Trinity - St. Peter the Apostle

Country: United States
State or province: Florida

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Joseph LaMacchia
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• First Outing

First Outing

August 28, 2024

The Tampa Team’s set-up

I was so blessed, humbled, and thankful recently to spend a few hours with the Tampa St. Paul Street Evangelization team, led by Bill Brown, in Ybor City. For those who aren't familiar, Ybor City is a historic & trendy urban neighborhood near downtown Tampa. Bill has been leading the Tampa team for 17 years and I appreciate the experience of evangelizing with him for my first ever outing as we near the official launch of our parish St. Paul Street Evangelization team at St. Peter the Apostle! I learned a lot from him and his team member, Jerry.

Some of the folks we encountered:

Carlos - a young teen who was out with his family who all stopped to pick up free Rosaries and literature about how to pray with it. Some were Catholic and others were not. Carlos was a sweet boy who loves Jesus. Let's please pray that he remains innocent in this world and his love for God only deepens. Carlos was carrying single roses and handed me one with a shy smile before they left.
Griffin - a young man from St. Paul, Minnesota, visiting friends. He approached and immediately apologized and said he meant no offense, then asked some pointed, but friendly, questions about things he had issues with when it comes to the Catholic Church, which Bill answered with a lot of knowledge and eloquence. It was a good conversation and Bill told Griffin that he had a lot of respect for him that he stopped to talk with us instead of making assumptions. Griffin is seeking and said he struggles with organized religion but grew up in a church-going family. Please pray that this young man finds the Truth in the Source of Truth.
An older teenage couple on skateboards stopped and shyly picked out Rosaries and the pamphlets about how to pray with them. The boy (maybe 17) lit up when he talked about his love for Jesus. Please pray for this young couple that they continue to grow in their love for the Lord and allow themselves to be guided by Him.
So many others - Ybor is a very popular area with plenty of foot traffic. Lots of folks stopped to chat, for prayer, to look at literature, to accept our offer of a free Rosary or medal, and even to thank us for being out there. Most people, as to be expected, declined our offers but were very polite with a "No thank you," or even a "No but God Bless you," and others just ignored us, which is fine.

“Centro Ybor City,” the heart of the Ybor City Historic District near downtown Tampa.

I just so happened to be there when the cops were called on the Tampa Team for the first time in Bill's many years of doing this ministry. A slightly overly-eager "Ambassador" (city employees who answer questions for tourists and are extra eyes for the Tampa Police) called the cops because he said we were obstructing the sidewalk. We weren't really as it's a wide sidewalk, but we of course obliged and moved to the area closer to the road where the officer said we could go. No big deal.

There are a lot of homeless in Ybor. Please pray for:

A young man who just got a job in demolition and is hoping it's the break he needs to get off the streets. We prayed over him, he picked out a Rosary, and he walked away all smiles.
Jahsyr - 21-year-old with whom I was blessed to have a nice conversation. Jahsyr believes in God and relies on his faith in Jesus to get him through a lot of pain that he carries - alcoholic mom who has not been a mom to him and no dad in his life. Jahsyr asked a lot of smart questions about the ways Catholic beliefs differ from the Jamaican Evangelical Protestant church he grew up in. Please pray that this young man can get off the streets and finds healing through the love of his Heavenly Father and the comfort and motherly care of Mother Mary through her intercession.
Cindy - I came across her as I walked back to the parking garage to go home. She asked for money and I'm cashless these days so I apologized and said I wish I could help but I didn't have any on me. She mentioned it was her birthday so I stopped to talk to her. She's 68 years old and she's been homeless on the streets for a few months. I asked if anyone was helping her like social services and she said they were but she was waiting for paperwork to go through. I didn't want to leave her without doing something special for her birthday (regardless whether that was true or not - I really don't care), so I offered to buy her something to eat since it was dinner time. I got her the pizza slice she asked for from the pizzeria around the corner as well as a Gatorade. I told her I would pray for her but I wish I had thought to offer to pray over her right there, to assure her of God's love for her and that He's with her in her present suffering and would never leave her. A learning moment for me. I feel very humbled and blessed that God placed this lady in my path so I could do some small kindness for her.

I think my biggest personal takeaways from this first outing are:

How FUN it is! The three of us were there chatting, laughing, and faith sharing when no one was walking by. God was present for sure - "where two or three are gathered." The joy on the faces of fellow believers to see us. The peace on the faces of those we prayed over who are going through trials. What a joy and a blessing to participate in this ministry.
How generally nice people were. I was afraid of hostility or interrogations on doctrinal matters but we encountered nothing of the sort.
How blessed I am in many ways. I am so thankful to God because there was a time in my life when I was very nearly homeless myself - a long time. I don't know why I was spared that particular cross when others aren't. I have other crosses in my life, for sure, that God helps me carry, and I thank Him that He kept me safe during some dark times some years ago when things could have turned out much differently for me. And, I'm amazed by the depth of God's love for me (and each and every one of us) because He kept me safe during times when my back was turned to Him in stubborn and prideful unbelief. I know that even those who are suffering so much right now have had - and still have - moments in their lives of God's grace and I pray they recognize those moments like young Jahsyr said he did and rely on God's grace to get them through.

I’m excited to start our parish St. Paul Street Evangelization team in September where we'll be going to Sims Park and hopefully various market events as a non-profit vendor as well as any other opportunity that arises on a monthly basis. It really is a lot of fun and a true blessing - for us as much as for those we encounter.