Pella Tulip Time Gospel Outreach 2022: Day 1

As I am typing this it is 11:10 pm; I’m exhausted, but so excited that I just couldn’t wait to tell of the amazing things God has done today with my group.

As I was making my hour long way to Pella, IA I lamented the fact that I didn’t prepare as much as I wanted to, and have the conversations I had hoped to have before this trip. It was bad enough that I felt inadequate going in, but in addition to teach others how to share their faith on the street was a little much. As I got out of the car and collected my things, God reminded me that it’s all about Him, and not about me anyways, and chill out.

It was great to catch up and joke with those I haven’t seen since working at the Answers In Genesis booth at the Iowa State Fair. There is a special bond between evangelists that frankly don’t compare with the other offices of the faith. We suffer together, laugh together, help each other, and got each others back on a moment’s notice. It’s through this doing faith together that draws us closer.

After the initial teachings it was time to meet with my group, get to know each other, and then hit the street to share the gospel to those at the festival. Neither anyone in my team ever shared the gospel. The young man was 25 and newly married; been a Christian for just a few years. The older woman in my group was in her seventies and had been a Christian since she was 9 years old; this was her first time as well.

Young man at our booth

We set up the booth outside the church we were having our meetings and kept our tracts. We were receiving ample amount of people passing through. As we passed out tracts, I was guiding and sharing my thoughts and how to give them out with more confidence. As I was leading the way, a young man was walking towards the table, and I confidently handed him a tract.

At first he was snarky about it, even a little flippant, but he never kept walking. He asked what it was and I said it was a gospel tract.

"Do you know what the gospel is?" I asked. 

"No." 

"It means, 'good news'. But it's not good news unless you know the bad news, right? If I were a doctor and told you that you had a horrible disease and you were going to die within a year, but I had the cure and you needed to take it, how would it sound to you?" 

"Well, I don't feel like I need to take it, and actually feel great. It would actually sound pretty ridiculous," he said. 

"You're absolutely right. It would sound pretty dumb. But, what if I showed you your pathology chart, the results of your blood work, among other things and the proof that you really had this disease. How would you feel about the cure then?" 

"I would want it!" He said. "Not only that, but it would make the cure less weird." 

"That's right. So, did you know that God has given us our pathology charts to show us that we indeed have a disease, called 'sin'. It's called, the Ten Commandments. This is God's standard of goodness. So, let me ask you how you're doing to see if you have this disease. Fair?" 

"Yeah, sounds fair," he said as he looked even more intrigued from when he came over. 

So, I proceeded to ask him if he ever told a lie, stolen anything, looked at a woman with lust, and he answered yes to all, but and showed him where his standard of goodness was different than God’s. I also took my bible and showed him verses like Ephesians chapter 2 and other places where he had some questions. The conversation went very well, and in the end he understood God’s justice, mercy, and grace all are combined in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He thanked me as I gave him my card and the tract, “Why Christianity,” which explains how Christianity is different than any other religion.

Picture perfect evangelism

After the next team took over the booth, the grandmother and I did some witnessing on the streets of the festival, where the young man in our group had to go. When going from area to area, I showed the various places that I’ve had good encounters with people, things to watch for, and so on. But I was telling her that this is the easiest festival to share the gospel because you can stand in one area, have the fish come to you, take their picture, and share the gospel to them. She laughed, but we did just that.

We stood at the edge of the canal in Pella, right at this spot and waited. A couple came over and the lady leaned on the railing as her boyfriend took a picture. I winked at the lady I was training and walked up to the couple.

"Would you like a picture with the two of you together?" I said confidently. 

"Oh yes that would be amazing!" The young lady leaped as she was handing over her IPhone. I snapped a few pictures and handed it back. 

After I received many thanks I said, "Are you from around here? We have these informational booklets which describes Pella's Christian heritage and roots. We even have an informational page on our website if you are interested." 

At that point, they were very happy to take anything we had. I linked up the website using a QR code, and gave them the booklets and sharing a little about the gospel.

My trainee wanted to know more and was elated to experiment with her new way of sharing Jesus with the lost. We went to several places, and various ways to do this kind of evangelism; also sharing how I make it lighthearted, joke with those whom I am filming, and how I talk people into doing it. One woman was reluctant to hand over her phone, to which I replied, “I can’t run fast, and I’m confident you can catch me easily.” She laughed and joyfully handed me her device.

After we finished our last teaching session, it was time to make the trip home and start again in the morning. As I walked through the door, excitement filled my heart again as I shared how amazing my day went, how the Holy Spirit guided through conversations, and how blessed I was that He used me to teach and guide someone who wants to get out of their comfort zone. Can’t wait for what tomorrow brings. Oh look, it is tomorrow already –12:33am.