Dear Deacon, The idea of somebody protesting a prayer vigil may
sound odd. But it does occasionally happen -- because
prayer is effective. As one local 40 Days for Life coordinator said, "the
protest shows so clearly that our prayer vigil has hit
a nerve. It has unmasked what it is really going on."
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HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA
----------------------------------------------------- The 40 Days for Life vigil in Halifax takes place
outside a hospital where abortions are done. Last
Sunday, "the line was drawn clearly between good and
evil,” said Julie, the local coordinator. For three
hours, protesters "sat directly across from us,
holding their signs and playing terrible music
very loud."
group of protesters -- who were outnumbered by the
12 people who were praying for an end to abortion.
That's far more than had originally signed up for
that hour of prayer. "One pastor and his wife told me that they had felt
God urging them to come down this afternoon to pray,"
she said. "A woman told me that she had felt so
restless at home, that she decided to come and pray." A man dropped by and then stayed until the last
protester packed up and left the site. A group of
7 or 8 came from one church after their service.
"God definitely urged people to come today to pray." Julie said this should reassure you that the Lord
will provide for our needs in this vigil. "God knew
what was awaiting us there today, and He quietly
stirred hearts so that more people came to pray than
came to protest." To see pictures of the vigil -- and the protesters --
in Halifax, please go to: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3456
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ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
----------------------------------------------------- About 10 people were praying at the peaceful vigil
when a car pulled up behind them outside the abortion
center. The driver called out, "Please convince my
daughter not to kill her baby!" The volunteers looked up from their prayer and saw a
woman behind the wheel, with her 16-year-old daughter
at her side. The teen was quite upset that her mother
stopped to talk, and she unleashed a wave of profanity
as she got out of the car. Some of the volunteers went to talk to the mother --
including a couple with a one-month-old baby. They soon
learned that the mother and daughter had just left
Planned Parenthood, where the mother had signed a
consent form permitting the girl to have an abortion. But when the teenager's mom saw the people praying
outside, she knew in her heart that she had made a
terrible mistake. She went back inside and demanded
that Planned Parenthood tear up the consent form --
but she said they refused. About this time, the teen returned to the car. "The
girl was a little more open to talking to us," said
Bob, one of the volunteers. "Eventually, the girl
stated that she never wanted to kill her baby. But
she was scared and did not know what else to do." The young couple then asked the girl if she'd like
to hold their infant. "She held the baby for about
10 minutes," Bob said. "A deep conversion was
happening in her, too." Bob said the vigil participants "are all still
processing what happened. But there is no doubt
that we all experienced the providence of God. We
will continue to pray for the mother, the girl and
her baby." To see some pictures from 40 Days for Life in Anchorage,
please go to: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3456
Today's devotional is from Rev. John Ensor of
Heartbeat International.
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DAY 16 INTENTION
------------------------------------------------------ Pray for the mothers going into pregnancy help centers.
The personal care, the free ultrasound, the ongoing
practical help is designed to deliver them from those
who profit in shedding innocent blood.
------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest. -- Matthew 11:28
------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Rev. John Ensor, Heartbeat International
------------------------------------------------------ "You have twins. That will be another $350." She did
not speak English. But she finally understood that
they were telling her to go get more money and return
for her abortion. She had already given them her rent money. But they
were not about to give her a two-for-one deal. They
told her to get dressed and return with more cash. A couple, who was praying outside, comforted her.
They brought her to their local pregnancy help center. The staff quickly saw that her personal circumstances
were so desperate, and immediate, that they would need
direct and ongoing help from local Christians and
churches. They started making calls. Then they did the ultrasound. It showed there was only
one baby, not two. This abandoned, immigrant, powerless
mother was being exploited. She would do whatever she
was told. Who would know? Who would care? God calls us to "Rescue the weak and the needy; and
deliver them from the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 82:4). When you provide an alternative to abortion you are
not only rescuing innocent babies, you are delivering
mothers from the wicked: those who profit in the
shedding of innocent blood. Pray for those who rescue
and deliver daily at your local pregnancy help center.
------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------ Father, hear our prayer! Snatch desperate mothers from
the fire. Bring them out of our abortion businesses
and into our pregnancy help centers. Deliver them from
evil. Use us to help them chose life and see your hand
of provision.
------------------------------------------------------
PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL
------------------------------------------------------ To download today's devotional as a formatted,
printable PDF to share with friends: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2012day16print.pdf ----------------------------------------------------- For Life, Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life PS: Please continue to share stories about the
40 Days for Life campaign in your community!
You may leave a comment on today's blog posting: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3456
40 Days for Life 10908 Courthouse Road
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