Since the pest made some veiled threats about them.
I will say my aunt came to town, we had a good time, a good meal and some holiday shopping. I found something delicious to take on the Handout (I'm always out there with the munchies, holding my sign, a couple cases of Bibles at my feet, kicking myself I did not bring snacks).
She liked her gift, I can put up a link. Magical hand cream for less than $5, also some candles. She has different migraine triggers, for me it is food, hormones, environment in pretty much that order. For her it is scent and environment. So it was a gamble giving her scented candles. She said one would work but one wouldn't, and she would find it a good home. The hand cream (it's more intensive than a lotion) is unscented, happily, and not very common.
We did go by a grocery store, it was insane of course. The chicken section was completely wiped out but I did find some thin little skillet steaks (beef) and some "wafer thin" pork chops. That will make a wonderful holiday meal.
I also got some Christmas cards to put in the Bibles which I think will be lovely. My aunt loved the idea. It is nice to get support on the Handouts, a lot of my evangelism working life it's been me out there on my own. Sometimes literally just me on a corner.
I don't need people telling me I'm wonderful; but I do like to spitball ideas sometimes and it's good to get feedback. I can't do comments anymore. So I love talking to people who are also excited about outreach. Which is, no one at work.
Someone is coming into work and leaving tracts. It's not me, I was asked about it. I said no, honestly, but I'd love to meet them and they were happy with the answer. They know I restrict my evangelism to outside the store. It's kind of like the old sign above the church exit doors "You are now entering the mission field". But it would be fun to meet the evangelist and chat a little.
I did meet one guy who was handing out gospel newsletters. He was about 70 years old, married 40 years, couldn't understand the concept that some times are not the right time to share the Gospel. I haven't seen him in a year or two. There was an older Black lady leaving tracts with a heart, in other customer's shopping carts, I saw her at it one day. She was very shy about it so I didn't say anything. I thought it was very brave and very sweet. There was a guy on the bus one day, he was neurodivergent in some way, he got on, wearing a "COVID" type mask, a hoodie pulled up, I could tell it was a white man but that's about it. He went around handing out different tracts to everyone. I had my candy with me so I accepted the tract, smiled, and gave him the candy (with a tract) he said thank you and left. I never saw him again. One time Ron and I were doing a Handout in Acres Homes, at my usual spot. Buses pass up and down the street, a bus left the corner and a guy came running up to us with a ton of questions, which we answered. He just thought we were the coolest thing ever and took a photo which he then sent me on Facebook.
I actually have this photo blown up on canvas hanging by my front door. God will tell the guy that one day. It's my favorite photo of us, one of our good times.
So I remain hopeful, but I just don't meet evangelists. We are pretty uncommon. For one not many Americans are born again Christians. Of them only a small percentage believe in evangelism. They will go to a sermon about it, throw some money in the collection box to "save the lost" and go home. But actually go out there? Have a tract in the house?
One of my regrets (evangelically) is that I didn't make up more candy bags with tracts, and hand them out to toll booth workers back when we had them. I went through the toll booth in many cars over the years but a lot of times I didn't think to do it, didn't have the supplies, or the driver didn't want to do it. The last one I couldn't help. But when I could I did and the worker was always happy to get that. If I remarry I want someone who will think of things like that.
And you have to do it for the right reasons, people are always asking me why? For me, I have had a lot of pain in my life, people letting me down. God has always been there for me and I have clung to Him many, many, times. But there are people going through pain just as bad; worse, even. And they don't have Him. Not yet. That's where I come in, I make the introduction, generally move out of their life (but always praying), and God sends them someone else to help in the journey.
One day I was doing a Bible Handout. This woman walked over to me, a middle aged Black lady. She stood on the sidewalk watching me work the median (our streets here generally have a raised area with grass in between the lanes, it is several feet wide and can easily be 100 feet long, that's where I work). I was holding the sign you see above, most likely, running up and down seeing if anyone wanted a Bible, handing them out as requested. I don't take donations but between us I do take snacks. She just stood there watching me for minutes. I waved at her and smiled a few times and she walked over.
I offered her a Bible. "You already gave me one" she said. "You were doing this a couple months ago and you gave my friend one, she asked for one for me and you gave it to her". I probably also told her I'd be praying. I hope I did. "She told me about you but I didn't believe anyone would do this until just now. It was you, wasn't it?" I told her that, as far as I know, I'm the only one doing this.
[Side note, since then a local Baptist Church apparently spotted me working one day and adapted the idea. They dress up for their Bible Handouts, set up shop in retail parking lots like Target and Walmart, have a nice standing sign, very nice KJV Bibles wrapped in plastic. I do more the ghetto circus I guess you'd call it, me in the loud orange t shirt and the battered, laminated, poster board sign, in the bad neighborhood where they tried to carjack one of my bus drivers).
She just stood there and watched me for a while, when I turned around she was gone. I don't know what image she had in her head. I hope she opened the Bible.
Like I said, I just make an introduction.
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