Romanian at Post Office. Thu, Dec 4, 2008.

12/04/2008. 1095. I met a lady and her teenage daughter at the Post Office. I offered, and she accepted, Romanian and English copies of the Book of Mormon, and a couple DVD's, but I forget which titles. They waited outside while I retrieved the material from my car, and I presented it right there in the parking lot.

Cool Romanian family at gas station. Sat, Jan 27, 2007.

01/27/2007. 786. I was on my way home from a late session at the laundromat. At a certain intersection, the Spirit indicated to take a detour, so I turned and I went exploring. It didn't occur to me that it was going to turn into a book placement, but I supposed that I was to make a reconnaissance of that area for future reference.

The detour took me past a gas station, of a brand I often patronize, and I was reminded that I hadn't gassed up the car. Had I gone straight home, I might not have remembered I needed to gas up the car for Sunday.

When I pulled in the gas station it finally dawned on me that it could also be a for a book placement. I paid at the pump, put gas in the car and went inside to buy a newspaper.

Immediately after me in line were two college-age young ladies speaking English, but with an accent. I almost thought they were hispanic, but the accent was definitely not hispanic.

While still waiting, I turned around and spoke to the one nearest me, and said "I don't recognize your accent. Where are you from?" She said she grew up here, but that her family was from Romania. I said my church has books in Romanian called the Book of Mormon, and that they're free. I offered to get one from the car and give it to her if I had one. She accepted, but later said that she'd rather have the English as she didn't really read Romanian, just spoke it. I asked about her parents, and she said they read Romanian, so I still offered her both.

After paying for the newspaper, I went out to the car and got the Romanian and the English out of the trunk. A van pulled up along side of me. It was their family, both of the girls and their parents. The young lady accepted the books, and I pointed out the phone numbers inside if they wanted more copies. Then her father asked me a question about my car, and so I talked with the father for a while about my car.

They were very nice people, and the young lady was rather enthusiastic about receiving the Book of Mormon.

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.