For Catholic Evangelization team in Boise, Idaho - SPSE

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Thank you for your prayers last week. The weather cleared up, evangelists showed up, people came by. Rosaries and pamphlets were handed out, conversations were held. And, hopefully, seeds for eternal life were planted. None of this, though, can happen without your prayer support. Thank you so much! Here is a story from last week:
Code: 
 Two young men came by on skateboards.  One accepted a Rosary.  The other declared he was an atheist. To this, one evangelist responded, "I'm sorry to hear that."  The young man demanded to know why she was sorry.  She told him that there is a God who loves him and that he is missing out on a relationship with Him.  

 Then the other evangelist asked the young man, "How did you come to the conclusion that atheism best explains reality?  Was it through intellectual investigation?"  (Notice that he asked "How?" instead of "Why?" This made the question unthreatening and non-confrontational.)  

 The young man answered, "No, I just have a problem with all the rules of religion." 

 Then the evangelist offered the young man a question to take away and think about.  He said, "Ask yourself this, 'Why aren't I nothing?'  Everything that began to exist had to have a cause.  Why aren't you nothing?"  (The second evangelist explained later that it helps to get someone who has a problem with the moral law to think about ontological problems instead, about ultimate causes and such.  Doing so feels nonthreatening to them because, at this stage of their faith journey, they can't see a connection between the Creator and the Law-Giver.)

So the young men left, the self-proclaimed atheist with a thoughtful look on his face.  Although he may have thought he had accepted nothing we offered, since he took away neither Rosary nor pamphlet, he took with him two arguments: one for his head, and one for his heart.
So, please pray for this young man and for all those we encounter. We’re planning to head to downtown Boise again today in a couple of hours. PLEASE pray for us. We can do nothing on our own. And may God bless you and yours!
Get involved! Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your area, get involved with an existing team, become a Supporting Member and a prayer warrior! For these things, or if you would like to learn more about the Faith and about evangelization in your daily life, click here: streetevangelization.com/get-involved/
 
As always, thank you for keeping the Boise Catholic street evangelization team in your prayers. PLEASE keep us in your prayers again today as we plan to head out in just a few hours. Please ask God to prepare people’s hearts to hear the Good News of His Son and the Church He founded. We can do nothing with Him.

Here is a story from last week that tells you just how important your prayer support is:

The Boise team saw the Holy Spirit at work in a surprise double encounter during our downtown outing this week. It started when a man about retirement age, Joseph, approached close enough to our table to hear us offer him a free Rosary.

“No,” he said, because he wasn’t Catholic any more. Our most motherly evangelist kept him talking, “Do you mind my asking what happened? What drew you away?” And he talked. And talked.

And as he talked, he started saying that at least he admired the Catholic Church for this or for that. And then he started saying that it was a shame and that it was so unfair the Catholic Church was being attacked because of this or because of that. And then he started saying how the Catholic Church’s teaching was so much more solid and Biblically based on this point and on that point than the teachings of this or that other religion that he had belonged to.

(Of course, it probably helped that we evangelists kept punctuating the conversation by inserting quotes from the Bible and from Church teaching. And our doing so probably simply reminded Joseph of what he had learned in Catholic grade school way back when, but had since forgotten. Nothing new, nothing novel–just good, solid Catholic teaching.)

Then came the moment when Joseph laid out for us his spiritual journey. “I was raised Catholic. But then I left for the Lutheran Church. And then I joined the Methodists. From there I tried the Mormons. And the Jehovah Witnesses. And then the really weird woo-woo stuff. And then the evangelicals. And the Baptists. And then the Seventh Day Adventists. And now I’ve come full circle back to the Catholic Church.” The conversation had taken about forty minutes.

I’m sure there was much rejoicing in heaven, especially among his parents and grandparents. We made sure he chose a local parish and got contact information for their Returning Catholics program. The first evangelist said he knew the Faith so well that he should join us, but then was surprised when he looked at his watch and said, “Well, I’ve got a few minutes to spare. Okay.” It turns out we were glad he did.

Immediately, a younger man with a bicycle approached our table. Shawn. Talking about Our Lady, he was smiling, but difficult to understand. So he spelled it out for us. W-h-o-r-e.

Praise God for all of our backup prayer support! The same evangelist took the lead in her lovely, maternal way, insisting that purity was an essential part of Mary’s being able to be the Mother of God. When Shawn countered with Mary’s stated need for a Savior, the evangelist calmly explained that yes, she needed a savior, and she was saved at the moment of her conception. And so the conversation went.

Her fellow evangelist, meanwhile, simply stepped back and played the supporting role. She handed Shawn pamphlets as the conversation prompted (and he accepted them all), obeyed our Lord Jesus Christ when outbursts of rage seemed imminent from admittedly inebriated Shawn (cf. Gal 5:20, Mt 10:8), and kept newly returned-Catholic Joseph calm.

By the grace of God, the initial crisis passed and Shawn progressed from trying to insult Our Lady to bemoaning his troubles with alcohol. Here, Joseph stepped forward and spoke to Shawn man-to-man as only an older man can to a younger one, and with the moral authority of one who has wrestled with male self-indulgence and overcome it.

When the conversation moved on to the topic of work, it turned out that Shawn and Joseph practiced the same trade–welding. So, not only was Shawn unable to get away with any malarkey, but Joseph was also able to direct him to a worksite that is hiring. It was a joy to watch.

Finally, the lead evangelist sensed that the moment had come. She asked Shawn’s permission for us to pray over him. At first, he startled back, but then he consented. She laid a gentle hand on his arm and asked the Holy Spirit to grant Shawn deliverance and guidance and openness to God in his life. The rest of us gave a resounding “Amen,” including Joseph!

After that, Shawn showed no visible sign of change, but he also showed no inclination to leave. Finally, we had to declare closing time and packed up. What our lead evangelist didn’t know (probably because Shawn didn’t want her to) was that, before he rode away, Shawn demanded a map with our parish circled on it. He also declared that, for his deceased mother’s sake, he had never—no matter how drunk he was—never had he missed going to church on Easter Sunday. He repeated that a couple of times.

Joseph witnessed this final part of the encounter. I invited him to join us again next week. Please pray for both of these men.
Get involved! Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your area, get involved with an existing team, become a Supporting Member and a prayer warrior! For these things, or if you would like to learn more about the Faith and about evangelization in your daily life, click here: streetevangelization.com/get-involved/
 
Happy Easter! He is risen, alleluia!!!

Thank you so much for your prayers last week. Four stocky, Ukrainian, Bible-believing Christian missionaries stopped by our table and we were able to engage them in a forty-minute conversation right out of your typical how-to-be-a-Catholic-apologist class. The topics ranged from praying to Mary and the saints, the difference between “Catholic” and “Protestant” Bibles, the papacy, Scripture and Tradition, and salvation. They listened carefully, asked good questions, got the (Catholic) Bible open, accepted our literature on these topics, and left knowing that at least Catholics are fellow Christians. Please pray that they take a serious look at the Catholic Church’s reasoning behind her teachings and come to realize the Truth and Beauty found only here.

And please pray for the Boise Catholic street evangelization team again this week. We plan to head into downtown Boise in about an hour. But we can accomplish nothing on our own. We need your prayer support!

May God bless you and yours.
Get involved! Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your area, get involved with an existing team, become a Supporting Member and a prayer warrior! For these things, or if you would like to learn more about the Faith and about evangelization in your daily life, click here: streetevangelization.com/get-involved/
 
Praise God for His Divine Mercy! Thank you for your prayers last week for the Boise Catholic street evangelization team. It was a beautiful sunny Easter Sunday and we gave away a lot of Rosaries. One man in particular stopped by and engaged us in a lengthy conversation.

Although he was raised nominally Catholic, he currently belongs to a non-denominational congregation. Here is how our lead evangelist remembers the situation:

The man was talking about how he thought all of the Christian religions were the same, I disagreed and explained that most Protestant religions came from the beliefs of Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin, The basis of that being that the Bible interprets itself, that human beings are piles of dung covered by the “snow” of God, and that they threw out books in the Bible. If the Bible interprets itself then I can get whatever I want from it, it can tell me to kill someone! It needs to be translated by someone (the Magisterium) who knows the history of those books, the original language, and the context of the book. Secondly, human beings are good in as much as they are, that if we are just bad then we are nothing and it doesn’t matter with what you cover it because nothing is still nothing. Third and finally, if the Bible is the Word of God then you can’t just edit it at will.

The man seemed to understand all the points and agreed. But at some point, he seemed to sense his intellectual disadvantage. The conversation then became one about current books, and he left in a friendly mood. Please send up a prayer for him that he finds his way back to the Catholic Church.

Please also send up a prayer us today as we plan to head out again to downtown Boise in just a couple of hours. (And if you see this post later, please remember that God is outside of time and send up the prayer anyway!) God is good and we need His Grace to accomplish anything. But He loves each of these lost souls and we are planning to be out there trying to reach them.

May God continue to bless you and yours! St. John Paul II, pray for us. St. John XXIII, pray for us. Amen.
Get involved! Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your area, get involved with an existing team, become a Supporting Member and a prayer warrior! For these things, or if you would like to learn more about the Faith and about evangelization in your daily life, click here: streetevangelization.com/get-involved/
 
Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women and
blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
 
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created.
And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
 
Thank you everyone, especially caritina and saint_wannabe, for your prayers last week. That is not only encouraging but absolutely necessary for our ministry. Catholic street evangelization in Boise almost didn’t happen last week, but look at what God did in answer to your prayers. Here’s a snippet from a message stream between team members beforehand:

R: Take a look outside my dear it’s pouring rain

R: Holy cow L you must be praying because now its blue sky above me

The miracle wasn’t due to just one person’s prayers, it was all of YOU agreeing in prayer for our team. Then, in His Mercy, God heard you and responded. Here is the story from last week:
Code: 
 The Boise SPSE Catholic street evangelization team braved the spring weather and showed up downtown as usual. Even a hint of rain drives Boiseans indoors, so we expected a light turnout. We set up the Rosaries on a table, but kept the pamphlets and Bibles under cover because it was already threatening to rain again.

 Today, we started off our session by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet together. An amazing silence and calm descended and seemed to touch everyone as they walked through the park. God is so good!

 After that, we only had a few encounters. One was with a homeless man, Vince, who asked prayers for his daughter who is battling cancer. Another was a young man who said he was Catholic but didn’t know the name of his parish. He took Rosaries and Miraculous Medals for both himself and his grandmother. And the third—and probably the reason God wanted us out today—was a young woman, a waitress from the nearby restaurant overlooking the park. She said, “We were watching you guys and this is so impressive.” Admittedly an inactive Catholic and pressed for time, she nevertheless took a Rosary and its pamphlet, as well as a map of local parishes.

 This reinforced for us the importance of our “just showing up” every week. To be sure, in the time we were out, we only “suffered” intermittent light sprinkles of rain in between patches of sunshine. But, because Boiseans find rain so very intolerable, our cheerfully being out there in it made a statement on just how important the Catholic Faith is. May God grant that our efforts today bear much fruit for His Kingdom!
Please send up a prayer for each of these people: Vince and his daughter, the young man and his grandmother, and the waitress. Please also send up a prayer again for our team and the people who will encounter us today. We plan to head out to downtown Boise in just a couple of hours. Please pray that God will prepare the hearts of the people we’ll meet and open their eyes and minds to the beauty of the Catholic Church and her Founder, Jesus Christ. In return, may God bless you and yours!
Get involved! Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your area, get involved with an existing team, become a Supporting Member and a prayer warrior! For these things, or if you would like to learn more about the Faith and about evangelization in your daily life, visit St. Paul Evangelization | I Believe | St. Paul Street Evangelization
 
I can’t thank you enough for your prayers. Last week was especially exciting. Here is the story:

On May 4, the Boise Catholic street evangelization team test drove St. Paul Street Evangelization’s (SPSE’s) newest and long-awaited “Good News” pamphlet. It’s designed to walk even someone totally unfamiliar with Christianity through the basics of the Faith to the point where they commit their life to Jesus Christ. As soon as we put the new pamphlet out on the table and said what it was, an active Catholic couple—both converts—enthusiastically asked for a copy.

Then along came Matt, a man unexpectedly stranded in Boise. He told us he was “spiritual” but had never belonged to any religion. After accepting a Rosary and Miraculous Medal, the evangelists offered him the Good News pamphlet as a good introduction to what Christians believe. To our surprise, he immediately took a seat and and began to carefully work his way through the whole thing. He would pause now and then to gaze into the distance. When he got to the prayer of commitment, he ducked his head and became quite still. Then he continued reading the pamphlet to the end. All of this he did in complete silence while the Boise team kept handing out Rosaries to other people.

When it was clear that the man had finished the pamphlet and was at a stopping place and ready to talk, one of the evangelists sat down with him. He told his story and asked where the nearest Catholic church was. She pointed it out and gave him directions, telling him about its day chapel and that people are welcome to go in and pray any time. She also told him how the Catholic Church teaches that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist that is kept there and that some people can even sense that. He stood up and said that was where he was heading. He took with him not only the Rosary and medal, but also a Catholic Bible and SPSE’s “Good News” and “Becoming Catholic” tracts.

Clearly, it was the Holy Spirit who prepared this man’s heart before he encountered us and who even orchestrated the long chain of coincidences that brought him all the way from Boston to our table in downtown Boise at just the hour we were there. Your prayers and other support are making a real difference in people’s lives. Thank you. This is a team effort.

This really energized the team. We on the streets aren’t usually granted the favor of seeing the fruit of our efforts. Please keep Matt and all those we encounter today in your prayers. Please also send up an extra prayer for our team today; it’s Mother’s Day and we’re going to be short-handed. And may God continue to bless you and yours!
Get involved! Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your area, get involved with an existing team, become a Supporting Member and a prayer warrior! For these things, or if you would like to learn more about the Faith and about evangelization in your daily life, visit stpaulse.com/ibelieve/
 
Thank you for your prayers for Boise’s Catholic street evangelization team. You help make this ministry not only possible, but effective. Through Christ our Lord.

Last week, a JW convention was happening in the park where we set up our table. Eventually one of their teams came to try to convert us. Our answers weren’t as smooth as we would have liked, but we did answer. Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit will use our friendly manner, and what we DID say, to lead them into the Truth about Jesus Christ and His Church.

Today is the birthday of one of the Boise team’s evangelists. Instead of taking the day off, he’s planning to join the team as usual on the streets, testifying about Jesus Christ. What better way to give glory to his Creator? Please keep him and the whole Boise team in your prayers today, as well as each of those souls, precious in God’s eyes, who will encounter us.

May God bless you and yours!
Get involved! Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your area, get involved with an existing team, become a Supporting Member and a prayer warrior! For these things, or if you would like to learn more about the Faith and about evangelization in your daily life, visit St. Paul Evangelization | I Believe | St. Paul Street Evangelization
 
Hi. Just a quick note to ask your prayers for Boise’s Catholic street evangelization team today. Our numbers are small, but there are still MANY lost souls out there to be found and brought home. Please pray that our Risen and Ascended LORD will grant us the manner and the words to reach each of these precious souls.

Thank you and may God continue to bless you and yours!
Get involved! Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your area, get involved with an existing team, become a Supporting Member and a prayer warrior! For these things, or if you would like to learn more about the Faith and about evangelization in your daily life, visit St. Paul Evangelization | I Believe | St. Paul Street Evangelization
 
Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.
Amen.

†
 
Hi. Just a quick note to thank you for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization ministry. We’ve continued to go out out every week, but my health hasn’t been good and so I haven’t been able to post reports regularly for you. Please know that God is still hearing your prayers and there are still a lot of hungry souls who need to meet Jesus Christ and His bride, the Catholic Church. Please pray for us again today as we prepare to head downtown in just a few minutes. Our numbers may be small, owing to its being Father’s Day, but there should be lots of families out and about.

Thank you again for your ongoing prayer support. May God continue to bless you and yours!
Get involved! Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your area, get involved with an existing team, become a Supporting Member and a prayer warrior! For these things, or if you would like to learn more about the Faith and about evangelization in your daily life, visit St. Paul Evangelization | I Believe | St. Paul Street Evangelization
 
Thank you for your ongoing prayers for this ministry. Things have been heating up. Today, I have an emergency prayer request. The Boise SPSE Catholic street evangelization team has been setting up in the same public park for nearly two years now. They just learned (unofficially) from the city park system that the team’s activity is considered “advertising” and that designation would require the team to apply for a permit (with a 60-day waiting period, a $50/session charge, and a million $ insurance policy). This does not square with US First Amendment rights to lawful assembly and free speech as upheld in recent federal court decisions. But. The team would just prefer to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ unmolested without lengthy and costly court battles. So PLEASE pray that the city continues to ignore/tolerate the team’s peaceful and non-confrontational presence–both today and in the future. Our team has recently been growing by one or two people a week and we need to expand our times and locations.

Your prayers are so necessary, both for us and for all those who encounter us. May God’s will be done and may He be glorified in His Son!
Get involved! Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your area, get involved with an existing team, become a Supporting Member and a prayer warrior! For these things, or if you would like to learn more about the Faith and about evangelization in your daily life, visit St. Paul Evangelization | I Believe | St. Paul Street Evangelization
 
Thank you, awesome Prayer Warriors. The Boise team of Catholic street evangelists were left to evangelize in peace today. Praise be to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we were even able to give out more of our kerygma introduction to Christianity pamphlets than usual! (Plus, the whiff of danger fired up the team and they set up a second location and time for next week.) Thank you again for your prayer support. God heard you and we can do NOTHING without Him. May God continue to bless you and yours!
 
Thank you for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization team. We’re planning to head out again today in a few hours. Please pray that God will give us enough of a break in the very hot weather that lots of people will be out and about (last week, very few people were out walking and even fewer of them were in the mood to stop and talk with us). Please also pray that God will prepare their hearts to hear the Good News about Jesus Christ and the treasure that awaits them in His bride, the Church. Please pray that God will grant us the wisdom, the manner, and the words to reach each of these precious souls so that none of them may be lost.

May God continue to bless you and yours!
Get involved! Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your area, get involved with an existing team, become a Supporting Member and a prayer warrior! For these things, or if you would like to learn more about the Faith and about evangelization in your daily life, visit stpaulse.com/ibelieve/
 
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.
 
Thank you, chero_23 and everyone else who prayed for the Boise Catholic street evangelization team last week! We had an amazing session. The heat didn’t seem so oppressive and there were so many people coming to us that it was hard to “close up shop” at the end – a wonderful “problem” to have for a change.

Please pray especially for two men in particular who stopped to talk with us last week. The first is named Seth and, although he currently claims to be a member of the LDS (Mormon) faith, he was impressed with the physical beauty of the Catholic churches he visited when delivering flowers for funerals. Capitalizing on his perception of beauty, the evangelist he talked with encouraged him to accept a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church so he could experience how beautifully the faith is presented in it. He also accepted a Rosary and a brochure on how to pray it. His current girlfriend is a Catholic who attends a local parish. Please pray for Seth that he comes all the way into the Faith.

The other man who spent quite a bit of time with us gave his name as Luis. He is currently homeless and has trouble holding down any kind of employment, although he expressed a desire to get back on his feet. He did not seem to have substance abuse issues, but did seem to be plagued with anxiety-related ones. Please pray for Luis.

And, please, send up a prayer or two again for the team this week. We are planning to head out in just a short while. This is God’s work, but we can accomplish nothing without Him. Please pray again that He brings people to us and prepares their hearts to perceive the treasure that awaits them in the Church founded by Jesus Christ, and that He grant us the wisdom, the words, and the manner that will reach each of these precious souls effectively. May God, in turn, bless you and yours!​

Get involved! Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your area, get involved with an existing team, become a Supporting Member and a prayer warrior! For these things, or if you would like to learn more about the Faith and about evangelization in your daily life, visit stpaulse.com/ibelieve/
 
Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.
Amen.

†
 
Wow! Thank you to all of you who prayed for our Catholic street evangelization teams last week. Our Lady really wants people to find her Son and His Church! Here are a couple of stories from the Boise team’s outing last week:

A man stopped by who was an inactive Catholic. By the end of the encounter, he not only had his fears relieved about facing the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but he also was positively looking forward to the grace available in the Sacrament to overcome sin in areas of his life that he hasn’t been able to change on his own. I consider that no less than a miracle. The man’s name is Andy. Please pray for him that he follows through and comes all the way back into God’s fountain of mercy and grace here on earth, the Catholic Church.

A group of three youths came by to get their free Rosaries. They were wearing matching black t-shirts with a white symbol on it. Between the three of them, they took four Rosaries. Then one of them noticed our little pouch of Miraculous Medals (the first person ever to do so). He asked if they could have one of those, too. When given permission, they practically dived for them. Then two of the three boys left, but the evangelist asked the third one if he saw a pamphlet he might like. He looked them all over, and then pointed to one and said, "That one.” It was entitled, "The Problem of Evil and Suffering.” As the evangelist handed him the pamphlet, she was covered in a rush of “God bumps” (gooseflesh). I think the Holy Spirit was working strongly in that encounter. Please pray! These three youths are so at risk and spiritually vulnerable, but your prayers for their protection and guidance will make a difference. God knows their names.

And please send up a prayer for the Boise team as we head downtown again in just a couple of hours. Please. We can do nothing on our own and so many lost souls out there don’t even know they’re lost. Please ask God to prepare their hearts to be open to Him and to the great treasure that awaits them in His Church. Please also ask Him to grant us the wisdom, the words, and the manner to reach each of these people effectively. Thank you and may God continue to bless you and yours!
Get involved! Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your area, get involved with an existing team, become a Supporting Member and a prayer warrior! For these things, or if you would like to learn more about the Faith and about evangelization in your daily life, visit St. Paul Evangelization | I Believe | St. Paul Street Evangelization
 
I like to read and see how you guys are doing. I continue to pray that the people you talk to and evangelize, the Holy Spirit can come down on them.
 
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