Monday, April 10, 2017

The close of 40 Days for Life!

Wow! God is so good. Thank you SO much all of your effort, service, amazing and encouraging stories, support, stretching yourselves out of your comfort zones.... and most importantly for your prayers! I could go on and on: I AM SO THANKFUL FOR EACH OF YOU!! Praise the Lord, great things He has done!
Centralia 40 Days for Life has been one of the most amazing, faith building and inspiring experiences of my life. I know it has been the same for you all too! Thank you for following the Lords leading and stepping out in faith and courage to be a part of this incredible effort... making it possible for lives to be saved, hearts to be changed and faith to be strengthened in God's people. Because you said "yes" it opened the door for SO many others to do the same and grow in the process!
Although we didn't tangibly see a life saved, we saw SO many hearts change as we talked with many people who came to oppose us. We prayed with many people; those who were post-abortive & seeking hope, 1 PP supporter who might also possibly be a staff member there at Centralia, a homeless girl, countless people who stopped to join us, a man who was once shouting every foul word there is who came back a few days later to ask forgiveness, and woman who stopped to give us coffee and countless others I wasn't there to witness. We shared the good news and hope of Christ with many....having long civil conversations with pro-choice advocates who came out to exercise their first amendment right beside us. We shared truth with drivers who stopped to ask questions or share their opinions. And even if nothing of that ever happened, we ALL have grown so much, seen God's heart for the defenseless and lost, learned how to defend our pro-life position, grown in courage and strength as we've seen God's power displayed as He has answered prayer after prayer... sometimes in a matter of a few seconds. God is good!!
Even though we didn't see a life saved at our location, our prayers contributed to the over 430 babies saved this spring in the US and abroad!!! Wow. 430 precious little ones who will get the chance to live and come to know the Lord. 430 mothers and fathers who were spared from a lifetime of pain and regret. That's about four times the size of the group of people that came out to PP yesterday. I can't imagine what an impact they will make as they are born and share their testimonies of surviving the silent holocaust of abortion.
We had a wonderful Celebration rally yesterday for the the last day of 40 Days for Life! 106 people (including little people) came out to pray with us, and then we had a pizza party, worship and sharing stories at the amazing Chehalis Foursquare Church. I was expecting and praying for around 40-50 people.... lol. We had to buy more pizza to say the least!!
One of the most amazing blessings was to see the body of Christ come together in unity. Seeing about 7 area churches/parishes come together in prayer for the unborn and all those affected by the tragedy of abortion was SO amazing and inspiring. Plus we had several more churches near and far praying for us in their services and personal devotions! Even a couple from Lynden, WA stopped in to encourage us and let us know they were praying! I was blessed beyond measure to meet SO many Christ-like and compassionate people, and I learned so much from each of you! Thank you!
I'm not sure how to pick up my "normal" life after 40 Days for Life! But I know I will not stop praying and trusting that one day abortion will come to an end. I have LOTS of ideas floating around in my head of how we can continue to promote LIFE in our community and share the hope of Christ... so pray with me for God's direction and strength and let's all continue to pray for the end of abortion in our nation. 
Some pictures from the LAST day of 40 Days for Life! 

























One of the many things I learned during these past months...  is to say "yes" to the Lord's leading whatever it may be, do what you can with the strength and grace He gives, and trust God to multiply your efforts. This is HIS endeavor, and HIS heart. As one of our participants so eloquently said, "I know I will not stand before our precious Jesus and say I stood silent."

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor an helpless and ensure that they get justice." 
(Proverbs 31:8-9 NLT) 

"The eyes of the Lord are toward those who do right, and His ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns His face against those who do evil." 
(1 Peter 3:12) 






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