|
Please God, Not Another Timeshare Pitch
|
Pocket Full of Quarters Trek 2012
Please God, Not Another Timeshare Pitch
By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady
That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go. Matt 19:22
It was a lovely day for a walk through the Coronado Ferry Landing shopping area. I walked along the water and snapped pictures of San Diego’s tall buildings reflecting across the bay. When the man walked out of the booth, I knew what he wanted.
“Nice camera,” he said.
“Thanks.”
“What are you taking pictures of?”
“The buildings,” I said. I started to cut it short and just tell him I was not planning to tour a timeshare but I remembered Sedona and two people praying to receive to Jesus because I agreed to listen to their pitch if they listened to mine. Please God, I whispered, wondering how I was going to explain agreeing to another timeshare tour to Bob. I sighed and let him ramble on, giving his pitch about how he made money even if I didn’t buy and that I would get free tours and a free breakfast if I signed up.
When he finished, I said, “We are not going to buy a timeshare. I understand that you get paid either way but I did that to my husband in Sedona, Arizona. He only has a couple of days off from his conference and he won’t be very happy if I do this to him again.” The man had the good grace to laugh.
I continued, “But I want to ask you a very important question.”
“Shoot,” he said.
I moved closer so both men working the timeshare booth could hear me. I asked about heaven and where they were going to go. They both hoped heaven but neither was sure. Both thought they were “good enough” for heaven but when we talked about sin, they joked that if sin kept you out of heaven, they were doomed. I quoted scripture about sin, love, and salvation. Both listened intently.
When I invited the men to pray, the one who had recruited me laughed and said, “I think I need to go find another customer.”
“Go ahead,” I laughed. As he bolted across the grass looking for his next mark, I thought about the Biblical rich young ruler who walked away from Jesus. At least he heard the Gospel. I knew God’s words would not return empty.
I turned to the man inside the booth. “What about you?” I asked. “Would you like to call on the name of the Lord Jesus and be saved? I’ll make it easy and tell you what to say. You don’t even have to close your eyes.”
“My fiancée believes in Jesus,” he said. “She has been talking to me about it. She wishes I would go to church with her. I think I would like to do this.”
“She is probably praying for you,” I said. He agreed. We prayed and he carefully invited Jesus to be his Savior. His fiancée was going to be thrilled when he got home. Her prayers for him had been answered.
I left, silently thanking God that I’d been able to give the Gospel without having to agree to sit through another timeshare pitch. Bob was also grateful but truthfully, sitting though the timeshare pitch in Sedona was a small price to pay for two salvations. I thank God for a husband who understands and supports what God has called me to do, even when he has to sit through two hour sales pitches.
Click To Donate
|
|