For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
Heb 4:15-16
Do you feel like you’re dragging yourself to the finish line in this 40 Days for Life campaign? I’m sorry to say that I do! It’s tough to stay energized and enthusiastic about the vigil for 40 days straight, especially with everything else going on in the world and in our personal lives.
I just love the Scripture verse above at times like these. Jesus can SYMPATHIZE with our weakness! Even though He is God, He humbled Himself to accept the full human experience, so He knows what it’s like to feel tired, discouraged, and frustrated.
It’s so comforting to know that Jesus gets it! He has such mercy and compassion because He understands completely what we’re going through. He is always ready to help us in our weakness because He knows what it feels like to be weak.
I need that “timely help” to get through the last days of the campaign without slacking off, so I will “confidently approach the throne of grace” to beg Jesus’s assistance. Only with His grace will I be able to press on until the end. May Jesus grant the same mercy and strength to you, too, so that you can continue to work and pray for the end of abortion!
Here’s what happened on the sidewalk today!
7:00-9:00 – Jen & Vince
Thank you to Vince, Dave, and Rich for their faithful presence and heartfelt prayers on the first shift this morning! For some reason this morning (maybe it was the cool temps,) the little baby in our fetal models looked to me like he was cold. All my life, I’ve associated the feeling of being cold with the feeling of being unloved. It made me pray harder for all the real children in the womb who are truly unloved, carried into PP to be killed and discarded as biohazard. May God have mercy on us all. –Jen
9:00-11:00 – Ken & Pat
A special thank you from the sidewalk today from a young woman who had an appointment at Planned Parenthood some years ago. She saw the prayerful witness of our 40 Days participants and decided to pass by without keeping her appointment. With much joy she then showed us a picture of her seven year old daughter who lives today because of her Mother’s courage and our presence on the sidewalk. God blesses our efforts in ways we will never know. It brings much comfort and peace to know there are many more that have not spoken to us who chose life.
My partner Pat and I were blessed with the welcomed prayers of Steve and Jamie from Most Precious Blood of Jesus parish, The People of God Covenant Community, and also The Sunday Rosary walkers who stop briefly to witness for life.
God is good! –Ken
11:00-1:00 – Roseann, Rich, & Nadine
We had a nice turnout today. It was very peaceful today as we prayed. No negative comments only positive. Thanks to all who came to witness. –Roseann
1:00-3:00 – Sue & Katie
We had a pretty quiet shift today, until, that is, two cars crashed and one or both (?) drove through a window nearby. It seems no one was hurt fortunately, though. Some guy walked by and cursed at each of us right in our faces as we prayed the rosary, and a young woman walking by said “I killed my baby 3 days ago” she was walking too quickly for me to find the Rachel’s vineyard brochure in the literature in my hand, but we told her we’d pray for her. But in the bright side, a couple from North Carolina stopped to thank us and ask about what things are like in Pittsburgh in terms of the abortion numbers, and a young man looked at the “abortion kills a human being” sign and said “that’s the truth”. Our fellow pray-er (I meant to remember names but I don’t) held up that sign when one of those double-decker busses was stopped at a red light and a guy on the upper level took a picture of it. Two other young men in Steelers jerseys walked past and said “thank you for telling the truth”. I gave them each the green brochure, which they eagerly accepted, and told them that you never know when you might meet someone who needs help, there have been a couple times when I’ve seen women in the checkout line buying pregnancy tests and given them resource cards and said “I don’t know if you’re hoping for positive or negative but I was hoping for negative and my son is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” A little boy walking by looked at the other side of the sign, with the picture of a 6 week old baby and asked “is that a baby?” and his mom said “it IS a baby” and I gave him one of the fetal models. –Katie
3:00-5:00 – Andy & Mary
Check back soon!