Ybor City - 5/21/22
June 13, 2022
Another great day evangelizing for our Lord Jesus Christ in Ybor City. Here is a sampling of our encounters:
- The picture above is Reuben informing Thiemo of where he might like to attend Mass while he is here in Tampa. Thiemo is a Dutch soldier temporarily stationed at MacDill AFB where he is learning from the Joint Special Operations Command.
- I spoke to Lisa who was upset that she was told the end is near by a guy who seemed "very knowledgeable". I told her that Jesus tells us no one knows the time, and she should concentrate on the things in her life that mattered. About 30 minutes later I was visited by Joseph. He asked us to pray away his demons. He said the tribulation is here, now. We figured out where Lisa got her information. Joseph was a very troubled individual. We prayed over him. I hope he received some peace from the Holy Spirit.
- Dimitrie declined a rosary but asked us to pray for his safe travels. He gladly accepted a St. Christopher medal when I told the story of the patron Saint of travelers.
- When we asked Bradley what he wanted prayers for, he responded "loneliness". He said that was the worst part of homelessness.
- Stacia gave multiple rosaries to a group of exchange students from Spain. They asked for the grace to give back to Spain what they were learning in the US.
- A few people were just starting on their faith journey:
- Robert was having trouble accepting the truth of the Bible. I gave him a few pamphlets on the topic, and we prayed for faith.
- Tathiana asked for prayers that she might accept the existence of God.
- Shannon was in the process of discerning whether or not to become Catholic. We had a long conversation on many topics (liturgy, sacredness, priesthood, the rosary). It was going very well. Then she asked, "There's one thing I have a problem with. Do you guys believe Jesus is God?" Of course, I answered in the affirmative, but you'd think she could have brought that up a little sooner. It's kind of a biggie. I gave her the appropriate SPSE pamphlets on Jesus and the Trinity. I also gave her a 20 questions book from Catholic Answers, "The Real Jesus".
Thanks to all who joined me: Reuben, Pete, Bob, and Stacia. You should come too. E-mail me at bill@brown.org. We typically go out the 3rd Saturday of the month.