on the reverse of the flyer, I put the list of Book of Mormon languages. (Those files are outdated, but illustrative.) It's very important to have local contact information, and/or a pass-along card with the DVD. Very few of the DVDs have an 800 number on them.
    
11. For a series of amazing encounters with DVD placements in the waiting room of a car repair shop, see this post. Those encounters were not planned. I didn't know ahead of time that the waiting room's TV had a DVD player built in. I had my book-bag because I thought I was going to go to lunch while waiting, but something else miraculous happened instead.

Appropriate videos:

1. The Restoration. Cost: $1.18/each in case of 50. Languages: American Sign Language (ASL), Cantonese, Cebuano, Danish subtitles, Dutch subtitles, English audio plus subtitles, Finnish subtitles, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Norwegian subtitles, Portuguese audio plus subtitles, Russian, Subtitles for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH), Spanish audio plus subtitles, Swedish subtitles, Tagalog, Thai, Ukranian.

Quick description: About how our church started.

2. The Testaments (of One Fold and One Shepherd). Cost: $1.50/each in case of 30. Languages: ASL, Cantonese, Danish subtitles , Dutch subtitles, English, Finnish audio plus subtitles, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Norwegian subtitles, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish subtitles, Ukrainian.

Quick description: About Jesus's visit to the Americas after his resurrection.

3. Finding Faith in Christ. Cost: $1.36/each for a case of 50. Languages: Cantonese, Danish subtitles, Dutch subtitles, English audio plus subtitles, Finnish subtitles, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Norwegian subtitles, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish subtitles, Thai.

Quick description: About finding faith in Christ.

A pass-along card for "Finding Faith in Christ" is also available.

4. Special Witnesses of Christ. Cost: $1.50/each in case of 50. Languages: ASL, English (with closed captioning and subtitles), French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish.

Quick description: Mormon church leaders talk about Christ.

5. Our Heavenly Father's Plan. Cost: $1.50/each in case of 50. Languages: Cantonese, Danish subtitles, Dutch subtitles, English audio plus subtitles, Finnish subtitles, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Norwegian subtitles, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish subtitles, Tagalog.

Quick description: What Mormons believe about the meaning of life.

6. Finding Happiness (Asian languages only). Cost: $1.50/each in case of 50. Languages: Cantonese, English, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin. This DVD is unique in that it has three different videos depending on which language you choose, Chinese actors and locations, Korean actors and locations, or Japanese actors and locations. When listening to English, you can choose any one of the three video locations. The cover of the DVD clamshell has the title in Korean, Chinese, Japanese and English, so it's a nice attention getter when you put is on your table at a restaurant.

7. Finding Happiness, new edition, with Asian and European languages. Cost: $1.50/each in case of 100. Languages: British English, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish (Castillian Spanish, not Western Hemisphere Spanish), Swedish, Ukranian. There is no "American English" or "Western Hemisphere Spanish" track on this DVD. Like the previous edition, there are several different videos/actors depending on the location: British Isles, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, China, Korea, Japan. This DVD is not optimal for speakers of Western Hemisphere Spanish or American English.

8. Introduction to the Church. Cost: $1.50/each in case of 50. Languages: English, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish.

Quick description: a short introduction to what Mormons believe and do.

9. To This End Was I Born. (This is the full length version of "Lamb of God.") Cost: $1.50/each in case of 50. Languages: ASL, Cantonese, Danish subtitles, Dutch subtitles, English audio plus subtitles, Finnish subtitles, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Norwegian subtitles, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish subtitles, Tagalog.

Quick description: About the last week of Jesus' mortal life.

10. The Lamb of God. (Basically same as "To This End Was I Born", but slightly different languages.) Cost: $1.50/each in case of 50. Languages: Dutch subtitles, English, English SDH subtitles, French, German, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Samoan, Spanish, Tahitian, Tongan.

Quick description: About the last week of Jesus' mortal life.

A pass-along card for "Lamb of God" is also available.

11. Together Forever. Very easy to give out. Cost: $1.18/each in case of 50. Languages: English audio plus subtitles, Spanish, French, Cantonese, Danish subtitles, Dutch subtitles, Finnish subtitles, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin subtitles (traditional script), Norwegian subtitles, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish subtitles, Tagalog.

Quick description 1: About families.
Quick description 2: About husbands who work too much.

Two pass-along cards for "Together Forever" are available, one featuring a Caucasian couple, and one featuring an African-American couple.

12. Mr. Krueger's Christmas. Easy to give out during Christmas season. Cost: $1.00/each in a case of 50. English only.

Quick description: A short Christmas movie, with Jimmy Stewart and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

13. Joy to the World. Easy to give out during Christmas season. Cost: $2.90/each (gotta pay those royalties) in case of 50. Languages: Cantonese, Danish subtitles, Dutch subtitles, English audio plus subtitles and closed captioning, Finnish subtitles, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Norwegian subtitles, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish audio plus subtitles, Swedish subtitles.

Quick description: It features the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

A pass-along card for "Joy to the World" is also available.

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See all pass-along cards here.

Related posts: Tips, part 1. Tips, part 2. Tips, part 3. How this started, some of the overall-story. A quick-start quide. How-to at Chinese restaurants.
 

Arabic declined at convenience store. Mon, Jun 8, 2009.

06/08/2009. 1157. I stopped at a convenience store to buy something for supper. The cashier and another guy were speaking something that sounded like Arabic. As I paid, I asked the cashier it they were speaking Arabic. He said yes. I remember being there before, but I forgot if I offered them anything, or even if this was the same guy. I asked if I had given him an Arabic book from my church before. He said no. So I asked if he had seen the Book of Mormon in Arabic. He politely declined, saying he wasn't interested in anything about the Mormons. I was curious about what his opinion was based on, but there was another person in line, so I didn't engage him in further conversation.

I got a mention in Wikipedia.

I got a mention in the Wikipedia article on the Bloggernacle. "My butt is made out of gold" as Annegb would say.

(If you're a registered editor there, maybe you could fix a spelling error on that page: psudonymous.)

Vietnamese to missionaries. Sun, Jun 7, 2009.

06/07/2009. Journal entry. I gave a Vietnamese copy of the Book of Mormon to our ward's full-time missionaries to deliver to the man I met last Thursday while out jogging. I gave them the building address, and the apartment number. I wasn't sure on the apartment number, but if it's wrong, they shouldn't have to knock on more than four doors to find the family.

French, Arabic at restaurant. Thu, Jun 4, 2009

06/04/2009. 1156. I took our African investigator to a local restaurant. I wasn't sure what languages they spoke at the restaurant, so I only took in a couple copies of the French Liahona magazine. They weren't too busy, so the owner had time to chat with us. He was from a country near where the investigator is from, and spoke English, French, Arabic, and a local/regional dialect.

He seemed enthusiastic about the magazines, so I offered him more stuff. He agreed, so I went out to the car and retrieved an Arabic copy and a French copy of the Book of Mormon, and a French video of "Finding Faith in Christ", which he graciously accepted.

The food was very good, so I'm sure I'll be back to follow up.

Vietnamese contact, jogging. Thu, Jun 4, 2009.

06/04/2009. Journal entry. This is one of those things where I wonder "Was that inspiration or did I just imagine it?"

I was out jogging, and was going to do a route that I normally do, when I felt inspired to go in another direction. I ended up in the apartment complex of an investigator. But instead of knocking on his door, I just called him on my cell phone. I had planned on inviting him out to dinner that night anyway, so I was going to call to arrange a time. I felt like I should phone before cold calling at the door, but I ended up not going to his apartment anyway. So I wondered what the inspiration was for.

As I walked around a bit before I started my jog back home, I saw an Asian man who apparently lived there. I stopped and asked him if he was from Thailand. He didn't seem to understand English. I asked if he was from Cambodia. Nope. Then I asked if he was from Vietnam, and he said yes. He pointed to where he lived. I couldn't figure out what else to talk about, since he didn't seem conversant in English, so I said goodbye and started back home.

On Sunday the 7th, I gave a Vietnamese Book of Mormon to our ward's full-time missionaries and gave them his address, and what I thought his apartment number might be.

Restaurant. Wed, Jun 3, 2009.

06/03/2009. 1154 & 1155. Various at a new restaurant. I took our ward's two full-time missionaries out to lunch. After one employee enthusiastically accepted material, the other employees wanted stuff too. We were able to put one of the employees in contact with a nearby full-time missionary who speaks the same language.

(I'm going to keep this one a little more private than normal.)

Punjabi at gas station. Tue, Jun 2, 2009.

06/02/2009. 1153. After volunteering at the storehouse, I stopped for gas on the way home, at a place I've been to before, but not regularly. I paid at the pump, but afterwards went inside to buy some stuff in hopes of having a book placement opportunity. The cashier seemed to be from India, so I asked, and he said he was. I asked what languages he spoke, and he said Punjabi. I asked if I had already given him one of my church's books in Punjabi, and he said no, so I offered him one, and he agreed to accept it. I went out to the car and retrieved Punjabi and English copies of Gospel Fundamentals, and Punjabi and English copies of the Joseph Smith testimony pamphlet. I presented them, making sure he was aware that they were Christian religious material, which was okay with him, and he graciously accepted them. I pointed out that there were phone numbers in them that he could call if he wanted more information.

Tips part 3, offering books to those who speak only English.

06/01/2009. This is part three of my tips series. Part one here, part two here, and part four here.

I would like to emphasize that the approach of offering non-English material to those whose native lanaguage isn't English really is a lot easier. At least it is for me. One reason is that it's easier for me to start off with non-religious subjects: country of origin and languages. It's a good ice-breaker or conversation starter.

Receiving a book in their mother tongue really does make most people (at least the ones I've met) happy. And making people happy is a good thing, so it's worth starting a conversation for that reason.

But with those who speak only English, the idea of "Hey, I got this book, and it's in English" just doesn't justify starting a conversation with a stranger.

So if you want to try "book slinging", I sincerely recommend starting with foreign languages.

That said, it's also true that people who speak only English also deserve an opportunity to receive the gospel. According to the prophets, everyone "needs" a Book of Mormon, or at least should have the opportunity to receive one.

I don't offer a Book of Mormon (or pass-along cards or other church material) to literally everyone I meet. I try to offer material to most of the immigrants I meet, but for English-only speaking people I usually wait for one of two things.

What seems to trigger an offer of material to English-only speaking people is one of two things: Either they give off spiritual light, or else I feel inspired (prompted of the Spirit) to approach them.

First I decide whether to offer a Book of Mormon (actually a Bible/Book of Mormon combination), or just a video. I'll discuss offering videos in part 4.

It's a two step process, and it uses the teaching concept of "relating the unknown to the known." The first step is to use the Bible as the known, and then relate the Book of Mormon to it.

Almost every English-only speaking person knows what the Bible is. Everyone knows there are people who believe in it, and who promulgate it. So if you offer someone a free Bible, they know what you're talking about.

Many times, I've started a conversation with this: "I like to give out free Bibles. Do you need, or would you like a free Bible?" And it's as simple as that.

The least expensive bible from Distribution Services (www.ldscatalog.com), is $8.20. So I buy my KJV Bibles from the International Bible Society or the American Bible Society. They sell nice paperback Bibles for about $2.20 each, in case lots, plus shipping. They often have specials where they offer free shipping. Not everyone wants a King James Version, so I also carry around some New International Version (NIV) copies, and Contemporary English Version (CEV) copies.

The LDS missionary department has free KJV copies, but they are available only on a limited basis through missionaries and by calling the number on a pass-along card, 888-537-1212. (Though calling any of the toll-free numbers from any pass-along card gets you to the same call center and you can request anything from any of the numbers.) As far as I know you can't order a supply of these LDS-imprint KJV Bibles.

Back to the approach. Remember the paramount point from parts 1 and 2. We're not giving out anything yet, we're verbally offering people something, and we're letting them determine whether or not they will accept it. If they don't agree to accept it, we're not forcing anything on them.

Well, they either have a Bible already or they don't. They either want one or don't want one. (And usually a non-answer or "I don't know" means "no.") It's as simple as that.

A) Suppose they want a Bible. Great. If you carry around several editions, you could ask "Would you like a King James or a more modern translation?" And the follow up is: "In my church we believe both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Would you like a free Book of Mormon too, to go along with the Bible?"

B) Suppose they already have a Bible. You can still follow up with "In my church we believe both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Would you like a free Book of Mormon to along with the Bible?"

C) Suppose they don't want a Bible. You can still follow up with "In my church we believe both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Would you be interested in a free Book of Mormon?"

The Book of Mormon follow-up still keeps the respect of an offer that gives them the opportunity to say "no thanks." Yet it also clearly illustrates that we closely associate the Book of Mormon with the Bible.

If they accept your offier, and if you keep copies of the Bible and Book of Mormon in your car (or office, or school locker, etc) you can deliver/present them right there. Or, if you're more of a pass-along card person, you can give them the appropriate pass-along cards. Or, if the other person is not busy, you can use your cell phone to call one of the toll-free numbers (888-537-1212, or 888-537-2200). Or if you're memorized the numbers, or have them handy in your cell phone, you can write them on any piece of paper, so they can call at their convenience.

If you deliver the Bible and/or the Book of Mormon on the spot, it's best to have prepared them ahead of time with local contact information (local mission office phone number, list of local chapels with addresses and meeting times, www.mormon.org web site, missionary department phone number (888-537-1212), etc). I made up a flyer with that information for Indianapolis and include it in almost every book and video that I give out. If I give them several items, each item will have a flyer in it. That way, if they give away anything to other people, everyone still has a flyer with contact information.

Don't forget at least one pass-along card in the books: a Book of Mormon pass-along card in the Bible, and a Bible pass-along card in the Book of Mormon.

I also try to make it a point to never write or mark directly on the scriptures that I give out. I use inserts and sticky notes. I include a personal calling card with my name, phone number, and email address. And I sometimes write my name/number on the info-flyer that I include that lists the contact information.

I also make it a point to not try to get them to commit to anything. But I do continue in the style of offering, by pointing out that there is contact information in the books, so if they are interested, or want to talk to someone from the church, they can call one of those numbers.

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Related posts: Tips, part 1. Tips, part 2. Tips, part 4. How this started, some of the overall-story. A quick-start quide. How-to at Chinese restaurants.