Ok, the truth is that I could never be as good a Book of Mormon promoter as Bookslinger, but he has inspired me to make a goal for 2010. My goal is to hand out one Book of Mormon a month. Three months in, I have kept on pace to meet the goal. It was actually a lot easier than I thought.
Bookslinger sent me some Books of Mormon in Chinese. In January, I actually traveled to Hong Kong on business. While there, I met a Chinese colleague with whom I had casually discussed the Church before. I asked him if he was interested in a book about Jesus, and he said yes. I had marked off Moroni 10:4 and asked him to read the book and then ask God if it was true. I will see him again in late-May and see if he read the book.
In February, I connected through Facebook with a childhood friend. This friend and I both grew up in an area where nobody is religious (to this day), so neither of us thought much about God until we were adults. Much to my surprise, my friend had a near-death experience in his 20s and became interested in Christianity. He has been searching for a church since then. He has a sticker on his truck saying “Real Men Love Jesus,” and he certainly would call himself a Christian. Anyway, I sent him a Book of Mormon with my testimony. He called me to thank me and said he would read it. I’ll give him a few months before I follow up.
In early March, I traveled to Brazil on business. I brought a Book of Mormon in Portuguese with me. I got in a taxi and started chatting with the driver. He said he was not religious. I asked him about his family. He said he is married and he and his wife have a young girl, and he is madly in love with her. His daughter has changed his life, he said. I said that one of the things I love about the Church is that young people are surrounded by other young people with good values. I said that in my experience people are influenced a lot by their friends as they grow, and I was very happy with the friends my kids have met in Church. I handed him a Book of Mormon and told him a bit about the book. By the end of the discussion, he seemed excited about reading the book and meeting the missionaries. He says he sees missionaries pretty often in Sao Paulo, and I told him to flag some down next time he does. In the old days I had Portuguese-language pass-along cards with a toll-free number in Brazil to call, which would have come in handy, but I don’t have them anymore.
So, three months, three Books of Mormon handed out. I already have a plan for April. I will be traveling to India, and I plan on handing out a Book of Mormon there.