Day 36…Thanks to St. Thomas the Apostle parish, St. Martha & Mary parish, and all our wonderful team members!

Words of an Angel…my testimony

I had already written a blog for today, but as I prayed this morning, I realized that I needed to write a new one. Today, March 25th, is such a special day, that I just couldn’t use the reflection that I had written earlier in the week. Today, for Catholics, is a day that we honor the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary. It is the day that we remember that message of an angel, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” It is the day that we remember a young Virgin’s history-altering response, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” This is the day that the second person of the Holy Trinity condescended to become a man; a weak human infant…a tiny embryo…in the immaculate womb of Mary! This is the day that the infinite and always GOD…took His flesh from Mary alone. As I prayed this morning, I realized that I needed to share my own testimony in this blog reflection, as a way to honor Mary’s great “FIAT”.

When I began leading 40 Days for Life in 2010, I was what you would call a “baby Christian“. Newly baptized in the Assembly of God church, I was on fire for Jesus…and my heart was broken over the realization of the tragedy of abortion. As I began to be exposed to Catholics praying the rosary on the sidewalk, I am ashamed to admit that I was horrified and even embarrassed by their devotion to Mary. I wanted our 40 Days for Life vigil to look more like my Evangelical services…cool, relevant, choreographed with contemporary worship music and emotional prayers. Seeing a bunch of people reciting monotonous (and I thought blasphemous) words, over and over again horrified me at first, and later simply annoyed me. If a picture was sent to me to post on the blog, and it showed people with rosaries in their hands, I would actually crop the photo, so the rosaries couldn’t be seen. If a shift report said anything about “praying the rosary”…I would edit out the last two words. I was determined that the Rosary was going to have no place on our 40 Days for Life blog! I remember one time, going so far as to block the front of our kick-off stage so that the men who were carrying the statue of Mary would not be able to set it where anyone would be able to see it.

I was embarrassed by Mary, I am sad to say. Thankfully, our loving Mother didn’t hold that against me. In fact, I want to honor her today with my testimony of how it was SHE who actually took my hand and led me to her Son in a way that was more profound and intimate than I ever could have imagined.

It happened on a cold early spring morning in 2012, while I was sidewalk counseling in front of Planned Parenthood. It was an exceptionally busy abortion day, with many couples going in to have their babies killed. I was having no luck reaching out to them, in fact, it seemed to me that I was only making things worse. Girls were crying when I approached them and men were getting angry and yelling at me. I became so profoundly discouraged that I decided right there and then that I was going to give up on pro-life work, and was going to go home and go back to having a “normal” life. But just as that thought was in my head, I happened to glance across the sidewalk and saw Sally Brunn silently praying her rosary…just as she always did. Sally and her husband Al, along with their friend Bob Newman, were the first people I met when I went to the sidewalk. For 30 years, the three of them witnessed at PP every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday…all by themselves. I admit that I was very impressed by their dedication and I came to love them as friends…even though I was still embarrassed by Sally’s constant rosaries. However, on this particular day, when I was so discouraged that I was ready to quit…for some reason, I found myself walking up to Sally, and I heard these words coming out of my mouth, “Sally, do you have an extra rosary?” God bless Sally, she didn’t even blink. She just reached into her pocket and pulled out a little plastic bag that contained a rosary, and instructions on how to pray it!

I took that rosary in my hand, walked a few steps down the sidewalk, took a deep breath and prayed a very sincere prayer to God, saying, “Lord, please forgive me if I am about to commit a terrible sin!” And I began to pray. Within minutes, the most amazing thing happened. All of a sudden, I realized that my discouragement and my despair were gone! In fact, I felt encouraged! I felt lifted up! I felt that I had a friend with me, encouraging me.

Of course, I know now that friend was Mary. She took her poor little misguided daughter’s hand and led her gently to her Son. The following Easter, March 30th, 2013, I received Jesus’ real Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity into myself, entering the Catholic Church with Sally as my sponsor. Finally, after years of seeking Him and getting to know Him as intimately as I could…through reading His Word and through Prayer…our love was finally consummated by meeting Him in the Flesh!

My life has never been the same since that day. Even as I type these words, the tears are coming. I now have the privilege of being united to my Lord in the most profound an intimate way each and every day, through the Holy Mass. I am crying as I write this, because I know how close I came to never knowing Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, which is the way in which He remains with us…never leaving or abandoning us. If it weren’t for Mary, and her rosary, I truly believed I would be lost today. God has let me know…He has given me to see…that if I had not become Catholic, I would have become disillusioned and would have fallen away. My love for Him would have grown cold.

That is why I am sharing my personal testimony on this special day…exactly nine months before Christmas…the day in which our Lord was conceived in Mary’s womb. I want to honor her today for all the help she has given me by telling my story. And I hope it will inspire you to love her even more as well. In fact, if you can, would you pray a rosary for me today, as a special gift to her, thanking her for my salvation through her Son?

Thank you for reading this.

nikki

Read on for today’s sidewalk stories…

Cathy & Peggy

Four people went in, 3 singles and one couple, as well as a number of workers. Do we know for sure what they are/are not doing there? Any way of finding out?

Just before we left young woman approached us asking for a pregnancy test. I took her down to LL and got a test for her. She was on her way to work so took it with her. Said she had taken a store test yesterday which was negative, but wanted to be sure. She has a three year old, but doesn’t seem to be abortion minded. We talked a bit and looked at the green flyer, pointing out the services available. Told her to keep in touch with us.

Cathy & Peg

Conrad

I was privileged to be on with John and Maureen, Larry from Church of St Thomas. We prayed many rosaries. I distributed literature to passerbys and also those entering.
    I challenged the men to man up. Perhaps it is time to challenge and remind both the women and men entering that like it or not that they are mothers and fathers now and to accept responsibility.
    It is time to grow up. Their tiny son/ daughter desperately needs them!

Conrad
  

Larry

Special thanks to Dani, Ann, Beth Ann, Cynthia, and Marilyn from St. Aidan and Sts. Martha and Mary

Beth Ann was there today along with the ladies from Saints Martha & Mary and Saint Aidan’s.  They prayed all four mysteries of the holy rosary. God bless them! They also ended with Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Pretty slow day today at Planned Parenthood.  One or two ladies going in, and one or two coming out. None of them wanted information. One lady threw a hissy fit because we were standing by the doorway of the apartment building at 937 Penn Ave. She launched into a tirade about human rights, how she practices human rights, and I was going to ask her about unborn humans, but she was too tied up with her tirade. She then slammed the door in our face and left. I guess when you have no argument, that’s what you have to do. ed showed up at noon, and was there till 1:00 PM. He’s a dilligent sidewalk advocate!

God bless all who were there today! Larry

Chris, Kevin & Judy

Kevin, from Regina Coeli Parish, was with me today, as he always is, along with faithful Sidewalk Advocate Judy, from St. Joseph the Worker Parish.  When a woman entered PP, Judy would pick up the “I’m Human” sign and stand facing the front door.  We prayed three Rosaries, a Loreto Litany, and two Chaplets of Divine Mercy.  Today there were no comments directed at us, either way.  God bless everyone who participated in the 40 Days for Life Spring campaign.  Chris

Katie & Patty

(From Patty) -Warm day on the sidewalk. Nice to have Eileen, (I think) faithful volunteer join us, back from her injuries. Many passing by took cards. Only a couple women went in. Several came out and one couple, on leaving, took the green flyer. Thanks to Teresa at the Little Lamb and the earlier shift with help packing up

Thanks to Katie and Patty for filling in for the last shift today!