Gaithersburg, MD
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The following story comes to us from team leader Nancy with our team in Gaithersburg, MD:
It was a hot day at the Gaithersburg Bus Stop, and as soon as we arrived, there were police cars all around and an ambulance. It seems that a greater darkness is infiltrating the bus stop as the alcohol and drugs become more prevalent. We waited for the air to clear and Amparo, Alicia, Bob and I began to set up. It’s so good to have these powerhouse Spanish ladies from St. John Neumann parish to connect with so many Spanish families and direct them to a parish. They’re very bold in their faith confronting the darkness. We’ve had to cancel a number of outings because of rain, so it’d been a while since we were there to minister. I have been praying with a woman, Tina, who has been diagnosed with stomach cancer. She had just gotten out of the hospital for one of her treatments. She saw me and immediately broke down and shared with me that her son had been stabbed the Sunday before and died. The grief she has been carrying is tremendous. She has had an encounter with God, but this incident was more than she could handle and wondered why God had not taken her instead. We prayed for a bit and asked God to take all of her pain and grief. Please pray for this very burdened lady that God would continue to console her.
I was also able to connect with Raymond, a man I’d met before who I’d prayed with to renounce his addiction and come back to the Catholic Church, but his bus came at that point. I pray every day that he would see his desperate need to get right with the Lord. In fact I have a whole litany of people I pray for everyday for God to bring them to conversion and freedom. If we just keep showing up and reaching out to this hurting world and interceding, I believe God is working.
On a happier note, the bus stop is a great place to meet people who are visiting or who have just moved to the area. It is a great privilege to share the gospel with them and welcome them to the area. That was the case of two young adults who had just moved from Philadelphia. One of them was not interested in hearing the good news, but his buddy was very much interested and thanked me very much for sharing my witness with them and giving him information on the different churches in the area. May God use that divine appointment for His glory.