Amharic at store. Fri, Dec 21, 2012.

12/21/2012. 1318. I saw an East African-looking man at a store, but I neglected to strike up a conversation with him. Through no effort on my part I ended up next in line behind him at the check-out, but there still didn't appear to be a clear opportunity to say something. Afterwards, as I went to my car, I saw him get into his taxi, so then I knew he was from Africa, and decided to approach. He was from Eritrea, and spoke both Tigrinya and Amharic. The church doesn't have anything in Tigrinya, so I offered him the Amharic Book of Mormon, and he accepted. I retrieved a copy from my car and presented it to him. I pointed out the list of chapels that I put in it, and pointed out the phone number for the mission office that he could call and get an English copy if he wanted.

Amharic. Wed, Jan 25, 2012.

01/25/2012. 1305. I was at a financial institution and the person who was helping me spoke with a beautiful accent. She looked and sounded East African. I guessed the wrong country, but she said she was from Ethiopia. She spoke Amharic. After chatting a bit about local Ethiopian restaurants, I offered her a book from church (the Book of Mormon) in Amharic, and she enthusiastically agreed to receive it. She said it was okay to give it to her there. So after our business, I retrieved an Amharic copy and an English copy from the car. She seemed pretty excited to see it. I pointed out the phone numbers inside in case she had any friends who wanted a free copy too. At that point another customer came up, so I excused myself.

Amharic at coffee shop. Tue, Jan 4, 2011.

01/04/2011. 1267. After leaving the drug store, and starting to drive way, I saw an Ethiopian-looking man enter the coffee shop next door. So I parked again, grabbed an Amharic Book of Mormon from the trunk, and went into the coffee shop, and ordered a hot-chocolate and bagel.

On my way out, I stopped at the man's table where he was sitting by himself, and asked if he spoke Amharic, and he said yes. I asked if he'd like to receive a free book in Amharic from my church, and he said okay. So I gave him the Amharic Book of Mormon. I forget what more I said, probably something about phone numbers on cards inside in case he wanted to know more.

The other patrons at the tables within ear-shot of us stopped talking and were obviously listening in, and watching, but I didn't care.

Amharic x 2 in parking lot. Sun, Oct 18, 2009.

Lesson #1: Be kind to those who despitefully use you.
Lesson #2: EVERYONE is a potential investigator.

10/18/2009. 1196. I had just finished putting air in a car tire that had a slow leak. I was parked in my parking spot in the apartment complex's carport. An Ethiopian-looking man came over to talk to me, and asked me if I had been in Ethiopia because on the front of my car I had a license plate that has the Ethiopian flag on it. (I did that because I like the Lion of Judah that's on it. It's actually the previous flag of Ethiopia, and it remains popular with the Rastafari movement and people loyal to Haile Selassie.)

I thought that he might be the owner of the taxi-cab that had parked in my reserved carport spot the previous week. And he was. It turned out that he just didn't know that the carport spots were reserved, and people had to pay extra for them. (I'm so glad I didn't get angry when I called the phone number painted on the side of his cab. No one answered, and I left a message, very politely asking him to park elsewhere, and let him know it was a reserved and paid-for spot. It was probably the taxi-cab company phone number, not his personal number anyway.)

Anyways, he was actually from Eritrea, and spoke Tigrinya as his main language, but Amharic (the language of Ethiopia) was his secondary language. I offered to him, and he accepted, a Book of Mormon in Amharic and in English. So I reached into the trunk and got a couple out. He was genuinely interested and grateful.

A little later, I was back out at the car for something, and again saw him, this time, a couple ladies were also approaching, and he asked if I would give a copy of the Book of Mormon in Amharic to them. They were his relatives and were visiting him. Woo hoo! A two-fer.

So I got a second copy out of the trunk. (I always keep two or three Amharic copies in the car since there are so many Ethiopians in town.) The ladies accepted both an Amharic and an English copy too. When they got in their vehicle, I realized their vehicle was the other one that had parked in my reserved and paid-for carport spot the night before the taxi had trespassed.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. That night when they had parked in my spot, I was so frustrated, and angry, and had such a sense of violation. But, the scripture about blessing those who despitefully use you came to mind, and all I did was leave a Bible pass-along card under their windshield wiper.

Anyway, it turned out to be a nice encounter, and he told me his address and asked me to stop by some time. I really LOVE Ethiopian/Eritrean food, and I'm thinking of how to wangle a dinner invitation. I'd even PAY them to have me over for dinner. That's actually a good idea, I think. I'll ask if, for $30, if his wife will prepare a typical Eritrean meal for me and "two of my young friends from church."

Hey! The $30 is for the FOOD, not payment for listening to a missionary discussion. But, if he asks what my "two young friends from church" do, then hey, they'll just have to answer the question. :-)

Amharic at Post office. Tue, Mar 31, 2009.

03/31/2009. 1127. I checked my mail at the post office, and went back to my car. There was a taxi parked next to me. It was a taxi-company that is known for having mostly Ethiopians and Eritreans as drivers. I rolled down my passenger side window hoping to talk to him, but his window was rolled up. I poppped open the trunk lid, and went back and retrieved English and Amharic copies of the Book of Mormon from the trunk. I walked around the driver's side of my car toward the front of his so I could approach him respectfully without startling him.

I waved at him and he saw me and rolled down his window. I asked if he spoke Amharic, and he did, so I offered him a free book in Amharic from church. He was very interested, and when I showed it to him, he got out of his car. He indicated he already had a copy, but it was the English edition that he had, so he accepted the Amharic edition. I pointed out my name on my business card inside, and the nearest chapel on the info flyer. I invited him to visit, and also said he or his friends could call the numbers on the flyer for more free copies.

Amharic at gas station. Tue, Mar 17, 2009.

03/17/2009. 1124. I was at a gas station getting gas on my way to do some work at the storehouse. Just as I was about to get back in my car, a man walking back to his car from the storefront noticed a version of the Ethiopian flag on the front license plate on my car.

Indiana does not require a state-issued front license plate. And when I came across that license plate at a store, I thought it would look cool on my car. This older version of the Ethiopian flag has the "Lion of Judah" on it, and according to Wikipedia, it remains popular with the Rastafari movement and people loyal to Haile Selassie.

I put it on the car for two reasons. One, I like the "Lion of Judah", because I'm of the tribe of Judah. The second reason is that I was hoping for contact with Ethiopians who would recognize it.

Anyway, this guy, who looked caucasian, asked me if I was from or had been in Ethipia. I replied no, I just liked the Lion of Judah on it. He said that he had a friend from Ethiopia. I asked him if his friend might be interested in a free book from my church in Amharic. I said it was religious matieral. He said yes. So I went to the trunk of my car, and pulled out an Amharic Book of Mormon and gave it to him. He politely accepted it. I pointed out there were toll-free numbers in there if his friend wanted more copies or wanted an English copy to go with it.

Amharic at. Thu, Jan 29, 2009.

01/29/2009. 1110. Amharic and English copies of the Book of Mormon. Details withheld for privacy.

Yoruba, Amharic at stores. Thu, Jan 22, 2009.

01/22/2009. 1107. I was driving some investigators around to do some shopping as they don't have a car. At one store, the cashier was from Nigeria and spoke Yoruba. I offered, and he accepted Yoruba and English copies of the Book of Mormon. I had them in the car, so I retrieved them and presented them there.

1108. At a different store, I struck up a conversation with someone who was speaking a foreign language with her family. They also spoke Yoruba. I was out of Yoruba books, but we chatted a while. She mentioned that one of her teachers at school was from Ethiopia. I asked if she'd like to give him a free Amharic book from my church, and she agreed. I retrieved an Amharic Book of Mormon from the car, and presented it to her, and showed her the info flyer and pass-along card, and said she could call one of those numbers and get one in Yoruba and English too.

Amharic at restaurant. Thu, Sep 18, 2008.

09/18/2008. 1065. The hostess was a beautiful young woman and her accent captivated me, so I asked where she was from when she took me to a table. She was from Ethiopia and spoke Amharic. This was not an Ethiopian restaurant, so it was a pleasant and interesting surprise. So even before I sat down, I offered her a free book from church in Amharic, and she expresed interest.

Later, she was at the front desk when I paid, and I asked if I could give her the book there, and she said okay. So I went out to the car and retrieved an Amharic and an English Book of Mormon, and went back in and presented them, and she gratefully accepted them.

Amharic at store. Fri, Jun 6, 2008.

06/06/2008. 1030. Due to all the activity at the local storehouse I took a late lunch. My first and second choice restaurants were past their lunch hour and lunch prices. So I went to my third choice restaurant, which still had lunch prices.

Due to an oil burn on a finger sustained while cooking earlier in the week, and the grimey work, I was going to need a fresh bandage after washing my hands and before eating, and I didn't have any in the car. So I went to the dollar-store next to the restaurant.

I got my bandages (one to use and then put the rest in my car to keep for first aid) and got in line.

The lady in front of me in line looked like she was from Ethiopia or Eritrea.

When the cashier was ringing her up, and it seemed appropriate to strike up a conversation, I asked her if she was from Eritrea. She said she was from Ethiopia (which is next door, and Eritrea used to be part of Ethiopia). We started a conversation and I learned she has been in the US for a few years, but only in Indianapolis for a few weeks.

I asked if she knew about the local Ethiopian restaurant and the local Ethiopian grocery store. She didn't. I said that if she'd wait for me to check out, I'd give her directions to those places.

She seemed excited to be able to get in contact with other local Ethiopians. The cashier overheard all this and was excited for the lady, and handed me a piece of paper to write them down.

I asked if she spoke the "Amharic" language, and she did. I told her our church has free books in Amharic, that it's a Christian religious book, and asked if she wanted a free one. She agreed.

I told her that I had a copy of one in my car. I asked her to wait for me at the front door of the store and I'd get one for her.

After I checked out, I wrote down the names and directions to the Ethiopian restaurant and grocery store for her. Then she waited at the entrance while I went to my car and got out an Amharic Book of Mormon and an English Book of Mormon to go with it.

I went back to the store's entrance and presented them to her.

She was very grateful to have something to read in Amharic. I explained that we believe in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

Both copies that I gave her contained a pass-along card, and an information flyer that listed all the local LDS chapels along with meeting times.

It was worth putting in a full day at the storehoue, and it was even worth burning my finger if that's what was needed to get me at the right place at the right time.

President Benson said: "The Book of Mormon is the great finder of the golden contact." in his First Presidency message in the January 1988 Ensign. "The Book of Mormon Is the Word of God."

I don't know if that lady is a golden contact. But that Amharic Book of Mormon certainly found her. I didn't place the order, but just got to be the delivery-boy.

Amharic at gas station. Tue, Mar 25, 2008.

03/25/2008. 1009. I stopped at a gas station for some soda on my way home. The cashier looked like she was from East Africa. She was from Eritrea, and spoke Tigrinya. The church doesn't have anything in Tigrinya, but many Eritreans also speak Amharic, the language of Ethiopia. Eritrea used to be a part of Ethiopia.

She didn't speak Amharic, but she said another family member does. I asked if she would like a free church-book in Amharic for the other person, and she said okay. I retrieved an Amharic copy and an English copy of the Book of Mormon from my car, and went back in and presented them. She accepted them, and showed genuine interest.

Amharic to taxi driver. Wed, Jan 30, 2008.

01/30/2008. 981. As I was crossing a parking lot going back to my car, I walked past a taxi that was dropping off a passenger. It was from a company that employs a lot of drivers from Eritrea and Ethiopia. I retrieved an Amharic and an English Book of Mormon from my car and went back, and the passenger had already left, and he was getting ready to pull away. I signalled that I wanted to talk to him, and he stopped. I asked him if he spoke Amharic, but he said only a little. His main language was Tigrinya, of Eritrea. I asked if he knew anyone who spoke Amharic, and he said yes. I asked if he could give these books to him, and he didn't seem to think that was out of line, and he agreed, and accepted the books.

Amharic to taxi driver. Fri, Jan 11, 2008

01/11/2008. 938. I took a taxi to the airport. On the way I chatted with the driver. He was from Eritrea, and spoke Tigrinya and Amharic in addition to English. I told him about the Amharic Book of Mormon, and he was interested. I had put an Amharic and an English Book of Mormon in my carry-on bag that was on the seat next to me, because many taxi-drivers and airport employees are from Ethiopia and Eritrea. So after we got to the airport and unloaded my luggage from the back of his cab, I gave him the Amharic and English Book of Mormon when I paid, and he seemed very grateful.

---

01/11/2008. Missed op. While waiting at the concourse for my plane to arrive, I noticed a man who looked like he could have been from Southeast Asia, like India or Pakistan. But I was too chicken to start a conversation with him. I had also put one of the new Urdu copies of the Book of Mormon, and a second English copy in my carry-on. I had room for four books in my carry on. Amharic seemed logical, and I felt inspired to carry the Urdu one too. Feeling guilty about not approaching him sort confirms that he may have been the one I was supposed to talk to.

Amharic at store. Thu, Nov 15, 2007.

11/15/2007. 918. I stopped at a small mom-and-pop store that I hadn't been to before. The cashier was from Ethiopia and spoke Amharic. She helped me with some purchases and some Amharic words. She accepted an Amharic and an English Book of Mormon.

Amharic to sister missionaries. Wed, May 2, 2007.

05/02/2007. Journal Entry. The sister missionaries in my old ward on the other side of town called last night and asked for an Amharic Book of Mormon. They were going to have a missionary discussion today with an Amharic-speaking family, so they wanted me to drop it off at the ward building downtown. That ward building is only about 20 to 25 minutes away, so I dropped it off at the arranged spot.

I also left them a hard-cover English Book of Mormon, an Amharic Gospel Fundamentals (Sunday School manual), an English Gospel Fundamentals, and an Amharic copy of the Jospeh Smith Testimony pamphlet.

Good things happen when you help out the missionaries, as the next two blog entries illustrate.

Amharic to sister missionaries. Mon, Mar 5, 2007.

03/05/2007. Journal entry. I was on the West side of town doing errands and decided to go the single adults family-home-evening that is regularly held at a chapel just west of downtown. At the chapel I met the sister missionaries who serve in that ward. I had met the one, and the other had heard of how I give out copies of the Book of Mormon. The newer one asked me if I had a certain translation in a foreign language, checked her appointment/note-book, and asked for an Amharic Book of Mormon.

I said "sure," and went out to my car and retrieved an English and an Amharic Book of Mormon, an Amharic New Testament (which I bought at International Bible Society, but is no longer carried by them), an English New Testament, and an Amharic copy of Gospel Fundamentals. I looked for an English edition of Gospel Fundamentals in my car, but didn't find one.

The sister tried to give the hardcover English Book of Mormon back to me, saying they had some, but I wanted her to keep it as the missionaries don't have enough. They only get 10 copies of the Book of Mormon from their mission office every 6 weeks.

For some reason, some missionaries think their 10 books per 6 weeks is a maximum, or a quota from which they should not deviate. I hope missionaries think outside the box, and realize they too can flood the earth with the Book of Mormon, giving out as many as the local members will pay for or provide. Parents can also send extra Books of Mormon to their sons and daughters serving as missionaries. If they are serving in the US, you can order books for them at www.ldscatalog.com, and have them dropped ship anywhere.

Amharic at library. Tues, Jan 23, 2007.

01/23/2007. 781. I was running errands on the west side of town, and stopped at a public library to check email. I saw an Ethiopian-looking girl, about 10 or 12 years old in the lobby prior to my turn. Her turn at a public terminal was before mine, and she eventually sat next to someone and talked with him as if she knew him. While I was waiting for my turn, I went out and got an Amharic and an English Book of Mormon from the car.

After my turn on a terminal was over, I found her again in the lobby, and politely asked if her family was from Ethiopia. She said they were from Eritrea. Eritrea is next to Ethiopia and used to be part of it. The main language of Eritrea is Tigrinya, but many also speak Amharic as a second language. So I asked if I could talk to her mother or father, and she said they weren't there, but her big brother was. She pointed him out, and I approached him.

I asked him if they spoke Amharic, and he said they spoke Tigrinya, but that his father and older brother spoke Amharic. Since I've given out many copies already, I asked him if he had seen the Book of Mormon in Amharic and showed it to him. He said they did not have it already. I asked if he thought his father would like a free copy, and he sounded confident in saying that he would, so I gave him the pair of books, and pointed out the flyers and cards inside. He thanked me for them, and I suggested they could call me or the church office if they wanted to learn more.

Amharic at laundromat. Sat, Oct 21, 2006.

10/21/2006. 739. As I was loading my washer, two girls, about 10 or 12 years old walked by speaking with an accent or speaking a foreign language. I asked where their family was from, and they said Ethiopia. Their mother then walked by, and I switched the conversation to her. I asked if I had given her the Amharic Book of Mormon before. I think at this point at least in this part of town, it's better if I assume I've contacted the person before. She didn't recognize me, so I offered her an Amharic New Testament and Book of Mormon, and she was was upbeat in her positive reply. I said I'd get it from the car after loading the washer.

They were just finishing up, and were taking their laundry outside when I met them coming back in. I presented the Amharic New Testament, then the Amharic Book of Mormon, then the Amharic Gospel Fundamentals. She said she was impressed. I then offered the English Book of Mormon and Gospel Fundamentals, and she enthusiastically accepted those, because she wanted to teach the girls to read Amharic, since they only spoke it up to now. She also expressed interest in visiting the church, so I pointed out the info flyer with the chapel addresses on it, and pointed out the one closest to where they lived.

Moment #641-642. French-Yoruba and Amharic at gas station. Fri, Jul 7, 2006.

07/07/2006. I left a singles activity at church and headed home. I felt prompted to stop at a certain convenience store. I bought some 2-liters and a paper, but didn't see any opportunities. I thought perhaps this may have been a "timing loop" for an encounter later on.

#641. Further along my route home, I was prompted to stop in at a major chain gas station and convenience store. I bought a couple of 12-packs of soda on sale.

My cashier spoke with an accent, so I asked if he spoke French. He did, and he also spoke Yoruba. I asked if I could give him free books in French and Yoruba from my church. He said sure. I brought back in French and English Books of Mormon, Yoruba and English Gospel Fundamentals, and a Yoruba Bible. He enthusiastically and gratefully accepted them.

#642. I went over to speak with the second cashier, but before I could talk with him, a customer who spoke with an accent was leaving that check-out station. I could easily come back and talk with the cashier, so I spoke with this customer before he left. He was from Ethiopia, so I offered him an Amharic and English Book of Mormon. He eagerly followed me out to my car, and enthusiastically and gratefully accepted them.

The "timing loop" side-trip at the first convenience store must have been for this guy. Had I not stopped there first, I would have missed him.

I went back in to speak with the second cashier. He remembered me, but I did not remember him from a previous encounter at the Post Office. I gave him my card and encouraged him to call me or the numbers I had put in the books if he wanted to learn more or visit our church.

Moment #545. Amharic at gym. Thu, Mar 16, 2006.

03/16/2006. I was at the gym using an elliptical machine. The man next to me appeared to be Ethiopian and was talking to the guy on the other side of him. I had thought I had already given this man an Amharic Book of Mormon. When the guy on the other side left, I struck up a conversation. I was mistaken, I hadn't given him anything before. He let me practice a little Amharic that I had learned from a CD.

When he was done with his workout on the elliptical, I offered to give him a Book of Mormon in Amharic that I had in my car. He accepted, and asked me to let him know when I left. He then moved to another kind of machine. I finished my elliptical workout, and he was still on the other machine. I didn't want to interrupt his workout, so I got the Amharic and English Books of Mormon in a plastic bag from my car, and stayed longer and did some more exercises until he finished.

When he was done, I approached him again, made sure he really wanted the books, and handed them to him. It's bad form to pester or proselyte fellow customers at a gym, but there's nothing wrong with conversations as long as both parties engage willingly. A couple of the employees may have seen me approach him and give him the books, but I can honestly say he sincerely wanted them, and was glad to receive them.