40 Days for Life

May the spirit and example of the Good Samaritan fill the hearts and minds of all our citizens.

Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So, too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Here Jesus commands us to show mercy to the victims of the culture of violence and death.

But why did the priest and Levite fail to show mercy? Perhaps they feared that the robbers were hiding just around the next corner to attack them. They asked themselves, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?"

The Samaritan, however, reversed the question, and asked, "If I don't stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

In working to save the unborn, let's not worry about what will happen to us if we act; let's worry about what will happen to the unborn if we don't.

Father, we are moved by the lesson of the Good Samaritan, who allowed compassion to influence him more than fear. Give us the same heart. Grant that we may never count the cost of standing up and speaking out for the unborn. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

THREE ELEMENTS

Constant vigil

The visible, public centerpiece of 40 Days for Life is a 40-day, round-the-clock prayer vigil outside a Planned Parenthood center or other abortion facility in your community.

Those who are called to stand witness maintain a peaceful and educational presence.

This 24-hour-a-day presence send a powerful message to the community about the tragic reality of abortion. It also serves as a call to repentance for those who work at the abortion center and those who patronize the facility.

If you do not have an abortion facility or Planned Parenthood office in your town, you can still conduct 40 Days for Life. However, you will need to select a different location which has some strategic significance ... perhaps near city hall, a courthouse, or a highly visible intersection.

Community outreach

40 Days for Life in Greenville, South Carolina

During 40 Days for Life, the pro-life message is proactively taken to every corner of your community. This can identify hundreds, or even thousands, of pro-life supporters.

A door-to-door petition and education drive reaches out to every household in your town or city. Informational flyers are distributed in neighborhoods to raise awareness about the local crisis of abortion. Citizens are invited to sign a petition of support for the sanctity of human life, and people are given the opportunity to visibly show their support for 40 Days for Life by wearing wristbands, placing signs in their yards, or displaying bumper stickers on their vehicles.

These people can then be encouraged to pray and join in local pro-life efforts.

Church involvement begins by meeting with local pastors, other church leaders, and members of different congregations. The Body of Christ is invited to pray together and participate in 40 Days for Life, uniting in one focused mission that can save lives and make an eternal impact.

Media outreach is conducted through carefully targeted news stories, talk shows, editorials, and letters to the editor. This enables you to get the pro-life message out to many people who would never see the inside of a local church.

If your community has a college campus, many students can be impacted through an intense 40-day campus outreach. This can consist of flyer raids, sidewalk chalking, petition drives, table displays, and much more.

Local leadership with 40 Days for Life

40 Days for Life in Halifax, Nova Scotia

40 Days for Life is primarily a local campaign. Yes, there is a national team that provides information, resources and encouragement, but all campaigns are based at the local level. Each community knows best when it comes to countering the damage abortion has caused in each individual city and town.

No one is appointed as a local 40 Days for Life leader; in each community, someone must step up and accept the challenge.

The campaign is also a group effort. There needs to be a main coordinator, but there is a whole level of duties and responsibilities that must be filled in addition to the director's position:

Prayer coordinator
Vigil coordinator
Outreach coordinator
Event coordinator
Church coordinator
Communications coordinator
And possibly others, depending on your local needs.

A line from Scripture comes to mind: "Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will." Please pray for discernment and guidance. 40 Days for Life won't happen without somebody. "Somebody" could be you!

Today’s email:

“It’s official!” reads the message from Michael, the
local 40 Days for Life coordinator in Severna Park,
Maryland.

“We have confirmed that Gynecare is closed,” he wrote,
“and will not reopen its doors. The office suite that
Gynecare has operated in for years is already listed
for rent, and we have confirmed with the listing agent
that the current tenant will be completely out of the
office soon!”

For the seventh time now, the Lord has responded to
40 Days for Life volunteers’ prayers by closing the
doors of a place where countless numbers of innocent
lives were lost!!!

40 Days for Life came to Severna Park in the fall of
2008, and the focus from the beginning had been this
Gynecare abortion facility.

However, the campaign faced a significant hurdle.
The center was located in a private development, and
the closest the volunteers could get was several
hundred yards away.

But they prayed ... and they prayed ... and they prayed,
that God would end abortions at this facility.

“God has heard our prayers and has moved; but we still
aren’t done yet,” said Michael. “We need to continue to
sing to and praise God for the answers and grace that
He has shown these past few months. Countless lives have
been saved and will be saved because of the closing of
Gynecare in Severna Park!”

To see a photo of 40 Days for Life team members from
Severna Park, please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=1043

There were MORE answered prayers this week in Texas.

A nurse walked out of the abortion center that is the
site of one of the 40 Days for Life vigils in the
El Paso area and gave her phone number to one of the
prayer volunteers.

“Please help me find a new job,” she said. “I quit!”

When we pray at an abortion center, we’re praying for
the mothers and babies, of course. But we’re also
praying for the people who work at those facilities.

Some of them are determined advocates of “choice.”
Others are simply people who need a job, and in
these economic times, the options are often limited.

Still others don’t fully understand what they’re
getting into when they sign up for work at one of
these so-called reproductive healthcare centers.

That may be the case with a man who just recently
took a job as a security guard at a facility where
a 40 Days for Life vigil is in progress.

Over the weekend, he was approached by a young
woman who had come for an abortion — and she’s
pregnant with twins!

The abortion was her boyfriend’s idea — not hers.
In fact, she didn’t want the abortion at all. But
he was pressuring her, and she explained her
situation to the guard.

His response: “Do what your heart tells you to do.”

That was amazing enough. But the guard then told the
boyfriend that it was basically time to man-up and
do the right thing. And, he added, if the boyfriend
continued to threaten his girlfriend, she could
press charges.

The young man broke down in tears and admitted he
was wrong. The couple then left the abortion center.

Michael in Maryland sent a scripture verse with the
story of the abortion center closing. It talks about
faith. It’s worth repeating:

“I tell you the truth; if anyone says to this
mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and
does not doubt in his heart but believes that what
he says will happen, it will be done for him.”

— Mark 11:23

Please thank God for the miracles in Maryland and
Texas — and please pray for His guidance for the
security guard who provided unexpected

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