“The Baked Potato”

Lifest runs from the Wednesday after the Fourth of July through that Sunday. With over 20,000 people attending at some point during the five days, there needs to be a lot of food available. Even when we were camping out, there is only so much food you can bring with in your cooler, and you just have to purchase a few meals at some of the vendors.

As you can perhaps imagine, there are a lot of vendors. They serve everything from dippin’ dots to Krispy Kremes to pizza to ribs. If you get tired of typical fast food, just look around long enough and you will find any other kind of meal you have a taste for.

One day, as I was wandering around the grounds, looking for something different to eat, I stumbled on a booth selling baked potatoes. I instantly thought, “That sounds good. Something almost healthy and not too filling.”

I wasn’t paying too much attention as I ordered a potato with broccoli and cheese on it and paid for it. And then I stood there for what seemed like a long time, but since there were young kids manning the booth, I figured I could be patient with them. If I hadn’t already given them my money, I might have even walked away.

Finally, after what was probably only five minutes, an older man came up from behind the counter and asked if he could help me. I told him that I had already ordered. He talked to some kid behind him and reported back to me that no one had put in my order, but that it was in now and would be up in just a minute.

“While you’re waiting, why don’t you take a brochure,” he offered me a pamphlet.

It was for Life Missions and told about different groups that Life Promotions had put together to do missions work in India, South America and Africa. The baked potato booth was a fundraiser for future trips. I glanced at the information, said it was cool, and that I always wanted to do something like that, but that now I was too old.

The man, who was in his 60’s, laughed, “I’ve been on one of these trips. You’re never too old.”

My potato came out just then. I thanked the man, and he insisted that I take the brochure with me. I tucked it in my backpack, not thinking too much about it at the time.