The ice cream truck

Do you remember the hot summer days when the ice cream truck would come around in your neighborhood, selling ice cream. Although where I lived, the ice cream truck didn't really come and visit, I do remember as a kid, being in town, and the ice cream truck would come around selling his wares.
Well, around here, the ice cream truck is fairly common. Actually, now that I think of it, around our house, I don't know if I've seen one. In Vista Hermosa, where I try to work every Wednesday, it's very common. There's this guy that mounts his bullhorn on top of a white van, and away he goes selling ice cream. A couple of times, I stopped him when he was making his rounds, and bought some sort of homemade ice cream off of him.

A while back, as I was sitting there in the rented house where we do our ministry, listening to the catchy jingle coming from the ice cream truck, something dawned on me. This guy has a product to offer, drives around the neighbourhood, hoping someone has a craving for ice cream, selling them what they're looking for.

Here I am, looking/struggling to find ways of presenting the gospel in this community. What I have to offer is not a product, I am not a salesman, but a messenger sent by God, but in many ways, me and the ice cream man are similar. Both of us are going throughout the community, broadcasting the good news of what we have to offer to the people. The ice cream man is using the tools he has at his disposal: a reputation of good homemade, well priced ice cream, a bullhorn with a cool jingle, and a very recognizable van. I on the other hand, have much more powerful tools on hand, but the question is, am I using them properly? What would happen if the ice cream man would buy a little brown car (nothing against little brown cars by the way, just inconspicuous) take down his bullhorn, close all his windows, park in front of his garage with his ice cream hidden inside? As a Christian, I have the most powerful tools in the world. The Holy Spirit working in me and his transforming power working in the world. I also have the prayer tool, very often overlooked, and definitely underused. Thirdly we have the power of example. We can, and must show the world Christ, through our actions and our words. This is not an exclusive list, I'm sure you can think of more tools that we as believers have at our disposal. The Lord has given us these tools, but am I properly using them as I seek to share the gospel with the many needy people in this community that God has placed me in? This is a question that I have to ask myself as we continue to serve Christ with our lives.

I wonder what is the more successful venture? The sale of ice cream, or the spread of the gospel? Who is having more of an impact in our communities? The ice cream man, or me and you?