The Learning Curve

We went down island to Courtenay for my daughter's tutoring appointment. My husband dropped me off downtown and I went to my little spot, a corner square in the busiest section of town while he went off Geocaching. I began handing out tracts to people (MDBs) and noticed an older, rather unwell looking man sitting on the sidewalk on the sidestreet near where I was handing out tracts. I watched him for a bit as he panhandled. He did not look well, was very unkempt and I finally walked down the street to speak to him. I said "Hello, how are you this morning?" He answered "Hey, hi...nice to see you again. I didn't know you were still here". Obviously he thought that he knew me. I asked him if he was ok and he said yes, I'm just trying to get some money. I asked him if he would like a coffee or a tea and he said yes so I found out he preferred it black. I went to the bakery just around the corner and got him a coffee and the biggest, healthiest looking cookie I could find and took it to him. He thanked me and I asked him if he has a home and he said he did...in an apartment. His mind seemed to drift in and out of lucidity so it was difficult talking to him. I believe he was either suffering from alcohol-induced brain damage or was mentally ill. I asked him if he had a church background and he said that he used to be a Roman-Catholic and then he changed to Anglican, so I told him that I had the same background but that now I was born again and asked him if he was born again. He couldn't really answer this, so I asked him what he thinks will happen to him when he dies. He said he was 56, which shocked the heck out of me because he looked like he was in his 70's. He didn't answer, so I asked him again and couldn't really get an answer. I asked if he believed in Heaven and Hell...no response. Then he just said "Well, thanks for the coffee"...I just want to get some money. I told him I was concerned about him because I didn't know if he was going to heaven or not...he mumbled a bunch of stuff that I couldn't understand. So, realizing I wasn't going to get anywhere with him, I thanked him for his time and wished him a good day and walked back to my spot. Then I remembered I hadn't given him a tract, so I walked back over to him and said "This isn't a real million dollar bill, but it has a million dollar question on the back. Maybe you could read it later?" And he laughed and thanked me.

I returned to my spot and dropped one of those fake wallet tracts that look like there's money sticking out, in front of the door to the bank entrance. Soon enough, a young woman with two children came along and picked it up as they were going into the bank. I handed out a bunch of MDBs and had two conversations with men, both senior citizens. I took the first fellow through the law and he realized he was guilty but didn't believe in Hell. I tried to show him in my bible that hell is real, but he didn't beliefve it. He said that he'd spit in the face of any God that would send a person to hell. I took him through the scenario of someone raping and murdering a child and never being caught by the earthly Judge and asked him if he thought that God should punish this person or let him go. He said that he'd forgiven the man that raped and abused him as a little boy and wouldn't want to see this man go to hell either. I must admit that I was stunned silent by this statement. The man's eyes teared up and he started to walk away. I asked him if he had a bible at home and he said he did and I urged him to please read it. He smiled and wished me a nice day and walked off. I felt like I'd really failed in this attempt to witness...I was just stunned!

The best tract experience I had of the day was with a reporter from A-Channel News. He was walking up the street with a big camera hoisted on his shoulder. I commented on his camera and asked if he was with a news channel and he said "Yes, A-Channel News" I said "Great! My favorite news channel! and handed him a MDB. He asked what it was so I explained that it was a Christian gospel tract and there is a million dollar question on the back. He smiled and asked "and what is that question?" So I explained "The question says Will you go to heaven? and (knowing that this guy was in a hurry to catch up with a provincial politician's bus that had stopped in town) there are a series of questions so you can self-examine your conscience and see what God thinks of your life and where you might be headed eternally". He smiled and thanked me and put it in his pocket.

The other gentleman was even older. I handed him a tract and he stopped to ask what it was so I told him it was a Christian gospel tract and that it had a million dollar question on the back. He tried to read it, but the print was small, so I started reading it to him and then switched tacks a bit. When I speak to much older people, I prefer to use the law on myself...just to show respect to them. I read questions to myself, admitted my guilt one at a time and each time, I would ask him...have you ever lied? or stolen? or hated anyone? etc. Each time, he would answer yes. Then I explained when I realized that I had broken God's laws that I was guilty and deserved punishment by God and the punishment was hell. He said that he didn't believe that I would go to hell, that I would probably go some place in between. So I asked him if he was Roman-Catholic and he said no and asked why. So I explained that Catholics believe that they go to Purgatory if they haven't committed mortal sins and then they go to Heaven once they have been made clean. So he said, no...I don't believe in purgatory. I asked him what will happen to him when he dies and he says he will go to some place in between Heaven and hell. So I asked him where this place is? He was rather vague and started talking about repentence and faith in God. So I said "Oh, you do have s church background...which church do you go to?" and he said he is Mormon and he goes to the Church of Jesus Christ the Latter day saints. D'uh. It was THEN I realized I should have asked him about his church background FIRST. (Stray from the script and I get all messed up!) He asked if I knew anything about the Mormon faith and I told him that I knew a little from what I have read. He asked what I knew so I was really trying to dig into the archives of my brain to remember. I rarely cross paths with a mormon, so really hadn't done much reading up on their beliefs. I told him that I thought that Mormons don't believe that Jesus is God and that they believe they receive salvation through their good works. He said that they believe in Jesus...after all, their church is named after him. I really didn't know enough to be able to witness effectively so I told him that Christians believe that they receive salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. He suggested that I learn a bit more about his faith and then I could understand the truth. I just smiled and told him that I know the truth as it is written in my bible. I thanked him very much for his time and told him I enjoyed speaking with him and we wished each other a nice day.

Twice in a week I've had to witness to a cult member so God definitely had me scrambling and digging. I've got loads of resources to witness to false religions so I've got to be more diligent in reviewing it so it sticks in this failing memory of mine. I know enough to stick with the law to bring the knowledge of sin, but I don't remember enough about the different religions to compare the beliefs, or know enough to figure out the best "plan of attack".

It's been a great week of learning.