Tonight I was twisting balloons in plain clothes outside of Albuquerque's best magic shop, The Magic Juggler,
www.magicjugglershop.com in Nob Hill, a totally secular situation, mostly for passerbys and patrons of the bars and restaurants on Central Avenue. I do this occasionally, just for tips and good feelings. There was really nothing going on there, just a cool November night.
I had a little money in my hat already. A couple of families and some college students had been very generous. I had made a little brown bear for a homeless guy who was apologizing to me for not having any money to give me. I told him it wasn't really about the money. I was thinking, I might be close to broke myself, but I at least had a warm place to go tonight, with a high-speed internet connection!
A lady had come outside from the steakhouse next door. She said she didn't want a balloon, she had just wanted to watch me do my thing. At the time she was the only person around, so I told her I didn't have a choice but to make something for her. As I started filling a white 260, and making a teddy bear for her, she said that tonight was her husband's 50th birthday, but this morning his doctor told him he had cancer. He was meeting her there at the restaurant when he was done at the office. I did my best to say something comforting, and I told her to pray a lot. She laughed and said she had just recently started praying again and look what happened! Her husband gets this diagnosis on his 50th birthday! I said that God's ways are not our ways, that His thoughts are higher than ours, as far from ours as the East is from the West, and that none of us will ever understand what happens to us on this side of heaven. But one day we will look down from Heaven and see all the connections for everything we ever did or that happened to us and it will all make sense, but for now we just have to put our faith in something higher than ourselves. I gave her the teddy bear and a heart-and-flower to give to her husband and to tell him that she loves him every day. She thanked me for giving her some peace and for taking her mind off her situation for a moment. She placed a five in my hat and went back inside the restaurant to wait.
I have been talking a bit lately about starting a balloon/magic ministry. I have been praying about it and asking Jesus to let my balloons and magic give Him glory. I asked God to use my hands in whatever way he needed them. I have asked the Holy Spirit to guide me to where I needed to be.
Tonight, I think my ministry has begun.