From 40 Days For Life: DAY 40: "You weren't here for me?"

"How dare you judge them! Planned Parenthood saved my life!" Paula, a dedicated prayer volunteer in Orange, California, shared a powerful story with me during my visit there.

She said a very hostile woman approached her and began yelling at her for "judging and harassing" Planned Parenthood. She claimed they saved her life when they aborted her baby 20 years ago. When the woman stopped, Paula calmly and compassionately looked at her and said, "They didn't save you. They killed your baby." The woman got upset and left. As Paula prayed for her, she came back, looked at Paula with a different demeanor, and said, "Why were you not out here for me when I went in for my abortion? No one was here." Paula told me, "I felt guilty. I should have been here for her. I am in my sixties ... and the reality is that 20 years ago, I could have been here for her. But I wasn't. I was too timid to come out here back then." Paula said she shares this story to get more people to overcome their fear to come out and pray. And volunteers have come out to pray in Orange!

Kiersten, the local leader, has many churches and pastors coming out to this massive Planned Parenthood center in Orange. This was the site where baby Milagros was saved with the help of Alejandra, Marty and Graciela. Milagros is featured in the 40 Days for Life book. Here are Marty and Graciela (above), who still come out faithfully. Two quick updates today with the same theme: Ultrasound saves lives!

Providence, Rhode Island Volunteers were praying at the 40 Days for Life vigil outside Planned Parenthood in Providence when a woman arrived for an abortion – holding the hands of her two young children. "You do not need to do this," one of the vigil participants told her. "There is a van just over here where you can get help." The van was Rhode Island Right to Life's mobile unit. She and the children walked over and went inside. "Is the heart beating?" the mother asked the nurse. "Yes it is," the nurse answered. "Do you want to have an ultrasound so you can see?" After seeing the ultrasound of her baby – and hearing her three-year-old excitedly ask, "Is that our baby?" – she chose life. "As you can imagine, we are all euphoric, giving thanks and praise to God," said Carol in Providence.

San Antonio, Texas A young woman came up to the fence at Planned Parenthood in San Antonio to speak with 40 Days for Life volunteers. Inside Planned Parenthood, she'd been told she would have to pay for a pregnancy test. She had been thinking about having an abortion ... and teared up when she explained that she had two children at home and needed to go back to work soon. "We talked about her plans and the new life inside her," one of the vigil participants said. She had seen the signs about the ultrasound van. "Right then, the van rounded the corner ... and she was able to get an ultrasound right away," the volunteer explained. "She did confirm that she would choose life for her baby!"

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" — Revelation 21:4-5 Father, you are the God of hope. Your word fills us with the vision of the world to come, when every tear will be wiped away, and death will be no more. Father, how we need that hope, how we are strengthened by that vision! Keep our hearts focused on heaven, and diligent in the labors of earth. As we struggle against the culture of death, root our souls in the assurance of victory. See today's full devotional

For life,

Shawn Carney President, 40 Days for Life

40 Days for Life 4112 E 29th St. Bryan, Texas 77802 United States (888) LIFE-316