In response to Upper Room’s invitation to share stories about proclaiming
God’s love, Anne Harman sent in these two stories.
Parking in the back, shaded area of the church lot for noon Mass meant that the cooler in my car with lunch for my mom would stay cold. It also meant a fair, hot walk into Mass. In the middle of the lot was an older vehicle with its hood open. A young man stood next to it dumping water into the radiator. I asked what happened and he said that the car had overheated. “Good luck to you,” I mumbled and went into Mass.
During Mass, the Lord impressed upon me that helping the man was what I needed to do. And I felt strongly that “Good luck” was a friendly comment but that I could have done better. The Lord also informed me that I could have prayed with him. As Mass progressed, I found myself promising God that I’d help in whatever way I could and that I’d pray with this fellow IF HE WAS still there.
He was.
As I walked up to car I noticed a newer truck next to it with three young men in the back seat. They put the window down as I approached. “Hi. What is happening with your vehicle? I have some water in my van if that would help.”
They all got out of the air conditioned truck to speak with me and said they were waiting on a tow truck. “Let’s pray and then you can try and start your car!” Then they informed me that it was able to be started and simply could not drive very far. I asked their names after telling them mine and we prayed.
Seeds were planted that day. They heard the name of Jesus Christ during prayer. They heard and saw a daily communicant reach out. God is good.
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Daily noon Mass in Southfield draws the faithful from far and wide! I noticed a friend I’d not seen in a long while whose family had just endured (and was still enduring) much public humiliation.
My response of 10 years ago would have been to politely say hello and then be on my way. The Lord has changed my heart! Because I did notice her during Mass, I let the Lord direct me about what to do.
I took the time to approach her and let her know that I had heard about the situation. We spoke briefly; I then asked her if she would like prayer. She gave a hearty “Yes.” At the end of the prayer, she added “Jesus, I trust in you!”
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How are you responding to the call to proclaim God’s love?
Upper Room would love to post other people’s stories like this to build each other’s faith and share evangelism ideas. Email your story for consideration to Christy at UpperRoom@ctkcc.net.