Yesterday, Mason and I decided to hit up 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 am pretty much out of Gospel cards. Please say a Chaplet of St. Mary Magdalene for all we met. Here is Mason's and my report of all we met:

Mason: "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 anyones 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 Gaudalupe care 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 Naoh 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."

My report: Jasmine, a wheelchair bound Philippina who sells goods weekly at the Barnyard, stopped by and was fascinated with our table. She told me she is Catholic and a parishioner of St. Paul the Evangelist in Spartanburg (maybe we need to hook up with this parish considering we are St. Paul Street Evangelization). She gave us information on how to set up a table at the Spartanburg International Festival and said she could get us a free table. I will consider it, but because my schedule is so variable and busy I will have to check first. Soon after a man named Roy, after taking a Gospel card, asked if we had any pocket Bibles. We didn't but I said he could probably get a free New Testament from the Gideans.

Charlene, after taking a Gospel card and Litany of Trust, came back asking me what the word Litany meant. I explained to her the meaning and after that she wanted to know if we were some cult. She asked if we believed in Jesus and I said of course! I also confirmed our belief in the Trinity, the incarnation, the hypostatic union (I simply said we believed Jesus was both God and man) and the Bible. She was relieved and said she just didn't understand Christian disunity. I said Jesus prayed that we would be one, but the sad fact is for centuries we have not been one. I talked about how Catholics recite the creed at Mass saying One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic in reference to the Church. We believe the Church is One and should be one. This then led into a discussion of the differences between the Protestant Bible and the Catholic Bible as she wanted to know the Bible was important to us. I explained the history and reason why the Catholic version has seven more in the Old Testament. I also asserted the differences in the way Catholics and Protestants approach the Bible with two important questions to help her think, 1) Where does the Bible say Bible alone?, 2) Who wrote the table to contents? In regard to question one, I asked her that if Sola Scriptura was such a fundamental doctrine to Christianity why was it not found explicitly in Scripture. She agreed that she could not think of a place in the Bible that explicitly taught it. This led to answering the second question that it was the Church that had the authority by the guidance of the Holy Spirit to decide what books belong in Scripture. She understand after I pointed out that the Bible explicitly teaches that Christ gave authority to His Church to teach the Truth in His name, that we do not believe in any new revelation as all was revealed in Christ to his Apostles, but that those same Apostles handed down that Tradition (both written and oral) to their successors the Bishops in an unbroken line. She then said she would accept some information on what we talked about so I gave her a Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth booklet and a pamphlet on "Sola Scriptura". I invited her to attend a Catholic Mass, but only to remember not to take communion unless she became Catholic not because we didn't recognize her as a sister in Christ, but because we believe in the real presence of Christ in it and that to not recognize His real presence is a very serious sin, so we want to confirm that she has the Catholic faith before receiving. She understood and said that her boss is a serious Catholic who leaves his ashes on his forehead during Lent. I guess leaving those ashes on has some benefit!

Another lady named Teresa took a Gospel card and the Litany of Trust. She asked about where she could go to church and as she lived in Spartanburg I gave her the names of the churches there. She said she has been to so many different types of churches and doesn't know which to trust or join. She continues to pray to God and is waiting for the Holy Spirit to guide her to the right one. I told her that the Mass is a great place to pray and that If she attends to remember not to take communion until she becomes Catholic giving her the same explanation I gave to Charlene. We then met a lady with a troop of kids in a wagon. She turned down a Gospel card saying she was already saved. Mason was able to then give her kids a whole bunch of glow in the dark Rosaries. He offered a pamphlet on how to pray the Rosary, but she declined saying her husband is Catholic.

Peace,

Caleb