40 Days for Life Gala!

Wow! God is so good!

The Gala was amazing last night, and so uplifting to see SO many brothers and sisters that are fighting this battle with us! I met so many amazing, inspiring, Godly, beautiful people and was so encouraged by the speakers and videos! 

The Gala room was beautifully decorated and the dinner was amazing.  I got to sit with my mom and a few others at a table. There was a very nice older man who was also a first time campaign leader in Tempe, AZ.  It was such a blessing to hear about his campaign, what we both learned and bounce of ideas and advice of each other!

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A few pictures from the Gala! 

My GORGEOUS Momma who gave me LIFE.  Love you so much, and am SO grateful for you! 

It was such a blessing to meet these four ladies who have led campaigns!  They are the sweetest and had so many stories and so much advice to share! 

Shawn Carney was one of the speakers and did a wonderful job! He had us laughing, crying, praising God and everything in between. 

It was so amazing meeting him. He has always been a hero in our family's eyes and the champion of 40 Days for Life. He works so hard at what  he does and has inspired THOUSANDS of people to take a stand for Life and Truth through prayer!

But meeting him is like meeting an old friend; his humility is amazing and inspiring.  He's an ordinary family man with a beautiful wife and 6 children. . . but he is being used by God in extraordinary ways. Praise the Lord! 

Mom and I had to wait practically until everyone left to speak with him and get a picture! :-) All 300 people that came to the Gala wanted to meet him too. ;-)   But it was totally worth the wait! 

Steve Karlen has also been an inspiration to us all and works SO hard with us leaders to help us any way possible!

And Cynthia and Jill are amazing, sweet, Godly, joyful and beautiful young ladies that have done so much for 40 Days for Life as well.  Such an incredible blessing to meet them. Cynthia in red, has the most adorable, bubbly personality! I enjoyed her company SO much! 

I've always been so curious how many people are on the 40 Days for Life Headquarters team, so finally asked Cynthia.

She responded with a big smile, "11." 

Wow! Only 11 people that do SO much. Respond to emails and phone calls from leaders within hours. Write daily updates, put out podcasts, webcasts, emails, blogs and videos. Travel to campaigns around the US and around the world. Speak at rallies. And the bazillion other administrative work they do. Amazing!

"How do you do it??" I asked in disbelief. 

Cynthia responded, "well, we are stretched ALL the time sometimes to the point where we feel we can't stretch ANY more. But, it's a blessing in disguise. When we are stretched and weak, that's when we rely on God's strength and GROW. And He is always faithful day by day to give us the strength to press on." 

Praise the Lord, his grace is sufficient for our weaknesses. For power is perfected in weakness

. "Most gladly therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."  (2 Corinthians 12:9) 

What an encouraging time last night!

And today is the Symposium! I'm looking forward to learning so much more with the leaders.

If you all could be praying for me today especially by 3:00 PM when I speak, that would be a blessing to me! Thank you all!