Dear Mike,
While Jackie was praying at the 40 Days for Lifevigil in GREENLAND, NEW HAMPSHIRE, a car slowlypulled up in front of the clinic. The driver rolleddown the window and said, "I don't know what you'redoing here; but whatever it is, it's working!" Thedriver went on to say the abortion center had letemployees go because business was off.
All Jackie could say was, "Praise God for victories!"
The staff at yet another abortion center has shrunkby at least one. But this wasn't a layoff. This was aclinic nurse who walked out and quit!
Angela of the 40 Days for Life team in GRANITE CITY,ILLINOIS said the abortion facility nurse came outand hugged her. "Thank you for praying for me," shetold Angela. "Your witness has been powerful to me.This is my last day! I'm going off to do what realnurses should be doing." With that, she walked to hercar and drove away.
This is the SECOND abortion worker to quit duringthis 40 Days for Life campaign!
And yes, there are amazing stories to share aboutbabies saved from abortion as well.
Thus far in this fall 40 Days for Life campaign,we've received reports of 38 mothers who changedtheir minds and chose life. And of course, those arejust the ones we know of!
Here are just a few of those stories:
In HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, Al reported that whilepeople were praying at the 40 Days for Life vigilacross from the abortion center, a man came over witha simple message: "Thank you!" His niece had beenscheduled for an abortion. But after seeing the grouppraying, she simply could not go through with it.
In WASHINGTON, DC, Dick tells of a young couple whowalked into the Planned Parenthood abortion facility.Volunteers at the 40 Days for Life vigil didn't havemuch time to talk with them on their way in. Butafter an hour or so, they came back out. "They saidthey changed their minds about having an abortion."
In PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, there was another situation inwhich just the sight of people praying outside made aprofound impact. Ernie said an SUV had pulled up tothe clinic entrance, where the 40 Days for Life vigilwas in progress. The couple inside just stopped, tookanother look, and drove away without ever going in.
The 40 Days for Life team in EL PASO, TEXAS receiveda special blessing. Sandra said a woman drove up tothe vigil and wanted to talk about the day shedecided not to have an abortion. At the time, she sawher pregnancy as something that would just get in theway of her promising career.
But the day of her appointment, people had beenpraying outside the clinic. When she saw that, shestopped and asked herself, "What am I doing here?This is not right!"
As she continued her story, the young woman rolleddown her car window, pointed to the child in the carseat and began to cry. "Thanks to you all," she said,"I have this beautiful son!"
"You could imagine the feeling," Sandra said. "Ibelieve at that moment everybody was crying withher." The group prayed for the mother, her child andfor all her family. "We ask God to continue blessingthem and thank Him for this wonderful gift of life."
Prayer DOES work. And sometimes, you don't have tosay a word.
Let's keep it up!
Here's today's devotional from Rev. Paul StallsworthPresident of Lifewatch (United Methodist Church)...
-----------------------------------------------------DAY 6 INTENTION-----------------------------------------------------
That knowing the shortness of life, all may value itmore deeply.
-----------------------------------------------------SCRIPTURE-----------------------------------------------------
Remember your Creator before the silver cord isloosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitchershattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at thewell. Then the dust will return to the earth as itwas, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
-- Ecclesiastes 12:6-7
-----------------------------------------------------REFLECTION by Rev. Paul Stallsworth, Lifewatch-----------------------------------------------------
God is giver of all life. Short lived or long lived,human lives are lived out in this world. Themetaphors for death are many. But their meaning isclear and singular: all will die. Even so, death isnot the absolute end. It is not the end of the story.For as certainly as God gave life, at death the lifeor spirit that God gave returns to God.
By God, we are created. For God, we live our givendays. To God, we return at the end of our earthlydays. And with God, we live through eternity.Clearly, all along the way, this gracious, loving Godis with us. No human life is random or alone. Nohuman life was created without purpose. Not one humanlife is without destiny.
All human lives, acknowledged or not, are related toGod -- from beginning, to end, throughout eternity.Therefore, in this world, all human lives are to berespected and protected, for their lives are signs ofGod's sovereignty.
-----------------------------------------------------PRAYER-----------------------------------------------------
O God, we too often try to live in ways that ignoreour coming death. We forget that our days arenumbered by You, that at the end of our days yourjudgment awaits, that You are the Lord of ourdestiny.
Help us to repent daily, and then to live each day injoyful obedience. Lead us to live in the light andpromise of eternity. Prepare us to live fully andsacrificially. Prepare us to die faithfully andhopefully, so that we might live forever with You.Through Jesus Christ, who has gone before us, wetrust and hope and love and pray, Amen.
-----------------------------------------------------PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL-----------------------------------------------------
To download today's devotional as a formatted,printable PDF to share with friends:
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2009day06print.pdf
-----------------------------------------------------
For Life,
David BereitNational Director40 Days for Life
P.S.- Thanks to the hundreds of you who sent kindbirthday wishes to my wife yesterday! When I askedher what she wanted to do on her birthday, the firstthing she said was "go pray at a 40 Days for Lifesite." So we went to the Falls Church, Virginia,vigil -- about an hour from our home -- and prayedtogether as a family. What a blessing it was!
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