If you listened to the TIPPING POINT webcast and teleconference on Tuesday evening, you heard about the many AMAZING victories God provided in response to your prayers during 40 Days for Life.

Then Thursday, I asked you to pray about an abortion center in Michigan that is on the verge of closing — becoming the NINTH abortion facility to shut its doors forever following a 40 Days for Life campaign outside its doors.

Well, the prayer was answered — but not in the way I was expecting! It turns out the ninth abortion center closing has already been recorded — in Seattle, Washington.

“In Seattle our first and second 40 Days campaigns took place in front of the Planned Parenthood facility nearest the University of Washington,” said Aaron, who led those campaigns in Seattle.

During the second campaign, that center stopped doing surgical abortions. Planned Parenthood then put the facility up for rent — and now their web site confirms this location is permanently CLOSED!

“God is good,” said Aaron, “and He honors prayer!”

The abortion facility in Sacramento, California that was the site of a 40 Days for Life campaign this fall is also struggling right now.

The clinic manager and two other clinic employees were just laid-off by the clinic owner due to “dwindling finances” at the clinic.

“Their client numbers were dropping,” said Wynette, the 40 Days for Life leader in Sacramento, “so budget cuts had to be made.”

Wynette added, “The clinic manager did tell me that only three employees remain and that they are open for business, but that business is REALLY down.”

Members of the 40 Days for Life team have offered to assist the three former workers — knowing it isn’t easy to be without a job as Thanksgiving and Christmas are approaching. Wynette also says, “we continue to pray for conversion of hearts and minds, so that this employment layoff becomes a life-long detachment from the abortion industry.”

Those are just two more breaking news stories that show why it is so important for the work of 40 Days for Life to keep growing.

Here’s a short, inspiring audio recording of three more of this fall’s local 40 Days for Life campaigns sharing the blessings they experienced (including another abortion facility closing).

Listen to the audio report online (click arrow to start):

Download MP3 (right-click to save file to your computer):

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/audio/tippingpoint.mp3

IMPORTANT UPDATE! One of the big announcements from Tuesday night’s “Tipping Point” webcast is that a small group of generous supporters have put forward a matching grant of $100,000.

Every gift received between now and midnight next Tuesday, November 23 — up to the $100,000 amount — will be DOUBLED!

We’re four days into the seven-day matching period and thus far, we’ve received one-time gifts and monthly pledges amounting to $47,860 — a great start, but a bit less than half. We certainly don’t want to miss out by not hitting the match.

Please help TODAY if at all possible — and thank you to everyone who has given already!!

For Life,

Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

PS: Here are the links for contributing to 40 Days for Life today — and having your gift doubled while helping to reach that $100,000 matching challenge.

One-time gift:

http://40daysforlife.com/donate.cfm?selected=onetime

Monthly pledge:

http://40daysforlife.com/donate.cfm?selected=monthly

I just got home. What a week! What a fall it has been!

You have put in time, prayer and sweat … and God has blessed these efforts more than we could have ever expected back on September 22 when the campaign started.

As we tally up the final results of this fall’s 40 Days for Life campaign, we know that anything is possible with God … but this campaign is just the beginning.

In places where 40 Days for Life has been conducted for the first time ever …

… there is great hope and excitement.

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ZION, ILLINOIS
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In Zion — a community without an abortion center — Joellyn overcame a number of challenges and helped organize a campaign that has touched hearts and reports at least one life saved from abortion.

“This morning at church, a lady approached me and said, ‘Let’s keep those pray-to-end-abortion signs for the next prayer vigil in the spring!’ That was such wonderful news to me,” she said, “since this fall was the first time Zion had joined in as a part of 40 Days for Life. Praise God!”

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LONDON, ENGLAND
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The first-time 40 Days for Life campaign in London touched many.

“It’s the grand finale week, and wish it was the beginning of the 40 days,” said Monde. “The experience of being at the vigil for UK’s 40 Days for Life has been consoling and strengthening to my soul. It’s my prayer and hope that God’s grace will enable me to share this experience to be in practice this time around next year in Zambia.”

That’s just one of a number of new countries that are ready to join the 40 Days for Life effort in 2011.

Because of your example, many others are now considering a leap of faith and doing something they’ve never done before … something uncomfortable — going to stand and pray in front of the places where innocent lives are being lost.

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ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
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“People do not realize the good they do just being there praying quietly,” said one volunteer in St. Louis. “People going inside see the people praying peaceably and not shouting, and they want to be a part of that peace.”

This vigil participant added, “I really appreciate what the 40 Days for Life campaign does to set up such a program. I just regret that it only comes twice a year.”

You know … it doesn’t have to end.

We’ve always said that 40 Days for Life is but a first step. Now, it’s time to take the next step. What will that next step be? For you personally? For your community?

Others are already answering that question.

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
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“In the wake of 40 Days for Life, we are forming four distinct teams of sidewalk counselors and prayer warriors so that the work will not merely continue, but will flourish,” said Michael in Los Angeles. “We hope to quadruple our effectiveness.”

Some local teams have already done that, and they’re seeing amazing results.

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SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
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In Texas, for instance, the San Antonio Coalition for Life was formed right after the first national 40 Days for Life campaign in 2007.

“Since that time,” said Amy in San Antonio, “we have continued to be present, in prayer, on the sidewalk for every abortion day and have seen, in less than a year, the abortion rate at this clinic dropped by 46 percent!”

These things can be repeated in your community — through faithful response to God’s call, through hard work — and of course, through prayer.

What are we waiting for?

Here’s today’s “bonus” devotional from Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life.

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DAY 41 INTENTION
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Pray that the witness of 40 Days for Life bears abundant fruit, and that we begin again each day to storm the gates of hell until God welcomes us into the gates of heaven.

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SCRIPTURE
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On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

– Matthew 16:18

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REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone
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When we read this verse, we usually think that the Lord is promising that the church, which is His Body, will withstand all the attacks launched against it. Of course, that is true.

But when we think about it more carefully, we realize that in a battle, the gates do not run out into the battlefield to attack the enemy. Rather, they stand still to defend the city from the enemy attacking it.

So when the Lord says that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, who is doing the attacking? It is the church storming the gates!

The church, all of God’s people in Christ, is called to take the offensive, to run into enemy territory, and to gain ground for Jesus Christ. We do not wait for an invitation; we already have a command. We prepare, but we do not wait for circumstances to be perfect; we already have one who has gone before us.

During these 40 days, we have stormed the gates. We have taken the offensive. We have pushed forward the boundaries of the kingdom. And we must keep doing so, in numerous ways.

Indeed, the gates of hell will not prevail. The gates of falsehood will flee in the presence of truth. The gates of sin will melt in the presence of grace. The gates of death will fall in the presence of the church, the People of Life!

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PRAYER
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Father, we praise you. We have heard the voice of your Son, and therefore we can make our voices heard. We have done battle with the power of evil, and therefore we can have compassion on those still within its grip. We have been freed from the kingdom of darkness, and therefore we can bear witness to your Kingdom of Light.

May the witness of all your people through these 40 Days for Life bear abundant fruit, and may we begin again each day to storm the gates of hell until You welcome us into the gates of heaven. We pray in the victorious name of Jesus Christ our Lord, 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/fall2010day41print.pdf

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For Life,

Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

PS: What’s next for you? For your community’s 40 Days for Life effort? Please share your story by leaving a comment below.