Philadelphia - Lower Bucks County

Country: United States
State or province: Pennsylvania

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Nancy Hoyt
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• Suburban Station Phila 4-20-2024 and Good Shepherd Sunday

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• Street Evangelization at Frankford Hospital on Saturday, November 26, 2022

Street Evangelization at Frankford Hospital on Saturday, November 26, 2022

November 27, 2022

After attending the 8 AM Mass at Saint Christopher’s Parish in Somerton, Nancy and I drove down to Frankford Hospital in northeast Philadelphia to try evangelizing again in front of a hospital, as we had often done before the Covid pandemic. It was a beautiful, sunny morning, and we were grateful for the nice weather as we set up our stand and giveaway items in front of the main entrance to the hospital. While there were not many passersby at the outset, given that it was only 9 AM, we began meeting more people, especially visitors, as they walked up or drove up to the entrance. We eventually met with at least twenty people or families and gave away at least two dozen rosaries or religious medals after speaking with them. There were many instances of people going through very painful circumstances, and several of them told us that we were there at just the right moment in the midst of their suffering. One of the most touching encounters was with a tall African-American woman named Kelly, who began shedding abundant tears as she poured out her story to us. About a month ago, her husband Bruce was murdered in cold blood in Reading in front of their sixteen year old son Brandon. Nancy and I immediately placed our arms on her shoulders in a group hug and began praying for Kelly to feel God’s consoling embrace in her profound grief. When we finished praying a few minutes later, Kelly wiped her eyes and thanked us profusely for the prayer and the crucifix, and we gave her another bear hug before she went on her way. There were several Hispanic families that I managed to pray with in Spanish, and in one case, a poor woman from the Domican Republic who is tending to her ailing husband and mother insisted on giving our ministry $ 5 in order to purchase more medals and rosaries. In another instances, I approached a young woman walking up Frankford Avenue, and when I offered her a crucifix, she broke down in tears and told me that she had not eaten a proper meal in four days. We offered to buy her breakfast, and she revealed that she had been robbed at gunpoint only a week earlier, which seemed plausible, as one of the garage attendants who accepted a rosary from us told us that one of his coworkers had been murdered very close by only a few days earlier. At any rate, the needs of the people living in the poorer areas of Philadelphia are overwhelming. Their hearts are wide open to the message of the gospel, and they are eager to have us minister to them. It is our intention to not only return to Frankford Hospital, but to also set up our station in front of the nearby children's hospital, Saint Christopher’s in Juniata Park. If you are able to lend us hand, please let us know. In the meantime, we promised to have our group pray for these intentions:

Ann, who is undergoing treatment for a second bout of epilepsy after being injured in a car crash, and for her seven year old newphew Andrew.
Maria, a patient in Frankford Hospital (requested by her daughter)
Jayden, who is hospitalized for flu-like symptoms and possibly other complications
Michelle, who is undergoing treatment for epilepsy
Tiffany, who is undergoing treatment for depression and anxiety, and who almost leapt to her death from a bridge last week
Kelly, whose husband Bruce was murdered in Reading last month, and for their son Brandon
Alfonso, who is being treated for high blood pressure
María, who is bedridden, and her son-in-law Celino, who is currently hospitalized with an unspecified condition (request of María’s daughter)
William, a security guard at the hospital who requested prayers for his safety after the murder of his coworker
Denise, who was robbed at gun point and whose two children are in child protection services
Keith, who recently underwent brain surgery
Diane, for a new home and job security

We look forward to working with more team members at our next event!

God bless,

Deacon Mark Kuhn