The Holy Innocents and the Holy Family

Dear Vigil for Life Family,

Yesterday was the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the martyrs who were sacrificed in King Herod's attempt to wipe out the threat to his throne, Jesus, the Christ Child.  Today we have our own Herods who take innocent human life on the altars of convenience, the innocents who threaten to disrupt careers and block the accumulation of material comforts.  And then we have what follows....the souls of the mothers and fathers who made this choice, weighed down with the burden of guilt and despair.

Today is the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, a reminder to us all that it is in the setting of the family unit where we learn how to give and receive love.  No other institution can take its place; it is the juncture between individuals and society, indispensable and necessary for the good of all mankind.  And yet, this foundation of society is also threatened; Pandora's box is open once again for even more evil to develop and spread.

It would be easy to give up, give in, and throw in the towel but we know we are asked to do otherwise.  Much prayer, fasting, and sacrifice must be done to change hearts and overturn these paths of destruction.  This change IS happening - look at the growth of the 40 Days for Life campaign, the number of states introducing Personhood amendments to protect the preborn, the number of abortion mills closing and workers quitting.  We are getting there!  Pray for the fortitude and perseverance to stay the course!

"At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn."  (Ps 30:6)

Join us in our 365 for Life campaign, praying for an hour out on the sidewalk of Planned Parenthood for the preborn innocents, their parents, the family, and the Herods inside who destroy life.

This week will be a challenging one to fill hours!  The temperatures are dropping and the sacrifice asked of you will be great.  But it is when conditions are tough like this that good things happen.  Clients, workers, and drive-bys are touched and changed when they see such dedication under adversity.

Open Hours - PLEASE SIGN UP FOR AN HOUR!

Monday, 12/30/13:  1 needed at 9:00am

Tuesday, 12/31/13:  2 needed at noon, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00pm; 1 needed at 10:00am  Only 31% filled ON THIS ABORTION DAY!

Wednesday, 1/1/14: Planned Parenthood is closed but prayer warriors are welcome to stop and pray!

Thursday, 1/2/14:  1 needed at 3:00

Friday, 1/3/14:  100% filled  Praise God!

Go to www.vigilforlife.org/calendar/monthview to sign up for hours or email at info@vigilforlife.org.  Blessed are you....Your faithfulness will be rewarded!

Urgent Prayer Request Update:

I received the following email with the latest from the friend of a mother who is pregnant now and told that this child will most likely have Down's syndrome; she really wants a child, has lost several babies, and was considering abortion when the first email was sent.  Her mother, the grandmother, is very worried about her daughter and is in great distress.  Please keep them in your prayers!

"To all who are praying for Life!
Update:  The woman who I spoke of earlier that was debating about abortion or not, has not had an abortion and grandma appreciates everyone's prayers, keep praying.... This is really, really hard on Grandma right now.  So please keep storming Heaven with prayer.  Thank you!" (Friend of the Family)

God Bless You!

Finally, I want to thank all of you for the kind notes, well-wishes, and support I have received since announcing my stepping down as director of Vigil for Life.  It is appropriate that my last email occurs on the Feast of the Holy Family since, in human terms, you Vigil for Life friends have been a holy family for me, a real-life example of living one's faith.  God truly blessed me when He put me on the pro-life path; I just didn't know how blessed I would be!  I am humbled and so thankful for your support throughout - you always came through when hours needed to be filled, volunteer positions were open, and prayers requested.  I know you will give Gwen this same level of support!  I will be in the trenches with you out on the sidewalk and helping wherever I can so I know I'll see you as much as ever!

I'll leave you with one of my favorite Mother Teresa quotes, one which I hope will keep us going when we question whether we're doing any good out there:  "We can do no great things; only small things with great love."

See you out there....God bless you!