Boise

Country: United States
State or province: Idaho

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Lucy Stamm
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Anticipation - 2024-11-10

November 17, 2024

Holiday decorations are already going up, but we emphasize Him Who is the reason for the Season.

As we were setting up a young-adult, non-Catholic couple rushed to the table after the female half of the pair gave an enthusiastic “yes!” to our offer of a free Rosary. Thinking she was simply getting a cross necklace, the young lady was surprised and intrigued by the depth and intent of the Rosary prayer. She seemed especially excited about finding out about the Rosary since they had just come from attending church. The young man stood back, but at the women’s encouragement he finally picked out a Rosary. Thank God for her joyous faith and may it draw others to follow Christ with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

A perhaps 30-year-old woman stopped to ask for Rosaries for each of her two children. She also asked for prayers for her mother, “Teresa”, who is on hospice with heart failure. We prayed with her on the spot, and then encouraged her to choose a Rosary for herself, too. We also gave her a Divine Mercy prayer card and encouraged her to pray it out loud in her mother’s presence. Lord, if it be Thy will, please restore Teresa to health and to her family.

A photographer stopped for a Rosary before heading in to set up for the big athletic match happening in the arena later that afternoon. He was Catholic and already familiar with the devotion. Lord, keep him faithful and help him grow ever closer to You!

A teenager on a skateboard screeched to a stop in front of the table, saying he had picked up a Rosary in the past and kept it hung up at home. But he now thought he needed one to carry with him. We agreed that carrying one was a good idea, but our visitor seemed to understand the Rosary only as a symbol of some kind of protection. We explained the prayer and how it helps people get to know Jesus Christ, and emphasized the importance of being in prayer. Just then, a friend of his who was on foot arrived at the table and asked about the Rosaries. So, the evangelists began again to talk about prayer. The boy on the skateboard seemed in a hurry to go and responded to the evangelists with curt okays, sures, and yeps, as he picked out his Rosary. But then he suddenly reached for a Good News/kerygma pamphlet and said, “I’ll take one of these.” He sped away on his skateboard stuffing pamphlets and Rosary in his pocket, while his friend thanked us before following him. Pray that these young men, and teens everywhere, can slow down long enough to hear God’s call to follow Him.

A man looking to get into the sports area declined our offer with a familiar trope used by fallen away Catholics: “I’m a recovering altar boy and a recovering Catholic school kid.” An evangelist responded, “God loves you and will take you back.” Pray for him and all fallen-away Catholics that they may recover from self-love and seek their one true Love in His Church.

A woman picked out a Rosary because the one she had at home was “old and delicate”, passed down from a grandmother, and that she needed “a praying Rosary”. After that, another Catholic woman stopped to tell us that she had a Rosary at home that was blessed by the Pope. We also gave her another one to keep with her and use for prayer.

A family group with 4-5 adults and two preschool-aged children stopped. Only the children accepted a Rosary. Lord, grant the family unity and a living relationship with You! And, as they hurried by, at least six other people chose one of the Rosaries we were holding in our hand. Lord, help them stop and connect with You, the only One Who can save them!

The business park had erected a privacy fence around a gigantic decorated spruce tree in the center of the Grove. They are probably planning to set up the free skating rink again before Thanksgiving weekend. Unfortunately, the construction fence makes the business park look closed, so foot traffic was lighter than expected. On the other hand, a greater proportion of people said yes, so we gave away 25-30 Rosaries and its pamphlet, a copy of the kerygma pamphlet, and 1 Divine Mercy prayer card.

Please pray for us again today? Ask God to send people to us with their 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.

Jesus, and what He has done for us, is worth getting excited about. 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).