Spanish at restaurant. Tue, Nov 8, 2011.

11/8/2011. 1299. I had supper at a really good Mexican restaurant on the other side of town. It had been a while since I've been there. I forget if I had offered material there before, but the waitress was new, and I knew I hadn't given her anything.

After eating and paying, I was the only customer there, so I offered her a free Bible in Spanish and English and some other material from church. She agreed to receive them. I went out to my car and retrieved a Spanish New Testament, and English TNIV Bible, a Spanish Book of Mormon, and a multi-lingual "Special Witnesses of Christ" DVD.

She gratefully accepted them, and told me a little bit of her current spiritual and church investigation. I showed her the list of LDS chapels on an info flyer that I had put into one of the Bibles, and I pointed out the Spanish Branch, and the English speaking ward closest to where she lives.

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.

Spanish at restaurant. Thu, Nov 11, 2010.

11/11/2010. Journal entry. I took the ward's two full-time missionaries to a local Mexican restaurant. During our meal we put a Spanish paperback Bible and a Spanish Book of Mormon on the table. Our waiter saw them and commented on them on his next trip to the table. One of the missionaries offered them to him. At first he was only going to take the Bible, but then he took the Book of Mormon too.

Afterwards, we went to a nearby gas station, and while I gassed up the car, I gave the elders a few dollars to go in and buy something, and look for an opportunity for a contact, possibly with a pass-along card. Then I went in and bought a newspaper, and saw the elder in front of me give a pass-along card to the cashier after he paid for his snacks. She seemed interested in it too.

Feed the mish'es, 3 contacts. Fri, Mar 26, 2010.

03/26/2010. Journal entry. The missionaries did the contacts, I bought lunch and facilitated. (I didn't make the offers, so I don't number it in my encounters.)

I was on my way to lunch, and saw a couple elders walking down the street. I turned around, pulled into a parking lot and called them over. They were about ready to take a lunch break, so I offered to take them to lunch.

One of the elders was from Honduras (the other was a US guy) so we chose a Central American restaurant nearby.

We met one of the office workers from their apartment complex, who was also patronizing the restaurant.

Anywho, we ordered, ate, I paid (and left a good tip), and the missionaries offered the waitress/cashier some material. I think she accepted a Spanish (and maybe an English) Book of Mormon, and a video.

We also flagged down another patron as he was leaving since the Honduran elder thought the guy was from Honduras, but he wasn't. He did accept a pass-along card and a pamphlet though. The missionaries play soccer on the west side of town, and this guy was a soccer player, so they invited him to the missionary soccer.

Right as we left, another lady left the restaurant. And if I understood correctly, she was the one who started a conversation with the elders on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. They offered her a Spanish Book of Mormon and a video, which she accepted, and she said she'd call them. We all chit-chatted in Spanish for a while, and it sounded to me like she really would call them.

I then dropped off the missionaries at their nearby apartment.

Road Trip. Mon, Nov 23, 2009.

Road trip, on way back from Florida.

11/23/2009. 1220. Around 12:15pm. Thai declined at restaurant.

11/23/2009. 1221. Around 3:05 pm. I was driving North on the Florida Turnpike, and was inspired to take Route 528, then I was prompted to take Exit 8. Then I felt inspired to go to a certain gas station at that exit. There was a taxi parked there and I struck up a conversation with the driver. He accepted Spanish, English, and Urdu copies of the Book of Mormon.

11/23/2009. 1222. Joy to the World DVD, at another gas station to another customer who was very grateful. I'm not sure if I remember this correctly.

11/23/2009. 1223. Gainsville FL, Chinese Simplified and English Bom, plus ?? DVD. I forgot the deatils here.

11/23/2009. 1224. English declined in Lake City, FL.

11/23/2009. 1225. In Georgia. The cashier at a gas station/convenience store accepted Hindi and English copies of the Book of Mormon.

11/23/2009. 1226. Pass-along card to night clerk at motel, in or near Macon.

Road trip. Fri, Nov 20, 2009.

Road trip to Florida.

11/20/2009. 1204. I need to take better notes, or remember to use my mp3 recorder. I was in either Kentucky or Tennessee. I think I was inspired to take a certain exit, and go down the road for a while. After driving a few minutes, there was a yard sale going on, and I felt inspired to stop there. I bought some trinket. I offered a Joy to the World DVD and a Mr. Krueger's Christmas DVD to the two gentlemen there. I described them as Christmas videos from the Mormon church, so that they knew the source. They were just regular English-speaking Caucasian-American guys.

11/20/2009. 1205. At the next exit or shortly thereafter, I was prompted of the Spirit to take that exit and go to a particulat gas station. I bought some gas and something inside, like a beverage. Again, no obvious speakers of foreign languages. To the owner/cashier, I offered a Joy to the World DVD, describing it as a Christmas DVD or Nativity DVD with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and he accepted it.

11/20/2009. 1206. Around 3:15 pm, I saw a sign for a Chinese restaurant. It was one of the offical Interstate signs that shows the businesses for Food - Gas - Lodging at that exit. The Spirit indicated I should go to the Chinese restaurant featured on the sign. So It took that exit and drove the 2 miles to the restaurant.

The cashier/owner looked bright/shiny, so I figured she was my "intended contact." But while I was waiting for my food, and then eating, I also saw a lady who looked like she was from the Philippines. The Filipina lady ordered, left, and then came back later for her food. As she was leaving the second time, I asker her, in Tagalog, if she spoke Tagalog. She said "yes" in English. I offered her a free book in Tagalog from my church. I said it was "the Book of Mormon" and asked if she had heard about it. She said "Yes, I'm a member." But she didn't have a Tagalog copy, and she was willing to accept one. She also spoke Waray, and was willing to accept a Waray copy too.

I forget now if I had paid already by that time, but I had left enough "stuff" at my table to indicate that I'd be back if I hadn't paid, and we both went outside to get the books. It turned out she had parked next to my car anyway.

She asked if I was a missionary or ward missionary. I told her that this was her miracle, that I was from Indiana, headed to Florida on the Interstate, and the only reason I was there was due to a spiritual prompting to go to that restaurant when I saw the sign for it on the road.

She said she hadn't been to church since her mother died, and I replied that Heavenly Father must be looking out for her to send someone to meet her like that. She also accepted a "Together Forever" DVD. I suggested she go see her bishop or branch president and tell him what just happened.

By meeting another customer like that, it made me think that the two previously inspired stops may have been "timing loops" to keep me busy so that I arrived at the restaurant at just the right time to meet her.

1207. I went back in and finished my meal. When the cashier/owner took a breather, I offered her a Chinese Book of Mormon along with an English copy and a DVD, which she accepted.

11/20/2009. Later that evening, going through Atlanta during rush hour, I was in the wrong lane, and twice took wrong turns that delayed me.

11/20/2009. Follow-up. In Georgia, just south of Atlanta, I saw a Texaco gas station sign just beore an exit and I felt prompted to go there. When I got there, I realized it was the same place I had been prompted to stop at almost 2 years ago. I asked the cashier if he still had the books I had given him, and he said he gave them to someone else. I asked if he wanted more, and he said okay, so I gave him Urdu and English copies of the Book of Mormon, and Pashto and English copies of Gospel Fundamentals.

11/20/2009. 1208. At the same gas station, standing next to me in line was a man who seemed to be from Africa. I asked him where he was from, and he said Nigeria. He spoke Igbo, so I offered him an Igbo and an English Book of Mormon and he accepted. We talked for several minutes outside, and I realized I might have had an Igbo Bible in my car, so I asked him if he had one, and he said no. I looked for it, and found it, and offered it to him, and he accepted it. He was driving a very expensive car, so I said that instead of asking him to pay for it, I would like him to "pay it forward" and help someone else out, and it would eventually get back to me. He gave me his business card.

11/20/2009. 1209. I was so excited at that encounter with another customer, that I got back on the Interstate going wrong way. It occured to me that the wrong turns in Atlanta had served as "timing loops" again for this encounter with another customer.

I didn't realize I was going the wrong direction for about 10 miles. I got off the Interstate at next exit after I realized my mistake, and felt prompted to go to one of the gas stations there. I saw a guy dumpster-diving in the trash cans at the gas station and pulling out styrofoam clamshells with left-over food. I gave him some fresh fruit and bread that I had in the car, and encouraged him not to eat from trash cans as he could get sick.

I went inside and purchased something, and realized one of the cashiers was foreign-born. He was from Nigeria and accepted Igbo and English copies of the Book of Mormon. Again, an absent-minded mistake of going the wrong way led to another opportunity. But, due to the timing needed, I had to meet the guy at the Texaco first. What I thought were stupid mistakes actually generated more opportunities.

11/20/2009. 1210. I forget if this was prompted or not, but I got off at another exit and went to a Chinese restaurant. The owners accepted Chinese and English of the Book of Mormon, and an employee accepted Spanish and English copies of the Book of Mormon. I just had an egg roll.

11/20/2009. 1211. Next to the Chinese restaurant was a convenience store. I bought something, and the cashier accepted a Hindi Book of Mormon and Hindi Liahona.

I then went to a Taco Bell or something like that across the road. I thought that might have been inspired, but I did not recognize any opportunities. It's possible that I was supposed to just talk to English speakers.

11/20/2009. 1212. At the motel I stayed at that night, the night clerk accepted a Hindi and an English Book of Mormon.

Spanish at restaurant. Wed, Oct 14, 2009.

10/14/2009. 1195. An appointment at a client's office on the other side of town ran well into the evening, so I was hungry and wanted to eat before driving home. I picked a Mexican restaurant that I hadn't been to before. I've been to that location several times, but the restaurant has changed owners and is under a new name. It's a nice mom-and-pop place.

I sat down, ordered, and enjoyed a nice meal. When I paid, I took a Spanish Bible and a Spanish Book of Mormon with me to the cashier counter. After paying, I said to the cashier that I like to give out Bibles, and offered him the Bible for free, if he needed one or wanted on. He graciously accepted it. Then I said that at our church we use the Bible and the Book of Mormon while I displayed the Book of Mormon in my hand. I asked if he had heard of it, and he said yes. I asked if he had read it, and he said no. He asked what it was about, and I gave him the short explanation of the Bible being from the Old World, written by prophets and apostles, and that the Book of Mormon is from the New World, written by prophets and apostles, and that both books teach of God and Christ. He graciously accepted the Book of Mormon too.

It was a pleasant encounter.

Burmese & Spanish at laundromat. Thu, Aug 6, 2009.

08/06/2009. 1175. Burmese. This was an encounter such that if you believe the Holy Spirit can guide us, you'll understand it, but if you don't believe, you'll think I'm crazy or making up stories.

I had just dropped off some Spanish copies of the Book of Mormon with the ward's full-time missionaries at their apartment. I spent a few minutes talking with them. I did another errand and then headed towards one of my favorite laundromats to do the week's laundry. However, on the way there, the idea of a certain laundromat I had seen on the South side of town came to mind. I had spotted it while on another errand in that part of town months ago. Then it became an impression that I should go there. It was going to be at least 15 minutes more out of my way, beyond the 15 minutes to the closer one. But I wasn't in a hurry, so I decided to follow the impression, and thought "Let's have an adventure."

When I got there, there weren't any people who looked foreign-born. However, after I started my wash (I put everything in one of those big front-loaders), a man walked in who looked to be from Southeast Asia. A few minutes later, I took some stuff out to my car, and as I was heading back towards the front door, he came out and headed towards his car. It was a perfect opportunity to say something.

I asked him if he spoke Vietnamese, but he was from Burma. So I offered him a free booklet from church in Burmese. He had only been in the US two years, so he wasn't too fluent in speaking, but he seemed to understand. He agreed to see the booklet, so I asked him to wait by his car, and I went to mine and got out a Burmese and an English Joseph Smith Testimony Pamphlet. I took it back to his car, wrote my name and number on it, and wrote the mission office number on it, and he enthusiastically received it.

After I went back in, he stayed in his car. It looked like he was reading it.

(I just checked ldscatalog.com, to get the above link, and noticed that "Gospel Fundamentals" is now available in Burmese. Woo-hoo! I'll have to order some.)

1176. Spanish. After I finished doing laundry, and as I was putting the clothes back in the car, I noticed an Hispanic lady folding her laundry. I felt prompted to offer her something, so I went back in an offered her a recent Spanish Liahona, which she accepted. I wrote the mission office number and my phone number on the back.

On the way back home, I stopped for dinner at a Chinese restaurant hoping for another opportunity.

Spanish at laundromat. Thu, Jul 30, 2009.

07/30/2009. 1174. Late night at the 24-hour laundry. Not many people. There was a young Mexican couple doing their laundry there who were seated near the folding table I was using. They had a newborn infant, and appeared humble and approachable. On my first trip to take my clothes out to the car, I brought back in a copy of the "Together Forever" and a copy of "Our Heavenly Father's Plan" DVDs. I wrote the nearby Spanish-speaking missionaries' phone number on the list of chapels that I had put inside the clamshell. I presented the DVDs to them on my way back in. I explained a little of what they were about, and mentioned the name of the church, and pointed out the missionaries' phone number. They accepted them, but didn't seem enthusiastic.

As I write this, I realize there is more Spanish language material from church that I could give out at this laundromat, such as the "3 Simple Ways to Become a Happier Family", which itself contains 3 other pamphlets.

All the lonely people. Where do they all come from? Wed, Jul 22, 2009.

"All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people, where do they all belong? "

See here for full lyrics of the Beatles song. (Music/video here.)

There's a related article called "The Invisible Visitor" in the July 2009 issue of the Friend magazine, which also appears in the July 2009 Liahona.

07/22/2009. 1169. Spanish DVD at laundromat.

Last night I had an epiphany.

As I was leaving the laundromat an Hispanic young adult or teenager was standing near the door saying to no one in particular how cold it was outside. He wasn't talking directly at me, but I was the only one in earshot, so I engaged him in conversation on my way to my car. He ended up following me and asked things about my car, and so we talked about it while I was rearranging the boxes of books on the back seat so as to get all my laundry inside.

He was the same guy who had sat upon my folding table while I was taking clothes out of the dryer. I was kind of annoyed that he did that, but politely addressed him saying "Amigo.... that's my table that I'm using" and he apologized and quickly got down. His family was kind of boisterous, acting as typical teenagers, as the mom was doing laundry.

Outside, I got the definite impression that my earlier gentleness in response to his social faux paus at the folding table had influenced him in a way that he could somewhat trust me. And he also seemed eager or hungry for social interaction outside of his family. I thought of how one's family is supposed to be nice to you, but it is also important to receive kindness from others who don't "have to" be nice to you.

Some readers of this blog think that my interactions with people are impositions, when in fact it is the opposite. For many, a gift of a video, magazine or book is just the icing on the cake of the kindness of taking time to acknowledge someone's existence and treat them with a little human kindness. Again, a cynic may think I'm taking advantage of such people's loneliness.

But I've been on the other side. I was once a stranger in a strange land, sticking out like a sore thumb, during my mission in Ecuador. Common courtesies, people even just acknowledging our existence, even when they weren't interested in the missionary message, meant a lot.

I didn't want to get preachy there in the parking lot, and reading material in Spanish is not as in demand as other languages, since so many Spanish language cable and satellite channels are avaialble, and books and magazines are available at the many Mexican grocery stores in town.

So I asked if he had a DVD player, and he said he did. I then offered him a free DVD from church, and he agreed to receive it, so I grabbed a copy of the "Our Heavenly Father's Plan" DVD from one of the boxes in the back seat, and presented it to him. He asked which church, and I told him the name of the church, and pointed out the list of local chapels that I put in the clamshell.

Now back to the epiphany. This is one of the reasons why offering immigrants material has been successful. I'm not focused on converting people, or trying to get a committment out of them to investigate or visit church. I'm taking time to acknowledge people's existence by interacting with them. Then, giving them the opportunity to agree or decline to receive material before actually handing it to them, is a continuance of that respect.

I've very likely missed many opportunities where further invitations could have been made to visit church or receive the missionaries. But the counter-balance is that this method of interaction ends up planting many more seeds with people who will be ready later on.

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.

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.

Spanish at restaurant. Fri, May 29, 2009.

05/29/2009. 1151. I had supper at a Mexican restaurant I hadn't been to before. On one of his trips to my table, I asked the Hispanic waiter if he liked to read in Spanish, and he said yes. I showed him a copy of the Spanish Book of Mormon, and asked if he'd seen it before. He had heard or seen it a couple times before, but didn't own a copy. I offered it to him, and he accepted it. He also accepted an English copy, and a Spanish Liahona magazine.

Spanish at restaurant. Tue, May 26, 2009.

05/26.2009. 1147. After volunteering at the storehouse I had supper at a Mexican restaurant that I hadn't been to before. I'll likely eat at that restaurant again, so I decided to just take in a Spanish and English Liahona, and offer the Book of Mormon on a future trip.

After the meal, as I paid, I offered the waitress the Spanish Liahona, and she enthusiastically accepted it. She also accepted the corresponding English issue. A little bit later, as I walked out, I saw her reading it at the cashier stand.

Korean, Spanish at Japanese restaurant. Wed, May 20, 2009.

05/20/2009. 1145. I had supper at a Japanese restaurant that I have been to several times already over the past two years. The Korean owner had already accepted various material before on previous trips. I still had plenty of past issues of the Korean Liahona, so I thought I'd offer the owner a couple more. The owner graciously accepted them.

I also took in a Spanish Liahona and an English Liahona for me to read while eating. One of the employees looked Hispanic, and I didn't remember seeing him before, so I went out to the car and brought back in a Spanish and an English Book of Mormon. I eventually offered him the Spanish Liahona and the two copies of the Book of Mormon, and he graciously accepted both. He had heard of the Book of Mormon, but didn't have one already.

Earlier in the evening as I decided what to do for supper, the thought of going there occurred to me, but I didn't want to, as Japanese restaurants can get pricey. (It's worth it, for good food, but still it's more than eating at home or a less-expensive place.) However, the impression persisted in spite of my desire for something else, so I followed it through and it turned out well.

Chinese, Spanish at restaurant. Sat, May 9, 2009.

05/09/2009. 1137. I was on my way home from the baptism and decided to stop at a Chinese buffet. I've been there before, but I think the waitress was new. I thought I had given out all my Chinese copies to the missionaries, so I only took in a Chinese Liahona and the corresponding English issue, along with a couple Spanish Liahonas to read. I had a second smaller bag with Chinese copies of the Book of Mormon in the car, but I had forgotten about it.

The waitress was busy, but eventually she noticed the Chinese Liahona on my table. She did a couple of double-takes on it. So I tried to strike up a conversation. She didn't seem to understand my offer to give it to her, so I used the limited Chinese I know "gay knee" (give you) and "mien fay" (free, or no money). She accepted the Chinese copy, and initially turned down the English, but I tried to convey the idea she could learn a little by using both. She eventually did accept the English.

1138. After eating, on my way out of the restaurant, I passed an Hispanic family and offered them one of the Spanish Liahonas, which they accepted.

Spanish at bakery. Fri, Apr 3, 2009

04/03/2009. 1131. I was getting ready to go to the Single Adults dinner and game night at a chapel, and headed towards a grocery store to buy something for the pot-luck dinner. I noticed a Mexican bakery across the street that was new since the last time I was in that neighborhood. So I parked in the grocery store parking lot and walked over there. I thought I could get some bread or goodies to take. I wasn't even thinking of a book placement as I normally don't offer Spanish material any more, unless there's a clear opening, or unless I receive a spiritual impression to do so.

I spent a few dollars on a variety of stuff. I forget how the conversation started, but I think the owner said something about a church for which he had a flyer on the counter. That opened the door for me to offer him a free Spanish Bible. It turned out that he needed one but didn't know where to buy one. He accepted my offer, so I took my stuff back over to my car and brought back a Spanish and an English Bible, and a Spanish and an English Book of Mormon.

I presented the Spanish Bible, and he gratefully accepted it. I told him he could buy more at Amazon.com, and I gave him the directions to a Mexican Christian bookstore not far from there. I then introduced the Spanish Book of Mormon, and how we use both. He accepted it too. He accepted the English Bible and English Book of Mormon too. He was very appreciative and grateful for the material.

It can matter where you do your laundry. Thu, Apr 2, 2008.

04/02/2008. 1129. Laundry day. I didn't have to do a late night run like normal. So I considered other laundries along the route I was going on to do another errand. I remembered one that I had been to before, but didn't want to go there because it is more expensive and kind of small. However, I received a clear and strong spiritual impression that I was to go there.

It has front-loading washers of various sizes, and I figured I needed the largest size. There were only four of them, and using two of the others was an Hispanic family, who looked like a mom and two daughters of high school age. (Later I learned that the second girl was probably another relative, not a daughter.) So I had a legitimate excuse to be within conversation distance. After I got done loading mine, I started reading the latest Ensign. The family was just a few feet away from me, and one of the daughters was reading something aloud to the other two. I casually looked over, and it was a Spanish Bible. I walked the couple steps over, and asked (in Spanish) if that was the Bible, and they said yes. I said I like to give out Bibles in Spanish to those who need or want them, and I kept a Spanish Bible with me. I asked if anyone in their family or friends would like a Bible, and the mom said that the other girl, the one not reading, had been asking for one.

Soooo...., I walked the three or four steps back to my laundry basket and whipped out the plastic zip-lock bag containing a Spanish paper-back Bible and a Spanish hard-back Book of Mormon. I took out the Bible, and handed it to the girl who had wanted one. Having one "at the ready" like that seemed to impress them. I made some chit-chat, and then introduced the Book of Mormon as another book that the church uses along with the Bible. They agreed to receive that one too. I pointed out the list of chapels inside that included the Spanish branch, and the phone number for the Spanish-speaking missionaries that live near the laundry.

They were definitely interested, and after the conversation, the second girl started reading the introduction pages aloud to the other two.

I talked to them again right before leaving.

Spanish at restaurant. Wed, Feb 18, 2009.

02/18/2009. 1113. I took the missionaries to their appointment with the African investigator. It went pretty well. On the way back to their apartment, I offered to take them to lunch at a nearby Mexican restaurant, during their scheduled lunch break. I said the deal was that I'd pay, but they had to offer our waitress church material. They accepted, and agreed to meet me at the restaurant later.

We met up there, were seated, and ordered. I showed them what I had brought: Spanish and English Bibles, Spanish and English copies of the Book of Mormon, a Spanish and an English Liahona magazine, and 2 multi-lingual DVD's.

After we were served, I put the two Bibles and two copies of the Book of Mormon on the outside of the booth's table. On one of her trips back to check on us, the senior companion offered her a Bible, and she perused the material. She accepted the Spanish Bible, but didn't want the other material. Inside the Bible was a flyer listing the local chapels, including where and when the Spanish branch meets, and listing the Spanish-speaking missionaries' phone number.

After we paid at the cashier counter, the junior companion offered the cashier a multi-lingual "Introduction to the Church" DVD, which the cashier accepted.

Spanish at restaurant. Tue, Feb 17, 2009.

02/17/2009. 1112. After doing some stuff at the storehouse I stopped at a Mexican restaurant for supper on my way to another appointment. I think I took in only the Liahona magazine, an English and a Spanish copy.

I didn't offer the waitress anything, but after paying at the cashier station, I offered the cashier/manager the Spanish Liahona first, which he accepted, and then the English copy of the same issue, which he also graciously accepted.

I've learned that it's easy to get out of practice. The last couple times I've offered anything were where the waitress noticed the material on the table and initiated the conversation, freeing me from the natural fear of starting a conversation.

I think I need to make sure I eat out at least once a week, and keep in practice by initiating conversations. Habits are easy to get into, both the habit of non-speaking and the habit of speaking.