Posted on 10/11/2010 9:12:08 AM PDT by GonzoII
40 Days for Life just reached a huge milestone, but first I have to share an AMAZING story.
Last week I showed you pictures of the 40 Days for Life vigil in Reno, Nevada — where the abortionist uses a sprinkler system to soak the people praying outside his fence. Despite this aggressive hostility, we just received an incredible report from that location.
A woman driving out of the abortion center’s parking lot stopped to ask one of the local volunteer for her phone number. Shortly after, the volunteer received a text message.
This text sums up what 40 Days for Life is about — and the impact a local vigil can have. Here is the exact text message:
I just wanted to send you guys a text to let you know that what you do out there does make a difference.
When I went to that abortion clinic last week to drop off my money to terminate my pregnancy, I saw people standing out there with signs. I didn’t expect to see that and part of me felt ashamed.
I drove through the gates anyway and went inside, gave them my money and made an appointment for 2:30pm today.
As I was driving away I couldn’t help but think that maybe there was another way. All this week I thought and prayed about it and I realized in my heart what the right thing to do was.
I can’t help but think, that had you guys not been there that day to remind me that I had another choice, that maybe one more baby would have died today.
Don’t stop what you’re doing. It matters. It did to me. From the blonde lady in the white SUV who picked up her money instead of aborting her baby today.
WOW.
And that’s just ONE of the 3,000 lives God has saved — that we know of — thanks to YOUR prayers and efforts since the very first coordinated 40 Days for Life campaign started in the fall of 2007!
THREE THOUSAND — to God be the glory for reaching this major milestone!
That’s a LOT of children and mothers spared from abortion. And that’s a lot of GREAT stories … like the one I just received from Carol in Houston: “This e-mail is to CONFIRM that God saved TWO BABIES this morning at the mega-abortion Planned Parenthood facility!”
A group prayed while one volunteer, holding a sign reading “Pray to end abortion,” waved at cars driving by. After a while, a van turned into the Planned Parenthood parking lot. They drove around — slowly — then headed towards the exit.
As they reached the street, the van stopped and a woman rolled down the window. “Because you were here,” she said, “my daughter has chosen NOT to have an abortion.” The daughter was weeping in the back seat. “Thanks for being here and saving her baby.”
A short time later, a couple in an SUV went in and out of Planned Parenthood a couple of times. They finally drove out and they, too, told the volunteers that they could not go through with the abortion.
Praise God for these — and all — the 3,000 lives saved from abortion due to local 40 Days for Life campaigns. And THANK YOU … for your prayers, your fasting, your steadfast response to God’s call.
Here’s today’s devotional from Rev. John Brown, the Director of United Friends for Life (United Church of Christ)…
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DAY 20 INTENTION
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May God’s justice sober our society, and may mercy triumph over judgment.
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SCRIPTURE
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Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.
- Genesis 9:5-6
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REFLECTION by Rev. John Brown
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The value of every human being can hardly be seen more clearly than with this verse. God, the King of the universe, has created all human beings in his image, and declares forthrightly that shedding the blood of any individual will require the blood of the one who shed it.
God’s concern for human beings is not limited to any particular group. Indeed, his concern is universal, and includes male and female, young and old, born and unborn, disabled and able-bodied, the citizens of every nation on earth.
Abortion, the deliberate killing of the unborn, is the shedding of innocent blood. Surely the blood of millions upon millions of innocent children cries out to God. It is true that we live in an age of grace, and yet this passage (among many other texts which express similar sentiments) should give every thinking Christian pause.
Christians of all people, entrusted with the Word of God as we are, must take a stand. We must speak out. We must do all that we can to protect the innocent, to pursue justice, and to encourage the repentance of all those who bear responsibility for this great evil. Only in this manner can we hope to forestall the judgment that must otherwise surely come.
This passage should also be seen as an encouragement to educate and disciple our children and grandchildren about what it means to be human, and the responsibility that will become theirs in this ongoing struggle.
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PRAYER
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O Father, forgive us for our lack of courage and our want of compassion for the unborn and for those lost and hurt by abortion. Fill us anew with your Spirit.
Renew our minds, strengthen us in righteousness, help us be people of salt and light within our nation. May every human being, from conception to natural death, be treated with the respect due those made in your image. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL
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To download today’s devotional as a formatted, printable PDF to share with friends:
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2010day20print.pdf
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For Life,
Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life
PS: Heard any good stories about 40 Days for Life activities in your community? I hope so! Please share the good news by leaving a comment below.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Ping.
FReepers, I urge you to get involved in this tremendous opportunity to stand in defense of the unborn. There are about 230 locations in the U.S. where 40 Days for Life campaigns are currently taking place. For more information about sites, visit http://www.40daysforlife.com
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October 11th, 2010 at 10:11 am
On Sunday afternoon, we had hot chocolate and donuts at our vigil site and invited anyone to drop by to mark the mid-point. Since this is Canada’s Thanksgiving weekend, we didn’t expect a great turnout, but we had about 10-12 people come. We also had a young girl arrive with her sign My Body, My Choice and she proceeded to pass out pamphlets to passersby on the Lies that Anti-Choice Tells. One of the vigil people offered her hot chocolate, which she declined, but it broke the ice. She was joined in a few minutes by five others who were ready to protest us.
One of our group, Michelle, who works in a university ministry, went over to talk to the girl. She quietly shared with her that we are not anti-women, we just think that the choice for abortion is the wrong choice, but we support women in many of their choices – just not that one. The girl was surprised. When her friends joined her, they began saying how they hated the pro-life people, how awful they were, not knowing that Michelle was one of the “other group”. The girl Michelle had been talking with defended us, saying that we were peaceful and that we weren’t as awful as we seemed. She ended up sharing with Michelle that she had had an abortion, and that half her friends had abortions.
Michelle offered to get her some information on Project Rachel, and they left after shaking hands. The group remained standing about 10 feet away from us, but they were totally quiet and they didn’t chant or wave their signs. After about an hour and a half, they left quietly without having disturbed us once. Oh, we had also offered all of them hot chocolate and donuts which they took.
We felt this was a breakthrough, by showing them love rather than hostility, we broke down some barriers today. Perhaps one day later on, one of that group may seek out some help for their lifestyle. We felt that we were planting seeds in their midst. We do it all for Jesus, who loved us first.
October 11th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Let us all pray for an end to abortion.
October 11th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
I would like to send a big thank you to all the local volunteers and national leaders of 40 Days for Life. I volunteered for the first time this past weekend. I had always been supportive of others praying outside abortion centers, but never had the courage to do so myself. Thank you for encouraging me to stand up for life!
October 11th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
A lot of people don’t know this because it was never picked up here, but on the FIRST day of 40 Days for Life, Randall Whitney, who has been killing children for a living for many years in Florida, was taken out of the Orlando Women’s Center abortuary in handcuffs at 9:20 pm on 9/22/10.
He was arrested for failure to show up in court felony trial stemming form a previous charge from 3/27/10 in which he was also taken out off OWC in handcuffs for slapping a patient.
We actually have the second arrest on video because we were the ones who turned him in. After this all happened, we suddenly realized it was the first of the 40 Dayd for Life. A friend of ours, Mark Hall, had just finished a 40 day bread and water fast the day before — specifically praying for Whitney’s conversion.
Ironically, if a person slaps another person in Florida that is a misdeanor battery charge. But if a person slaps a pregnant woman (a person who is carryng a vulnerable person whose life may be in danger) that is then a second degree felony in the state of Florida.
This could end up with Whitney losing his medical license. Whitney shut down his clinic in Daytona Beach several years ago rather than submit to a state inquiry on his unethical practices. Whitney previously has had his license to practice medicine suspended.
The abortionist he works for, James Pendergraft, has also had his license to practice medicine suspended FOUR times. Let’s pray that Whitney loses his license as well and hope that this episode will result in bowing his knee to Jesus Christ. This WILL happen sooner or later. Randall Whitney is 77 years old.
October 11th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
It is a rare time to witness a “save” during the 40 Days for Life campaign, but last Friday, I was present for two saves simultaneously! Yes, TWINS! Thanks to the efforts of a great-grandmother who parked in front of Planned Parenthood in Birmingham, got out in a very unfriendly manner, went inside for a half hour, and came out a totally transformed woman. During the time she was inside, the prayer volunteers on the sidewalk prayed fervently for the woman’s granddaughter, a very young woman determined to abort her babies. When she came out with the father of the babies, I was unaware of her decision, so I offered her assistance. She said that she had decided to keep her babies. The grandmother beside her said, “Yes, and she’s having TWINS!” It was indeed a rare and joyful moment. We all smiled and thanked God for His gift of life–in this case, gifts of life.
October 11th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Yesterday, The Pregnancy Center of Grand forks hosted the Producer of BLOOD MONEY at our parish. After watching this great take on the Abortion industry and the many lives hurt by this decision,I finally felt connected to the hideous evil of abortion and pray that all the Women’s Clinic wil no longer exist as we continue to vote for Pro-Life candidates to see that this law is reversed on a mass scale. The love and support in your prayerful vigils and the positive results that you relate to us always speaks to me of the great effect you can also have in showing this movie in your parishes and schools. it is available as 20.00 DVD.by TAH.LLC (American Holaucaust)
October 11th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Following prayer vigil in Syracuse, NY, I was moved to write the following reflection which Catholic Exchange recently published Oct 2 on their website:
Your Presence Makes A Difference
My wife, I and four strangers spent an hour outside the local Planned Parenthood center this morning, witnessing to and praying for all those entering that building – staff and client alike. This was only the fourth time over the past two years that I participated in the Forty Days for Life prayer vigil in front of this place of deception and death.
The majority of the cars entering the facility’s driveway while we were there sped up immediately when they saw the signs and leaflets we carried and the rosaries in our hands. Most avoided having any eye contact with us, perhaps in a last ditch effort to prevent their consciences from awakening them to the horror of what they were about to do. It was like we were lepers.
We continued to pray. We sang softly and sometimes off key. We listened to God’s Word. We encouraged each other and prayed that these women, their escorts and the facility’s staff would know that we were there out of love for them and as instruments of a loving and merciful Lord. We trusted God would use our presence to make a difference in someone’s life today.
We also watched as cars pulled out, driver and passengers again refusing for the most part to glance at us, anxious to get away from this place – that is with the exception of an obviously distraught young woman in the front passenger seat of a jeep. She used a crumpled tissue to capture the slow trickle of tears flowing from her eyes, receiving no apparent comfort or solace from her male companion.
She turned and looked right at me. I was drawn to her watery eyes and immediately saw in them the anguish and pain I suspect I would have seen in the eyes of my crucified and suffering Lord had I been at the foot of His cross. Silently and earnestly I starred deeply into her eyes, hoping that God would allow her to see in us, even now, the image of her forgiving, healing, loving and merciful Lord and His desire to give her new life.
Your presence makes a difference. Come. Pray. Be the eyes of Christ.