A few stories from the Fair...

The incident that I remember best from the Fair happened mid-week…

Two teenaged girls came up to the booth wanting a balloon. Everyone else was busy so I started making them balloon hats. I asked if they also wanted something to drink but they said they were fine. I shared that we were there doing balloons and giving out drinks and talking about heaven and hell.

I asked them if they knew where they would go when they died, and one hoped for heaven, the other wasn’t sure. I asked what they believed a person had to do to get to heaven – and they had a few guesses but really weren’t sure. We went through the commandments to see if they would be innocent or guilty before God. They both acknowledged that they would be guilty. When I asked where they would spend an eternity they both said “hell.” As I began sharing the gospel with them, it somehow came up in conversation that they were there at the Fair, but not as regular “fair-goers”. They were at a nearby booth with their Church and were handing out water! I couldn’t believe that these two, who were at the Fair likely with the goal of sharing the gospel at their church’s booth, ended up at our booth acknowledging at first that they weren’t sure where they would spend an eternity, and after a few minutes conversation, clearly acknowledging they were both headed for hell! While both seemed interested in the conversation, they didn’t seem too concerned or interested in the solution (even though they did listen as I outlined what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for them).

Sometimes it was interesting to see who would come up to the booth for something to drink. It is very hard for a proud person to accept something for free. There were a number of times that two friends would be walking down the thoroughfare --- one would come over for something to drink and the other would stand back and wait for them. We would usually offer the ‘standing-back-waiting-friend’ something to drink. A lot of times they would accept, but sometimes they said “no, thanks”.

One night after the sun had set we had several fellows stop by that appeared to be in their early 20’s. They were dressed completely in black and had somewhat unkempt/wild hair styles. One had his face painted (it didn’t look like a sport team’s color/pattern). As they somewhat approached the booth, I asked if they would like a balloon – it’s amazing how sometimes others, besides children, enjoy the balloons, and by offering a balloon I knew there would be more time to share the gospel. They said sure – and asked what types of balloons I made. I began going through the list. They eventually settled on a turtle (which is a very small single-balloon animal – whereas some of the wild hats or more complex animals require 4, 5, or even 6 balloons). I started working on the turtle and we began discussing heaven and hell. They were either both really playing along and humoring me, or they were both incredibly receptive. I shared the bad news of the gospel as well as the good and gave them both a detailed tract to read later on. By then I had finished the balloon (I made it very slowly) and they were set. They walked off and I was left picking my jaw up off the ground that they had been open to a balloon and willing to listen to and discuss the gospel.

Another night a young man who was probably about 20 years of age stopped by the booth. He was just standing in front of the booth. I asked if he would like something to drink – and he did. He seemed open, so I began a conversation. I shared the gospel and we talked quite a while. Turns out he had stopped by and talked at length with us last year as well. I probably spent 15-20 minutes (total) with him, and we stepped into the back of the booth so I could give him a Bible and show him a few Scriptures that we had been discussing. At the end of our conversation I prayed for him. The Lord was definitely working in his heart, but he doesn’t seem as if he is willing to surrender quite yet. But he knows that the Holy Spirit will not always convict and that the longer one waits the greater the danger…

Saturday night a young man with many, many piercings happened to stop by (with several of his buddies). He was a former Satanist who had been raised in a Catholic home. He had read the Bible 4 times. To get to heaven, he believes a person has to avoid being a bigot and also not kill anyone that doesn’t deserve to be killed (he didn’t share who makes the decisions on whether a person deserves to be killed). He doesn’t believe God is a loving God. We talked for a few minutes but his spacey answers and constant changing of the subject to something different made me suspect he was high. Instead of prolonging the conversation (which wasn’t getting anywhere) I gave him some tracts and thanked him for stopping by (hopefully he read the tracts later on).

Saturday a young fellow and his (probable) girlfriend stopped by. He was about 18 or 20 years of age. As we began talking/sharing he said he knew where he would spend eternity. I asked where that would be, and he said “Heaven” – and that he sometimes evangelizes a nearby shopping district. I shared that we don’t get to heaven by sharing the gospel with others. We talked for another minute or two and I, out of curiosity, asked if he reads his Bible. Praise the Lord – he does every day. I asked the girlfriend the same question, and was surprised when she, literally, hid behind him because she was either shy or didn’t want to answer. It became obvious that they really weren’t interested in talking more about reading the Bible or what the Bible says about salvation – so they said “goodbye” and headed off.

It was a very good week, despite the time that was invested, and the tremendous heat. Our prayer is that as the Word went forth, it would do a mighty work in hearts, as we know that it will not return unto Him void.