It is Finished–the 2025 Iowa State Fair

This year, by God’s grace, I had the incredible opportunity to work the IowaGO! creation evangelism booth every day, all day, with the exception of leaving at 2pm on the last Friday. A fulfilling 121 hours in total! Despite the challenges, the experience was truly amazing. Many people encountered the gospel for the very first time, and others heard it in a deeper way. I am prayerfully hopeful that those who heard the message will understand and embrace the good news before it’s too late. I must say, this year felt wonderfully unique compared to all previous years.

I Had No Fear Going Into it

At the start of the fair every year, I struggle to get into the IowaGO! booth and feel tremendous amounts of fear. I get anxious and wonder if I know enough and if my life is reflecting Christ; not to mention anticipating problems—from the possible to the ridiculous—that may or may not happen. Each year, I go through the material, read tracts, and look over the Answers in Genesis courses I have taken in the past; but this year, I focused more on the Bible and prayed consistently for those I’d come in contact with at the booth. Trusting more in the Holy Spirit and less in myself really made a difference.

We Had a Solid Crew

Whether it was the campers from Testify Evangelism Training Camp, or those who came to the booth to share the gospel on their own—we had an amazing crew. The eleven days were filled with passing out tracts, anwering questions, and having discussions with those inside and outside the booth. I didn’t have to correct or train anyone because all that were there were doing great. But what made them a solid crew? Well, a number of reasons.

First, it was a shining example of the incredible training at Testify, from Tomorrow’s Forefathers, which runs in conjunction with the Iowa State Fair gospel booth. Young leaders like Kevin, Logan, Taryn, Faith, and others, who were once kids learning to share the gospel at Testify Camp, now lead their teams with great confidence and enthusiasm. They have embraced the responsibility entrusted to them and are joyfully passing the baton to the next generation, ensuring a bright future ahead.

With that said, it was also due to the training through Tony Ramsek of Gospel Equip. Not only his amazing teaching inside the classroom, but the hands-on, one-on-one discipleship inside the booth in real-world application. He is truly the glue that binds both Testify Camp and the gospel booth together.

Third, many campers and leaders stayed behind on the last day to work the extra hour tearing down the gospel booth. These kids were like a swarm of worker bees: climbing ladders, pulling cords, removing the cloth walls, and consolidating tracts. When the crew came to disassemble the structure Monday morning, they were shocked at how much we got done in one hour at the end of the fair; everything was disassembled and transported by 1pm!

We Had Several Professions of Faith in Christ

We as mere humans cannot know if a person gets saved in a moment. We cannot know a person’s heart—only God knows. But we did have some professions of faith in Christ this year.

People often asked, ‘How many people have you led to the Lord through this booth?’ My response: every single one. With every tract we hand out, with every gospel presentation we share, with every video that is played, with every verse of scripture read—we are reaching out to the lost. What they do with it is up to God and them. We can lead them to a good Bible-believing and teaching church like my own. We can exchange phone numbers and emails to keep in touch, disciple through God’s Word as much as we can if they are not in the area, and lead them in the area of evangelism to help them fulfil the Great Commission they were entrusted with the moment they got saved. Yes, at the moment of salvation they receive the Holy Spirit as a helper, guide, and seal of eternal life; but it is their job to continue in sanctification: “…to work hard to show the results of their salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear,” (Philippians 2:12, ESV) and reach out when they need help.

We are already eagerly anticipating next year, and with God’s grace, I plan to be there! The end of this year and the beginning of next will bring exciting new changes and challenges, along with the potential for someone else to step in my place. While the idea of not being there grieves me, it’s truly inspiring to see others being prepared to carry the baton and sprint joyfully toward the finish line.