Jordan

It was a pink and purple evening, the sun slipping behind rows of town houses, and the fierce breeze calming to a gentle pulse. Wild bird calls and whistles sounded above me, and I looked up at the flock of starlings in the bare tree and smiled. So unfettered and noisy, they fed that little flame of cheer in my heart. For me, the city neighborhoods were claustrophobic.The brick and stucco homes around pressed close together, and the cars cluttered the street like a blocked artery, in contrast to the wide open fields surrounding town. As I rang the doorbells and knocked with dry and cracking hands, not many people were answering the doors. I met one family who was just starting their in-home Bible study, and then I remembered that it was Sunday evening. The only people who would be home would be the non-church goers, or the sick.

Perfect.

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10) 

I stepped across another tiny windswept yard, and then I saw him. A little miniature wolf, pure white, on a chain, sitting on the porch. He saw me too, and cowered against the door, too scared to bark. I stopped, not wanting to harass the little guy, and seeing that if he chose to come after me, his chain was long enough to reach me. Barely had I asked God if He would send the owners out, before a man stepped out the door. I had not knocked, and the dog had not barked. How did he know to come outside?

Hmmmm.

The man glanced at me, and then stooped to pick up the little wolf, just as he got the courage to start barking. The dogs inside began to howl, and it was a few seconds before I could make myself heard. For a canvasser, those few seconds at the beginning will make or break the experience, so my heart sank a little as I realized that I couldn't talk to him and he had lots of time to look at me and cement his own opinion of who I was and what I was doing. Eventually, the dog calmed down, and we started talking. His name was Jordan, and he looked like he had been bumming away the day. He was still wearing his pajamas, and his long hair was stringy, but his young brown eyes told me that he wasn't the atheist I thought he was. ( You see, in New Mexico, there are the devoted Christians, and then there are the devoted Atheists. They are usually pretty easy to tell apart. )
I showed him the Great Controversy, and he was instantly interested in it. After trying to juggle the dog and flip through the book, he put the dog down and gave the book his full attention.
"Man, I want this book. It's amazing you came to my door today."
I told him the suggested donation for the book, and he slumped a little.
"I don't have any money. Seriously, I don't."
Jordan obviously still really wanted the book, so I gave him some ideas. He had told me that his dad was inside, so I asked if maybe he could borrow money from his dad. He said that he knew his dad would not want me to be at his door, and Jordan was actually hoping he would not come outside to see why the dogs had barked.

"It's a good thing you didn't ring the doorbell, otherwise he would have come out and run you off."

We talked a little more about end-time events, his many questions, and his desire to come back to God. I prayed silently and felt impressed to just leave him with the book for no donation. His eyes lit up and then glistened.
"Thank you so much, you have no idea what this means to me. God sent you today."

I prayed quietly with him, and then left him to sneak back inside his house with his new treasure. A few doors later, someone gave me money that covered the book. Another divine appointment achieved!