DAY 33: Fading stereotypes
As we head into the final stretch of the campaign, we are starting to see abortion workers give up on their stereotypes … of YOU.
Weeks into the campaign, all the labels are finally set aside. The workers begin to question what they are doing … and why it is wrong. This has already led to three workers having a change of heart during this campaign!
Some employees come to the conclusion that they can no longer justify working at an abortion center — and experience the great freedom that comes with leaving.
Others, however, just get mad — and take it out on the people peacefully praying outside. Through their actions, they begin to show how troubled and discontented they really are.
As vigil participants, we know that it is best to not respond and not get upset … but to continue to pray for these people and show the love of Christ. When they ARE ready to leave, they will remember the love you showed them.
Here are a few examples of how 40 Days for Life prayer teams have, in the face of anger, responded with Christ’s love.
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VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA
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Planned Parenthood called the police again. It seems that two women stopped by the 40 Days for Life vigil to thank people for their prayers and assistance — and they parked in Planned Parenthood’s lot.
One of the women just wanted to encourage volunteers, since she was adopted — and had adopted a child herself. She was grateful that neither she nor her daughter had become victims of the abortion industry.
The other woman had been a Planned Parenthood client who changed her mind and chose life for her child, who is now a few months old. She stopped by to update the volunteers and let them know that she was getting assistance from local ministries.
In addition to calling the police, agitated Planned Parenthood staffers came out, took pictures and confronted the women. When the police arrived, they helped settle things down … and they understood that the two women had no idea that simply parking on Planned Parenthood’s property would create such tumult.
The volunteers asked for prayer for the two women — as well as prayer for the conversion of the Planned Parenthood staff.
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AUSTIN, TEXAS
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A month into the campaign, the abortion center staff in Austin is still trying to find a legal reason that might disrupt the 40 Days for Life vigil.
“They claim that we are breaking city ordinances by having our signs on a display,” said one of the Austin volunteers, “which we are not. And we’ve proved that a million times before.”
“I like when the police drive by and smile with a wave,” said another volunteer. “The smile is a nice way of saying, keep up the good work.”
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GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA
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The slogan is familiar: “Keep abortion safe and legal.”
“This is one of many rants we hear while we have been praying at Bread and Roses [yes, that’s the name of the abortion center] during these 40 Days for Life,” said Jazmin in Gainesville. “It is yet another example of the irony and deceit which surrounds abortion.”
Abortion, obviously, is not “safe” for the baby — and there are physical, spiritual and emotional risks for the mother as well. As for “legal,” that certainly isn’t the same as “moral.” Morality is constant; laws can be changed.
Jazmin said she is convinced “these angry rants of passersby are the dead consciences of our community being stirred out of their stupor. May our continued presence during the remainder of these 40 Days for Life stir the hearts of those in our city to seek and find the truth regarding the sanctity of human life.”
Here’s the link to today’s devotional.
For Life,
Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life
PS: As always, if you have news to report from your community’s 40 Days for Life effort, please let everyone know! You may leave a comment below.
October 28th, 2012 at 11:06 am
While protesting we had a man who stopped across the street and told us that we are un-American.
But the last one was a couple of college students who were out campaigning for Obama, and one of them told us that she is a science major and she knows that a fetus is not a baby. My question is what are they teaching in the colleges these days?
October 28th, 2012 at 12:12 pm
We hear this rant as well in Winnipeg. One woman jogs by every day,raising her arms in triumph saying Thank God for safe and free abortion! Like you say it is neither safe for baby nor free– to the taxpayer.
Thanks for all your life saving work.
October 28th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Let us pray for the conversion of the abortion industry. God Bless!
October 28th, 2012 at 2:39 pm
Most of the feedback I have received while praying at the vigil site has been positive – a friendly honk or “thumbs up”, people who stop to thank us for being there or shout out “God bless you” – even the generous stranger who stopped on a chilly Minnesota morning with hot cocoa for the volunteers! But occasionally, someone drives by and shouts profanities at us – usually an angry young man. As I offer a prayer for that individual, I wonder why he is so angry. Was he part of an abortion, and our presence brings the pain he has tried to shove deep inside bubbling up to the surface again? Or are we seen as a threat to the “sex with no strings” mentality that our culture tells him is his right?
Each day I have stopped at the vigil to pray, God has given a blessing -as if to say, “It is good that you are here.” Friday evening that blessing for me was the many men who stood at the vigil in prayer. On most other occasions when I have been at the vigil, the women have outnumbered the men – perhaps because of the time of day I was there. But this evening, in the growing darkness, my friend and I were privileged to stand with six men who had come to pray – young men, fathers, and grandfathers doing what we are ALL called to do – protect and defend the innocent. At the end of our vigil time, a busload of young seminarians joined us! The sight of these young men standing at the roadside holding the 40 Days for Life signs, smiling and waving at the passers-by, and united in prayer was a stark contrast to the occasional angry detractor.
God is so good. May He continue to use our prayerful presence to change hearts and minds and reconcile all souls to Himself.
October 28th, 2012 at 4:28 pm
Although I am unable to do a vigil, I have kept tabs on you all and have been praying ceaselessly for you and for an end to the culture of death ie Abortion, Euthanasia, and for a prolife president and prime minister of our country, Canada. I signed a petition against this law many years ago and have been praying got a change in the secular morality. May God be with you all and may His Will be done!
October 28th, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Thought you might be interested in what the prayer warriors from Christ the King Church in Tampa, Florida experienced when praying at the local abortion mill last week.
It was notable the steady stream of young women coming to the mill. Sad, too.
At least twice during the day a large flock of vultures flew into the surrounding oak trees. Our priest who had been praying their in the a.m. mentioned it at the noon Mass. “Vultures can sense death” he said. They were there later in the day when I was praying, too.
One of the oddest things were two women who quietly joined us and placed themselves and their signs between ours. Our signs said things like “Life is Precious” and “Fathers regret abortion, too,” etc. Their signs said [obscenity deleted]. We were startled and prayed louder and more fervently…..the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
Have these signs ever shown up anywhere else? Where does this come from? Is it a mockery of Christ or a twisted kind of support message?
May God continue to grant us the courage of our convictions and may lives be spared and hearts changed!
Thank you for all you do.
Blessings,
Gail Whiting
October 28th, 2012 at 9:22 pm
thank you for the update keep up the good work God Bless
October 28th, 2012 at 10:00 pm
In our local campaign we have seen several mothers choose life for their babies, and that is very exciting! But this past Friday was one of my most significant days yet.
I pray at our local clinic on a regular basis. I have made it my personal mission to befriend the main abortionist by writing him cards that tell him about God’s love, write Scripture, and share my personal experiences with my faith. (I ALWAYS avoid writing about his profession and the topic of abortion). Week after week, I run to the fence and he opens the gate to me to collect my card. He usually doesn’t say much….until this week.
He opened the gate and started asking me about myself, my husband, my faith, and then he spent 20 minutes telling me about why he works in the industry, about his religious beliefs, and how he enjoys our conversations. I was able to share the gospel of Christ with him, and he keeps commenting how I am a “different Christian”. It was one of the most remarkable conversations of my life. What a blessing to have that time to speak to him! Please pray for him, as I continue to write him cards and share Scripture with him.
A fun side note – my church sent the abortion clinic workers a catered breakfast from Panera bread!! The card stated “I know we’re on opposite sides of the fence, but we really do care!”. The delivery man told me they were very thankful!
God is doing GREAT things!
October 29th, 2012 at 9:45 am
Kaytlin B – Your witness of such consistency is an encouragement and what a blessing that your notes were received so favorably and may lead that man to the Lord one day and then to a new career. Also love the idea of your church sending Panera treats. Really showing love!!!!!! Keep up the wonderful labor of love! God bless you!!
October 29th, 2012 at 12:29 pm
May GOD bless all those nation wide who are standing up for life,and may all the locations be covered by the BLOOD OF JESUS
October 29th, 2012 at 4:58 pm
What a wonderful picture of the family in Gainesville! God bless them and all the the volunteers that are doing such wonderful work. My prayers are with them.
October 29th, 2012 at 9:42 pm
Gail,
Perhaps the best way to know the intentions of the women with the signs would be to ask them about them. Since they do not seem appropriate for the campaign, you could ask them to use one of the 40 days for life signs and see how they react. As always, pray for them, and remember Psalm 37.
Blessings from others who pray daily for life in Florida
October 30th, 2012 at 1:50 am
The Lord has blessed us with many babies saved at the Family Planning Assoc., with Sunday being the most ever with 4 changes of heart! (Yes, they kill babies on Sundays there.) Three of these happened after a woman had stormed out of the abortion office four different times to yell at us to get away from there and stop “judging people”. She then called the police who arrived and went inside Family Planning to talk to her, which is never good for their business. It all worked for the good, and we learned to be in prayer and stay calm in the face of harsh anger.
Tonight we learned that the owner of FPA was inside having a meeting with the doctors, which is a very rare occurrence. The 40 Days for Life campaign is making a huge difference because so many people driving and walking by tell us they never knew there was an abortion clinic there. May the Lord be glorified in the closing of this blight of a business in our city, in HIs perfect time.