Well, today was our second Prayer Station - this time at a local beach. On all acounts, it was a gorgeous day, ending a week of cold and rain. It was very sunny and about 70 degrees, except near the beach where a very chilly breeze was coming across Lake Erie. And, having done a baptism there 2 days earlier, I knew the lake was very cold. I will be honest - as I made my way to the beach, I really didn’t think there would be much action there, but we sought to be faithful and see what God might do.
We found one of the few spots in the picnic area where there was actually some sun to try and keep ourselves warm. The first hour, just like at the Zoo, was very slow. many looked and passed by. One professing believer came along to issue a brief word of encouragement. However, as we approached the second hour something very unexpected happened. It turns out that today was the last day of school and some area middle schools were having a last day of school picnic at the beach! As we saw the mass of young teens make their way into the picnic area, we had flashbacks of the near trampling we encoutnered at the Zoo! But, that was OK! The kids were bigger, so we would just have to hold the table down a little harder, iff necessary!
Sure enough, two young guys came over to see what was going on and, before we knew it, word was spreading! Mobs of young people were flocking over to the Prayer Station. As I was packing up the tracts last night, I hesitated if I should pack the teen celebrity millions. I figured kids would be at school and we would mostly be dealing with adults. I put them in the box, figuring it would be better safe than sorry. Those tracts, in particular, were flying off the table. The Obama millions, celebrity millions and curved illusion tracts were also among the hits. Yes, many of the teens were taking multiples, but nowhere near the extent that the kids at the Zoo were!
One young man made a particular impression on us. He was physically much smaller than his classmates, but talked a lot older than the rest. He was surrounded by several other young people asking each other for a particular tract as his voice rang out, "Is this some kind of right wing conspiracy?" We did a double-take and simply said, "No, we just want to share Jesus." He proceeded to analyze each of the tracts and cound't figure out what teen celebrities had to do with a religious message. Several minutes later he spoke up again saying, "You still can't convince me that this isn't some right wing conspiracy." I tried to assure him that there was no political agenda here and that we only wanted to share the message of the Gospel. He still seemed skeptical. He also asked if this had anything to do with the abortion doctor who was killed earlier this week. We could only assert that, while abortion is wrong, so is what was done to that doctor. He affirmed with, "I can understand your logic."
I don't know how many times we heard the question, "What is all this about?" It is that moment when you fear that these young people would drop the tracts and walk away when they found out they were taking Gospel tracts. But as we told each one that they each had Gospel messages on the back, the reply was always, "Oh, OK" as they proceeded to take another. One young man even asserted that he was an atheist, but he also walked away with two tracts in his hands.
The two hours we were there went by very fast. As I drove home, I reflected that it went so much better than I expected, but I wasn’t sure how it compared to our time at the Zoo. I was pleasantly surprised to find that we gave away more tracts today than we did at the Zoo. Today, we gave away 499 Gospel tracts!
Today was an extra blessing. At the Zoo, we had a team of 3 people at the Prayer Station. Today, there were 6 people helping with the Station or gathered about 20 feet away praying for all who were taking tracts. I am so blessed to be able to stand side by side with these brethren for the sake of the Gospel!
As I saw the teens taking the tracts, showing their friends, and reading them together (and oh, how sweet to hear these young people in huddles nearby reading the tracts to each other!), my heart swelled. Not in any type of pride. My heart was overcome with the reality that I was about their age when the Lord so graciously saved me. Lord, do the same with these young people! A couple of the adults with the students were clearly unhappy that we were there, but the teens were very open.
Every time the Lord allows me to sow the seed of the Gospel, it is a very special moment. But today was extra special for me. Perhaps it is because I was their age when the Lord saved me. If they are like me, many of them are already asking questions about God. I pray that these tracts will be used by the Holy Spirit to convict their hearts and show them what they must do to be saved. Even if the parents take the tracts away and throw them out, they will have been read. Lord, bring them to repentance and faith and use them in the years ahead to serve You and proclaim You!
