On Monday a crew of people showed up at my little-church for noon:fifteen mass and I was like, “Hey.”
And they were like, “We’re from Colorado on mission to Detroit.”
So I was like, “Cool story, bro, I’m going to sit over here and pray.”
Not really, but kind of.
Then I saw them again on Tuesday and they were like, “Do you have a map? We’re trying to visit every church in the Archdiocese to pray for it.”
And I was like, “Ummmm, sure, I have a map in my car.”
So then I went to my car and I found a map and I outlined all of the churches around here on the map (Andrew, I sent them to St. Joseph’s, don’t worry), along with a nice little walking-route and some notes about each church.
Then I was like, “I’ll walk you to your start-point, but then I need to go back to work.”
So we walked down to the Spirit of Detroit and I pointed out the city center and the original location of Ste Anne’s because I love this broken city. And then I pointed out the Ren Cen and told them that it was a good place that people knew about, should they get lost and need to meet somewhere. And then I told them it was time to get back to work, but would they like to pray, first?
They were like, “Sure,” and we gathered in a circle.
First they prayed prayers for me, that God would give me the desires of my heart and stuff and it was just absolutely touching.
And then I wanted to pray for them, too, on missions, so I started with, “God, please bless my city” and then I couldn’t continue because sometimes you just love something too much, you know? I love this city and I love my faith and when those things overlap…goodness gracious.
I pulled it together, though, and wished them well and headed back to my desk. I forgot to even capture a picture, even though I wanted to.
And as I walked back I thought about how much I would like to make a mission to my city and pray for all the things, so if anyone is up for that insanity, holler.
(Alternatively, if you want to donate lotsa $$ to my dream of moving to the city, that would be cool, too).
But, yeah. I loved these missionaries and I loved meeting them–keep them in your prayers and hearts, too, as God undoubtedly leads them to new and abundant LIFE.
I’m touched that God had our paths cross. I’m touched that they responded to God’s call to mission. I’m touched by their prayers and their excitement and their faith.
Many times, the faith of others buoys us, you know? And that’s what I saw happen on Tuesday. <3