Samoan at laundromat. Sat, Aug 11, 2012.

08/11/2012. 1313. Things have slowed down. I haven't been traveling as much, or going to as many restaurants. So I don't strike up as many conversations with strangers as before, and therefore have less chances to offer church material. There have been some other placements this year that I haven't bothered to log, so I've lost track of the exact number.

This evening I was doing laundry at a popular laundromat, I heard some folks speak a language that I did not recognize. We were within conversation distance, so I asked the lady who looked like the mom if they were Pacific Islanders (I just guessed). She said yes, and that they were from Samoa.

I then asked if they were Mormons, since Mormons make up a large percentage of Samoa. (I forget where I read that, so it might have been Tonga, or some other Pacific island nation.) She said they weren't. I asked if they'd like a free book in Samoan from the Mormon church. She was genuinely interested and said yes. I said I might have a copy in the car, and I asked if I could give it to them there. She said okay.

So I stopped what I was doing for a bit, and went out to the car and dug around the trunk and found a Samoan copy of the Book of Mormon. I also grabbed an English edition. I took them back in and presented them to her, and she still seemed genuinely interested.

I had a list of local chapels in the books, and I pointed out the nearest one. And I introduced myself with my calling card that I had in the books. I said that if they wanted more copies for the various members of her family, she could call one of the phone number for more free copies.

It was a very nice encounter. Nice folks.

Friendshipping investigators. And Samoan, Thai to missionaries. Sun, Feb 1, 2009.

(Coincidences pile up.)

02/01/2009. Journal entry. I gave a ride to the investigator and his young-adult grand-daughter today. This was their seventh time at church. Between the meetings, I asked one of the sisters who's going to the Relief Society's "Enrichment" day to take the grand-daughter and her grand-mother to the event. The grand-mother doesn't speak English and doesn't get out of the house. So it should be exciting for her, and her grand-daughter will be along to translate.

Since there's a YSA (Young Single Adult) branch in town, our ward doesn't have any young singles who are near the grand-daughter's age. I asked her if she'd like to visit the Young Single Adult branch, and she said yes. (She's been to two of the YSA Family Home Evenings so far.) So I went to the YSA branch this afternoon (our ward meets in the morning), to find someone who could take her there.

And coolest of cool, there's a sister member of the YSA branch who lives in the same apartment complex as the investigator family!

So I got her name/number, and gave the investigator's address and phone number, and my name and number to her. I'll tell her (the investigator) who to expect next week if she still wants to go.

I also talked to the sister missionaries who work in the YSA branch (along with another ward that meets there) and told them the story, and to be on the look-out for her.

I also told the investigator (the grand-daughter) that I'd give her a ride to the YSA's FHE tomorrow, and the sister missionaries said they'd be there too.

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02/01/2009. Journal entry. One of the sister missionaries at the YSA branch is from Samoa, and wants to meet local Samoans, so I gave her a Samoan Book of Mormon to give out when she meets any. They also asked for a Thai Book of Mormon since they are teaching a Thai family, so I gave them one, and also a Thai Liahona.

Samoan at store. Wed, Oct 3, 2007.

10/03/2007. 893. While still on my way home from the previous restaurant visit, and visiting one of my customers, I stopped again at the same store that had the cashier who spoke Bambara, in order to purchase some more of the same items as before. It was a legitimate shopping stop, and not to follow-up or seek more opportunities.

Anyway, the cashier this time was a very friendly lady who looked like she was from one of the Pacific Islands. So I just asked if she was a Pacific Islander. Her face lit up in a big smile and she said yes. It was like she was glad that someone noticed and could tell.

She was from Samoa, and still read and spoke Samoan. I told her about a local full time missionary (Elder) who is Samoan. He is currently serving in the ward that shares the building where my ward meets.

I got all flustered due to the excitement, and gave her the phone # for the wrong missionaries. But I more or less straightened it out later by calling the wrong missionaries and asking them to give her the number for the Samoan elder (and his companion too of course) when/if she calls.

She's not a member already. I asked because a large percentage (not a majority, but a noticeable number) of Samoans are members of the church. But she said one of her relatives is a member, so she's heard of the church before.

She was enthusiastic about meeting another Samoan. I didn't mention anything about missionary discussions, but I made clear the Samoan guy I was talking about was a full time missionary. And I'm confident that the Mission president will let the Samoan elder and his companion cross district/zone boundaries for them to meet.

I think it's good enough for a meet-and-greet. And she also accepted Samoan and English copies of the Book of Mormon.