I was so delighted to receive this e-mail that I had to reshare it with everyone! Darrell should be a model for all of us!!
Hi Steve,
Just had to share this…I was visiting San Antonio this weekend and as I walked around the riverwalk section of town, a gentleman approached me with a gospel tract. When he asked, “Are you sure you are saved?”, I thought to myself, “What would Steve say?”
After thinking for a second, I smiled and told him, “Absolutely–I’m saved the bible way!” When he asked what I meant by my (your) response, the ensuing answer led to an hour-long conversation with me doing my best to give rock-solid (no pun intended) answers to each of his skeptical questions. I even raised some points for which he had no “packaged” answers.
This was the first time since my conversion to the Church that I’ve really engaged in apologetics and defended the faith adequately. What made it more interesting is that this guy is a fallen-away Catholic and an MD who has started a small church of his own (At one point I even suggested that he was, in a sense, a self-appointed pope!).
After we shook hands, I walked away and overheard him telling others on his mission team, “Wow, that was a very intellectual argument!” It turned out to be the highlight of my weekend. I am so grateful for all the work that you and other notable converts have done, through your books, CDs and videos, to get me to this point.
Safe travels, Darrell
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Awesome! Keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
De Maria
Awsome story! Keep reading and you’ll be prepared!
simply delightful to hear!!!!!!
Great post!
Good works beget more good works.
So often we, cradle Catholics need to be pruned down to our roots. Who better to do that, than a fresh, unspoiled convert? Good on you Darrell, keep up the great work, and may God continue to bless you.
Hey Steve,
This was an email I sent to you a couple of years ago! I still remember the incident well, and often wonder about the gentleman with whom I had that conversation. Since that time, I have continued to study the faith, and have shared what I’ve learned with many more people. I am eternally grateful for your role in my conversion to the Church in 2011, and for being so kind to me on a couple of occasions that we spoke. In fact, each time I attend mass and receive communion, I return to my seat, kneel in prayer, and thank God for His Church, for all those who work within it to do His will, for those who led me into the light the Church, and for the opportunity to share that light with others. May God continue to bless your work and your family.
Regards,
Darrell
Great response to street preacher. I would like to be able to respond like that but I don’t know how. Are there any books that would help?
STEVE RAY HERE: I would join the St. Paul Street Evangelism group and learn these things in their classes and in real life.
Hi Steve,
I have been a staunch follower of your insightful articles and talks on social media which has really captivated me and even spurred me further to engage in a burning passion of catholic evangelism in my country. I am a 28 years old lad from Gambia, West Africa. What actually pushes me to engage in this catholic evangelism is that i live in a country whose majority by population is Muslim and therefore has only one diocese. However, the insufficiency of priests to adequately cover all christian communities has made it possible for protestant denominations to prey on weak-minded Christians in such places and pollute them with bogus christian doctrines. Most of these so-called pastors however come from Nigeria and have inundated our country with so much mushroom churches and to a great degree have been able to convince a lot more Catholics to join their churches.
It is with this background that i want to engage in evangelism activities to help build fellow Christians more in the Catholic faith so as not to fall victim to the advances of such money launderers masquerading as preachers of the Lord`s word. Therefore, i seek support from you in terms of resource materials, lectures and other forms of support to undertake this mission.
Regards,
Michel Jatta, Gambia
Hi Steve,
I have been a staunch follower of your insightful articles and talks on social media which has really captivated me and even spurred me further to engage in a burning passion of catholic evangelism in my country. I am a 28 years old lad from Gambia, West Africa. What actually pushes me to engage in this catholic evangelism is that i live in a country whose majority by population is Muslim and therefore has only one diocese. However, the insufficiency of priests to adequately cover all christian communities has made it possible for protestant denominations to prey on weak-minded Christians in such places and pollute them with bogus christian doctrines. Most of these so-called pastors however come from Nigeria and have inundated our country with so much mushroom churches and to a great degree have been able to convince a lot more Catholics to join their churches.
It is with this background that i want to engage in evangelism activities to help build fellow Christians more in the Catholic faith so as not to fall victim to the advances of such money launderers masquerading as preachers of the Lord`s word. Therefore, i seek support from you in terms of resource materials, lectures and other forms of support to undertake this mission.
Regards,
Michel Jatta, Gambia
Hi Steve,
I still recall this encounter, and though I haven’t experienced many discussions as intense as that one, I have had multiple opportunities to share the fullness of the faith in more casual settings. I continue to study and learn about the faith–we are blessed today to have so many wonderful apologists who speak and write on behalf of the Church. You might be interested to know that I now have a grown daughter who teachers religion at a private Catholic school, and she has used your Footprints of God series to help her students better understand the faith. They are loving the videos!
Thank you again for all that you do to help support the Church!
God bless, and safe travels!
Darrell
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