Dear Friend of Life,
Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words.
As you may remember from our last email, we mentioned that a couple of us on the national team were recently in Florida for a statewide training and meeting with our leaders. While there, we decided to meet up at a local abortion facility one morning with one of our dedicated Sidewalk Advocates, Nate, and lovingly and peacefully reach out to abortion-minded clients.
In short, it was an incredible morning! Three woman chose life — and we had the pleasure of personally walking two of those women over to the pregnancy center just next store to the abortion facility.
Earlier in the morning, I remembered bowing my head in prayer and asking God for boldness in reaching out, that we would get out of the way, and He would work through me and our team.
The very next woman we spoke to chose life!
I can tell you that after almost 17 years of being on the sidewalk, it never gets old when someone agrees to leave the abortion facility and instead, take you up on the free services at a pro-life, pro-woman pregnancy center.
The woman came around the fence and she and I began to walk together over to the center. Little did I know that my fellow national team member, Bethany, was snapping a quick picture from behind (in order to protect the identity of the woman) to remember that beautiful, Holy Spirit-filled moment.
This picture is powerful for so many reasons.
It’s a beautiful thing to visually behold the beginning of this young woman’s YES to LIFE …but what also struck me was this: when I started to walk the young woman next store, our fellow Sidewalk Advocate, Nate, bowed his head in prayer and was praying earnestly for her as we sought to lovingly hand her off to the pregnancy center.
As you note, Bethany (who took the picture) was on one side of the driveway, and Nate was on the other. (We were on public right-of-way, tucked away from traffic on the main road, as we sought to be law-abiding.) Both were dressed in a reflector vest not only for safety, but to give themselves more instant recognition as someone with training and authority. I had stationed myself at the fence to catch clients who didn’t stop at the driveway for whatever reason.
Nate held another tool we talk about in our training: a blessing bag. A blessing bag is a bag of store-bought goodies with literature attached on the inside or outside to let a woman know we deeply care about her and her precarious situation. When we hand these out at an abortion facility, people often instantly see that we mean no harm and truly want to help them and their child.
In short, when you behold this picture, you see the fruit of prayer, training, teamwork and a winning strategy all working together at the abortion facility!
This is the dream for every community in America and beyond.
Former abortion providers have told us that peaceful, prayerful sidewalk advocacy was the activity that most devastated their business: Can you imagine the life-saving impact if we could build one of these well-organized teams in front of every abortion facility in the country and around the world?
In just 2.5 years of ministry, we’ve grown to cover 13% of U.S. abortion facilities (101 locations, total) and witnessed almost 1,600 precious babies saved, 37 workers who have left the business, 2 facility closures and a host of other blessings!
What God is doing is nothing short of amazing!
Right now, we’re in our end-of-the-year campaign to raise desperately-needed funds to keep our ministry going and growing in 2017 …and we’re short right now. Will you partner with us in this effort at $10, $25, $100, $500, $1,000 or more to ensure that no abortion facility in the country goes without peaceful, loving sidewalk counselors every hour of business?
We’re working hard, seeing where we can get coverage as soon as possible at every abortion facility in the country to ensure that as many lives are saved from abortion as possible!
To that end, I thank you so much for joining us in this great movement to transform hearts, save lives and end abortion through the power of God’s great love and peaceful outreach!
Once again, here’s where you can make a LIFE-SAVING, tax-deductible gift of support: sidewalkadvocates.org/donate
Be sure to keep posted on our progress at sidewalkadvocates.org!
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your partnership in the greatest human rights movement in the history of the world!
In Christ, for Life,
Lauren Muzyka
Executive Director
Sidewalk Advocates for Life
info@sidewalkadvocates.org
sidewalkadvocates.org
P.S. — We’re in the middle of our end-of-the-year financial campaign, and if more people don’t give, we won’t survive! We humbly ask for your help to keep this life-saving work going: sidewalkadvocates.org/
DEVOTIONAL (December 14 – December 31, 2016): “Come to the Throne of Grace”
by Chantel Poisel, Communications Coordinator, Sidewalk Advocates for LifeVerses: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” — Hebrews 4:16
Reflection: Today’s email shares a story of three Sidewalk Advocates praying and reaching out in love to women-in-crisis on the sidewalk in front of an abortion facility. The photo shows a man praying, and our Executive Director, Lauren, walking with a woman, escorting her to a pregnancy center next door.
This photo embraces the spirit of this verse.
We can come boldly to the throne of grace — through prayer. We may, then, obtain mercy for our shortcomings. We will then find grace to help in times of need — grace for ourselves to know how to help, and grace for those we are trying to help.
This verse reminds us that it all starts in prayer — by coming boldly, purposefully, to the throne of grace. Every time we are present on the sidewalk, we must start in prayer. It prepares our hearts and fills us with grace that we can then share with those we encounter.
We never walk alone. When we come to the thrown of grace, we invite the Holy Spirit in and He walks with us. Those who are covering us in prayer are walking with us.
Just like Lauren is walking with the woman in the photo to a place where she can receive real help, the Lord walks with us each step of the way — if we allow Him.
Let us pray: Dear Lord, Thank you for your overflowing mercy and grace!
Prepare our hearts as we go out to the sidewalks to minister to those in need of help. Thank you for the reminder that the first step is always coming to you, to your throne of grace. Thank you for your presence, and the reminder that we never walk alone.
Help us to show your mercy and grace to the men and women we encounter, and allow us to come alongside them with encouragement in the right direction as we strive to follow your example and love them to a better place.
Through your mercy and grace, help us to help those-in-need. Help us to honor you through the work we do, that you may be glorified in all things. Amen.