“Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.” Psalm 127:3
The world and our NorhtWest Families for Life family has been blessed with another gift! Kim and Josh welcomed Khylie Nichole into their family on September 18. She is an absolutely perfect little girl at 7 lbs, 6 oz, 20 inches long. Kim is also doing well. We met Kim and Josh at Forest View on a cold day in February. They were struggling with their decision and did not know where to turn. I approached them with an offer of help and they gladly came with me to the Women’s Center. As they left, I gave them a pair of hand-knit pink baby booties predicting the baby would be a girl and now we all know that those booties were right! Speaking of booties, we are completely out of blue baby booties. Would you be willing to spend some time this month to knit some blue booties? Maybe your Bible study could knit while you talk. Or maybe you know someone in a nursing home who needs to be needed. A sweet pair of baby booties not only makes a woman feel cared for and loved, but it also shows the humanity of the life inside her. Yes, children are a gift, a reward, not a disease or a “problem” to be “taken care of.” We need to pray that all others would realize this truth, especially during this election season when so much is at stake. At the end of this email there are two different election prayers. Please join in praying daily for our country before this election. In addition to prayer, get all the information you can and share it with others. There are several election guides. Family Research Council has one contrasting the presidential candidates at http://downloads.frcaction.org/EF/EF11L04.pdf . Illinois Family Institute has one that also contains information about local offices at http://illinoisfamily.org/ifi_news/general-election-resources/ . Priests for Life also has a Voter’s Guide: http://www.priestsforlife.org/candidates/index.htm . Ask your pastor if one of these could be passed out at your church. It is perfectly legal and would not harm their 501c status. You can check the Priests for Life website for more legal information. October is Respect Life Month across the country. There’s no better time to get involved! Contact us for a vigil schedule if you need one. Don’t forget that “40 Days for Life” has a 24 hour a day, seven day a week vigil site on Chicago’s north side and another location with a daily 6:00 am – 6:00 pm vigil in Downers Grove. See below for more details and many more ways to get step into LIFE this month.
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Today’s reflection is taken from Father Pavone’s blog: http://www.priestsforlife.org/blog/
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Reflection: A woman who saw the photos of aborted babies on the Priests for Life website wrote to us, “I have a dear friend who is very ‘pro-choice’ and I said: ‘Have you ever seen what an abortion looks like?’ The answer was: ‘No.’ I showed her the pictures. She was rightfully and truly horrified about what this REALLY looks like. And, she started to cry. She isn’t ‘pro-choice’ anymore.” Prayer: You are truth, Lord Jesus, and in you we find the truth about everything. Assist us to expose the truth about abortion. Amen. *As seekers of the truth, there are many upcoming opportunities to educate and empower yourself to be a beacon of truth for others. Please see “Upcoming Events” page. There are a ton of events! Pick one, grab a friend, and go! *With the upcoming election, there are even more opportunities to share the truth. Ask your pastor about handing out or stuffing bulletins with the FRC voter's guide (http://downloads.frcaction.org/EF/EF11L04.pdf ). It is perfectly legal and WILL NOT jeopardize their tax-exempt status. News from the last three Thursdays’ Forest View vigils: ** On Thursday, August 23, we estimate FOUR innocent lives were lost. ** There was a SAVE! Georgiana and Ryan have been together for three years and have two children, 2 years old and 9 months old. They walked out of Forest View to talk before her abortion feeling confused and unsure. I handed them a brochure which they immediately began to leaf through. They then came with me to the Women’s Center and set up an appointment for an ultrasound! As they were leaving, I asked if I could give them a rosary, and Ryan not only took one for himself, but asked for one for Georgiana as well saying, “We need all the Jesus we can get!” I pray that Ryan will realize that all he needs to do is ask and he will “get” all the Jesus he needs! Please pray that this young couple will accept help in choosing LIFE. ** Keep praying for the male nurse at Forest View. He has been very friendly lately and we are so hopeful that God will bring him to a new life-affirming job. ** On Thursday, August 30, we estimate that SEVEN women made a “choice” that they will never forget. ** A heartbreaking scene unfolded as a group of three older women brought in a 14 year-old girl for an abortion. I was able to talk to the girl’s mother, Helen, when she came out by herself for a cigarette. This poor woman had no idea how to help her daughter. She wept as she told me about her daughter Michelene. I offered to take them to the Women’s Center but was interrupted when the office manager of Forest View came outside. Helen hurriedly rushed back inside. I did manage to give her a Project Rachel and a hug before she left. Please pray for this family. Helen is also recently divorced. ** On Thursday, September 6, we estimate that FOUR babies were murdered by a “doctor.” ** We believe there were two saves this day! Both couples left long before the doctor arrived. One couple told one of our counselors they were only there for the test. Many couples say this and then go through with the abortion. But this couple left after only being inside for 5 minutes! Praise be to God! News about your spiritually adopted baby: ** HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABIES!! It’s time to rejoice. It’s time to celebrate. It’s time to praise God for His blessings and for allowing us to be a part of His loving plan for this child. A member of our NorthWest Families for Life family made a great suggestion that we’d like to pass on to you. Every time a “saved” baby is born, this man makes a donation to a crisis pregnancy center as a “birthday present.” Would you consider giving your spiritually adopted baby a birthday gift? You can donate money, goods, or even time to one of the centers near you, like the Women’s Center (www.womens-center.org ),Heather’s House (www.helpaidforwomen.org/services/heathershouse), The Well of Mercy (www.thewellofmercy.com), or Woman’s Choice Services (www.womanschoiceservices.com ). Who knows? Your spiritually adopted baby may even be receiving services from one of these very agencies. You may never get to meet your baby here on earth, but perhaps in Heaven a “stranger” will approach you calling you “mom” or “dad” and thank you for LIFE! To spiritually adopt a baby, pick up a prayer card in the vigil kit or go online at www.spiritualadoption.org. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights has this verse on a sign in front of their school building. As I drove by the other day, I thought how truly priceless this advice is, especially as we have seen an increase over the summer of very young teens (ages 16 and 17) coming to the abortion facility. We have to teach our children the truth about abortion. Former Planned Parenthood Director, Abby Johnson explained in her bookUnplanned how her parents never talked to her about abortion, and so it was up to her and countless outside influences to help her decide about abortion. Although it is a difficult topic, we cannot shy away from discussing abortion with our children and grandchildren. If they don’t hear about it from you, they will most certainly hear about it from others who may or may not believe that life is sacred. There is much information out there to help you with this. One easy way to introduce your child to the sanctity of life is through spiritual adoption. In this way, you can explain to youth that not all babies are safe in their mommies’ tummies, and we can pray that they will be. Heritage House 76 produces a brochure titled “How to Talk to Your Child About Abortion” (www.hh76.org/details.aspx?prod_id=4695). Father Frank Pavone has written an informative article about the topic that you can read at www.gospeloflife.com/articles/children.htm. And while you’re at it, if you have college-aged children or grandchildren, please share the truth about Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood facilities exist on or near countless college campuses. Make sure your teen knows about PP’s record of supporting underage sex trafficking, covering-up rape, handing out faulty “free” condoms, and jeopardizing patient’s health with deadly delays in calling ambulances (as they did in Tonya Reaves’ death www.lifesitenews.com/news/tonya-reaves-killed-by-incomplete-abortion-perforated-uterus-and-delay-docu/), all for more than $1 million a day of taxpayers’ money. This next generation of Americans is becoming more pro-life. We are needed to encourage this beautiful shift! News from the last three Thursdays’ Forest View vigils: ** On Thursday, August 2, we estimate SEVEN innocent lives were lost. ** A male nurse, whom we see regularly entering Forest View, stopped to talk this morning. He has been at the clinic for about two years and expressed an interest in leaving. He told me that it was hard to work there but he needs the job. He wouldn’t go into much more detail. I told him we would all be praying for him to find a new job. Do you know of an office hiring nurses? I gave him a letter from the new Abby Johnson site for abortion workers “And Then There Were None” (www.attwn.org/ ) and am hoping he will find the courage to leave this place of death. ** There was a remarkable “save” of sorts brought about oddly enough by someone inside the clinic! I watched 16 year-old Andrew and Yessica come out of the clinic. Yessica was in tears. I approached their car and found out that Yessica did not get an abortion that day because the clinic refused her based on the ultrasound which showed she was 17 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Forest View will not kill children who are older than 17 weeks and 3 days old. We’ve never seen anything like this and are amazed! Could this have been the work of the male nurse I spoke to earlier that morning? Either way, it seems clear that the Holy Spirit is at work in the clinic. However, Andrew and Yessica are scared to tell their parents, so please keep them in your prayers and pray they will not seek a late term abortion elsewhere. ** On Thursday, August 9, we estimate that SIX women made a “choice” that they will never forget. ** Thank you to all of you who responded to our call for prayer warriors to take over while Laura and I were away. We had a great turnout! You are in our prayers! ** On Thursday, August 16, we estimate that NINE babies were murdered by a “doctor.” ** One older gentleman, a Muslim, dropped off his wife to abort their third child. I stopped him at the exit and saw that he had his two young sons (6 years and 3 years) in the back seat. Nahiziz told me how sad they were to abort, but he was out of work and they just couldn’t afford another child. However, he also told me that they wanted another child. Very confusing. He then went on to tell me how bad he was and I tried to help him understand that he is just confused. I spoke with him at great length about every aspect of abortion I could think of, religious, biological, the health of his wife, the responsibility of being a man, the sibling for his sons, the possibility of a daughter, children as a blessing… He sat there crying and listened to it all. But nothing could make him go back and save his child and wife. Nahziz was very touched, though, because when he returned later, he told Laura how kind everyone was and how much he appreciated us being there. All we can do now is trust in God’s divine plan. God can use even the evil of abortion to make a change for good in someone’s life. We pray for this change for Nahziz and his family. News about your spiritually adopted baby: ** Your spiritually adopted baby is 38 weeks old. Many children are born at this stage. We just celebrated the birth of Elijah Ernesto, a child spared from abortion at Forest View. Has your spiritually adopted baby just been born? Every time you see a newborn for the next month, you’ll have to wonder, “Is that MY spiritually adopted baby?” To spiritually adopt a baby, pick up a prayer card in the vigil kit or go online atwww.spiritualadoption.org. |
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