Boise, ID
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The following story comes to us from team leader Lucy with our team in Boise, ID:
Either Chuck momentarily forgot how to read a clock (his guess), or, as I believe, the Holy Spirit had other plans. At any event, Chuck set up the table an hour early. But, praise God, he didn’t have time to wonder where the other evangelists were because there was a steady stream of cheerful interest in the Rosary. So, thank you again for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization effort.
A woman wearing the uniform of a nearby hotel looked over the colorful Rosaries and admitted that she knew nothing about them and wasn’t “religious”. Chuck presented to her the glory and wonder of God’s love for us as shown in Christ, God incarnate, and His living, dying, and rising for us. He also showed her how she can get to know Him better through the Rosary, the evangelist encouraging her to be honest and open with God in prayer, seeking only to know Him more fully. Though our visitor remained silent, she was smiling as she prepared to head to work, and thanked the evangelist over and over for the Rosary. Pray that her heart is open to Christ and she seeks Him with all her will.
A middle-aged couple passed by with a polite “no thank you” but soon turned around and came back. Catholic, they were relatively new to the area. She was struggling with cancer and was unhappy with the parish they attended because it felt closed and unfriendly. She asked about other area parishes, so the evangelist gave her our map and list of local Catholic churches and encouraged her to not get discouraged but rather to focus on encountering Christ in the Eucharist. He also recommended some anointing/healing Masses in the area. Pray for her healing, both for her cancer and for her sense of alienation in the Church. And pray for our Catholic parishes, that every member will be the picture of welcome, hospitality, and friendliness that we are called to be.
Two different people stopped to say the Rosary they had picked up some time before had broken and they wanted a new one. Also, several Catholics declined a Rosary because “[they had] so many already”, but two of these groups stopped to ask about our evangelization team. Pray for everyone who possesses a Rosary, that they may use it reverently and encounter Christ in the Mysteries.
A young couple zoomed up to the table on electric scooters, wanting something free. He was silent at first and she said she was not religious. As the evangelist proclaimed the Gospel message and how the Mysteries of the Rosary could open their eyes to the great love God had for them, they responded with “I love that” or “that’s cool”, and selected a matching pair. Pray that their enthusiasm turns into faith and that faith becomes love for their Lord and Savior.
Praised be Jesus Christ!