English pass-along card at store. Wed, Nov 28, 2012

11/28/2012. 1317. I was at a store waiting on a service to be performed, and struck up a conversation with another customer. I found out she works at the same place where a former bishop of another ward works, so I asked her if she knew so-and-so.  Her office was near his, and she had worked with him on certain things.  Small world.  So I explained how I knew him, that I used to live in that ward when he was bishop.  I don't think she knew he was LDS, but she had a very high opinion of him. I suggested she surprise him by addressing him as "Bishop so-and-so" next time she ran into him.    I used the opportunity to give her a customized pass-along card that I had made...

I also gave her one of my personal calling cards.

Korean, English to elders. Fri, Nov 4, 2011.

11/4/2011. Journal Entry. While traveling around the far side of town, I spotted two elders putting air in their bike tires at a gas station/convenience store.

I stopped to chat and see if they needed any church literature to give out.

They did need English copies of the Book of Mormon. The local mission office has cut back on the number of copies of the Book of Mormon they give to the full-time missionaries. I suppose that local members in the wards where missionaries serve need to make up the difference. They used to get 10 copies every 6 weeks, and now it's only 5 copies every 6 weeks.

I gave them one of my English copies, and showed them how I mark it with Post-It notes (at 3rd Nephi 11 and at Moroni 10:3-5), an info flyer, and custom-made pass-along cards.

They had recently received a referral request for a Korean Book of Mormon, but hadn't received the Koren copy from the office, so I gave them one of my Korean copies.

English at gas station. Sat, Oct 1, 2011.

10/01/2011. 1296. As I was going back to my car at the gas station (see previous post), a young man asked me if I wanted to buy any movies. I assume he had them inside his jacket. I said no thanks, but I had a couple of movies I'd like to give him. I went to my car and got out a "Testaments" DVD and a "To This End Was I Born" DVD, and went back and presented them to him, and he accepted them.

Spanish at fair/market. Sat, Jul 9, 2011.

07/09/2011. 1288. I met an Hispanic family at an outdoor fair/market kind of thing. In addition to Spanish, they spoke an indigenous language that is related to one of the translations of the Book of Mormon. It wasn't the same language, but it was close enough that they were interested, so they accepted it, along with Spanish and English editions.

She stopped and asked me. English/parking lot. Sun, Sep 19, 2010.

09/19/20. 1253. I was getting ready to go to church (afternoon meetings), and was restocking the trunk of my car with some copies of the Book of Mormon to replenish ones I had recently given out.

A neighbor drove by, stopped her car, rolled down her window, and asked me what church I went to. (I was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and tie on Sunday, so my look screamed "church guy.")

I told her, and then she asked where it was. I got out an info flyer that lists the local chapels and gave it to her, and told her the address, and said she was welcome to visit, or she could call one of the numbers, and church representatives could visit her if she wanted. I then asked if she would like any church literature. She said okay.

I thought I had some missionary lesson pamphlets, but I only had them in Spanish. So I offered her a Book of Mormon and a Finding Faith in Christ DVD. And she accepted them.

Words fail me to express the awe I feel about this encounter. And there are so many implications and lessons in this, that I don't know where to start. Or, even if I should, because the reader will either get or won't get it, regardless of what I say. And, I don't understand all the lessons and ramifications myself. I know one thing where I fell short, and that is in bearing testimony. It was a perfect opportunity for bearing testimony, and I didn't. I invited, but I didn't testify.

English x2 at gas station. Tue, Sep 14, 2010.

09/14/2010. 1251. This one was weird, but I thought, and still do, that the encounter was prompted of the Spirit.

I was on the other side of town and headed towards home. As I came up to a gas station on one of the major streets, I felt prompted of the Spirit to stop there. I didn't really need anything, but I bought a canned beverage.

The lady ahead of me in the check-out line was short of money, and she turned around and asked me for 75 cents. That was weird. I wasn't thrilled about helping someone buy cigarettes, but I decided to give her what I could. I checked my change and only had 50 cents to spare, so that's what I gave to her. I didn't have any one's either.

I didn't follow what happened, but I think the cashier let the remaining 25 cents slide. It then dawned on me that I could use the situation to offer her church material, so before she left I said to her that I had a favor to ask of her.

Hey, I did her a favor, so why not ask for a favor in return, right? I said I had something from church that I'd like to give her, and I asked her to wait outside for me. She said okay.

So I paid the cashier for my stuff, and went out, and she was waiting. I asked her if she'd like a free Bible, and she said sure and that she needed one. So I went to my car and got out an English Bible, an English Book of Mormon, a couple of DVDs, and went back over to her and presented them to her, and she gratefully accepted them. I actually gave one of the DVDs to her companion who was waiting in their car. Her companion asked for a Bible too, so I went back to my car and got another Bible and Book of Mormon for her, and she accepted them.

I pointed out the information flyers in them, and said they could call the 800 number and have lady missionaries visit them if they wanted, and told them where the nearest chapel was.

Overall, it was a pretty good encounter, and I think they were genuinely interested. This isn't the first time that someone asked for spare change, and it turned into an opportunity to share the scriptures. Granted, sometimes people in these situations might just accept the material to be nice to a benefactor. But these ladies responded with what looked to me like genuine interest.

Mormon parents spend $400/month so their children can have missionary opportunities on their mission. Therefore, giving spare change, or even a few dollars seems worthwhile if it can create a sharing opportunity.

English at gas station. Thu, Aug 12, 2010.

08/12/2010. 1247. I was on a trip in a nearby town (see previous entry), heading back towards home, and I stopped to refuel at a convenient gas station along the right side of the main road back to the Interstate highway. The cashiers weren't immigrants and I did not offer them any gospel material.

As I was about to pull back onto the main road, I believe the Spirit indicated I should go to another gas station on the other side of the street. So instead of turning at the light, crossed the street and went to that gas station. I bought something to drink, and after paying I was the only one in line, so talking to the cashier would not delay any other customers.

I said to him that I liked to give out Bibles, and asked if he would like a free Bible. He did not show any sign of annoyance, but politely declined. I then asked if he'd like a free Book of Mormon. He asked what that was as if he had never heard of it before. I said that at our church we use both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, that we believe in both. He asked what church and I said the name of the church. He thought about it a few seconds, then casually said "okay." I said I'd get it from the car, and be back. So I got one from the car, and went back in and got in line, and presented it to him. I said that if he wanted any more information or had questions, that he could call one of the numbers in the book. In the book I had placed a church Book of Mormon pass-along card, one of my custom pass-along cards, and my personal calling cards.

I am very grateful for that opportunity; grateful to the Lord, and to the gentleman at the cash register.

English pass-along card at store. Mon, Mar 8, 2010.

03/08/2010. 1235. I was out running errands, and felt inspired to stop at an office-supply store. I picked up a couple items that were on sale that I could use, and continued to browse in the computers/electronics section, checking prices, and looking for any deals.

There was a lady shopping for another memory card for her digital camera, and I helped her a bit. I wanted to give her a web site where she could buy that type of memory online. I took out my wallet to write the URL on a personal calling-card, but I was out, and only had a customized business-card-sized Book of Mormon pass-along card, so I wrote the URL on the back of it.

When I gave it to her, I mentioned that there was some church stuff on the other side.

Ma'am, if you're reading this, I did not set up our encounter just to give you that card. I wasn't even thinking about it. I'm just naturally "Mr. Helpful". I'm what is known as a "compulsive helper". I had just run out of my personal cards in my wallet, and the other card was there. If you happen to be curious about the Book of Mormon, then I hope you call the number for a free copy. But if not, then it's just a piece of scrap paper with the web site that sells the memory.

English at gas station. Sat, Sep 26, 2009.

09/26/2009. 1191. I was in another town for a church fair. Before leaving that town I felt inspired to stop at a certain gas station. I went in and purchased some soda. I was the only customer so I had opportunity to talk to the cashier. I said I liked to give out Bibles and I asked if he'd like a free one. He wasn't too enthusiastic, but said okay. I went out to my car and brought back in a plastic zip-lock bag containing an inexpensive Kings James Bible, and an English Book of Mormon. I presented the Bible and he accepted it. I pointed out the 3 pass-along cards I had put inside the front cover. He asked which church, so I told him The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I then showed him the Book of Mormon, and said we used it along with the Bible, and asked if he'd like a free copy. Again, he wasn't enthusiastic, but he politely and graciously accepted it.

Chinese/English to members. Sat, Sep 26, 2009.

09/26/2009. Journal Entry. I was at a church-fair in another town, where the local wards or stake were putting on the fair. There was a booth on Spirituality, featuring various religious texts, such as the Bible, Koran, Book of Mormon, etc.

In my conversation with the young couple who staffed the booth, I found out they like to eat at Chinese restaurants. I told them about some of my efforts to offer people foreign language editions of the Book of Mormon. I offered to give them Chinese and English copies for them to take to a Chinese restaurant and they accepted the challenge, so I went to my car and retrieved a pair and present the books to them. I gave them a 2 minute explanation of how I do it. They seemed excited about it.

Asian languages at bank. Tue, Sep 8, 2009.

09/08/2009. 1187. I was at the bank. The customer at the next window over appeared Asian, and he was being chatty with the teller. So after we were both done, I started a conversation with him based on something he said to the teller. It turned out he spoke Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and German. He accepted my offer for copies of the Book of Mormon in those languages, plus English. He was parked just a couple spots over from me, so it was easy to hand them to him from the trunk of my car. He seemed genuinely appreciative of the gifts.

Hindi, English @ restaurant. Korean @ grocery. Tue, Jul 28, 2009.

07/28/2009. 1171. I took a dinner break while volunteering at the storehouse, I went to a restaurant where two of the employees were from India, and they accepted Hindi and English copies of the Book of Mormon, and a Hindi edition of the Liahona magazine.

1172. Seated in the table next to mine, was a lady reading a Bible. As she left, I offered her some free paperback Bibles in case she knew anyone who needed or wanted any. She said she was a minister on her way to teach a Bible-study class, and would love to have some.

I went to the car and pulled out some paperback King James Bibles from the American Bible Society and the International Bible Society. (They were only about $2.15/each in case lots. The cheapest LDS KJV Bible is $8.20). I threw in a Chinese/English bilingual Bible as well.

I didn't bother to take them out of the zip-lock bags, and take out the LDS promotional materials such as pass-along cards and the list of local chapels that I had put in them. But I made sure she knew there was stuff from our church in there, and I suggested a couple times she take that stuff out before giving out the Bibles, since I didn't expect her to promote our church. I forgot to tell her the name of the church, and I felt a little guilty of that later.

1173. Later on in the evening, on my way home, I stopped at a grocery, and as soon as I walked in, I saw an Asian man bagging his purchases prior to leaving. He gave off a lot of spiritual light, enough that I stopped in my tracks, and it seemed obvious to me that I was supposed to talk to him.

I asked him where his family was from, and he said Korea. I offered him a free DVD in Korean from church. I described it as being about husbands who work too much (Together Forever) and he agreed to receive it. He asked which church and I told him. He followed me out as I went to retrieve it from my car. I also presented "The Testaments" DVD, which he accepted. He asked where the church was, and I showed him the list of chapels that I had put in the DVD clamshell, and pointed out the closest one and the one I go to. It was a very pleasant encounter.

English at fitness center. Fri, May 29, 2009.

05/29/2009. 1150. I had gone to check something at my apartment's fitness center, not working out. I was in street clothes, not workout clothes. A 60-ish lady who I didn't recognize came in to exercise. She was a smiley person, and gave off a good vibe, kind of like a halo. I struck up a conversation with her, not with a placement in mind, but just to be chatty, and maybe give encouragement and be upbeat about exercising.

I helped her with some exercise and cardio-vascular tips. The conversation gravitated to the book she was reading, and then religion. She's a minister in a protestant church. Then we started talking about the LDS church, and some of the history. At some point she said she'd like to read the Book of Mormon, so I offered to get her one. Since she's a serious Bible student, I also offered her an LDS edition KJV Bible, because it has our footnotes and Topical Guide, which everyone else calls a "concordance." I also offered her the Sunday School manual, Gospel Principles. She agreed to receive all three, so I went to the car and my apartment and got them for her, and we exchanged calling cards.

[Follow-up to this story here.]

English and Swahili to neighbor. Thu, Mar 5, 2009.

03/05/2009. 1118. Tonight I helped my next door neighbor with some computer stuff, in response to a favor that he asked. We were chit-chatting after we finished, and in answer to one of his questions I said I was in South America as a Mormon missionary. He then continued the conversation along that line asking questions about the church. He went on to say that he'd like to read the Book of Mormon, so I offered him one and he accepted. I went back to my place and retrieved an English copy for him, and a Swahili copy for one of his friends. He graciously accepted them, and continued asking questions which I answered the best I could.

English DVD's at gas station. Wed, Nov 12, 2008.

11/12/2008. 1087. After checking out of the motel, I felt inspired to stop at this nearby gas station. I pulled in and bought something, either a soda or a newspaper. The cashier was a very sweet cheery lady with a very positive and bright attitude, but did not appear foreign born. I chickened out of offering her anything. There was no one in line behind me so, I could have.

I drove down the street a little, and possible scenarios of how to strike up a conversation played in my head. There was a Christ-like spiritual light about her, so it was obvious to me that she believed in Jesus Christ. Before I got back to the Interstate highway, the Spirit "cranked up the volume" and made it obvious that I was supposed to offer her something.

I drove back, and took in two DVDs, and got in line.

I offered her "Mr. Kreuger's Christmas" and "Joy to the World". She politely and graciously accepted them. I probably should have also offered a Book of Mormon using one of the conversation threads that had occurred to me, but I didn't.

Gujerati, English at motel. Wed, Nov 12, 2008.

11/12/2008. 1086. I had stayed overnight in a motel at my destination city. The night clerk last night was from the state of Gujerat in India. The clerk on duty this morning was also from Gujerat. After checking out, I went back to my car and got a Gujerati Bible, and went back in and offered it to him. He hadn't seen one before. He could still read Gujerati and was very upbeat and postive about receiving it. He wanted another one, but I only had the one, so I gave him the website where I bought mine. I mentioned the Book of Mormon too, and he seemed interested, so I went out to the car and retrieved an English Book of Mormon which he also accepted.

Engluish DVD at laundromat. Mon, Aug 11, 2008.

08/11/2008. 1044. While at the laundromat, a lady asked me for some change for a phone call, so I gave her 50 cents. A few minutes later I asked her if she'd like a free DVD from my church. She said okay, so I retrieved a copy of "The Restoration" DVD from my car and offered it to her, and she accepted it. She was in the TV/game-room area, and my clothes were ready to be folded, so we didn't have time to chat.

English DVD at gas station. Mon, Jul 21, 2008.

07/21/2008. 1041. I was at a gas station to get gas. There was a car along the side of the road with a flat tire. A man came in another car, parked at the gas station, got of his car, then he drove the car with the flat tire onto the gas station too.

When I was done putting gas in my car, I offered to help him change the tire. He accepted my offer and said he had never changed a tire before because he'd never have a flat.

I helped him put on the spare tire, and taught him what I know about changing tires. Afterwards, I asked if he'd like a free DVD from my church, and he agreed to receive it. So I gave him a copy of "Finding Faith in Christ" that I had in my car. Since he now had two cars to take somewhere, I offered to follow him in my car and ferry him back to get the other. But he said he was close enough that he could walk back on his own.

English DVD at gas station. Sat, Jul 5, 2008.

07/05/2008. 1038. I went to the gas station down the street. I paid at the pump, pumped the gas, went inside, bought the Sunday paper, came out and got in my car. Before I closed the car door, a man on a bicycle came up to me and started with a story of his broken down car, and three other people needing a ride home. He wasn't very consistent, and I could tell pretty quickly he was just telling a story to get some money.

But I've previously decided to give money to beggars and use the opportunity to give them gospel material. After all, I eat out a lot, spending money that I normally wouldn't spend in order to create an opportunity to give out gospel material. And here was this man handing me an opportunity on a silver plate, and it was going to cost me less than a meal at a restaurant.

I told him it was a good "story", and said I'd give him a buck, and a DVD to watch. I got out and walked around to the back passenger side door to get the video out, and he followed me. I gave him "Together Forever." When I got my wallet out to give him a dollar, he could see I had three ones, and then he plaintively asked for $3 and said "please" in a pitifully persistent way.

Yeah, I could tell he was playing me, and when he got close, I could smell alcohol on him. But I decided that this wasn't about money or alcohol. I sincerely wanted him to have a gospel message, and $3 was cheap compared to what I've spent to create other opportunities. So I gave him $3. He smiled as if he had "won the game."

Swahili, English at singles event. Fri, Jul 4, 2008.

07/04/2008. Journal entry. I was at a dinner/cook-out for singles at one of the local chapels. A single member from one of the local wards brought one of her non-member friends. During a conversation she mentioned that she spoke Swahili, so I asked if she'd like a Swahili copy of the Book of Mormon. She enthusiastically said yes. She already had an English copy that her friend had given her.

I went to my car in the parking lot to retrieve the Swahili copy from the trunk of my car. There was a family passing near me who had used the church parking for a nearby event. Local church leaders knew of this event, and had let it be known among the members, including the singles, that the church parking lot was open to non-members for this nearby event.

1037. It just seemed natural to offer that family free Bibles, since they were using a church parking lot. The dad said sure, and sent a couple of his older children over to my car. I gave them a couple paper-back copies of the NIV Bible, and then offered them a free Book of Mormon. The dad said for his kids to get one of those too, so they accepted an English Book of Mormon.

I then took the Swahili copy back to the other lady, and she was excited to have something in Swahili.