BY ED LEE

(This perspective was written in response to the five angry emails and two voicemails received from fair-goers voicing displeasure with our evangelistic zeal at the Fiesta Hermosa last Labor Day Weekend. )

It is amazing to me how much negativity can be stirred up by just a handful of disgruntled sinners.

Letters to the press. Letters to the Chamber of Commerce. Phone calls to the Fiesta Hermosa director.

And all done by two or three malcontents, convicted in their guilty consciences!!

During the two days I spent at the Fiesta Hermosa with our volunteers, I wanted to give a broader view of what took place. Dozens and dozens of Christians stopped to say “Good job!”

“Thank you for your faithful witness!”

“You guys are amazing!”

“We will pray for you!”

Thousands of people received our gospel tracts with a cheerful “Thank you!” Many stopped and spoke about spiritual things with us. People were saved!

But I did notice something peculiar during the two days I was there. At the first half of the day, when most people were arriving at the bus stop to enter the fair, smiles and pleasant conversations were the norm. The second half of the day was entirely different; our messages and tracts elicited quite different responses. “No thanks.” “Get that stuff away from me.”

“I’ve already seen that and I’m not interested.”

Hmmmmmmmmmm. What happened? Why the reversal of attitudes? Could it be that in the afternoon, these folks were partaking in a PAGAN festival, replete with half-naked men and women, sexually suggestive art work, free flowing beer gardens… and all kinds of fleshly stimulations? Hmmmmmmm. After reveling in this atmosphere, could it be that their sinful hearts were convicted, consciences pricked? OF COURSE THEY WERE!! Praise be to God!

This is what precipitated the angry comments and loud retorts: GUILTY CONSCIENCES!!

(Ed Lee is one of our evangelism leaders who devoted two entire days running the evangelism booth, managing the volunteers, and sharing his faith.) (Read part 6 here)