DAY 32: Defending human life
As I write this message, I’m meeting with pro-lifers in Calgary, Alberta. I was invited here to speak at a conference focusing on the culture. It’s called Life 2011.
This fall, there are a record sixteen 40 Days for Life campaigns going on throughout Canada.
Since I’m currently outside the United States, let’s take a quick look at what’s happening in two NEW international campaigns — Argentina and Germany — as well as here in Canada.
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ROSARIO, ARGENTINA
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“Everything is going great here,” writes Gabriela in Rosario. “We have over 400 people praying and fasting. They receive daily prayers and reflections — most of them translated into Spanish from the 40 Days for Life devotionals.”
She’s received countless messages from people who are taking part in the campaign. “Many have said this initiative has arrived as a blessing in our country.”
Gabriela said the vigil is working out well so far in this first-ever campaign in Argentina. “Many people in Rosario are getting to know that there is a group of citizens that defend human life from the moment of conception.”
As part of the community outreach, they have organized a couple of talks, inviting well-known professionals to speak about medical and legal aspects of abortion.
“You can’t imagine the positive impact 40 Days for Life is making, not only in Argentina but in many Latin American countries,” said Gabriela, noting that she has received inquiries from people in other nations.
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SAARBRUECKEN, GERMANY
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Praying in front of an abortion center, said Tori in Germany, “was a wonderful witness and a couple of people passing by actually nodded their heads in the affirmative and smiled.”
The group took part in a pro-life march earlier this month. “There were a lot of people on the street and shopping in the city looking at our signs and amazed at how many young teenagers were marching. You could see the other young people on the street — taking notice of the young people who are openly showing their solidarity to the innocent babies losing their lives through abortion.”
Tori said the team is reminding people, “The Lord will provide; be not afraid. This is the message we want to relay to anyone facing a crisis pregnancy situation.”
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VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
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The first 40 Days for Life campaign in British Columbia’s largest city is seen by the local leadership team as “a landmark event.”
They’ve sent along a few pictures of their vigil, which is taking place in front of the BC Women’s Health Centre, “night or day, rain or shine.” That’s exactly what the pictures show — groups from several churches in the Vancouver area, often carrying umbrellas.
They DID have a sunny day for their midpoint event, and were appreciative of the big crowd that turned out to support the 40 Days for Life campaign.
Here’s the link to today’s devotional:
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2011day32print.pdf
Yours for Life,
Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life
PS: Are you a first-time participant in 40 Days for Life? If so, thanks for joining the campaign! Please share your impressions by replying below.
October 29th, 2011 at 6:29 am
Keep up the good work. Lets make the greatest effort possible in these last few days, whether we can visit the abortion mills, or if we cannot through ill health or age, then let us Pray.We can all do this. The Holy Rosary, and Adoration iof The Most Blessed Sacrament ,if we can, are our powerful tools against this blood sacrifice to satan. Lets give him great pain.
October 29th, 2011 at 7:16 am
The sign printed in Spanish is beautiful. We need a sign like that, showing a mother kissing her baby. That picture speaks volumes.
October 29th, 2011 at 8:44 am
Very impressive work/movement. How do you do it all? Amazing.
Had 4 children, 8 grandchildren. Loves of my life! Raised my chiuldren alone as husband was killed at an early age of 25. God helped me all the way. All professionals and very good Christians. I know it can be done.
Vivian Koob, Director of Elizabeth New Life Center, is my sister. I help her, but I will pray for your continued success & health to keep on keeping on.
October 29th, 2011 at 9:56 am
The angry comments can be surprising. Our firm peaceful presence is a reminder to the world that we reject how barbaric the richest and most educated society in history has become. I pray this changes peoples’ hearts, one at a time; those in crisis, and those quietly witnessing our strength
October 29th, 2011 at 10:59 am
My first time at a 40 days for life vigil. Felt the Lord wanted me to be at the abortion center praying. really believe praying and speaking with folks as the Lord leads is very powerful……i met some neat people who are likeminded, and believe their labor in the Lord is not in vain!
October 29th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
I am amazed at the pictures and comments that come form places like Argentina, Germany, and British Columbia. I prayed at our women’s clinic here for the first time in years. Thanks for all you do for this wonderful movement which is gaining strength all over the world. I have decided to continue praying at this clinic whenever I am in the vicinity and not just during the “40 days of life” vigils…..Jeremiah 1: 4,5
October 29th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
I had checked out 40 Days for Life website and saw that there was one in Overland Park, KS, which is 5 hours away. However, we were going on a trip and would be passing through the area, so decided to make a stop there. We arrived and about 6 women were there praying. We asked them where we could park to join them. They were getting ready to leave, but said we could join the other group at the other entrance to the clinic. We got over there, but nobody was there. Then the six women told us that it was some women with small children and they probably had to leave due to the cold weather. So my husband and I stood by the entrance and prayed for a while. This was the first time I had actually prayed in front of a place that performed abortions, I had only prayed in front of a referral Planned Parenthood before. It was a VERY moving experience for me! I am planning to return next week to the area and to go pray again. We also made a couple of visits to the Blessed Sacrament during our trip to pray for the end to abortion. May God Bless everyone who has prayed at the abortion centers during all of the 40 Days For Life campaigns and those who have fasted and done other penance for this intention!
October 29th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Today I had the opportunity to meet two pregnant women and their male friends, and give them information about the new Informed Choices Clinic, and the other services available as listed on the “Choice” card.
They seemed very interested in going to the clinic, so please remember them in your prayers.
I happened to see the Planned Parenthood staff leave work tonight. I waved to each one and some waved back. The biggest surprise for me was getting to meet the Mystery Man in the
Ivory Cadillac, who always comes to Planned Parenthood on the surgical abortion days, at 7am and waits in his car til 7:30am, for another employee to open up the building. He always dressed in a white shirt and tie and
I thought he was the abortionist. I waved to him as he was driving through the parking lot tonight, hoping he might stop and talk to me.
He pulled alongside the curb and started rolling down his window. I had prayed to the Holy Spirit to give me the right words to say to him.
As I walked from the sidewalk onto the grass to talk to him. He said “Have a good weekend.” I said “You too! I just want to tell you Jesus loves you.” Then I got a closer look (I was wearing my sunglasses) The man was wearing an NPI Security guard uniform!
It was the same NPI security guard who told me this past March 2011,at the 40 Days For Life, that if I parked in their parking lot again I would be arrested! Back then I had said to him “Do you feel good about working for Planned Parenthood?” and he said
in a defensive tone, “God said Thou shalt not judge!” to which I replied, “God also said “Thou shalt not kill!” To make a long story short, I was told the police had been called, so not wanting to have my 88 year old mother bail me out of jail, I gave a clinic staffer a blank copy of “The Statement of Peace,” to show that we were not trying to be difficult. Then I left with my prayer partner as fast as I could!
Back to tonight’s meeting, the security guard said to me. “You know, I’m 72 and I have a 42 year old disabled son, and it’s hard to find a job. I need the money to help support him. I don’t judge them.(Planned Parenthood et al). Maybe they do some things wrong. I don’t know.”
Then he offered to help me pick up the signs & crosses I had put in the grass, since the clinic was closed. I thanked him and told him we still had a few more volunteers coming to pray.
Amazing! God gave me a second chance to be nice to this security guard, who was not nice to me back in March. A door was opened. Let’s pray for more doors to hearts to be opened, and for Planned Parenthood to be closed.
October 29th, 2011 at 1:59 pm
I’m reading your updates and want you to know that not only are the campaigners praying, but also many behind the scenes are also praying for the protection of the campaigners, for our unborn brothers and sisters, and for our joint success. In fact many of us have been praying for years about ProLife issues, even long before 40 Days for Life came into existence.
This does not negate the work and success of 40 Days for Life, it only attests to the fact that prayer works, whatever anyone else may say or think.
We also pray for America, and for all nations to have a government of Peace and of God! May God-government prevail around the world!!
Thanks for keeping on keeping on!!
October 29th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Let us all pray for an end to abortion.
October 29th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
May our Father in Heaven bless you, Shawn and David, for all that you have done and are still doing for this great cause. I have prayed at one clinic in this campaign, not extremely far from where I live. I shall continue to pray at home. God is with us and we will win this battle.
October 29th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
WOW!!!! Hallelujah!!!! Praise God for the work He is doing in Argentina and South America! I have a feeling that 40 Days For Life is going to sweep across the world and have not hundreds but thousands of locations within several more years!
We have a strange and magnificent God who would allow us the priviledge to be a part of what He is doing. Praise His Holy Name!
October 29th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Victoria, and the people of Argentina brought tears to my eyes. Wish we could wake up the flock in our area. Maybe, we should have a pro-life speaker to motivate the parishoners who are not on-board or who are afraid. Thank you for this idea!
October 29th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
Greetings from Poland! I joined your prayers on the very first day of your campaign. It’s great to know that so many innocent lives have been saved since the campaign has started! Lets hope the the 40 will become 365 and more people would pray every day to end abortion – the world’s worst crime against humanity.
October 29th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
America, Argentina, Germany, Poland and Australia and many more countries, UNITED WE STAND IN GOD… FOR THE MOST DEFENCELESS OUR UNBORN BROTHERS AND SISTERS…PRAISE GOD!!! Yes the image of the mother kissing her beloved babe is just beautiful…. Keep up the prayers and sacrifices as we come to the last week. God bless everyone!! especially Shawn and David and families. BE FAITHFUL WE HAVE ALREADY WON THANKS TO JESUS, OUR TRIUNE GOD. Now we just need to persevere in the battles.
October 29th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
Also Canada just great 16 vigils … and England, London. A BIG thank you to all who have been prayerful writing the 40 devotionals for each day… really inspiring and heartwarming scriptures, reflections and prayers. Wonderful
October 29th, 2011 at 8:15 pm
I am a director at a crisis pregnancy center. We are grateful for the prayers offered for those in this ministry. It is difficult to fight in this culture of death but with God’s grace we persevere. We don’t always see the fruits of our labor but we know we make a difference. Continue to pray for all those at the centers as we continue to pray and fast for your efforts at 40 Days for Life. God bless you.
October 29th, 2011 at 9:07 pm
Peace be with you. I am a widower 88 years old. I remember when the supreme court made abortion legal, I couldn’t believe it, most of my friends thought it was a good deal.and most other people too. The media and some movie stars were bragging about their abortions. But now I see a big change the young people are realizing what an evil it is. I CAN SEE THE END COMING WHEN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE will no longer stand for it. Let us keep praying and demonstrating. Love and peace to All born and Unborn. God help us.
October 29th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
A first-timer gave me permission to share her Facebook post, “I just got back from my first hour at the Buffalo 40 Days for Life prayer vigil to end abortion. I’m so glad I went…I was nervous because I’ve never done anything like this before, but praying with and speaking to others from such a variety of churches and life experiences was powerful. And just being in front of the building where the abortions are done made me pray more urgently than ever before…for the women, the babies, the drivers, the employees, the neighborhood, and those driving by. I’m definitely going back.”
October 30th, 2011 at 6:32 am
Just want to throw this idea out. I talked to the Pastor of my church last week and told him that it might be a good idea to have a Pro-Life March after every Mass one Sunday. If the other Christian Churches joined in that would be “great”! Having worked in government, what I see is the Public Servants are afraid of the backlash and withholding of campain contributions, even if they want to be Pro-life, publicly. The little kids and the older people would love it (some would find it difficult to get to Washington D. C. or San Francisco) If we showed this kind of unity, this might give the Public Servants the courage to do the “right thing”. To God Give the Honor.