WINNER!!!

The winner of my contest wrote a very cute story about flowers and t-shirts :))

 The T-shirt Printer

By: Jenny Yetter

 

 “… I oooonce was lost, but now am found twas bliiiind but now, I seeee.”  *click*

As the last stanza of a song finished playing on the radio, Daniel Eder turned off his car and hopped out.

“Hi Mr. Eder!”

 “Good morning!” Mr. Eder smiled and waved at a group of girls as they jogged by.

Lifting a box from his trunk, he carried them into a nearby building titled “Print Shop” and disappeared.

“He sure is up early today!” One of the joggers commented.

“Yeah, I think he’s getting ready for some sort of big event…” Another replied.

“Oh yeah, the Summer Fest!” A third chimed, “He does that every year! I went once… you print t-shirts and then have pizza, snacks and cotton candy- and play games!”

“He prints shirts for everyone?”

“Yep! And it’s free, you don’t have to pay anything! He does do a little ‘sermon’ thing though… but it’s worth it for the games and food and stuff!”

“ Wow! That’s awesome. Mr. Eder is so nice! I think we should go to the summer fest…”

“I’m game. We can all go together!”

*Ding-a-ling-a-ling*

The bell over the door sounded. Mr. Eder appeared from a room in the back.

“Hi Cassandra!”  Mr. Eder greeted her with a friendly smile.

“Here are the flowers you ordered.” Cassandra plunked an assorted bucket of flowers on the desk. 

“Thank you! How much do I owe you?”

“$10.00.” The girl glanced curiously around the shop. “So… you’re having some sort of party here tonight?”

“Yes ma’am. We’ll be printing t-shirts, then have dinner, a testimony time and some games.  I’m bringing in all the shirts this morning,” He gestured towards a stack of boxes identical to the one he had just carried in, “And I’m hoping we’ll have a good turnout for the festival. So what are you up to today?”

“Not much… I’m working at the flower shop till this evening.  Then I might go hang out with friends.”

“You should join us tonight,” Mr. Eder said, “And tell your friends they’re welcome to come too!”

“Cool! I’ll think about it…” Cassandra turned towards the door, “Well, I better get back to work.”

“Bye bye now.”

*Ding-a-ling-a-ling*

Again the front door rang.

This time, a middle aged Indonesian man entered, carrying several packages of deli food.

“Hello Rajesh!” Mr. Eder reappeared from the back of the store.

“Here are the items your ordered.” Rajesh stiffly handed him the packages.

Mr. Eder smiled cheerfully. “You have a good day!”

Without so much as a nod, the man turned and left the shop.

“Lord,” Mr. Eder breathed a silent prayer, “Rajesh knows I want to witness to him, but he is unwilling to listen.  Soften his heart. Show him his need for you and the saving grace of Jesus.”

Daniel looked at his watch. 3:00. The Kids would be coming in less than an hour.

As he carried boxes of shirts from the front room to the back, the bell over the door sounded yet again.

“Hey Mr. Eder!” Cassandra stepped into the shop, “I got off work so I decided to come over here. I know the fest doesn’t start for another hour but…”

“Great!” Mr. Eder set down the stack of boxes he had been carrying. “I’m glad you can make it!”

“Yeah, me too.”

“So, are you a good girl today?”

“Me?” Cassandra could tell this was a trick question.

“Yes, you. Are you good?”

“Well, yes, I’m good. I did the dishes for my mom this morning!”

“Nope. You’re bad. For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.”

“Ha! I see what you’re getting at. Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard all that before.”

Mr. Eder let the subject drop. “Ok, I have to run home to pick up some folding chairs for this evening.”

“Oh, ok. Do you need help with anything?”

“Do you see that mud sink over there? If you could hose down these screens,” so saying, he handed Cassandra a stack of nylon printing screens, “That would be a big help.” 

“Cool, I’ll do that now.”

When Mr. Eder got back with the chairs, the first kids were just arriving.  A girl and a boy followed him into the print shop.

“And what brings you here tonight?” Mr. Eder asked them with a twinkle in his eye.

“Hi Mr. Eder!”  The children responded with enthusiasm.

“Now, if you guys could write down your name and what size shirt you wear on this sheet,” Mr. Eder handed the boy a clipboard and pencil, “I’ll go get the cotton candy machine warmed up.”

An half hour later, the print shop was packed with over 30 kids. 

A young boy in a black hoody and black jeans stood off to the side, staring at the floor, saying nothing.

“Who’s that guy over there?” A girl whispered to her friend.

“Who, Him? Oh, that’s Jimmy. He never talks to anyone and he never smiles.  He’s been that way ever since his Dad took off a few years ago.”

At this moment, Mr. Eder strode up to Jimmy and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Hello young man. Welcome to the print shop! What’s your name?”

“Jimmy.” The boy said his name without looking up.

“Well Jimmy, I could use some help with the shirt dryer.” Mr. Eder squatted down to Jimmy’s eye level as he talked, “Would you be up for helping me?”

“Sure…” Jimmy answered with some hesitancy.

Mr. Eder smiled and stared into his eyes without blinking.

“What?” The boy was beginning to wonder if he had done something wrong.

“Why,” Mr. Eder inquired, “aren’t you smiling? If there’s one thing I expect of kids when they’re helping me print shirts, it’s a smile!”

The boy chuckled and his face instantly broke into a broad grin.

“There! That’s what I’m talking about.”

 “Alright kids,” Mr. Eder raised his voice to be heard by everyone, “If you could all come find a seat in the front room, we’re going to start our testimony time.”

The younger children stopped what they were doing and scrambled to find a seat.  The older ones, no quite as eagerly, moved to the front room and sat down.

“Ok.” Mr. Eder said,  “Tonight, I will be giving my personal testimony of my life and how I came to know Jesus Christ as my personal savior.”

He proceeded to recount the story of his life before he knew Christ, and how God changed him.

After he had finished sharing, he made a request.

“If one of your kids doesn’t know Jesus Christ as his personal savior, and you would like to, would you come up here now or talk to me afterwards?”

Cassandra walked forward and addressed Mr. Eder.

“I have always gone to church” she began, “And I obeyed the Bible as well as I could.  I figured as long as I did that, I was a good person and God would let me into heaven.  But today I found myself thinking about what you said earlier.  About how none of us are ‘good’ cuz we’ve all sinned against God.  And after hearing your testimony, I realize that no matter how hard I try, I can’t save myself. So tonight, I would like to ask Jesus into my heart.”

Mr. Eder dismissed the kids, and led Cassandra through prayer for Salvation.  After they had finished, two other kids approached Mr. Eder and asked him to pray with them too.

Several months had passed since the Summer Fest when this notice was printed in the Sunday Obituary: “Daniel E. Eder, Killed last night in an automobile collision. Wake Wednesday night at Little Creek Funeral home.”  

At Mr. Eder’s wake, the building was packed. A line of people spilled out the door of the funeral home and wrapped around the building.

A gorgeous bouquet of flowers was donated by the flower shop.

All the children at the wake wore the same t-shirt.  On the front, was a cross. On the back it read: “The payment for sin is death. But God gives us the free gift of life forever in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Everyone recognized the shirts: the ones Mr. Eder always printed for Summer Fest.

There were very few tears at the funeral of Daniel Eder. As a matter of fact, all the children were smiling.

They knew where Mr. Eder was- he was in paradise, in the presence of Jesus!

And they knew where many, many other people were headed- to a place of eternal suffering.

Now they were left to carry on the Legacy of Mr. Eder…

A man who continuously spilled over with the joy of the Lord.

A man who was on fire for God and looked for ever opportunity to spread the gospel. 

On a chair by the casket, sat Rajesh, the stone faced man.

But today, he wept, bitterly.

Cassandra walked up and sat down beside him.

“He was a good man.” Rajesh murmured.

“Yes… Actually no. He was not good.” Cassandra corrected herself and suppressed a smile, “ No-one is good.  We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. But God in his mercy sent his Son to die and pay the price for our sin so we could have eternal life.”

“Yes, this is what he always told me. But until now, I have been too proud to listen. But now, I know that he spoke the truth. And I want what he had.”

“Would you like me to pray with you?” Cassandra pulled a small Bible from her purse.

The man nodded.

And so, from one man, many heard the good news of the gospel and came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

That man was Daniel Eder, God’s humble servant, The T-shirt Printer.

Thanks so much for entering!

I loved them all, it was SOOO hard to choose!

Since I loved them all soo much I'm going to have everyone who entered get a pair of  earrings!

Jenny will choose first! :D

TaTaForNow!

Samm :]