Wallingford walk down 45th Street

By Bella Sison

On Tuesday, May 30, Cindy and I headed out for a day of outreach in the Wallingford district of Seattle. I had not been to this area before, and she had never done a full day of outreach, so we were both excited for something new. We walked from the U-District down 45th street, visiting businesses and distributing copies of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly as we went.

Bigfoot sightings are common on 45th Street at Archie McFee’s

We found the most interest from personal care businesses, such as dentist offices and nail salons. Most of them took copies of the Monitor, and one wanted a gift subscription. Later on our path, we found a cafe where we stopped for a treat. We also talked to the friendly barista inside, who was happy to take some copies and accept a gift subscription for the business.

We also had a complicated situation that day that provided an opportunity for prayer about how we approach interactions. We spoke to someone and offered some copies of the Monitor, only for him to become hostile over what he perceived as religious propagandizing. This interaction was quite difficult because he seemed determined to argue about our intentions. However, we stayed respectful and explained our perspective of the Monitor as a secular but uplifting news source as much as he would allow. He did finally accept a couple copies. 

Throughout and after the interaction, I prayed to know that everyone can be receptive to goodness and respectful to anyone expressing good. Immediately after this interaction, we visited a nearby restaurant, where the worker was friendly and immediately accepted the sample copies and a gift subscription! Overall, this experience taught me that we may face challenges in our work, but the best thing to do is show love in every interaction and expect good to come, even after a seemingly negative situation.

Cindy and Bella taking a lunch break at the ever-popular Dick’s Drive In