The Cache County Fair here in Logan provides an excellent oppportunity for the Oasis team to share the Gospel. For the second year in a row, this August, we had our "Are You a Good Person?" booth. We offered a dollar to every good person (none, obviously), and scores of folks lined up to take our 10 Commandments test. Opposition from the police and the fair administrators increased this year, but the grace and power and mercy of our Lord was demonstrated in even greater measure!
In answer to our prayers for more workers, the Lord sent a team of 17 young Christians from California. It was an added blessing to have sweet fellowship with these brothers and sisters as we locked arms to share the Word of God with the Mormons. What a joy it was to sing and praise the Lord together sitting in the grass behind our booth (and then, at the end, to sing out "Amazing Grace" from the confines of our rented space out front!). For their blog updates from the days they were with us in Logan check out here, here, and here.
The opposition and antagonism from the fair administration peaked on the last day, when we were told that workers would have to stay within the spray-painted line where our booth was set up or get kicked out. In the end, we moved the booth back into the dirt so we would still have at least some "talking space." At this point, I for one, was feeling discouraged and frustrated. At every turn it seemed that the devil was trying to silence the Gospel from being preached. I decided to go for a walk around the fair and pray. I walked and walked, and my heart was overwhelmed as I looked at the faces passing by--the faces of all these lost, sinful, confused people who were on their way to the fires of hell. How would they hear without a preacher? I kept praying: "Lord, your Gospel cannot be silenced! Come down and show Yourself strong, and utterly confound the enemy!" As I made the full circle back to the booth, the Lord gave me a complete confidence that He was going to do something great. I shared my conviction with one of the girls who said, "Yes, if we're silenced, the rocks will cry out!" Amen!
Booth activity seemed to continue on as usual, but then there came a steady stream of people to our now out-of-the-way booth. Tracts were still going out, and people were coming to take the tests and to talk. Soon the booth was surrounded by droves of people taking tests, asking questions, and looking at Scripture with booth workers. And then suddenly, one young Mormon girl broke down in tears as she saw her sin, praying to be forgiven and saved by Jesus....and then a Hispanic young lady....and then a rough-looking middle aged man.... And at the very end of the day as the fair was winding down, a journalism student from USU was also brought to tears by her sin and the love of Christ. When Brad told this young, active Mormon, "I'm not going to lie to you, this is going to be hard if you leave the LDS church," she replied, "The Apostle Paul was willing to die for it. It's that important!" Praise the Lord!
"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth"
"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
