Amharic at store. Fri, Dec 21, 2012.

12/21/2012. 1318. I saw an East African-looking man at a store, but I neglected to strike up a conversation with him. Through no effort on my part I ended up next in line behind him at the check-out, but there still didn't appear to be a clear opportunity to say something. Afterwards, as I went to my car, I saw him get into his taxi, so then I knew he was from Africa, and decided to approach. He was from Eritrea, and spoke both Tigrinya and Amharic. The church doesn't have anything in Tigrinya, so I offered him the Amharic Book of Mormon, and he accepted. I retrieved a copy from my car and presented it to him. I pointed out the list of chapels that I put in it, and pointed out the phone number for the mission office that he could call and get an English copy if he wanted.

Burmese at store. Tues, Aug 28, 2012.

08/28/2012. 1314. I met a Burmese man at a store and offered him a Burmese copy of the Gospel Fundamentals manual.  He accepted, so I retrieved a copy from the car and presented it to him there.

Ewe, French, at store. Sat, Nov 12, 2011.

11/12/2011. 1300. I was at a checkout counter of a large national chain. The cashier had a name tag indicating an African name, and he spoke with an accent. I asked if he spoke French (Parlez vous francais?), and he said yes, and asked how I guessed. I said because of his name-tag and his accent, and many African speak French.

He was from Togo, so I asked if he knew so-and-so, the guy from Togo (and Ghana) who joined the church in our ward a couple years ago. And he did know him and his family.

We talked about languages and church material, and he was open to receiving something. So after paying I went out to my car and retrieved a couple DVD's, and Ewe and English copies of the Joseph Smith Testimony pamphlet. I went back in and presented them to him (there was no one in his check-out line at the time). He was pleasantly surprised to see the Ewe pamphlet, and he graciously accepted the material.

Swahili at store. Mon, Oct 31, 2011.

10/31/2011. 1297. I was shopping at one of my regular stores, and there was another customer who was speaking in English (to her daughter) with a delightful accent. I did not recognize the accent, but it was sort of a British accent, not directly from England, that made me think of people who learned English as a second language from teachers in former British colonies.

I asked her where she was from and what languages she spoke. She was originally from Kenya, and spoke Swahili and another regional language. I offered her a book in Swahili from church, and she agreed to receive it.

I left my shopping cart in the store and retrieved a Swahili Book of Mormon from my car. I waited until they had paid for their purchases, and we went back outside to talk in front of the entrance.

It turns out she had been exposed to LDS literature before, including the Book of Mormon, as she had lived with LDS "host parents" in her youth.

She gratefully accepted the book.

Telugu at store. Fri, Aug 5, 2011.

08/05/2011. 1291. I was on my way home from volunteering at the church's local storehouse, and felt inspired to explore for new ethnic places at a certain exit off the interstate highway.

I found an Indian grocery that I hadn't been to before. I browsed around, bought some of my favorite stuff, and a couple of new things.

I chatted with the cashier, who appeared to be the owner, and I found out he spoke Telugu. I offered him a free book in Telugu from church, and he agreed to receive it. I said I might have a copy in my car. I took my purchase out to my car, and searched my boxes and found a Telugu Book of Mormon, and an old issue of the Liahona magazine in Telugu. I went back in and presented them to him, and he graciously accepted them.

I did not offer him an English Book of Mormon, but I pointed out the telephone numbers on the flyer and card (that I put in the Book of Mormon), saying he could call to get a free English copy.

I'll likely be shopping there in the future, so I'll do a follow up.

Shona at store. Fri, Mar 4, 2011.

03/04/2011. 1274. I was on the West side of town running errands, and was on my way to a restaurant. I stopped at a dollar store to buy some stuff. One of the other customers was talking on her cell phone in a foreign language. After I went around the store getting some stuff I needed, plus some impulse purchases, she was still on her cell phone. Not wanting to interrupt her, I went to the check-out line. After another man got in line behind me, then she got in line. So while the cashier was ringing up my purchases, I talked to her. She was from Zimbabwe and spoke Shona, so I offered her a free book from church in Shona. She was interested, and agreed to receive it. So after I paid for my stuff and took it out to the car, I took back in a Shona and an English Book of Mormon. When I got back in, the cashier was ringing up her purchases, so I presented it to her, pointed out the info flyer (with chapel addresses) inside, and my calling card. She gratefully received them.

I have to give credit to the Lord on this one. The West side of town has many immigrants, so as I was on my way from my previous errand to the restaurant that I had in mind, I sought and received guidance on which route I should take. I don't know if I was inspired to visit this particular store, but the idea of shopping here came after I was on this particular route.

German declined at store. Sun, Jan 30, 2011

01/30/2011. 1270. On the way home from church, I felt inspired to stop at a certain store. I didn't really need anything, but figured I could stock up on something I would use anyway. I met a couple of dignified ladies who were speaking a mixture of English and what sounded like German. I asked one of them if they were speaking German and she said yes. I asked if she still liked to read in German and she said yes. I said the reason I asked was that my church had free books in German, "Das Buch Mormon" and offered her a free copy. Though, I'm not sure I pronounced the name correctly in German. She politely declined. I tried to offer her a pass-along card with the church's phone number, but she also politely declined that too.

It was a pleasant encounter. It didn't seem to bother her, she was just not interested.

Swahili & Luganda at drug store. Tue, Jan 4, 2011.

01/04/2011. 1266. This was an assignment. I was inspired to do laundry on the other side of town at a laundromat that I used to frequent. Nothing happened at the laundromat or the nearby store where I bought something, so I thought I had blown it. But as I left I saw someone enter a nearby drug store who I wanted to meet. I went in looking for him, but couldn't find him in the store. So I just bought some stuff I needed anyway that was on sale. On my way to the check-out I heard a man speaking English with a slightly British-African accent, so I struck up a conversation with him.

He was from Uganda and spoke Swahili and Luganda. I offered him some church material in those languages and he was very positive and enthusiastic about receiving them. So I asked him to wait while I retrieved them from the car. I brought back in a Swahili and an English Book of Mormon, and Luganda and English copies of Gospel Fundamentals.

When he saw them he was even more enthusiastic. We chit-chatted a bit, and I asked him to call me later and let me know what he thought of the material.

A few years ago, I met someone from Uganda who spoke Luganda, but I didn't have any Luganda material with me at the time, so that's when I started keeping the Luganda Gospel Fundamentals in the car.

Mr. Krueger's Christmas DVD at store. Fri, Dec 17, 2010.

12/17/2010. 1263. I was at a store and after paying for my purchase I offered the clerk/cashier a Mr. Krueger's DVD from church, explaining that it featured Jimmy Stewart and the Mormon Tabernacle choir. He accepted, so I retrieved it from my car, and went back and presented it.

Mr. Krueger's Christmas DVD at store. Mon, Nov 29, 2010.

11/29/2010. 1262. I was shopping at a store. After paying, I asked the clerk/cashier if I could give her a holiday movie on DVD with Jimmy Stewart and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. She said sure. So I retrieved a "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" DVD from my car, and presented it.

Note: the new online LDS Distribution Center store that replaces www.ldscatalog.com, is store.lds.org. The new store doesn't show the quantity discount prices if you order a case of 50 DVD's. But if you call and place your order by phone, 800-537-5971, you can still get the case prices. The Mr. Krueger's Christmas DVD is (or was) only $1.00 each if you buy a case of 50. It is $4.50 in less quanitities. Those prices include shipping.

Joy to the World, is $6.50 in less-than-case quantities, but is only $2.88/each for a case of 50.

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.

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.

African language at store. Fri, Feb 19, 2010.

02/19/2010. 1234. I had been shopping at a store and was about to leave when a man came in and spoke to one of the clerks. He spoke with an accent so I hung around a little bit. I struck up a conversation with him on his way out. I didn't have anything in his language, but I thought I had something in his wife's language. He met me outside at my car, but I couldn't find what I was looking for in my car supply. I had run out! Or at least I had forgotten to restock the car in that language. I asked for his name and address, and said I could mail it to him. I gave him my card, and he gave me his name and mailing address. I also gave him the name and phone number of a local woman who runs a humanitarian foundation in his native country.

At home I found the material, and will mail it to him. I think this was the first time I've actually asked for someone's address. He requested that I mail them instead of drop them off, so that's what I'll do.

It's been awhile since I've made any placement attempts. It's easy to get out of practice. That, plus I've cut back on eating out and shopping at new places. I think it's important to actively seek to create opportunities in order to maintain the right mind-set and keep the momentum going.

Road Trip. Sat, Nov 21, 2009.

Road trip to Florida.

11/21/2009. 1213. In Georgia Getting ready to leave the motel. Thai/English BoM and the "The Restoration" DVD (with Thai audio track) to guy in motel parking lot, he was changing or adding oil. Joe, from Bloomington Indiana.

11/21/2009. 1214. In Florida. Chinese/English Book of Mormon at lunch, to a father/son at their restaurant. Felt it was inspired.

11/21/2009. I felt inspired to stop at this shopping center. Went to a certain restaurant and got something quick, but didn't make any offers.

11/21/2009. 1215. At another restaurant at the same shopping center, went to a Chinese restaurant for a snack. The cashier accepted one of the DVD's with a Chinese audio track but she declined the Book of Mormon.

11/21/2009. 1216. I arrived in my destination city. That evening, as I was shopping at a bookstore, I saw an Asian man studying at one of the tables. I took a chance and struck up a conversation with him. I offered and he accepted a Chinese Simplified script and an English Book of Mormon, and a Heavenly Father's Plan DVD.

11/21/2009. 1217. Later, I bought something at the local Wal-Mart. My cashier spoke French and Haitian Creole. I offered, and she accepted copies of the Book of Mormon in those languages plus English.

11/21/2009. 1218. As I went back in with those books, and got in line again at her cash register, the people head of me were speaking Albanian. But they politely declined to receive the Book of Momron in Albanian.

11/21/2009. 1219. Later I stopped at a gas station, and offered the English-speaking cashier a Book of Mormon, but she politely declined.

Yoruba at store. Mon, Nov 16, 2009.

11/16/2009. 1201. I was shopping at a store and the man in the checkout line ahead of me appeared and sounded as if he were foreign born. However, I got there just as it was his turn to check out, so I didn't have a chance to strike up a conversation. But when I got out to the parking lot, he was still putting stuff away in his vehicle, and he was parked almost next to my car, so it was convenient to strike up a conversation with him.

I asked him where his family was original from, and he said Nigeria. I asked if he was Yoruba or Igbo, and he said Yoruba. I said my church has free books in Yoruba, and offered him one. He asked which church, and I said the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He agree to receive a copy. I asked him to wait at his car and I'd get one from mine, but he followed me over to my car anyway. I retrieved a Yoruba copy and an English copy from the trunk of my car, and presented them to him and he accepted them. I pointed out the chapel I go to on the info flyer that I had put inside the front cover, and indicated my calling card there too.

He was very grateful, and then we went our separate ways.

Punjabi pamphlet at storefront. Fri, Oct 23, 2009.

10/23/2009. 1197. I was at a strip mall type shopping center on my way to dinner at a Chinese restaurant that I've already been to. I walked past a storefront, and there was a lady who appeared to be from India standing just behind the glass door of her storefront. She was the only one in the store, so I assumed she was one of the owners or was the manager, or at least the person on duty.

I stopped to chat with her, and asked if she spoke Telugu, but I guessed wrongly. She was from India, but spoke Punjabi. And I was all out of Punjabi copies of the Gospel Fundamentals. But I did have a Punjabi copy of the Joseph Smith Testimony pamphlet. She agreed to receive some church material in Punjabi, and I had made sure she understood it was Christian material. I retrieved Punjabi and English copies of the Joseph Smith Testimony pamphlet from my car, and presented them to her. She politely declined the English copy, but accepted the Punjabi copy.

I forgot to include a pass-along card or info-flyer. I hope I wrote the mission office number on the back of the pamphlet.

I recently called the Distribution Center to re-order more, but they are out of Punjabi copies of Gospel Fundamentals.

Punjabi at store. Thu, Oct 1, 2009.

10/01/2009. 1192. I was on the other side of town, leaving one appointment, and on my way to another when I noticed an ethnic grocery store that I hadn't been to before. I still had some time before my appointment, so I stopped in to browse and maybe buy some things I might need.

The owners were from India and spoke Punjabi. I bought some stuff I needed anyway, and after paying, I asked the clerk if I could give them some free church material in Punjabi, and he said okay. So I went out to the car and brought back in Punjabi and English copies of Gospel Fundamentals and the Joseph Smith Testimony pamphlet. He graciously accepted them. I explained that Gospel Fundamentals is a Sunday school manual, and the pamphlet covers how the church was started.

Cambodian at store. Mon, Sep 21, 2009

09/21/2009. 1190. I was shopping at a store, and the clerk who served me was a very personable and intelligent young adult. He appeared Asian, so I asked where his family was original from. He said he was born here, but his parents were from Cambodia. I took a gamble and asked if he'd like some free Cambodian material from my church so his parents could have something to read in Cambodian. He said sure. I may have asked if he had heard of the Book of Mormon already, but I forget. He did say it was okay to give the material to him at the store. So I retrieved Cambodian and English copies of the Book of Mormon from the car and went back in and present them and he graciously accepted them.

Swahili at store. Wed, Sep 16, 2009.

09/16/2009. 1189. I was shopping at a dollar store, and the man in front of me in the check-out line appeared African, so I asked where his family was originally from. He said Kenya. He spoke Swahili in addition to English. So I offered him Swahili and English copies of the Book of Mormon. We continued to chat a while. After we paid, we went outside, and he was parked close to my car. I got the Swahili and English copies out of the trunk of my car and present them to him, and we chatted some more. It was a pleasant encounter.

Wolof and French at store. Tue, Sep 8, 2009.

09/08/2009. 1188. While on my way to a restaurant, I discovered an African grocery store that I hadn't been to before. I stopped in to browse and buy something. Two of the employees were from Senegal. They accepted my offer of church material in Wolof. But when I went out to the car, I found out I hadn't put those boxes back in the car after taking them out to make room for passengers earlier in the week.

But I still had my case of Joseph Smith Testimony pamphlets. One man accepted Wolof and English copies of that pamphlet. The other guy, with whom I spoke later, accepted copies of the same, plus a French and an English Book of Mormon, and a "Finding Faith in Christ" DVD that has a French audio track.