Results of The Rage

I showed up at The Rage--a Christian event where about 30 bands would play and 3-4,000 teens and young adults were expected to show up, have fun, ride roller coasters, play video games, and enjoy Christian punk, rock, hip hop, etc.

I quickly changed into a Pakistani outfit and hat, and I began carrying a sign saying, "Tell Me About Your Jesus". I began walking around, trying to make some eye contact and looking for someone willing to talk with me. The results were great, as mostly young men ran up to me and shared with me about Jesus. I would ask a few questions at times--sometimes I even called myself Mohammed--questions like, "So you believe that God had a son?" followed by "So you believe in two gods (or three gods)?" You believe that Jesus was God?" You believe that God died?"

It was very interesting to see how people would respond--mostly, it seemed to me that people, in their witnessing, were talking very fast. After talking a little while, I would let them know that I was actually a follower of Jesus working for Firestone. They were glad to hear it, and we would walk over to my booth, and I would share with them about what our org. does and give them additional info.

I had a friend there with me, and she wore a traditional burka with a full face covering--she had a different experience as people stared, pointed, and generally treated her badly. One of her signs read, "Does God care about me?" Later in the day, reflecting on how people had reacted, she broke down in tears, thinking about how Muslims must feel.

About 90 minutes into our sign-carrying, enough complaints had been made toward the event organizers that we were asked to stop using the signs--violated our booth agreement, they said--or leave. We chose to stay, and God was faithful to bring us more people who have a heart to reach Muslims.

I'm really glad I went and am now trying to think through how this experience should impact my future recruiting opportunities.