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It's another Good News Monday! So I'll get right to the
information I know you want to hear.

So far during this 40 Days for Life campaign, we are
aware of ...

... 256 babies who have been saved from abortion!

Here are just a few of the 256 stories of mothers who
changed their minds.

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ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
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A young woman walked past 40 Days for Life vigil
participants and straight into Planned Parenthood.

"She was not able to receive any free services or
options counseling," said Brian in St. Louis, but
"she was however showered in prayer the entire time
she was in the abortion facility."

Those prayers were answered. The woman left Planned
Parenthood and spoke to one of the volunteers. She
said while she was inside Planned Parenthood, she just
didn't feel right. She had changed her mind and decided
against the abortion.

"We must remember that it's not by human hands that
these children are saved," Brian said, "but instead
by the work of the Holy Spirit."

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PENSACOLA, FLORIDA
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Vigil participants prayed as they watched a difficult
scene unfold. A woman had arrived for an abortion. The
child's father, who was opposed to the abortion, tried
his best to stop her -- until the security guard finally
ushered him out of the abortion center. He then waited
in the parking lot.

The woman remained in the building, and didn't come out
until hours later -- after the abortionist had left for
the day. She finally walked out, she got into the car
with the baby's father ... and they began to drive away.

Bob, one of the volunteers praying outside the abortion
center, said the car approached the group and stopped.
"They told us they had changed their minds and were
going to keep their baby."

It was, Bob said, an emotional moment. "The radiance
of their smiles in realizing they had not done what
their consciences had undoubtedly told them was wrong
was amazing. What an experience. Praise God!"

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LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
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At the 40 Days for Life vigil in Lincoln, Sue watched
as a young woman walked out of Planned Parenthood and
sat down on the steps. "I thought maybe she was having
second thoughts," she said.

"When I got her attention and it was quiet, I asked if
she wanted to talk," Sue explained. "She said she had
decided against the abortion, and gave me a huge smile."

Sue and the other volunteers then prayed for the young
woman and her child's safety. "I am sure God is saving
more babies here," she said.

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COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND
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Janice says several women leaving the abortion center
in College Park have told vigil participants that they
did not have abortions -- because they saw the people
who were praying outside.

"Come pray in front of the clinic and help save lives,"
Janice said. "You really can make a difference! If you
are unable to join us in front of the clinic, please
say an extra prayer for the unborn. Each life saved --
as well as their families and friends -- will be
forever grateful."

Day 21 - March 13

Intention:

We pray for the conversion of all those who refuse to acknowledge that human life belongs only to God.

Scripture:

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

-- Jeremiah 1:4-5

Reflection:

To be or not to be? There is no question!

The question of "being" is something philosophers have long pondered. What is the meaning of being and what is the source? In the passage before us, we have our answer. We have being because we are known by God.

For God to declare that he knows and sets apart the prophet Jeremiah even before he is conceived indicates that our being rests in God's own being. Because He is and because He wills we, therefore, are and do. The Apostle Paul says as much when he declares before the philosophers of his day, "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

One of the tragedies of the abortion culture is that life in the womb has been so heartbreakingly devalued. To embrace the arguments of the "pro-choice" crowd one must conclude that the child in the womb doesn't exist, isn't there, has no being. But nothing could be further from the truth. That child is known by God and, as such, has being.

Prayer:

Lord God, we confess that in You we live and move and have our being. Because You are, we are. May we find grace from You to affirm the being of every human and may we labor to make this truth known to the world around us. Amen.

Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
Pastor, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference