A Fair Visit for 2023

Since 2016, I have been volunteering at the Ark Encounter Gospel Outreach booth at the Iowa State Fair. Each year has different experiences, and this one did not miss out.

My first day was Friday, August 11. Weather in Iowa in August varies, but it was a hot day with temps predicted to be around 90°. My caregiver and I got setup with my self-contained microphone, gospel tracts, and I parked in my favorite corner.

The day started out well with a child taking my first tract of the day. I somewhat turn into a salesman mode and I call out to people who have unique shirts. A few guys had Jurassic Park shirts and I called them out as needing a dinosaur. I directed them to the dinosaur tracts under my hand and got a smile from each.

One longer encounter was with a couple who had visited the Ark Encounter once before. We talked about the ark being to the biblical dimensions and really affirming the historicity of the Bible, and that Noah had plenty of room for the animal kinds. It was a pleasant conversation and represented most of what the day was like.

Going home, the van was very hot after sitting in the parking lot. It doesn't cool off very well and stayed hot the full hour home. I was overheated and had a temp of 102.4° when I got out of my chair. Thankfully, cold washcloths and fans cooled me off quickly.

My next fair day was Thursday, August 17. It was a gorgeous day outside and traffic by the booth wasn't very busy. It was nearly 30 minutes before I gave out my first tract, but the challenge of the day would come later.

Just before 11:00, an older man with a green shirt approached and briefly looked at the television near me. I asked my common question, "Have you heard about the ark?" My quandary received a response that the ark was structurally impossible to build. For the next 20 minutes, at least, he and I went back and forth on several lines of topics.

Part of the challenge was defining a word. I asked if he was a good person, and the response was what does good mean? I gave the second dictionary definition of morally perfect, but his answer was that the meaning of words are always changing and I couldn't say what it really meant.

Even with his unwillingness to agree to much of anything, I got in twice that we need to repent of sins and turn to Jesus alone for forgiveness. Even though he denied Jesus' existence, I kept providing evidences from various sources. Thankfully, conversation was cordial the entire time and he said he respected my opinion.

One of the other volunteers talked with me later and said this is the third year this same person has visited the booth. The first year, he had been very vocal with inappropriate language, he was calmer last year, and came to me this time. At least he has had three year's of the gospel being given him and I pray he softens his heart and comes to Jesus for forgiveness while he has time.

This was the last year that Answers in Genesis will sponsor the booth. It has now moved to a local group that I have worked with, but will need to raise a lot of funds to keep going to the fair. I also pray this ministry will be able to continue.

After my shifts, I didn't have much time to explore the fairgrounds. With my caregiver's schedule and health, I had about one hour remaining each day. I didn't see much, but was still thankful for the opportunity. Hopefully I can return again, but I'll see what happens in the quad life.