DAY 36: Thank you for your courage
Today we focus on people who are not famous — and probably never will be. Far away from the spotlights of our celebrity-driven culture, they’re regular people, humbly doing the little things — and often, doing them with enormous courage.
They’re the heart of 40 Days for Life … and they deserve a big THANK YOU … ALL of you!
——————————————————
FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
——————————————————
I recently spoke at the 40 Days for Life vigil in Fort Wayne — one of SEVEN campaigns in the Hoosier state.
At the vigil, a woman walked up … gave me a hug … and shared that she had an abortion years ago. She knew she needed healing when she got involved with 40 Days for Life in 2010.
“After coming out here and praying,” she said, “I got connected to local post-abortion healing along with the Silent No More awareness campaign. I shared my story for the first time at the 40 Days for Life vigil site.”
I told her, “Thank you for your courage.” It reminded me that it was the powerful testimonies of women who’d had abortions that had really drawn me into the pro-life movement when I was in college.
——————————————————
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA
——————————————————
Ginny in Santa Cruz is thankful for everyone who’s been praying at the 40 Days for Life vigil — but she noted a couple of people who go the extra mile.
One is Rae Ellen, whom she described as a real trouper. Rae Ellen uses a wheel chair. “For the last three years, she has come down almost every Saturday to pray outside of Planned Parenthood. For all four of our 40 Days for Life campaigns, she has come down 5 or 6 days a week — even in the rain.”
Ginny also mentioned Bob, another volunteer who uses a wheelchair. He’s a regular at the vigil outside Planned Parenthood every Saturday. Bob has been a bit under the weather of late, so “please pray for him,” she said. “All the babies need this powerful prayer warrior back again.”
——————————————————
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI
——————————————————
Kathy in Columbia sent a picture of students from St. Joseph Cathedral School in Jefferson City who visited the 40 Days for Life vigil. “The children came to pray,” she said, “and pray they did!”
Kathy also mentioned a woman who had visited Planned Parenthood more than a year ago. She wanted to have a baby, and figured a place called “Planned Parenthood” could help her. She told them she wanted to get pregnant. They told her to come back when she did.
“Well,” Kathy said, “she still hasn’t gotten pregnant. And when she went in this time, they told her they don’t help with things like that. So we are still trying to figure out what ‘Planned Parenthood’ actually means.”
Here’s the link to today’s devotional.
Yours for Life,
Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life
PS: What small victories have you witnessed with 40 Days for Life in your city? Please share the good news by replying below.
March 28th, 2012 at 5:45 am
The devotional by Carmen Pate on Day 31 struck a personal chord with me. I was one of those women seeking love and acceptance wherever I could find it because I was living far away from God. I too was faced with an unplanned pregnancy. I too wanted to “get rid of it (the pregnancy)” because it felt like it was the end of my life as I knew it. It was a devastating feeling at the time. My doctor had the good sense to order an ultrasound at four weeks, where I saw a tiny human heart–a beating and alive heart. I knew in that moment that I couldn’t stop that heartbeat. I got the sense that I had a duty to protect the tiny person growing inside me. My daughter is now 13. She has been such a blessing in my life. Her existence was instrumental in bringing me back to the practice of my Catholic faith. So, yes, my unplanned pregnancy was the end of my life as I knew it. And I thank God daily for that. God bless all of you for your dedication and devotion to preserving life and to loving and praying for the unborn children and their mothers. Pray for fathers too, that they may open their minds and hearts to the reality of their responsibility.
March 28th, 2012 at 7:52 am
For the woman in Columbia Mo. who is trying to get pregnant you can refer her to physicians who practice NaProtechnology, a new way of approaching women’s health science that cooperates with a woman’s natural functioning to address a variety of reproductive and hormonal concerns. Practitioners in her area can be found at http://www.fertilitycare.org/missourimedicalconsultants/
March 28th, 2012 at 8:49 am
Praise God for ultrasound and doctors and technicians who use this tool to
preserve life! Thank the LORD for moms who have them and help them
turn from even the thought of abortion to life and life more abundantly!
March 28th, 2012 at 9:43 am
As I look at all of these beautiful people, I think of all of us seeing all of them and truly they are the heavenly ‘celebrities’! What inspiration! What true devotion and selfless giving! These are the qualities I aspire to…thanks to one and all for being my super-stars!! From a fellow sojourner and BIG FAN. Most sincerely,
Teresa
March 28th, 2012 at 10:01 am
The founder of Silent No More came from Pittsburgh to Cleveland to help us kick off the Fall 40 Days for Life campaign. She told us about the dilemma a unplanned pregnancy presents to a woman. Abortion seems to be an immediate solution to overcome an apparent barrier in her plan for her own life. Child birth and parenting a new born is messy and inconvenient. The miracle of conception and God’s timing appears out of synch with the life we have chosen for ourselves, usually separate from God, because we have excluded God from our lives. As Susan said an unplanned pregnancy was “devastating” to the life she was leading. The miraculous love that God brings to this world in a new born infant changes lives as Susan so powerfully testifies. The plan for our life becomes clear if we can get over our human ego and embrace God’s love. This is a central issue about choice. God has given us the power to choose, to love Him or deny Him. Even in our denial He is giving us miracles of life and love.
March 28th, 2012 at 10:18 am
dear Susan ~
WHAT a POWERFUL and BEAUTIFUL testimony!!! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing! Thanks be to GOD for your “new life” and the new life of your daughter! GLORY to God, gloRY!! GLORY to God, GLORY!! Glory to God, gloRY… oh bless the Name of the Lord!!!! -from Coon Rapids, Minnesota
p.s. I was also touched by the stories from Santa Cruz (above) concerning Rae Ellen and Bob. My prayers for you!
March 28th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Kathy in Columbia, MO: Please tell the lady who went to Planned Parenthood in Columbia to become pregnant that there are FertilityCare Practitioners and doctors who practice NaProTechnology near her. Go to the website http://www.fertilitycare.org If there is no one close to her, she can be taught by Skype and referred to a good doctor.
Phyllis
March 28th, 2012 at 4:57 pm
Let us all pray for an end to abortion.
March 28th, 2012 at 7:37 pm
Thank you to everyone for all your prayers for our unborn babies. Every morning in pray I ask Our Blessed Mother to Protect all my spiritually adopted unborn babies who are in danger of abortion. Would you all join me in this prayer to Our Mother Mary?
Thank you, Anita
March 28th, 2012 at 8:48 pm
For the woman in Mo hoping to get pregnant, another option is Natural Family Planning where you learn to observe your own body signs for ovulation. We took the class and became teachers and John and Sheila Kippley were great mentors. We will also send prayers her way.
March 28th, 2012 at 11:32 pm
A lady driving by the prayer vigil stopped, and gave one of the ladies on the side-walk a dozen white roses! She said because people like her were out there praying her child is alive today!
March 29th, 2012 at 1:58 am
The gates of hell shall not prevail. The KIngdom of God suffereth violence
and the violent take it by force.
For a long time I didn’t “get it”. But I get it now. When the enemy came
against me and my child, when my husband wanted an abortion, I said no.
But abortion wasn’t legal then. I won, temporarily. No abortion.
But I was to be attacked again by the enemy, and I lost. Then the
perverse spirit behind my loss was a spirit of homosexuality and reprobate minds who were serving the god of “education”.
I didn’t understand it then, but I understand now what undermined
my family which has been mutilated by abortion and I am angry about it.
It was done in the name of the god of money, the family feeling that they
couldn’t feed another child, and my dependency on this “religious” family
who had fallen to serve a gods of fear, greed and pride.
The Bible teaches that we will tread on serpents and they will in no wise
hurt us. I think the song goes, “trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored.” Continue to march around Jericho. The walls will
come tumbling down and Ai shall be burned shortly.
March 29th, 2012 at 11:57 am
Hello from a mother of teenagers who is a “sometimes” Rosary prayer person at the Santa Cruz, Ca. 40 Days for Life. It was fun and encouraging to see the photo of Rae Ellen and the testimony made by Ginny. ‘Tis a good group and was glad to see the effort recognized. God Bless you. -Ann
March 29th, 2012 at 8:42 pm
My two children ages 16 (Mahriyanna) and 23 (Chris) were praying with another prayer warrior (Ryan, 30) in front of Planned Parenthood in
Fayetteville, Arkansas. A man approached them and mentioned that his fiance was going to get an abortion, and he wanted his fiance to talk to them. He went and got her, and she was willing to talk. Even though my kids have been participated in the 40 Days for Life vigil extensively for the past two years, they had never experienced someone who wanted to get an abortion coming to talk to them.
Ryan did most of the talking at first, and then Chris and Mahriyanna chimed in. Chris had a flyer about the local crises pregnancy center and Mahriyanna explained why it would be so beneficial to go to another place where more options could be explored in a compassionate way.
The couple left, and they don’t know what the decision was–but we pray it was a decision for life.
I feel so proud of my children for standing up for life. This experience was very inspiring to them–they were so excited to share this with me. Oh that other young people could be so uplifted by this kind of experience.
March 31st, 2012 at 5:15 pm
Congratulations, Rae Ellen & Bob, on the well deserved, inspiring recognition for your heart & soul love of humanity. You know all to well how the “Worldwide Womb War” targets and coerces society at large, especially those without a solid Pro-Life Support System. The victims of this Womb War are in staggering numbers and wounding ramifications still unraveled or exposed! Thank you for being Santa Cruz, CA beacons of God’s Love & Mercy in Public Prayer for Childlife right there on the front lines of our city council proclaimed “Pro-Choice (PRO-ABORT) City”. May The Good Lord Have Mercy!