Missed opportunity, on forest trail. Sat, May 7, 2011.

05/07/2011. Missed op. I joined some of the Young Men in the ward (along with the YM president, and a member of the bishopric) on a 10 mile hike in a nearby state forest. I brought along two copies of the Book of Mormon, and a King James Bible. The bishop's counselor carried one Book of Mormon, and another youth and I traded off carrying the other two books.

As we were hiking, we met a retired couple coming the other way on the trail who were doing trail maintenance as volunteers for the state forest. They chatted us up, and we talked about getting the Young Men ready for a bigger adventure/hike next month, but we never brought up the church, or said we were a church group.

So it was just a missed opportunity with a couple of nice people who wanted to chat with us.

Missed op at laundromat. Mon, Jan 31, 2011.

01/31/2011. Journal entry. Missed opportunity. I wanted to do laundry before the big winter storm hit, because it looked like the roads would be bad for at least 3 days. I chose a laundromat which I haven't been to in a while because it's closer than my favorite one. I wanted to get back home in time, and I was cutting it close.

There was a Southeast Asian lady at the laundromat who was within conversation distance of me, and I did say something about the television that we were watching, but I procrastinated about asking where she was from, etc. I never got another (or made another) opportunity to speak with her.

The freezing rain started a few minutes before I got home, but I did make it back home before the roads iced up.

Missed opportunity at grocery. Fri, Nov 20, 2010.

10/20/2010. Journal entry. As I walked into the grocery store, I ended up right behind two guys who looked like they were from India, who were speaking a foreign language. I blew it. I chickened out of speaking to them. A few minutes later, after I got what I came for, and was heading toward the check-out, I was again walking behind them for a few seconds before they turned to go down one of the aisles. I missed that opportunity too.

I think one really does have to stay in practice in order to react quickly within the window of opportunity. Those opportunities were only a few seconds each. Perhaps I should have back-tracked and gone down the same aisle as they, but it may have looked contrived. The best way would have been to just open my mouth when we were already within polite speaking distance due to just happening to be going through the entrance at the same time.

Hmmm. Was it a random encounter or a divine appointment? My feelings of guilt would seem to indicate it was the latter.

Missed opportunity. Wed, Oct 6, 2010.

10/06/2010. Journal entry. Missed opportunity. After eating supper I did some shopping at a couple stores in that shopping center. I eventually had to go to the restroom again, and it happened to be more convenient to stop at a fast-food restaurant (not the place I had just eaten at, but nearby) to use their restoom.

After using a business's restroom, I feel obligated to buy something, so I got in line to order. One of the two ladies in front of me was dressed in traditional clothing of India, so I struck up a conversation with them. But I chickened out, and didn't offer them any church material.

Missed op at laundromat. Mon, Oct 4, 2010.

10/04/2010. Journal Entry. Missed opportunity. I was at one of my favorite laundromats. There was another customer there who spoke with a beautiful Caribbean accent. I was waiting for the perfect moment to casually strike up a conversation, when both of us were just waiting on the machines. But she was done and left before the moment came. If ya snooze, ya lose. And I missed the chance to create an opportunity.

Missed op at laundromat. Mon, Sep 20, 2010.

09/20/2010. Journal Entry. Missed opportunity.

I was at the all night laundromat doing some late laundry. There was a man waiting around for his laundry to get finished. He was wearing a knit skull-cap that many Muslims wear.

After I got my laundry in the dryers, I went over and asked him where he was from. He said Bangladesh. I said "Apnar shathhe shakkhat kore khoob khushi holam." ("I'm very pleased to meet you." Which I learned from 101 Languages of the World.) He smiled broadly and extended his hand to shake mine. I then said "Ami matro olpo olpo Bangla bolte pari." ("I only speak a little Bengali.") We chatted a bit more, and I excused myself to check on something. But when I turned back to go offer him a Book of Mormon in Bengali, he was gone.

If ya snooze, ya lose. Just the chance of getting to offer him a Book of Mormon (whether he accepted it or not) would have been worth a wrinkled shirt.

Hebrew at grocery store, missed op. Mon, Aug 9, 2010.

08/09/2010. Journal entry. Missed opportunity. At the grocery store, I heard two young caucasaian ladies speaking a foreign language. I turned around and politely asked what language they were speaking. One of them said Hebrew.

I thought that was so cool since they were the first people I've encountered locally who were speaking Hebrew. There is a sizeable Jewish immigrant population in Indy, but that group is Russian. I didn't ask, but I assumed these ladies were from Israel.

The church doesn't have anything in Hebrew that I'm aware of. There used to be a Hebrew edition of the Book of Mormon, but it's out of print, and used copies go for over $100. Rumor has it that pulling the Hebrew edition BoM off the market was one of Israel's conditions to allow the church to put a BYU branch in Jerusalem.

I couldn't think of any material to offer, so I just smiled and said "That's cool. Welcome to America!" But in hind-sight I still could have given them a pass-along card and one of my personal calling cards.

Missed op at McDonald's, Mon, Aug 9, 2010.

08/09/2010. Journal entry. Missed opportunity. I stopped at a McDonald's on my way home, and got hit up by a beggar before I even got out of the car. He was smooth about it too, going into his long sad story before asking for money. I actually said "get to the point" a few times because he was so hung up on telling his manipulative story. Needing to get a tire fixed seems to be a common ruse, they're from the next town over, lost their cell phone, or they're new in town and don't have any friends, or had their keys stolen. No matter what you ask them about other solutions, there's always a problem with whatever you suggest, and the ONLY thing that can help them out is a few dollars,

I ended up giving him a few bucks anyway, which I usually don't do. He was a good player. But I completely spaced out on giving him a church video. I should have given him a couple, and said to sell them to raise the money he needed. Even with just the few dollars, I should have given him a business card with the chapel's address and the missionaries' phone number on it.

One of the keys that tells you that you're being played is when they dominate the conversation and are so emotionally manipulative.

Missed op at store. Fri, Jun 18, 2010.

I was at a big-box store waiting for a clerk to some get some merchandise down from a high shelf. A lady came down the aisle talking in a foreign language on her cell phone. She asked me a question (in English) about something on the opposite side of the aisle from my item, so I answered her best I could.

I was hoping I could ask her what language she was speaking, but she continued talking on her cell phone. She then moved over a few aisles looking at similar things. By the time my clerk came back and got my items down, she was still on the phone in the other section.

I had waited around for my item for so long, while she was talking on her phone, that I thought it would look too awkward to approach her again. But I should have said something as part of our brief question/answer, or at least interrupted her just enough to ler her know I wanted to ask her something when she got off the phone.

Missed opportunity. Tue, May 11, 2010

05/11/2010. Journal Entry. I was shopping at a store and saw a family that appeared to be Southeast Asian. They sounded like they were speaking Vietnamese. I could have waited a bit and got in line behind them, or waited outside in order to strike up a conversation, but I chickened out.

I'm out of practice.

Missed opportunity, Sat, Mar 20, 2010.

03/20/2010. Journal entry. I had just done some shopping at Wal-Mart, and at the stop light at the main street out front, there was a homeless man sitting on the grass with a sign. At first I thought to ignore him, but then decided to give him one of the apples and one of the oranges I had just bought. So I turned to the right instead of the left, circled back, parked in the parking lot of the adjoining business, got out two pieces of fruit, and walked over and offered them to him. He accepted them.

And I completely forgot to offer him any church material! I'm losing my touch, or else losing my mind.

In the past, what I've done for beggars is to give them a video, and suggest they sell it for a dollar. So that way, they'll pass it along (sell it) to someone who might watch it, or they themselves might watch it before selling it. Sometimes, I include a $1.00 with the video.

Road Trip. Tue, Nov 24, 2009.

Road trip, on the way back from Florida.

11/24/2009. 1227. Punjabi and English Gospel Fundamentals. Bought chicken sandwich and two cans of soda. Had to drive a ways off interstate to find. Inspired stop.

11/24/2009. 1228. Another exit. Chinese declined at restaurant. But young man was interested in taking ESL class. Inspired stop.

11/24/2009. 1229. Same exit as before, just next door at the grocery store. Borrowed a phone book at the service desk. Another customer spoke with an accent. I struck up a conversation with him, and offered him a Swahili Book of Mormon, but he declined.

11/24/2009. Journal entry. Missed opportunity. I felt inspired to stop at a particular store, but didn't offer anything to the English-speaking cashier/owner.

11/24/2009. 1230. Vietnamese declined. I forget where this was, or what this one was about.

11/24/2009. 1231. An Indian couple at a gas station spoke Gujerati, gave them a pass-along card and suggested calling for Hindi. They spoke of a group of Telugu-owned stores in Atlanta.

11/24/2009. Journal entry. Missed op. Stopped at an Hispanic grocery store, and I didn't make any offers.

11/24/2009. Journal entry. Missed op. Saw a laundromat near the grocery store and thought of going there. I had only 2 days of laundry to do, and I talked myself out of it, wanting to get back home that night. But a guilty feeling later made me realize I should have gone there.

11/24/2009. Journal entry. Gas station. I thought it was inspired but nothing happened. (Several cats were on the property.)

11/25/2009. 1232. Just past midnight at a gas station near Cincinnati, I bought something and offered some DVDs to one or more ladies behind the counter, and she/they accepted them. I think I gave them a Mr. Krueger's Christmas DVD, and a Joy to the World DVD.

Missed op at gas station. Fri, Oct 9, 2009.

10/09/2009. Missed opportunity. Well, it was more than a missed opportunity. I just plain disobeyed. I was driving home after a meeting of a club that I belong to. I felt a clear impression to stop at a gas station along the way. I picked up a newspaper to buy and got in line. The two cashiers looked like regular English-speaking folks. My cashier looked about 18 to 22 years old. I forgot to check to see if there was anyone behind me in line, but I was supposed to say something to her, and I didn't. I just plain disobeyed. I kept thinking she "only speaks English", but of course that's not an excuse.

Missed opportunity at restaurant. Mon, Jun 29, 2009.

06/29/2009. Journal entry. While doing an errand, I went to a Chinese restaurant that I had never been to before. It was between the lunch hour and dinner hour, so I was hoping to catch the hostess/cashier/owner at a non-busy time. But she was the only one there besides a bus-boy and perhaps someone else in the kitchen, and there were phone-in orders and carry-out customers, so she was pretty busy. There may have been a few seconds to start a conversation, but I missed them. And I wasn't quick enough to start up a conversation with the bus-boy. So I'll have to go back and try again.

Missed opportunity. Wed, Apr 8, 2009.

04/08/2009. Missed opportunity. I had just left an investigator's home with the missionaries. They were about to pull out of their parking space in their car, and I was about to pull out of my parking space too. A man walking his dog passed by. I felt some sort of desire or need to speak with him. As I pulled away, I felt my attention drawn back to him, and I looked back. In that moment I realized I was fighting a prompting of the Spirit to stop and speak to him. Instead of going back and talking to him, I chickened out and disobeyed. Oh, how much easier it would have been had I just turned off the car and got out before leaving the parking space when the idea first came to mind. Ack. I was handed an opportunity and I blew it.

Missed op, Vietnamese, Hindi. Fri, Mar 6, 2009.

03/06/2009. I felt inspired to take a detour on my way home, but I think I allowed my own desires to side-track me, and not follow through correctly on where I was supposed to go. But I think I eventually got where I was supposed to go.

Missed opportunity. Long story about how I got there, but I ended up having lunch at a Chinese buffet restaurant in a town North of Indy. I put some material on my table as I ate. The waitress/cashier may have noticed it, but she didn't indicate so. She was so busy bussing tables, running the cash register, and putting out food on the buffet tables, that there didn't seem to be any opportunity to present something to her.

There were several people in line at the cash register (for either the pre-pay buffet or for carry out) when I was ready to leave, and I didn't think it appropriate to just wait around because it looked like she wasn't going to get a break at all. And it's not appropriate to interrupt the employees when they are in the midst of serving other customers.

Vietnamese Liahona at nail salon. 1119. After I left, the Spirit made clear to me that I needed to go to a certain town, and not just towards it. So I was going to back-track a bit, and then head on in my previous direction.

However, I saw a nail salon in the same shopping center as the restaurant. I normally don't do cold-calls at nail salons, but I felt a little spiritual "tug" to go there. I drove over, parked, got out a Vietnamese Liahona magazine (the Liahona is the international version of the Ensign) and an English copy of the same issue.

I went in, and there were two employees, and no customers; a lady up front, and a man towards the back. I asked the lady up front if they had any Vietnamese operators or employees, and she indicated the gentleman. I asked if I could give him a free magazine in Vietnamese from my church, and she said okay. I went back to see the man, and he was reading a book in Vietnamese.

I offered him the magazines, and he eagerly accepted the Vietnamese Liahona, and politely declined to receive the English. He didn't seem to catch the bilingual nature, but I didn't want to belabour the point. I thanked him and left.

Hindi Book of Mormon at hotel. 1120. As I got near the destination town, I saw a sign for a certain motel. The Spirit indicated that was where I was supposed to go. But I kept my eyes open to see if there were going to be other opportunities presented along the way such as ethnic grocery stores

I got to the motel, and got out Hindi, Bengali, and English copies of the Book of Mormon. Hindi and Bengali are languages I've placed at hotels before.

I went in and asked the caucasian clerk if the owners were from India. She immediately said: "Oh, you must mean the hotel over there" and pointed to a hotel that was practically next door. Boy, that made it easy, and saved me some awkwardness of having to explain why I asked.

This was not actually a mistake. The second hotel didn't have any advertising signs along the road like the first one did. There was nothing in view for the Spirit to use to guide me. So the Spirit used what was available to get me to someplace that was one easy step removed from the final destination. The Lord used what I could see, the first motel's sign, to get me to a place I couldn't see. The second hotel was actually on a cross-street, facing in a direction such that I wouldn't have seen it without twisting my head around as I drove through the intersection.

This process has happened before: being guided to a place that I could see in order to get me to a place I wouldn't have seen had I not first gone to "point A".

I then went over to that hotel, and there were no other customers at the front desk. I asked the desk clerk if the owners were from India. She said yes, and asked me how she could help me. I said I had a free church book in the Hindi language that I'd like to give them.

She went over to the office and spoke to someone, then came back and said I could go around to the office. I went over to the office, and asked the man if he'd like a free book in Hindi from my church, and showed it to him. He extended his hand to receive it, so I could tell he was curious. And then he flipped through the pages after I gave it to him. He was curious and appreciative, but not really enthusiastic. But he thanked me for it. He politely declined to receive the English copy when I offered it. I thanked him, and excused myself.

Missed opportunity. Thu, Feb 12, 2009.

02/12/2009. Journal entry. I was at the laundromat, and had just finished folding the laundry and had put it in the basket, and was ready to leave. I felt inspired to strike up a conversation with the family using the folding table next to mine. But I chickened out (disobeyed) and left without speaking to them. They were speaking Spanish, and I had a Spanish Bible and Spanish Book of Mormon and a Spanish Liahona magazine with my stuff that I could have offered them.

Missed opportuntiies. Thu, Oct 23, 2008.

10/23/2008. Journal entry. I missed a couple opportunities to offer material. One was at a Chinese Restaurant. I had been there before, about a couple years ago, and wanted to do a follow-up. Tonight, I had supper there, but just chickened out of offering any material, or asking them about the previous material I had given them.

A little later I stopped at a gas station for a newspaper, and also missed an opportunity with the cashier who was foreign-born.

Missed opportunity at restaurant. Wed, Sep 24, 2008.

09/24/2008. Journal entry. I ignored a prompting to speak to some people at a restaurant and missed an opportunity.

Missed opportunity. Wed, Sep 17, 2008

09/17/2008. Journal entry. I was driving home from the storehouse, and felt inspired to take a different route than normal. There was a fast food restaurant that I felt inspired to stop at, but the dining area was closed, and only the drive-thru was open. I thought that maybe I had been confused, but maybe I was supposed to go through the drive-thru. I didn't.

I then thought the gas station next door may have had an opportunity, so I bought a newspaper there. I didn't see anyone who stood out as someone I should speak with, but perhaps I should have offered a Bible to the cashier.

Looking back, I think there were some opportunities that I didn't recognize at the time.