MORGANTOWN – Andy Schmelzer and I began handing out Gospel tracts and open-air preaching in the same spot as the previous game. And like the previous game we continued right up until the team arrived to walk into the stadium. Just before the team passed by led by some band members and the cheering squad, Andy took two 4″ thick stacks of tracts and handed them out. As they passed by in the mini-parade, we held up signs with Scripture.
Afterwards, we realized that the tailgates were so loud that we would not be able to effectively open-air preach. We packed up and headed closer towards the stadium. By God’s grace and to our delight we found that the remodeling of the entrance had created a large, open space with a small, two-lane road as a buffer between the main entrance and the main tailgate lot. We both open-air preached which produced two wonderful encounters. (watch videos below)
The first encounter was with a lady named Samantha. I found her listening to Andy after I finished preaching and returned from taking a break. When I asked what she thought about his message, she raised her head and wells of tears poured down her cheeks from behind her sunglasses. She was divorced, had her daughter molested by a family member, and her pastor at the time had an affair with a congregant. She left the church and turned away from God. She told me
she was lost and searching. I ministered to her for almost 30 min. After I prayed with her, I gave her a Bible and tract and encouraged her to contact me via email so I could help her find a solid church in the area. Pray for Samantha.
Finally, our night was capped out with a kind of conversation that we all want to have. A young man named Cody approached us and asked if we had a bottle
opener for his beer. He saw our signs and began asking questions about Christianity. He seemed to struggle with God’s sovereignty, the truth about works righteousness, and living a life with evidence of true conversion (though he “accepted Jesus into his heart” as some time). With all the red flags of a false convert, Andy and I took turns answering his questions and reasoning with him via the Scriptures. By his own admission he willingly is a drunkard and a fornicator. He seemed convicted by the end of the conversation and thanked us for our time. Pray for Cody.
Soli Deo Gloria!
JS
