A friend considering joining us for a SPSE outing recently asked me how I deal with the tension of not knowing everything myself and yet still having the confidence to go out evangelizing. It’s a very good question. While I was going through the SPSE trainings, before we had actually had an outing, I remember one particular moment where I was just feeling so incredibly inadequate and unworthy of the mission before me.

What I’ve come to learn from our first few outings, however, is that it’s totally not about me. It’s all the Holy Spirit’s work. That is the answer I gave my friend: that my own personal inadequacies aren’t going to stop the Holy Spirit. In fact, Christ’s power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9).

I came to learn this lesson yet again today. Things were off to an inauspicious start. I found myself in a rather grumpy and stressed mood today, a fact which I confided in one of my co-evangelists on the walk over to Harvard Square. Further, it was raining cats and dogs, so we would have to evangelize from the T station. We weren’t sure how many people would be out and about given the weather. Due to various (completely valid!) circumstances, the team would be smaller than originally anticipated as well. All in all, I was wondering whether today had been the wrong day to pick to go out.

But fortunately God is not subject to limitations! He can still work in me and in my co-evangelists regardless of how we’re feeling at any given moment! And that’s the great beauty of it - all we have to do is show up and He takes it from there. (And in fact, even the act of showing up is only possible by His grace!)

Here are a few stories from today’s outing!

We spoke with one woman who was on her way to take an assessment associated with a job application. We learned that this woman grew up Catholic, having come from a predominantly Catholic country. These days, she practices a mix of Catholicism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Spiritualism. In order to not give away too much personal information, I will just say that, serendipitously, I knew of a Catholic ministry in the area that seemed like an extremely good fit for her, based on other information she shared. I got her email address and will be putting her in touch with this ministry. Towards the end of the conversation, she said she got good vibes from us, which put her in a good mood for her interview. We prayed aloud for her regarding her interview. At the end, she wanted hugs, which we gladly gave!

Soon after, we spoke with another woman who had recently gotten into a graduate program in the Boston area. When we approached her, she was remarkably receptive. A fellow evangelist who was looking on said that the rapport was so strong so fast that he thought we already knew her! In the course of our conversation, we learned that she grew up Catholic and that her family is quite devout. She said it in a way that distanced herself a bit from their devoutness, so we inferred that she didn’t identify as strongly with the faith as her family did. She seemed very receptive to it, though. In another serendipitous turn of events, I knew of a ministry that would be a good match for her based on other things she said, so I got her contact information and will be connecting her to that.

The final story I’d like to share is one that I was not directly involved with, so I don’t have all the details. But here’s what I do know. Two of my fellow evangelists spoke at length (perhaps a half hour) with a very inquisitive and receptive college student. She was waiting for her friend, who was running late, to arrive at the station. (I’m just imagining God slowing down the buses in order to provide the time for this encounter. 😂) This woman had a lot of questions and was intently listening to the answers. I got a small taste of this when a fellow evangelist referred out to me a question about why “You are dust and to dust you shall return” is said when applying ashes to foreheads on Ash Wednesday. My fellow evangelist ended up getting her number and texted her some online resources for learning more about the faith.

Despite the rain–and despite any unideal circumstances–God blessed us with a fruitful outing today. A fellow evangelist remarked afterwards that our encounters gave her a sense of reinvigoration. I very much feel the same way! Please pray for all we encountered today, that they will continue to grow closer to the Lord!