Humor in the Midst of Suffering

Ali Mahjoub
November 16, 2013

This story is very humorous! It made me think that God must have a sense of humor! One day, I was fundraising in an apartment complex out in a small town in the country. I had a tough time making a sale. It was so hot and humid. I was so hot and sweaty, and getting weak and tired. I was selling metal-etched laser prints. I carried a backpack filled with pictures and carried in my hand about ten different scenes as samples to show to customers. I had a hard time with this product; it wasn't my favorite item to sell. So, as I was struggling, going from door to door, tired, and almost giving up, I came across a swimming pool packed with people who were enjoying a swim. Suddenly, a voice in my head said to me, "Throw these stupid pictures in the pool!" The voice was so strong and loud it startled me and the word "stupid" stuck in my mind. I walked to my next set of apartments, weak and exhausted, still thinking about that strange message I heard from within, especially the word stupid. I had to climb a long set of stairs to get to my first door, and my mind was occupied with what had happened. I knocked on the door, and an African-American lady opened the door and said, "Yes. May I help you?" Without thinking, I said to the lady, "Ma'am, would you like to look at stupid pictures?" At this moment, I myself was shocked that I said that!

To cover up, I quickly spoke to the lady who stood in shock and couldn't believe what she had heard. I said, "Pictures! Ma'am?" At this moment I was about to explode in laughter, waiting for the lady to say "no." Puzzled by my appearance, the lady's mind was full of questions. She gave me a weird look and said, "No, thank you," and closed her door. I was half way down the stairs when I let go with laughter! Something came over me. I was laughing my guts out! Walking out of the apartment toward the parking lot, I decided that it was no use; I was leaving this apartment and going to take a break for the rest of the day. As I was still hysterically laughing to myself, I noticed some dark shadows moving in front of me. I knew they were human shadows, but I couldn't see clearly. Those shadows were coming closer and closer, and before I knew it, I found myself circled by seven or eight policemen coming after me!

By this time, the police were stunned and couldn't understand why I was hysterically laughing. They were all smiling. I looked to the parking lot and saw four police cars with their lights flashing. One of the policemen said that they were looking for me everywhere and told me they had received many calls from residents about me. They asked me what I was doing here. I told him that I was a missionary and I was fundraising for my non-profit, educational organization. Still laughing, I told the police that I hadn't sold anything and that I was leaving, anyway. The police had puzzled looks on their faces but were smiling. They apparently thought that I was one of those crazy people! They let me go.