Boise

Country: United States
State or province: Idaho

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Lucy Stamm
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Still within Christ's reach - 2023-08-20

August 27, 2023

A wide variety of attitudes were encountered last session. So thank you again for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization effort.

When I arrived, a group of 3-5 smokers, all dressed in black, were standing almost in “our spot”. I started to set up anyway, and most of them wandered off. A man approached from another direction, saying he “had a question”. But then he ranted that the presence of evil disproves God’s goodness. Before the evangelist could open her mouth in reply, he was out of earshot. At that, the remaining two from the smoking crowd, a man and woman, stepped forward. They thanked me for being there and affirmed that, although the passerby had said he “had a question”, all he really had was a close-minded opinion. It turns out the two were Christian skin artists (tattoos), rare in their profession. (A "skin art" show was being held in the sports arena.) The hints of the couple's artwork, peeking out from their modest clothing, were indeed of a more uplifting style than what seems currently popular. The evangelist encouraged them by telling a story of how, in a different art field, the Christian witness—though at the time met with stony silence—actually produced positive changes in her fellow artists’ works. May God bless the Christian couple and keep them faithful!

Successive groups of young adults, all dressed in black, made a huge dent in our small hoard of black Rosaries, just as we were setting up. I don’t remember any specific conversation.

A bit later the man with the opinion passed by again. E. Lucy offered him a copy of our “The Problem of Suffering and Evil” pamphlet. He haughtily replied that he would read it only if the evangelist read his manifesto promoting death for the most vulnerable (my words, not his). She declined, but couldn’t help but wonder how the man could hold this latter attitude in harmony with his earlier-expressed “evil is bad” belief. May God reach him and draw him to Himself, the source of true Good.

A group of five or six girls, maybe 6-8 years old, passed by. They were followed by two younger girls, accompanied by a dad. One of them wanted a Rosary and the father said they could choose one. He, though, seemed content with his own “former Catholic” status. Soon afterward, the other girls all made their way back for a Rosary apiece. May God bless them and lead their families back to Him!

A group of three teens, dressed in black with thick makeup, stopped for Rosaries. The evangelist encouraged them to use the Mysteries to get to know Jesus Christ and experience the peace that only He can bring. They stopped again another couple of times with questions about the devotion. Although they seemed a bit flippant, perhaps it was merely a defense mechanism to deal with their peer group. When the evangelist asked straight out if they were mocking her, they denied it. May they actually be drawn deep into the Heart of Jesus and salvation, even if persecuted by their peers!

A group of three middle-aged adults stopped when one wanted a Rosary. They explained that they were Catholic, and had just come from Mass at the parish where the evangelist had grown up. They felt encouraged to see the Catholic Faith attested to in public.

A tall man with effeminate gait, dressed in black, and sporting bright fuchsia hair, stopped when e. Lucy offered him a Rosary. He fiddled with his phone for a moment and then held it up to play something. Thank God, though, the business park’s sound system was extra loud that day, so all she could hear was tinny static, that is, just enough to know he was playing something. Then he said something in an angry tone and flounced off. Again, I thank God for sparing us the details of his anger. Sometime later, he passed by again and the evangelist called, “May God bless you!”. After a moment’s pause, he again responded with apparent anger, but again couldn’t be heard over the sound system. He passed by yet a third time, after I had packed up and was on my way out. This time, there was no exchange. May God reach his heart, heal him, and bring him to salvation!

A man stopped, initially wanting a Rosary. When offered the pamphlet, he declined. Then he admitted that his brother is a recently retired Catholic priest of this diocese. E. Lucy recognized the name as someone who had attended the same Newman Center as the evangelist. We then talked about the growing fascination of young people with Catholicism. May God grant them a vibrant, lasting Faith!

Very few of the people heading into the “skin art” show were interested in receiving a Rosary.

No sign of “Justin” this session.

Foot traffic was often fairly light, perhaps because of the gloomy weather overhead and the flash flood warning in effect. Still, the evangelist gave away a good 20 Rosaries and its pamphlet.

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 can reach them, hot or cold (cf. Rev 3:15-16). So thank you again for your prayers and other support for this apostolate. In turn, may God protect and bless you and all those you love!

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

https://streetevangelization.com/team-page/?team-chapter=boise&view-blog=true