By Larry Rosenbaum
I was saved in a Christian house ministry in Portland, Oregon in 1970. We worked on a berry farm for one month, then witnessed full-time for two months. It was winter, and it rained almost every day. It was impossible to stay dry, or to keep our gospel tracts dry. So I spent my days in downtown Portland offering wet tracts to people. Amazingly, many people took them, and some even got saved.
San Francisco has one the best climates in the world for street witnessing. We get 3 inches or more of rain only three months a year. New York City averages 3 inches or more of rain every month! Most of our rain comes between January and March. It rarely rains here from April through September.
We almost never cancel an outreach because of rain. On rainy nights, we usually witness at Powell and O’Farrell Streets, one block from Union Square. This location has a store awning that extends over the entire sidewalk, and lots of people walk by. On rainy afternoons, we set up canopies, either on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley or on Fisherman’s Wharf. Both are busy locations, even on rainy days. The canopies keep our musicians, preachers, and sound system dry. We can pass out tracts and witness under nearby store awnings.
On February 19 (after witnessing in the rain for 35 years) I learned a new trick. By putting the stem of my umbrella under my jacket and zipping it up, my jacket holds the umbrella in place. I can stay dry and have two hands free to pass out tracts! Fortunately, it stopped raining when we set up and tore down our sound system. The annual Chinese New Year Parade was held that night. Although we didn’t have an official SOS outreach to the parade, five of our friends passed out tracts there. Craig Halverson flew in from Utah to witness at the parade and at our outreaches. It almost always rains on this parade, as it did this year.
Sometimes, Christians say they are afraid they will get sick if they witness on cold or rainy days. As far as I know, nobody has gotten sick from witnessing in the rain with us. People seem to have a different attitude about going out in the rain when it involves a secular pursuit. At least 200,000 people didn’t allow their fear of getting sick to keep them from attending the Chinese New Year Parade. Many, undoubtedly, had colds or the flu. Football players often play on cold, rainy days with the flu. Some even play with broken bones! “They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” 1 Cor. 9:26.
When I find witnessing in the rain uncomfortable, I think of the sacrifices made by Christians who endured tremendous suffering, torture and death to spread the gospel. I think of the sacrifice Jesus made that saved me from my sins. In comparison, the sacrifice I am making, witnessing in the rain, seems small – even insignificant.
