The final day...and beyond!

Here are some photos from the final hour of our 40 Days for Life campaign.  What a blessing that every single hour was covered by our faithful prayer volunteers!!

 

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this 40 Days possible! 

Don't let the prayers stop here, though.  The battle against abortion is constant and we can't give up, even though we may not be standing out on the street for all to see.   We have the largest abortion facility in North America just an hour up the road.  Consider taking an hour out of your week or month to go stand at Planned Parenthood and pray.  If you are hesitant about going alone, contact me using the 40daysforlife@gmail.com address and I'd be glad to meet anyone there to pray!

Never give up!! God can change hearts one person at a time :)

Unite for Life video

Here's a little video showing the Unite for Life event from Saturday and our march to Planned Parenthood.

Our angel

I'm convinced that we have our very own angel for this 40 DFL campaign.

 image source

Many of you who have stood at the vigil site have probably seen him.  He is an elderly man in a red Cadillac.  He always waves and smiles when he drives by, and often he stops to talk to the prayer volunteer.  He may even ask if you need anything (water, etc).

Here are two of the stories shared by volunteers about their encounter with this sweet man.

Story #1

Story #2

Today, Sonia and I were standing at the site, and she told me about one of her hours out there where two different people were ugly to her as they drove by - one even making a point to stop, roll down their window and give her a frown and a thumbs-down.  She was hurt by this, and even got a little teary-eyed.  A few minutes later, the elderly man drove by and stopped, rolled down his window and said, "thank you".  His simple words were enough to give her encouragement after the previous ugliness she had experienced.

A few minutes after she told me that story, our angel drove up in his Cadillac and handed us each a small, silver crucifix. What a blessing :)

But what about....

I think, as pro-life advocates, we are often confronted with people who claim to be against abortion, but they like to add the politically correct "rape or incest" clause. 

You know how the conversation goes.

"I'm against abortion, but what about if the woman gets raped? She shouldn't be forced to give birth to a baby whose father is a rapist, right?"

Well, that question suggests that a human being's worth comes from the manner in which they were conceived.

I posted a photo yesterday from the Unite for Life event of a woman whose birth mother had been gang raped.  The birth mother chose LIFE for her baby and put her up for adoption.  Juda Myers is a beautiful mother, grandmother, author, singer/songwriter and speaker.  She has no doubt blessed countless people with her testimony, all because her mother recognized that she did not deserve a death sentence because of the sins of her father.

Juda's website has an entire page of other "conceived in rape" stories.  It's a great site to send to those friends in your life who try to justify abortion with the "rape" excuse.

Pass it on!!

http://www.juda4praise.com/Other_Conceived_in_Rape_Stories.htm

Unite for Life 2010

Today Jennifer, Carol and I went to the Unite for Life event in Houston.  It was a beautiful gathering of thousands of pro-lifers, and I was SO glad to be a part of it!  There were probably 20 or so pro-life organizations represented with each one offering information about their specific ministry.  I spent the day with my Health Care Professionals for Life group, and we signed up 23 new members :)

The guest speaker of the event was actor Eduardo Verastegui.  His story was quite remarkable and if you haven't seen his movie "Bella", then you absolutely need to rent it/buy it.  

The event ended with a peaceful, prayerful march from the Catholic Charismatic Center to Planned Parenthood. We were met at the gate by about 5 or 6 angry, bitter pro-abortion protesters yelling out their juvenile chants.  I found it funny that their Facebook invite showed about 37 people RSVP'd to come to their protest, yet less than 10 actually showed up.

The march was beautiful - a great witness to all the traffic going by.  Eduardo even participated :)

Here are a few photos from the day.  I hope this will be an annual event, and that more people will participate next year!!

The Planned Parenthood "escort" in the yellow vest was holding a Bible. What in the world?  These people need our prayer - they are SO lost.

Our march to Planned Parenthood

Eduardo giving his testimony.

Look at this beautiful woman sharing her story with everyone.  She is the answer to the common argument, "well, what about if a woman gets pregnant because she was raped??"  Is this woman's life any less valuable because of the manner in which she was conceived? NO.

Our booth :)  The bottles of water were acting as paperweights because it was soooooo windy and all our brochures were trying to blow away!

The pathetic showing of "protest" from a handful of angry, bitter pro-abortion activists.

We outnumbered them by about 500 to 1, I believe :)

Stories from the vigil site

"Today, Tuesday, Alan and I were approaching the vigil site for the 8a.m. slot. A woman approached us and asked what this stuff was all about and what church we were from. We explained 40 days for life. Her name is Connie and she told us that years ago she was a mother of 2 boys and pregnant with her 3rd child. Her husband gave her the money to have an abortion and she made the appointment to do so. When she got to the clinic she said she just couldn't go through with it. She has a 15 year old mentally handicapped son that she said "is a gift to her". We smiled and thanked her for choosing life. She told us to keep up the good work. Isn't it amazing when any of us stand up for life. Say a prayer of thanks for Connie and all the other mothers that choose LIFE. "

-Jet and Alan Booth

Faces from the vigil site

Sally and Maria

Maria and Mary Ann

Stories from the vigil site

"I just wanted to share my inspirational experience yesterday at our corner...

I have been doing the 8-9 AM hour on Sundays for this past two years, and this time of the day has been very peaceful and uneventful. Usually, at this time of the day, especially on Sunday mornings, most people choose to sleep in and the ones up and about out on the streets are the ones on the way to church. So, the last couple of years have been pleasant with most of the public feedback being positive - affirming and supporting our cause for choosing life.

Yesterday, beyond the occasional honk and wave of the passerby, an old man inside a red cadillac stopped right in front of me. I wasn't sure what to expect because no one has ever pulled to a complete stop. Inside the car, I heard an old man straining his voice, and he said "Thank You," and drove off. I responded with a smile and said "Thank You" back. But as the car pulled off, I couldn't hold my tears back. It was such a heart-felt and sincere "Thank you" that it warmed my heart so deeply as if it was God and the Holy Spirit thanking me directly.

Now, I really looked like some crazy woman holding up a couple of signs and crying my heart out standing in the corner. I can just imagine what the people were saying about me. I tried to compose myself by holding back my tears and smiling instead. Then, no more than five minutes, this same car pulls back up to me, and the old man hands me a couple of crucifix (for a necklace). So, needless to say, I cried again...

I never would have thought that I would receive such a blessing. Here I am thinking that I want to give a voice to the unborn child...But it was me who was left speechless that morning, with only tears of gratitude to express the blessing that I have received from a passerby. GOD IS SO GOOD! He is thanking each and everyone of us, and supports us in our works of justice, speaking for those who do not have a voice.

GOD BLESS ALL THE PRAYER WARRIORS! WHAT WE DO IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE.

Sincerely,
Maria"

The counter protest

If you are still on the fence about attending the Unite for Life event this coming Saturday, I hope this will sway you in the direction of saying YES and that you will decide to be a part of this important day.

There is a counter-protest forming, and it is imperative that they are completely snuffed out by the CROWDS of pro-lifers who gather.  

Here is the invitation that the counter-protesters have sent out via Facebook:

An ANTI-CHOICE group called "Unite for Life" is planning a little get together that they claim will be the "biggest gathering of pro-lifers in Houston ever."

Invite your friends! Bring your posters! Bring your voices!!! Let's show these fundamentalists that freedom of reproductive choice is HERE TO STAY!

For more information about THEIR event and their organization visit: http://uniteforlife2010.org/
...
A few of us will meet up at UH (in the parking lot of the stadium on Holman and Scott) at 9:00am and carpool, if you would like to join, or volunteer your car for carpooling, please comment here or email SFOatUH@gmail.com or contact Amanda on facebook!

**IMPORTANT**
The Unite for Life group is planning to march to Planned Parenthood, HOWEVER, Planned Parenthood has asked that we do not protest at their site to avoid extra conflict and/or confusion for their patients. We will be protesting at the Catholic Charismatic Center ONLY, so lets make it big!!

Here are some chants that I hope will pump you guys up:

Not the church, not the state,
Women must decide their fate!

Gay, straight, black, white,
All unite for women's rights!

Right-to-life, your name's a lie,
You don't care if women die!

No more back allies in the night,
For safe abortions, we will fight!

Pro-life men have got to go,
When you get pregnant, let us know!

Clap your hands, raise your voice
The USA is pro-choice!

Hey, hey, ho, ho,
Right-to-life has got to go!

What do we want? CHOICE?
When do we want it? NOW!

Our bodies, our lives,
Our right to decide!

Hey, hey, mister, mister,
Get your laws off my sister!

Back alleys, no more,
Abortion rights for rich and poor!

1,2,3,4, Open up the clinic door!
5,6,7,8, Don't tell us to procreate!

1,2,3,4, We won't take it anymore!
5,6,7,8, Separate the church and state!

2,4,6,8,
Abortion rights in every state!

9,7,5,3,
You can't take these rights from me!

7,5,3,1,
We won't stop until we've won!

Pro-choice united
Can never be defeated!

Women united
Can never be defeated!

We say pro-choice,
You say no choice!

Ho, ho, hey, hey,
Abortion rights are here to stay!

Repro rights are under attack,
What're we going to do? ACT UP, FIGHT BACK!

Stop your hatred, stop your violence!
Pro-choice voters won't be silent!

This is what democracy looks like,
This is what democracy looks like!

Men and women sing this song,
Roe v. Wade must be kept strong!

In addition to committing to come to the Unite for Life event, we need to all pray specifically for the organizer of this counter-protest, Amanda Williams, and for all those who are planning to attend.  We need to pray that there will be all sorts of barriers placed in their way and that their protest is completely ineffective.  Let us pray that the hearts of those participating in the protest will be changed!  That they will see the truth, and see US for who we really are - compassionate, faithful servants of Christ, not hateful fanatics.

visit www.uniteforlife2010.org for details about driving, parking, volunteering, etc.

Volunteer opportunity

We are thrilled about Unite for Life - Houston 2010, and it is on track to be the largest gathering of Pro-Life Houstonians ever!  We're expecting well over 10,000 people to take a stand against abortion in Houston by attending UFL on Saturday, October 23.  Our goal is to enrich more than 25 pro-life organizations already at work saving the lives of our most vulnerable by connecting them with Houstonians who are passionate to make a difference.   Keynote speaker Eduardo Verastegui (star of the pro-life movie Bella) and pro-life leaders from around Houston will inspire us to put our beliefs in action and take a stand for life.  Check out more about UFL at our website:

www.uniteforlife2010.org

And we need your help!  

We need a small army of volunteers to help in a number of different areas, including Set Up, Stagehands, Water Booths, Booth Support, Information, Parking Lot Traffic Control, and more.  

We need volunteers for both Friday (Set Up) and Saturday (all teams) at the Catholic Charismatic Center located at 1949 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77023.  

Friday, October 22
Volunteers arrive at 1:00 pm to help set up for the event.
Volunteers needed - 60
CLICK HERE to RSVP to volunteer on Friday.

Saturday, October 23
Volunteers arrive at 7:30 am and will be assigned to one of 11 teams.
Team Captains will review the team's responsibilities and assign volunteers specific duties.
CLICK HERE to RSVP to volunteer on Saturday.

Volunteers should be between 14 and 99 years old.  Please also forward this information to anyone you know who might be able to volunteer.  

Thank you for taking a stand for life!

Blessings,

David Garcia

Volunteer Coordinator

Unite for Life - Houston

garciadt@gmail.com

The Midway Rally!

Sorry I'm a bit late in posting these...and a huge THANK YOU to Jeannette for taking such great photos of the rally!

We had a wonderful turnout, and the hour was spent with prayer led by Don and Gwen, praise and worship led by Bill and Vicki, and the pro-life rosary led by Kathleen and Terri.

It was a great way to celebrate the halfway mark of our 40-day vigil and to energize us to press on for the next 20 days.  Thank you to everyone who participated!

Who are we praying for? Entry #4

We pray for women who are victims of the lies perpetuated by the abortion industry, for those
who find themselves entering an abortion clinic, feeling terrified and alone.  We pray
for women who were deceived by the abortion industry, for those who find themselves leaving
an abortion clinic brokenhearted, feeling terrified and alone.  We pray for our hearts to be
filled with compassion & stripped of judgment so that we may walk the healing journey, hand
in hand, with our injured sisters.    

(Thank you to Jeanne for this beautiful reminder and prayer!)

Also, please share the following information about the upcoming Rachel Retreat with anyone you know who might be in need of this healing experience. 

 

Save the date - Saturday, October 23rd!!

Please email us if you are interested in going. 

 It will be a good idea to get some carpools together, as parking will be limited!!

You don't want to miss out! 
For more information about the event, go to the Unite for Life website:
http://www.uniteforlife2010.org

Faces from the vigil site

 

Say hello to Gianna, one of our youngest (and cutest, if I may say so...) volunteers!

(The precious kids on the sign are Art's grandchildren.  Art has been such a faithful volunteer and we are so thankful for his commitment to stand at the vigil site EVERY morning during the week!)

Faces from the vigil site

More of our beautiful volunteers!  

Thank you all for your faithfulness to our 40 Days for Life campaign!

p.s. Remember to scroll down to see previous days' posts on the blog that you may have missed! 

Also, check out the videos (Abby's story) using the button on the menu bar at the top of the blog.  

And don't forget to take the poll (also in the menu bar above) and share how you are fasting during these 40 days!

Kathy and Janice

Betty and Tom

Peggy, Buzz and Chester

Megan and Jeanne

Rachel and Alan

Laurie and Charlene

Maria and Joan

Alissa, Janice and Carrye

Art, Dean and Ron

Clarence and Rosemarie

Hope to see everyone tomorrow evening (Monday, October 11) from 6pm-7pm at the vigil site for our Midway Rally!!