Boise

Country: United States
State or province: Idaho

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Lucy Stamm
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A Quiet Win or Two - 2025-03-23

March 30, 2025

Sometimes interior victories happen without a lot of drama. So, thank you again for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization effort.

We were joined by first-time evangelist “John”, who is on fire for the Faith and an active member of the area-wide young adult group. New in the Boise area, he still needs to choose a local parish.

A nicely dressed, petite woman was on the phone when she passed by, and so didn’t reply when we offered her a free Rosary. But a few minutes later, she came back because she wanted one for her friend. Our visitor told us that she “used to be Catholic, but is now Christian.” E. Lucy assured her that Catholics are Christian and that the Sacraments found only in the Catholic Church are powerful. The evangelist then briefly explained the Rosary devotion as a way to grow closer to Jesus Christ. Our visitor asked for the Rosary pamphlet in Spanish for her friend. Then she decided she’d like a Rosary for herself, too, also with the pamphlet in Spanish. On our way to our cars, she came running up to us again, asking if there were any Spanish-language Masses in the area. We gave her a copy of our map to area parishes, pointing out the three parishes that regularly offer Mass in Spanish. She stepped away to read the information to her friend who was on the phone with her. May God grant that they both get connected with a Catholic community in their own native language.

Long-time frequent visitor “Walt”, whom we haven’t seen for a year or more, stopped by for one of his signature session-long visits, talking at length in turn with e. Lucy and then e. Chuck. He called e. Chuck, “Mike”, and we had to break the sad news to him that e. Mike has passed away. Although, Walt is no longer homeless, he is very concerned about the local government’s push to criminalize homelessness. (May God open the hearts of those who can help and grant them compassion and wisdom.) Walt also talked about his beloved cat who keeps him challenged, his continued fight in court over a citation, and his making of model cars. But he became emotional when talking about how God helped him survive when he was living on the street, and how he feels called to help anyone who is contemplating self-harm or is forced into homelessness. Pray that Walt puts his full trust in God and seeks to serve Him.

“Marty”, now fully recovered from his wrist injury, stopped by for a quick light-hearted chat. He still seems to feel no need for a Church community.

A tall, 50ish man stopped, but didn’t approach the table. “What is a Rosary, and where is it in the Bible?” he challenged. E. Lucy ran over to him, opening the Rosary pamphlet that shows where each of the Mysteries is in the Bible. She emphasized that the Rosary is simply a tool to help us time our meditations on the life of Jesus, which in turn help us grow closer to Him. He accepted the pamphlet and walked on. (E. John seemed disappointed that his fellow evangelist didn’t let the conversation escalate into a prolonged Bible-thumping argument, but sometimes a quiet explanation is all that is needed.)

Three teens came to the table after one of them stopped. He said he had “lots of Rosaries at home”, but seemed to want another. He chose one and perched it on top of his hair. His companions declined receiving one but, as they headed on their way, our visitor tried to tell them that it helped him do tricks on his skateboard (?). Lord, we trust You to sort it out. May our visitor’s attraction to the Rosary beads turn into an attraction to its Lord! (The teen and his friends passed by again somewhat later, the Rosary having been tucked demurely within his shirt.)

Altogether, we were able to give away 20-25 Rosaries and its pamphlet, 1 Divine Mercy prayer card, 1 map, 1 “Do I Need a Savior?” pamphlet and 1 “Who Am I?” 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.

Although we rarely see immediate fruit for our effort, sometimes we do see evidence that a word has touched the heart. Glory be to God! 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!

“They are happy, whose strength is in you, in whose hearts are the roads to Zion” (Ps 84:6).