Oh, thank you so much for your prayers! They made a huge difference. We depend on your and Our Lady’s intercession in this work for the Lord. Here is a report from Boise’s Catholic street evangelization team last week:
A first-time evangelist, wanting to be known as “Maria,” joined us today. It was so nice to have someone along who is fluent in Spanish. Before she arrived, we’d already struggled through two encounters without enough Spanish to feel effective, although the Spanish-language SPSE pamphlets came in handy.
A man talked with us for quite a while, and gave his name as “Steve”. Never underestimate the intelligence of a homeless person. He was a Bible scholar, who at one time attempted seminary (with the Salvation Army), but the Lord closed that door. Recently, he has felt called back to the Bible and has begun to read it again from the beginning. He has also begun to lead Bible studies again. From us, he accepted a Rosary and the brochure that shows where the Mysteries can be found in Scripture. Then Steve retired to a nearby bench and proceeded to read the Bible for the entire hour we were out there.
Another interesting pair of visitors were a man and his wife. The man is a devout Catholic and has been all his life. He told us that he had actually been born in a rectory and grew up in what used to be a monastery. He and his wife took Rosaries for themselves, as well as one for his dad—who prays it every day. He also asked for one of our “Good News” pamphlets, which presents the kerygma.
If you’ve been following our stories, you’ll be glad to hear that we had another return visit from Martin, the man who came to us for prayer for deliverance from alcohol a few weeks ago. This afternoon, his eyes were clear and he has been able to stitch together a string of sober days. He said he still had the paper with him that has the Bible promises on it that I gave him the week before last. He seemed quite encouraged. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.
A woman, who “used to be” Catholic, stopped by because she saw the Rosaries. She had been hurt, like many other people had, when a local parish had been suppressed about 20 years ago. The whole thing had been badly, badly handled. I acknowledged her pain and apologized on behalf of the Church. We talked a little about forgiveness, which the woman said she’d been working on. I let her know that she was always welcome back. She expressed how much she missed Fr. So-and-so, who had been the priest there. Fortunately, he was still in the Boise area. So I gave her a map with his parish on it, with contact information and Mass times listed. She was happy to receive it and to know that he was close by. Please pray for her.
We’re planning to head downtown again in just a couple of hours, hunting for lost sheep, fishing for people, hoping to bring joy among the angels in heaven by working for and with Our Lord! But we can do nothing without Him. That is why your prayer support is so critical.
So please send up some prayers again both for the team and, especially, for all those who encounter us today: that God will give them a hunger to know Jesus Christ and to cling to Him, that they will recognize the Church He founded as His Body on earth, that God will grant us the wisdom, the manner, and the words to reach each of these precious souls, and that much fruit for His Kingdom will come from our efforts today.
Thank you so much!!! And, in turn, 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
stpaulse.com/ibelieve/