Dear Friend,

During a time of great trial for God's people, a time of warfare, famine, scandals and idolatry, Elisha prophesied to the kings who had come to him in distress regarding imminent attack by their enemy, that they should dig ditches in the valley, the location of the battle, and that despite the fact that they saw neither wind nor rain the Lord said, “this valley shall be filled with water." (2Kings 3:17) "The next morning there it was,…the land was filled with water." Not only did He provide drink for them but used it to defeat their enemy.

Since September 11, 2001, we have been in a time of warfare and trial in our nation. Frequently, times of trial lead to opportunities for purification and spiritual renewal. Elisha told the kings in response to their fears and anguish over their trials to dig ditches, to get ready for water to fill the land. They needed to provide the means of holding the water, which was going to come miraculously and in great abundance. In this time of increased spiritual opportunity, parishes and individuals need to ask the Lord what He wants us to do and take action!

Let’s pray and ask God to renew us with the Living Waters. Let’s use the abundance of grace and mercy we receive to defeat the enemies of discouragement, disappointment and despair. Let’s seize this opportunity and actively proclaim the victory of Jesus to those who need to hear the Good News!

Thanks for your prayers and support for this ministry!

Your brother,


Dave Nodar

Upcoming Events - Please pray for these events and join us if you are in the area.

For more information contact us!

Sept. 28 • Good News Young Adults Café
7:00 PM Gaithersburg, MD– Dave Nodar

Oct. 11-12 • Alpha in a Catholic Context Seminar Albany, NY - Dianne Martin

Oct. 25-26 • Alpha Conference For Catholics
Orlando, Florida -- Tell your friends!

Nov. 9 • Becoming Evangelizing Eucharistic Communities Seminar
St Francis Xavier Parish, Hunt Valley, MD

Nov. 14-15 • Gathering of Catholic Evangelization Leaders

Please Pray...

• For Jesus to renew and strengthen His Church

• For Catholics to grow in
passion for spreading the Gospel

• For the Florida Alpha Conference for Catholics

• For the staff of ChristLife

Chris Valenti, of St. Edmonds Parish, in Rehoboth, Delaware, came up with a brilliant plan for bulletin inserts that include a testimony and encouragement to evangelize in partnership with their parish Alpha course.
We thought it was worth passing along to all of you! Share your ideas with us also!

EVANGELIZATION HOW-TO #1 Situation: telling a stranger

John, the father of three school-age kids, always does his family’s grocery shopping on Tuesday nights so his wife can watch her favorite show, “Jag.” He knows she needs a break. While shopping, John always prays the rosary. Since he’s a regular on Tuesday nights, he knows all of the evening cashiers, until tonight. He docked his overflowing food cart and said to a new cashier “Hi, I’m John. You’re new here” The new cashier said that his name was Buzz. The store was slow and John was one of the few people checking out. As he loaded his groceries on the conveyor, he set down his rosary without a thought. Buzz looked over. “I haven't seen one of those since 4th grade. My granny gave me one for my confirmation; she was hoping I would keep going to Church. I guess I should have.” Then they went back to the groceries.
After a little time, John asked, “Buzz, where are you from?” Buzz said, “The city, you know, New York.” John replied, “We were in the City last Summer, to take the kids to see “The Music Man.” They loved it... But, we didn’t go up this Summer.”
Buzz was silent and seemed not to hear what John was saying. Then Buzz said, “ We, my wife and our 5-month old, moved here a few weeks ago. We had to leave; things changed. You know, 9-11.” John didn’t know what to say, so he prayed, “Jesus let me say the right thing.” John said to Buzz, ”You must have been frightened… I mean, I would have been terrified.” Buzz again seemed not to be listening.
As he was bagging the strawberry Pop Tarts, Buzz started talking. “Yeah, pretty scary. I worked in the financial district a few blocks from ground zero. Things happened so fast… All that I remember is us running out of the small building where I worked… everyone was pushing to get to the sidewalk… I called my wife, but my cell phone wasn’t working… there was dust, noise, frightened people. We were going in any direction… we didn’t know where to go… we just had to go someplace. I lived in the City all my life, but I couldn’t tell where I was. I was scared… for my wife, who was pregnant at home. It seemed like forever that the crowds kept pushing, and shoving and yelling. Then it stopped. The pushing stopped. It seemed quiet, people settled down, and the air cleared a bit and I looked up. There in front of us was Saint Patrick’s Cathedral… where I was confirmed. All of the sudden, I felt peace, like I had never felt before; so did everyone around me, even the Hasidic Jews, who were in the crowd. And I said a simple prayer, “Lord, help Kate. Please. Help Kate...and the baby”. Buzz paused, and tears welled-up in his eyes, and he turned his head away for a moment so I couldn’t see. He continued. “Then my cell phone rang. It was Kate. She was okay. And I told her I was fine. Weeks later we decided to move here, to start fresh, to raise a family.” John didn’t know what to say. He pulled out his Super Fresh card to scan and noticed he had one of the Alpha journey schedule cards from Church in his wallet. Without hesitation he said, “Buzz, I know you are new here. Here is something that you may be interested in. Our Church, Saint Edmond’s, is having a program called the Alpha journey. I hear it’s great. It’s a way for anyone to get to know Jesus as a person and a friend. Here is a little card with the schedule and contact numbers. I’ll write my name and number in case you have any questions.” As they parted, Buzz took the card, looked at it and said, Thanks, I just might do this.” John said, “Buzz, it was nice talking to you. I hope I see you around. God Bless.” As John walked away, Buzz looked at the card, ready to toss it, but instead, slipped it into his pocket.

UPDATE: Buzz attended Alpha, and became excited about his faith like he never thought possible. He talked to the Pastor, and after reconciliation, was back to attending Mass regularly. He convinced his wife to attend the next session of Alpha and he arranged his work schedule so he could be home with Max, their son. Buzz is also now taking weekly Bible study with John.

Ask yourself, “If not me, who? If not now, when?”

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Copyright (c) 2002 ChristLife Catholic Evangelization Services
Permission is hereby granted to copy or reprint ChristLife newsletters for personal use, research files, internal circulation, and bulletin inserts. Please include "Copyright (c)2002 ChristLife" and our web address: www.christlife.org. Written permission is required if the article is to be included in a book, or in newspapers or magazines with paid subscriptions.

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