Another small group of evangelists and I again set up at Assiniboine Park. We went back to our spot by the foot bridge.

One lady said she was Mennonite, but was happy to accept a rosary, because she said prayer is very important for her. And there was actually another woman who had very similar feelings and views that also approached us later for a free rosary.

A man and his young son, both members of a local Chinese evangelical church, approached us and said “You guys are good missionaries, keep it up.” They accepted rosaries from us and pamphlets, and they mentioned something about telling their friends about our efforts and about the rosary (their English was very limited).

A lady and her two young sons went by on their bicycles, but one of the boys was starting to act up, so they stopped almost right next to us for a break. Apparently, they had been biking around the park collecting different types of native flowers, herbs, etc. When the mother saw that we were next to them, she apologized for her son’s outburst and offered us a bundle of herbs. We offered her and her sons rosaries, which they accepted. Then they were on their way again.

There was also an older gentleman who accepted a rosary from us, and he said that it reminded him that he hadn’t been to Mass in many years and that he should probably start attending Mass again. This sort of sentiment from passersby who accept rosaries is very common in our interactions here.

Probably our most interesting interaction occurred this day. A group of individuals associated with a local religious group called “The Twelve Tribes” approached our table. They run a local restaurant where their members work and live in community. They are Protestant-adjacent in their beliefs. These Twelve Tribes members who approached us were walking around the park doing some evangelization of their own, with signs and pamphlets. We exchanged some pamphlets, and they accepted rosaries from us. Upon receiving the rosaries from us, one of their members mentioned that they had recently been discussing the rosary within their Twelve Tribes community. Apparently, some of their members were curious about what the rosary was all about and how to pray it. I pray this will bear fruit among them! They also had questions for us about purgatory, the conscience, and other faith-related things. We found common ground with them and explained the Catholic teaching on these things. We ended by saying they are always welcome at Mass, and then they were on their way.

It was a very exciting and somewhat unexpected day of evangelization, to be sure!