God wants every human being saved (cf. 1 Tim 2:3-4). So, thank you again for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization effort.

A man, “Michel”, and a somewhat older woman, “Andrea”, were flight attendants, in town on a layover. They’d almost passed us by before Michel decided, “Why not?” He belonged to an ancient national non-Catholic Christian church. He told us he’d just recently realized that he needed, not just to say he believed, but that his life needed to reflect his belief. He was very talkative and enthusiastic about faith and asked how the Rosary was prayed. Andrea pointed to our last pretty chain Rosary, perhaps trying to communicate that she really liked it. But then Michel chose that Rosary for his own, and Andrea seemed sad. She wondered what other Rosaries we might have in our bag, but we’d already put out a selection of every color we had. She had a great deal of difficulty deciding which Rosary to choose for herself. As she was standing there fighting back tears, one evangelist asked if she would like us to pray for her. Yes, because she was having a trying time. We asked God to grant her peace and to let her experience His presence and His love right then. We also suggested, when she got a minute alone, to ask Jesus to show her how He is present in her current difficulties. Besides the Rosary and its pamphlet, we also gave her a Divine Mercy prayer card. Pray for Andrea, that she find healing and the grace to see that her suffering can have meaning when joined with Christ’s. And pray that Michel will persevere in faith and grow in his trust in Christ.

A man came to the table. In his walk, he exhibited the distinctive shuffle produced by earlier generations harsh medications given to psychiatric patients. After choosing a Rosary, he asked for prayer. Then he immediately shut his eyes, bowed his head, and just stood there. So, one evangelist asked him what he wanted to ask for from God. He replied that he was searching for his parents and didn’t know how to get hold of them. E. Lucy gave him a Holy Family prayer card before leading us in prayer. We asked God to grant him the wisdom to find his parents and to grant peace in the relationship. After we prayed for him, the man went on his way. [He seemed neither mentally healthy nor high functioning. Later, we saw him sitting outside a seedy-looking bar chatting with another homeless-looking man.] Please pray for his healing, for peace, and that he can be reunited with his family.

A woman, perhaps in her late 20s, came to the table. She didn’t want a Rosary, but she wanted prayer because her landlord had told to clean her room or else be evicted. First, we assured her that “organization” was something she could have faith that God could grant her because He’d brought order out of chaos at the beginning of creation. Then we prayed for her for wisdom in getting her place organized. The two women evangelists then gave her practical tips on how to make things quickly look better. Our visitor was worried about working in the heat, so one evangelist shared a “poor person’s trick” on using wet clothing to maintain a safe core temperature. Once her room was cleaned up, perhaps then she might have enough room to add some kind of a/c unit. Please pray for her that not only can she get her place presentable in time, but that she also is healed of any hoarding tendencies and finds true peace in Jesus Christ.

Two men stopped. One is e. Nancy’s fellow parishioner, “Matt”, who had a friend with him, “Dave”. Dave declined our offer of a Rosary. They thanked us for being there, but couldn’t stay chat longer since they were on their way to the airport where Dave could catch his flight home. Lord, please grant safety to travelers, and keep Matt and Dave both faithful in serving You.

“Brennan” and his girlfriend stopped their bicycles at the table. The tall, bearded man had been in e. Chuck’s church youth group many years ago. The evangelist did not recognize Brennan until he took his sunglasses off. Then they spent some time catching up and reminiscing about mission trips they had gone on. E. Chuck insisted he take a Rosary and encouraged him to develop a prayer life. However, his girlfriend declined receiving a Rosary saying only that she “was raised Catholic”. Pray for this couple that they devote their lives to more than pleasure and ease and recognize their need for our Lord and Savior.

A mom came to the table so her pre-school-aged daughter could get a Rosary. The woman voiced some misunderstanding about the devotion, so we described it for what it is: a Christ-centered devotion that even non-Catholics find valuable. The little girl chose a bright pink Rosary, but the mom didn’t take one. Please pray that Jesus speaks to the heart of the child and draws her into a life-long, loving relationship with Himself.

A teenage couple stopped at the table. They were both dressed goth. The young man was wearing a t-shirt with a “saved” logo on the front and picture of Jesus crucified on the back. Although it seemed legitimate, it also gave the impression of being very dark. The young woman was wearing an upside-down cross and 5-pointed-star earrings. Still, we offered them each a Rosary and encouraged them to use it reverently to get to know who Jesus Christ is and how much He loves them. Lord, save them both and bring them back into the Light of Your Face.

“Marty” stopped by for a brief visit. He told us that he was enjoying the triple-digit heat, since he is often cold. May God continue to heal him and bring him into full communion with Himself.

Three teens on two electric rental scooters skidded to a stop in front of the table when they heard the word “free.” The young man riding solo was the talkative one and had a ballpoint-pen “tattoo” of a cross on his hand. He said he knew Jesus loved him but didn’t know anything about the Rosary. He was enthusiastic about the Mysteries of the Rosary and was thankful that we were proclaiming Christ in the public square. All three teens, both boys and the girl, wanted a Rosary and its booklet. The talkative teen kept repeating, “Thank you for doing this”, and then he asked if he could give us a hug. As they sped away, he shouted to the couple on the other scooter, “That’s how you do it!” Pray that his enthusiasm and love for Christ will overflow and witness to others the joy of salvation.

There was only one “drive-by” during the session. He grabbed a Rosary from Chuck and did stop long enough to get the booklet on how to pray it. Lord, draw him through that Rosary into a deep, life-giving relationship with You.

There were a few non-English speakers who stopped for a Rosary. They were very grateful for the Rosary booklet in their language. Like many people, they also told us, “The Rosaries are beautiful!” Occasionally, even the most stoic-looking guy comes to the table and exclaims, “Oh, they’re so pretty!” May God bless these people, and may He grant tremendous blessings on all of our so-generous Rosary makers!!!

On this beautiful day, neither too hot nor too windy, we gave away another 20-25 Rosaries and its pamphlet, as well as at least one Divine Mercy prayer card and one Holy Family prayer card.

Please pray for us again today? Ask God to send people to us with hearts prepared to perceive their need for Our Savior Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church, and that much good fruit for His Kingdom comes of today’s efforts.

Again, I’m amazed at how the Rosary appeals to such a wide variety of people. So, thank you again for your prayers and other support for this apostolate. In turn, may God protect and greatly bless you and all those you love!

“Go with the strength you have” (Judg 6:14).