Boise

Country: United States
State or province: Idaho

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Lucy Stamm
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Desire for Prayer - 2024-06-30

July 7, 2024

People need God. So, thank you again for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization effort.

A repeat visitor, the homeless veteran who uses a walker, was distressed. He came right to the table and picked out a Rosary. Then he told us that he’d unexpectedly lost his father the week before, on Father’s Day. He hadn’t been able to be there with him, and his father didn’t want any kind of memorial service. E. Lucy encouraged him to cling closely to Christ, Who can bring meaning out of suffering. Our visitor is grieving heavily; please pray for him.

“The merchant” came by, and complained to e. Chuck that e. Lucy wouldn’t give him a Rosary the previous week. E. Chuck was unmoved.

“Frank”, a man passed us by on his bicycle, then turned back to pick out a Rosary. For some time, he stayed to talk with e. Chuck about his life. Frank is “an ex-Catholic” who had much financial success, but then “partied too much” and his marriage fell apart, although his children are all “successful.” He is homeless, still drinks and has cancer, but is convinced that “staying optimistic and getting back to work” will fix everything. He is sure the world needs God to avoid doom; but he thinks he just “has to stay happy in the moment” to get by. He wondered who created God. The evangelist mostly listened, but tried to point to the primacy of God in our lives and our desperate need to humble ourselves before Christ, Who saved us. Pray that Frank relies on himself less and less, and lets God’s will become the foundation of his life.

“Bob” works at the hotel that anchors “our business park”, and was taking a walk on his break. He and his wife pray the Rosary daily. His wife gets up early to watch a televised Mass every day. When asked if he wanted a Rosary for someone else, he did take one. Bob had recently lost his 55-year-old sister-in-law. (His brother is in a memory-care facility.) Before she passed, Bob was grateful that he could call her three times a week and pray the Divine Mercy chaplet with her. He thanked us for being out there. He came immediately back right after leaving to ask if the Rosaries are blessed. May God bless Bob and his wife and keep them faithful.

A tall homeless man rejected our offer of a Rosary with, “No way. I’m done with all that mess.” As he was preparing to walk away, though, he paused to ask if we had heard about the hit-and-run accident that happened nearby the night before. He described the events in detail, then asked us, “since that’s what you do”, to pray for the victim, who survived but was badly hurt, and for the perpetrator, who was found a short time later. So let’s pray for them and for this man, too, who rejects the things of God and yet wants His help. May he see that his own need for God is just as urgent as it is for the person who got run over.

A 20-something couple was passing us by, when the man decided to come to the table. His pregnant wife moved farther away before stopping to wait for him. He said he had grown up Catholic but was no longer active. We gave him a “Come Home” pamphlet. Then he shared that his wife belongs to a pseudo-Christian religion, and that it had caused a great deal of strife in her family when she married him, an outsider. He was very concerned how she would respond to his picking up a Rosary, and kept glancing at her as he talked to us. Pray for their marriage, that it may weather this storm, and pray for him that the Holy Spirit will fill him with the grace so he has the strength and courage to renew his faith in Christ.

An athletic older woman passing by paused briefly to thank us for being there. She’s Catholic and prays the Rosary regularly. She took a few steps away and then came back to happily declare that only the Rosary got her through her previous marathon. Praise God for his generous mercy!

An “ex-Catholic” has stopped several times over the years to tell us “the Catholic Church is all wrong.” This time, he was riding a bicycle beside a young woman, and stopped in front of the table. Our previous encounter had been cordial, so e. Chuck teased him, wondering aloud if he was here to argue again. Our visitor laughed. The evangelist then asked the young woman if she wanted a Rosary. She did, and went to get one from e. Lucy. E. Chuck said he hoped the man wouldn’t discourage the woman from praying the Rosary, and he said that he would not. But then the man asked her what she planned to do with it as she got back on her bicycle. She grinned and shrugged. Pray that the man’s heart is softened, and that the young woman will have the courage to persevere in prayer in the face of opposition.

A young man wanted a Rosary but was not sure what it was for. And when asked if he was a Christian, he hemmed and hawed, and then said, “I like Jesus.” The evangelist told him that Jesus is God Incarnate, Who died for him, and calls us to do more than simply “like” Him. We encouraged our visitor to get to know Jesus fully by praying the Rosary for a week. As the man was choosing a Rosary, a group of teenagers stopped and he stayed to listen as the evangelists shared the Good News with them before he moved on. We let our first visitor know that we are there every week if he had any questions. Pray that the seed of Faith takes root in his heart, and he comes to love and adore Jesus.

Three teenage boys on scooters came to the table unbidden and asked how much the beads were. When we said they were free, they moved right in to pick one each. Amid the chaotic flurry of each choosing his Rosary, the evangelists shared the Good News, displaying the Mysteries of the Rosary depicted in the Rosary pamphlet. They were thankful, and said “God bless you” before zooming away. Pray that their faith will grow and mature and draw them ever closer to their Savior.

We were blessed with mild weather last week, the temperature barely warm enough for the children playing in the fountain. We gave away 12-15 Rosaries and its pamphlet, and a “Come Home” 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 brings greater good out of any suffering He allows. Sometimes, that good is our awareness of our need for Him. So, thank you again for your prayers and other support for this apostolate. In turn, may God protect and greatly bless you and all those you love!

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