…and he looked at Jesus as He walked by and said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”
John 1:36
And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Revelation 5:5
But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
John 4:14
Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually!
1 Chronicles 16:11
This year for our Bible Study Fellowship we are studying the book of John. This has been such a blessing in my life. I would highly recommend it. We just read John 4 and the story of the woman at the well. The main points of the story are: Events point to the sovereignty of God and would not be stopped by anyone or anything. Only Jesus can satisfy our deepest longings. God is impartial. His love extends to all. Jesus initiates every redemption story. Satisfaction in Jesus transforms us. Transformation can happen immediately or over time.
We all have a story and testimony on how Jesus changed us and transformed our lives, whether it was immediately or over time. His living water springs up in us as we seek Him and His strength. Jesus is the living water that everyone needs. We pray that all come to know Jesus and His redeeming love. Jesus gives us grace upon grace; His sustaining grace. That is how we do what we do for 40 Days For Life. Our “yes” to show up and be obedient is Jesus’ light shining through us. The blessings from our “yes” are many. It may be a baby saved, a conversation had, resources handed out to those in need or someone who knows someone in need, someone walking by thanking us and blessing us; these affirmations help us to persevere. It’s God’s way of saying keep going, keep showing up, I’m with you and I will never leave you or forsake you. We cannot stop, we cannot give up! We will not quit! It is who He created us to be. Our hearts are breaking for the women choosing abortion. God formed us in our mother’s wombs and knew us before we were born. We are created in God’s image. What many fail to realize is that God is sovereign and in control of all things. We desperately need God — every moment of every day. We wouldn’t be here if He didn’t create us. We wouldn’t live if He didn’t sustain us. We wouldn’t flourish if He didn’t guide and empower us.
Jesus first came to us as a baby, the Lamb of God. We await His return as the Lion of Judah.
~Donna
Stories from the Sidewalk
It was a peaceful shift this morning, a good time to pray. It was a blessing to see Vito come from Mother of Sorrows Church in Murrysville. He surprised us by just showing up, which was wonderful. He and I prayed together. Some single women went in throughout the shift. Then close to 9 o’clock the first couple entered the doors. One noteworthy thing that happened was as a young woman was being dropped off in front of the doors by her boyfriend a dead branch fell out of the tree and hit her on the head. It was a pretty large branch, and she was rubbing her head. I didn’t think about the words that were coming out of my mouth, but I said, that must be a sign from God that you are not supposed to do this! I mean, I always ask the Lord to hit me over the head, if I am not doing his will. He literally hit her over the head and she still went in and did not come back out.
Nikki
Dan from Stubenville joined us. We had a steady flow of people enter PP, many were not receptive to us. Two or three stopped long enough to be shown some resources and took some information. One very young couple came out to smoke a cigarette. I offered them information. They said they were not interested and walked away. But I was able to approach and engage them in a short conversation about abortion, our view of abortion/murdering unborn babies, and the effects on those I know who have had one. I told them about the baby we saved last year and how adorable he is now. They wondered “who” we were and I explained 40DFL. They said they really appreciated us doing this for what we believe. And they appreciate how kind we were in standing for our beliefs. And then they went back in. I told them I would be praying for them in the decision they were making. They were in there just a few minutes and then came out and waved and said goodbye to me as they walked away. So I continue to pray. On a totally positive note, we encountered a number of passersby throughout our whole shift who initiated greetings and “God bless you.” So we were blessed and very encouraged. God is so good.
Judy
He said, “Bunch of Hypocrites” under his breath as he passed us on the street while we prayed our rosaries for the babies and their parents. He really must have been talking about the woman who previously passed us by today while repetitively chanting, “My Body, My Choice.” At least she did not point her finger at us while chanting this time…she must be reading our blogs. It is two bodies inside a woman who is pregnant and it is hypocrisy to claim a high moral standard in the elimination of an innocent baby.
Those moments are the low times in our fight to save families from the sadness of what abortion brings. The day was actually more cheerful than in the previous week as many passersby were friendly and supportive. We had a thumbs up from a lady in a van as well as several people showing gratitude for our witness. Some passersby even took information and promised to pass it on to others. One family passed with a child around the age of 5. The child took notice of the baby models and said something to her parents. When they passed by again, the father looked at the models with sadness. We do not know what our presence there does, but we know that it does move hearts and minds to contemplate what occurs inside of PP.
A man pushing a stroller with a baby around one year old walked by with a woman. She entered PP but he kept walking. We offered information, but he refused to take it from us twice. On his third passing of the clinic he took some information and it looked like he read it. The woman was still inside the clinic at the end of the shift. They will need prayers today and that is a certainty!
Beth Ann
Praise God for another nice weather day! But there seemed to be a revolving door today at the death clinic. One woman who came out gave us the “good” news that she was not there for an abortion and not everyone going in is there for an abortion, which we know. I told her she should consider going somewhere else for her care where they don’t kill babies. She wasn’t interested.
It was a blessing to spend the ride and vigil time with Fr. Jim, Patti and my new friend, Kathy, who I got to know more on the March for Life trip to Harrisburg. I didn’t know who all would be on that bus. But I went anyhow and was so glad I did. I met other nice people including a couple from a UMC church. I told them it’s great that we rally together for this cause for life! I would like to encourage others who are not sure about coming by themselves to our Vigil to do so. My prolife family is filled with many amazing individuals who I’m blessed to know!
Two individuals heeded the call to come by themselves today. Peggy drove an hour from Ohio to be there for our shift. And Eric showed up by himself for the very first time as we were leaving. Fr, Patti, Kathy and Peggy prayed two rosaries and one Divine Mercy while I seemed to be non stop trying to reach out to those going by.
I did take a break to speak with my homeless friend, William. He is a very sweet man, looks out for his friend Laura (and her, him). She spent the day with us it would seem… resting in her chair, head down. I shared with William and a couple other older homeless men about the St. Joseph House for Hospitality…a place for men 50+. One man excitedly said he grew up on a street just down the road from there. I told him that we were meant to talk today.
Prayers for all those on the streets and the many lives lost and shattered because of abortion today.
Cil
We had a quiet day. About six young women came out of PP. One lady walked past yelling abortion saves lives. A few passersby gave positive comments and we prayed a group Chaplet and Rosary, plus individual prayer.
Larry