Do your part to bring the light of Christ to the Sidewalk, making Jesus present to the women, their escorts, the vendors who support this facility, neighbors and passers-by as well as those who work at the abortion site. Share with us your experiences from the sidewalk. We'd like to know the following from your time at the sidewalk.
- When did you spend time at the sidewalk? (date/time)
- What were your primary impressions of your time there?
- What was your preferred form of prayer while you were there?
- How many women did you see enter and / or leave and when?
- Did you manage to speak to the women? If so, what technique did you use to initiate contact, and how were you received (were they willing to take literature or discuss the resources available to them)?
- Did you have anyone change her mind and leave the facility? If so, did you get her contact information (if necessary she can give you a fake name with her phone number) so you can follow-up in offering her ongoing assistance?
- Did you see any emergency response vehicles enter / leave the property? If so, how long were they there, did they have lights / sirens on when leaving? When?
- Did you see any vendors enter / leave the property? Who, when, how long were they there?
- Did you see the abortion site doctor or staff enter / leave the property? If so, when? Did you have any exchange? If so, please describe.
- Did you talk with anyone else while at the sidewalk (neighbors, passers-by, law-enforcement, etc.)? If so, please describe what happened.
- Did you notice any changes to the property (new signs, smells, sounds, sprinklers, etc.)?
Please remember, our objective is to be there and bring the Love of Christ with us to the Sidewalk. This means we do NOT argue with anyone while there. If you are given the opportunity to gently share the Truth, do so, but angry exchanges will not convert the hearts of those we are there to serve.
If you find that you are having difficulty maintaining your sense of peace, consider if you have remained focused on prayer. Pray for the souls of all who enter and exit the property, as well as your fellow prayer partners and those who pass-by.
I stopped by the sidewalk this evening, on the way home from the Sidewalk Counselor's Workshop. The light of the day was beginning to fade, the air was beginning to show signs of the approaching Fall as a cool breeze set down on the abortion site.
ReplyDeleteI recalled how, just a little over a year ago, I read an email talking about volunteers who went to the sidewalk of the abortion site in Sacramento, and I wondered at the courage they must have to approach such a place. And yet, I was intrigued by the concept. Something drew me to want to know more, to find out what they were doing, why they were doing it, and what was the result of their efforts.
And I was terrified, absolutely terrified, of what could happen to me if I did answer the call to learn more, or heaven forbid, if I should actually go to the abortion site myself. I was certain I would end up putting myself and my family in jeopardy, that this was a fools errand.
Wow, what a long road it been, to get from there to here, and yet, what a short time it took to travel it. Scripture tells us to be not afraid, and I am happy to say, that Scripture knows what it is talking about.
Not only is it legal to come to the sidewalk, I have also found that doing so, praying to God at such a place, can bring a true sense of joy, when you come to bring the light of Christ to a dark corner of our world.
This is something I never expected. And yet, this is what I found as I came to pay homage to the babies lost here, in this place, in this week, as the weather turns to Fall.
October 2nd. I realized that just because I hadn't signed up for a specific time to pray didn't mean that I couldn't fit in some prayer time in conjunction with my gas/groceries Reno run. So that's what I did. I decided to spend an hour praying. I had never gone to an abortion site to pray, so didn't know what to expect.
ReplyDeleteAnother man arrived just as I was driving up and another lady arrived as I was walking over from my parked car. We exchanged words of encouragement and set about our business of praying - the man stationed near the driveway in a position to be able to shake his head "no" to anyone who would enter, the other lady standing praying her rosary, and I praying and walking back and forth along the sidewalk the length of the clinic property.
A lady - an employee I was told, drove in. A little later a burly, buff man in an equally burly and buff blue truck with a "Semper Fi" (which means ever faithful, I believe) sticker on his bumper also drove in. I was told that he was also an employee. He soon departed, but subsequently returned - in the bodyguard mode, it appeared - following 2 vehicles with couples in who seemed likely to be headed for abortions. I wasn't prepared for the shock and distress I felt at seeing these couples driving into the abortion facility and cried as I prayed for mercy for everyone involved. Both couples were in their 20's and driving fairly nice vehicles - looked like they could be the start of nice young families. Soon the bodyguard drove off. At first I was hopeful that they would come out and there would be a "Bella" like transformation. As time went on that certainly seemed less likely. So my prayers for mercy shifted from focus on the babies to the parents who now so desperately need the Lord's redemptive power.
I thought about and prayed for the women of China who have abortions because they don't have the freedom to refuse them, the exMarine who fought for our freedom and didn't seem to understand how unfaithful he was being, and the young couples who were using their freedom to kill their own children, not realizing what they were really doing.
Later a very nice vehicle with very dark windows drove in with an older couple (parents?) in the front and another woman obscured by the dark windows in the back. In a short period of time the couple from the front of the car could be seen casually walking their dog on the clinic property. How deceived these people had to be.
Although I stayed for an hour and a half I never any of the patients leave.
Lord have mercy.
I was consoled to think that our prayers were changing the spiritual atmosphere and would eventually bring about a change in behavior in our community. Thank you, Father.
(Carol Marie - I didn't maneuver proper sign-in and don't want to take a chance of losing all that I just wrote so am just going to click on "anonymous," but you can use my name. My google user name is miriamsdamama. Miriam)
Yesterday, Thursday, afternoon during my hour there it was very quiet - abortionwise. The 2 ladies who were there when I arrived said that the abortionist left, but 2 trucks, one with a man and a women arrived after his departure. No one arrived or left during my time there. Maybe business is slowed down!
ReplyDeleteAnother woman arrived while I was there, so there were 4 of us praying onsite at the same time - the most who have been there when I have been onsite. A friend of mine who is unable to pray onsite asked me to let her know when I was going so that she could pray then too. She not only did that, but also contacted other mutual friends who had said that they also wanted to pray, but could not make it to the clinic. My husband also prays while working when I go to the clinic.
Thank you all for your hidden intercessions. The Lord hears them all. Praise His Holy Name.