A Couple Different Then Before

On the day their parish had adopted for 40 Days for Life, the ladies gathered at the corner to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet in Spanish.  They watched and prayed while sidewalk counselor called to a client.  Prayer support makes such a difference!  The clients see people making the effort to leave their jobs or homes to come stand on the sidewalk, praying for them and their babies.

Cate* is forty years old, and she and her husband, George*, have four other children.  George had brought her to the abortion facility, but he wouldn’t come over to the counselors.  As sidewalk counselors, we aren’t supposed to interrupt each other, but when the Holy Spirit takes over, you do what He says.  And when you’ve worked together for a while, you sense when your partner needs to share information and when you should speak. 

The two counselors began talking with Cate.  In a few minutes, she fell sobbing into the arms of the counselors and agreed to go to the pregnancy resource center.  When they passed by the women praying on the corner, Cate hugged all of them, too.  And most of them went with her, praying all the way!  George followed behind, and one of the prayer volunteers walked with him.

George wasn’t very happy with his wife.  He said she was the one who wanted to come to the abortion facility – all he wanted to do was support her decision.  At the pregnancy resource center, tensions continued to rise between the two of them.  Couples arguing in such a stressful situation can be dangerous for the baby, so the sonographer stepped in to say it was time they saw their child, and took them back to the exam room.  After the sonogram, one of the counselors took the couple to the chapel to pray together.  That sealed the deal.

It’s a great gift to see a couple after they’ve decided to keep their baby.  This couple came back to see the counselors, bringing their sonogram pictures.  On one was written “Hola, Mami!”  Cate pointed out one picture where the baby looked like he was sucking his thumb. 

One of the counselors said later that it was as though they were completely different people.  This couple was happy, smiling and at peace.  They even showed off the new box of diapers and other gifts they’d gotten from the pregnancy center!  Their baby is 10 weeks and three days old.  Thank God there were people who cared enough to pray for him and his parents. 

Your prayer can make a difference.  We know because we have seen it.  Won’t you please prayfully consider what one hour out of your day could do for a family?

*Names changed to protect privacy

By: Susan Platt, Dallas Campaign Director

The Sidewalk Doesn't Get Any Softer

People ask me, “When is the best time to come pray?” I guess they are asking when is their prayer the most effective. Maybe during the cool of the morning, when the workers are going in. They’ve spent time away - at home with their families, trying to convince themselves what they’re doing is okay, or even good. They’ve done what they can to forget what they saw the day before. In their short walk from the parking lot to the office, we have the chance to witness that, no matter what they’ve done, we love them too.

Or perhaps the best time is a bit later in the day, when clients begin to arrive. The women who’ve asked God for a sign that they shouldn’t go through with their scheduled abortion drive past us, sometimes parking and joyfully coming over to tell us that their prayers have been answered - just by our being there. Others hide their faces from us, ashamed at what they are about to do. Having us see them makes their consciences burn - enough, we hope, to drive them away.

The weather can change, but the sidewalk doesn’t get any softer. Volunteers who kneel on the sidewalk to pray always astound me. How can the sight of their sacrifice not affect the workers and the clients, no matter the time of day?

Late afternoon is the saddest time for me. The rides come, grim-faced fathers who’ve failed at the most basic responsibility a man has – protecting their own children. They load up their wives or girlfriends into the car, often in the backseat so the women can have more room. One counselor used to describe them as looking “shredded.” And that’s pretty accurate. Dazed, in pain, stunned with regret and loss – the sight of their faces can bring me to tears. I hate being outside the abortion center then. Which must mean it’s the time when my prayers are most needed.

For others, the best time to pray is whenever God calls you to be there for His children.

By: Susan Platt, Dallas Campaign Director

Someone (else) Will Help

Kaye said she had missed her first scheduled hour at the vigil.  Her little baby girl was asleep in the backseat of the car, so Kaye had prayed from there.  We assured her that it still counted.  40 Days for Life even recommends praying from your car if you are the only one at the vigil.  Today she brought her 9-year-old son with her to pray.

As she signed in, a car drove up and the man driving called out to the counselor.  He wanted to know what we were doing.  She asked him to park his car and come back to talk to her.  And he did.  That always makes you feel anxious because you might lose the person, but you have to do it to make sure they are safely out of traffic.

The man, Case, had one of his children with him.  Case and his wife have three children, with the youngest only six months old.  His wife thought she was only a month pregnant.  She could have an abortion since it wasn’t really a baby yet, was it?  The counselor gave him information and explained the damage that abortion could do to both them and their family. 

Case looked thoughtful but didn’t say much before he left.  The counselors continued to minister as Kaye and her son prayed.  Their hour was almost up when Case came back to speak with the counselors.  His wife’s tests showed that the baby was two months along, not one.  And he had been able to share with her what he had learned from the counselor.  He wanted to tell the counselors that he and his wife were keeping their baby.

You always feel a thrill when you hear those words.  God’s most precious gift has been affirmed.  Kaye and her son had witnessed to life, making the effort to join in the vigil with fellow Christians and God blessed them by showing His love for this baby and his family.

God doesn’t always reveal lives saved to us.  But if we say yes to what He calls us to do, we show Him and others our love.  We can do all things through Christ, who gives us strength. 

We have hours that still need prayer.  Could you come pray during your lunch hour?  After you drop kids off at school?  Before you pick up grandkids?  On your way home from work?  Just an hour of your time could help prevent a life lost, a life filled with regret.  We are the ones being asked.  Let us not say, “Someone (else) will help.”

By: Susan Platt, Dallas Campaign Director