Greer, SC
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The following report comes to us from team leader Caleb with our team in Greenville, SC:
Yesterday, Mason and I visited the Barnyard in Greer instead of the Jockey Lot in Anderson. Thank the Lord Almighty! We got hooked up by the staff there with a nice table under cover after asking for one outside. The clerk who took our request asked us what we were selling. I said, “nothing” and then explained we were giving out free stuff. She gave me a skeptical look and asked, “what free stuff”. I explained we were Catholic and giving out information on our faith. I saw a bit of a smile when she said, “I’m Catholic”. There is a crucifix on the wall behind the clerk station. While there we noticed one big difference from the Jockey Lot – it got busier and busier as the day went on. Next time we plan to stay all day long! After setting up our table, Mason and I stood on either corner and handed out Gospel cards, Litanies of Trust, and Las Buenas Noticias pamphlets. Many of them were handed out to the point where I’m almost out of Gospel cards. Please say a Chaplet of St. Mary Magdalene for all we met. Here is Mason’s report of all we met:
A young man, Dennis, said he was a Baptist and has recently started reading the Bible. He appreciated what we were doing and said he didn’t understand why there were so many faiths, and why they always trash each other. I told him that I used to be a Baptist and that I too decided long ago to read the Bible on my own, rather than just relying on what others told me it said. I mentioned how I learned many things that were never preached from the pulpit, such as Acts 2:38 which describes the necessity of baptism for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy spirit. He accepted a Gospel care and a Litany of Trust booklet.
Shannon was a father of three young boys. I asked him if I could give the boys each a glow-in-the-dark Rosary, and he agreed. And then gave him a brief description of what the Rosary is and a pamphlet on how to pray it. In case anyone’s wondering, Shannon is a gender neutral name of Irish origin, meaning, “old and wise.” The same scenario happened with the mother of three girls, but I didn’t get a chance to learn her name. A young man named Juan walked by us and I noticed he had a leather phone case on his belt that had St. Joseph embossed onto it. We asked him where he found that and he said he got it in Mexico. We were then able to discuss all the Spanish booklets we had and he took a Guadalupe card and medal.
A black man who said he was a Jew and, from the way he was talking, I deduced was a member of the Black Hebrew Israelites, approached us and abruptly stated that the Catholic Church and all it teaches is a lie. I asked him what specifically he disagreed with in Catholic teaching, but he was reluctant to go into detail. He claimed, without knowing me, that I don’t know my Bible and asked me who the sons of Noah were. He was surprised that I answered him immediately that they were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. He then asked me if, looking at him, I could tell who he was. He seemed to be expecting me to say that he was a descendent of Ham, but my reply to him was that he was a creature of God created in His image and likeness, a human person with free will, and reason. He went on to assert that God’s chosen people were the Hebrews, and that Gentiles were not in His plan, and that Jesus was a descendent of Judah, not of the priestly tribe of Levi. I agreed that Jesus came from the line of David, but that the New Covenant involves a pruning off of the unfaithful Jews from the tree of Israel, and the grafting in of the Gentiles. At this point, he just walked away.
Praised be Jesus Christ!