God is always relevant. So, thank you again for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization effort.

As we were setting up the table, a man stopped to ask how we were doing. He had a beer in hand and a big grin on his face. Although none of us recognized him, our visitor said he’d picked up a few Rosaries from us over the years. He told us about the negative memories he has of the non-Catholic denomination he had grown up in. It seems his parents frequently threatened that he would burn in hell if he didn’t act properly. That led him to leave Christianity and church as soon as he could. We sympathized with his childhood trauma, assuring him that it wasn’t the true Gospel message. Then e. Chuck asked where he was now as an adult. His answer was “vaguely spiritual”, which he recognized as at least a step up from his angry rejection of God in his youth. The evangelist began to share the Gospel with him, but our visitor was ready to move on. Pray that his openness to the spiritual will be his first step toward falling in love with Christ Our Savior.

First-time street evangelist “e. Clare” joined us. Her husband, “Lou”, and seminary-bound son, “Lance”, accompanied her. They then spent time conversing with e. Chuck. After Clare had watched us in action for a while, we invited her to step up and offer a free Rosary. She seemed glad to do so. Clare has a strong voice and an inviting nature. We welcome her to our street evangelization effort.

Three cheerful but scruffy-looking men, in their late teens or early 20s, rode by on their bikes. Two of them stopped when they heard our offer of a free Rosary, which one of them wanted. He made the Sign of the Cross and e. Clair commended him for doing so. (I think his companion had been raised a non-Catholic Christian.) After they both heard our brief explanation of the Rosary devotion, each chose one for himself. Then the first young man told the other that their mutual friend should have one, too, since he was suffering from stomach cramps. But then they began to somewhat crudely joke around about what color they should choose for their friend. At that, e. Lucy cautioned them that the Rosaries were for serious prayer and had to be treated reverently if they wanted the blessings that came with the devotion. They calmed down, made their selection, and took their leave. About ten minutes later, though, the first young man returned to give us back the third Rosary because their friend didn’t want it. May God bless our visitor for making the extra effort to bring it back. And may God touch the hearts of all three of these young men and draw them to Himself and salvation.

A Catholic man, from out of town, stopped for a Rosary. He was really surprised that we were not allowed to accept money for it. “Is it the law in Idaho?” he asked. “No, church law”, we replied. After all, certain items cannot be sold. May God bless the man, though, for his generous thought and keep him safe in his travels.

“Brennan” and his girlfriend were riding by on bikes and stopped to chat. Some 15 years ago, when e. Chuck had been a non-Catholic Christian youth minister, Brennan had been in his youth group. Then about a month ago, Brennan had encountered us and picked up a Rosary. E. Chuck asked if he had prayed with the Rosary, but Brennan laughed off the question with a “no” and saying he “had it up there”. We understood that he is simply displaying it somewhere. Pray for Brennan and his girlfriend: May their eyes be opened to the glory of God so they will place Him first in their lives.

A pre-teen boy stopped at the table for a Rosary. He was not Catholic but had at least some knowledge of Jesus. We explained the devotion to him and encouraged him to reverently bring his questions into the meditations. He accepted the pamphlet and seemed happy to choose a Rosary for himself. May the Lord grant him the grace to actually use his Rosary for prayer and may He reveal Himself to him when he does so.

A 30-something couple were walking beautiful dogs that had wavy reddish hair. Although it’s rare for a dog walker to stop at our table, the woman came over for a Rosary. She said she was already familiar with the devotion. The man declined our offer. Lord, draw her into an ever deeper and living relationship with You, and please save them both.

Frequent visitor “Marty” stopped to say hi. His hip, which he broke last winter, seems to be almost healed. May God continue to bless Marty and grant him salvation.

One evangelist, e. Nancy, made a heroic effort to join us last week and arrived for the final quarter-hour of the session. She had been delayed for nearly an hour due to fatal accident ahead of her on the freeway. Lord, grant eternal rest to the soul of the man who perished in that accident. Please bless and heal the other two drivers involved. And please reward e. Nancy for her patience during the delay and for her faithfulness in showing up as soon as she could!

Two young-adult women were passing by. We asked if they’d like a free Rosary. One said no, but the other looked down at her feet and appeared thoughtful. Her pace slowed, even as the other continued to briskly stride past. The slowing one also continued past, but then she stopped and came back. She said, “Yes, I’d like one. I’m Catholic.” Perhaps the sight of the Rosaries reminded her of who she is and that God is calling her back to Himself.

A girl with a lot of piercings and tattoos was pretty excited about getting “a real Rosary”. She said she was planning to get one tattooed on her leg next week. E. Lucy asked if she had ever actually prayed the Rosary. She had not, but she seemed curious. We gave a quick explanation of the devotion and handed her the pamphlet with the prayers and pictures for the Mysteries, encouraging her to give it a try. Lord, You have drawn her to love the sight of a Rosary. Please draw her to love the devotion, too, and reveal Yourself to her as she tries the prayers.

The weather, although very smoky from wildfires in neighboring states, was surprisingly pleasant, about 20°F (7 °C) down from the triple digits of a few days earlier. Therefore, a good number of people were out and about. Thank you, God! And, altogether, we gave away another 25-30 Rosaries and its pamphlet on how to pray it.

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.

God knows what we’re going through and still calls us to Himself. So, thank you again for your prayers and other support for this apostolate. In turn, may He protect and greatly bless you and all those you love!

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