Dear Friend of Life:
I’ve learned that, sometimes, it’s the little things on the sidewalk make the biggest difference!
When Sidewalk Advocates for Life kicked off in April of this year with it’s first wave of locations, I had no idea what tip or tips in the training would yield the biggest blessings on the sidewalk besides the power of prayer itself.
Everyone knows that getting the conversation started is sometimes half the battle. Yes, you have to look like a “safe person” (and not a protester) as much as possible so you are approachable to women and families entering the abortion facility. And your contact with clients can either be person-to-person or through a car window.
Due to the set-up of the abortion facility and the location of the public right-of-way, many locations can only make contact with clients through their car. In that case, how do you get them to pause, take information and start a conversation?
In our training, I show everyone a “roll-down-your-window” sign. It’s a simple sign that I do when approaching a car — with a big smile on my face, while starting to talk — when approaching a vehicle. To imitate the sign, imagine that you have an 80s or 90s car without power windows — you grab a knob and make a circle motion with your fist. For some reason, even with the younger generation, the “roll-down-your-window” sign is understood almost immediately.
The funny thing is …when we first started, I had long-time sidewalk counselors tell me that this was one of the tips that make the biggest difference in their outreach! I couldn’t believe it. Yes, they greatly appreciated the rest of the training, but I knew that this one tip was something special when veteran Sidewalk Advocate, Kathy Forck of Columbia, Missouri, told me: “Lauren, because of that sign, I’ve passed out more literature in the past six weeks than ever before!”
In summary, our trained Sidewalk Advocates are taught — when a car is pulling in or out (and most of the time, they have the best chance to converse with those who went in to inquire, decide to leave and pause at the driveway to pull out) — to put on a big smile, wave, walk towards the car in confidence, and do the “roll-down-your-window” sign. Believe it or not, most clients comply and do just that …and you can give them information and start the vital conversation that may transform a heart or save a life!
I hope and pray that blesses your outreach!
Thank you again for all of the prayers and support you give Sidewalk Advocates for Life as we seek to transform hearts and save lives through peaceful Sidewalk Advocacy at abortion facilities all around the United States and beyond!
Jane and Laura lead the Sidewalk Advocates for Life Sidewalk Advocacy program in Grand Rapids, Michigan!
As their area conducted a 40 Days for Life prayer campaign this past Fall, Jane and Laura continued to build a presence on the sidewalk by bringing SAFL to their community and training a group of newly-committed Sidewalk Advocates to reach out to abortion-bound women and men!
And the Lord has already showed up in mighty ways! Also working in tandem with another pregnancy center / sidewalk outreach program in their community, they have witnessed to two precious lives saved and the opportunity to connect with many clients going in and out of the abortion facility for various reasons.
Jane and Laura have found that the program compliments existing efforts while filling a gap on the sidewalk in front of the facility. Their desire in bringing the program to their community has been fulfilled in that they continue to look forward to working alongside existing efforts while sharing the heavy load that is their local abortion center.
We look forward to hearing of more good fruit coming from Michigan in the weeks and months to come!
Thank you, Jane & Laura!
WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL (NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 6, 2014): “HE WILL MAKE ALL THINGS WELL”
by Jeff Reedy, Shipping Coordinator & DFW LIFE Runners Co-Leader, Sidewalk Advocates for Life
Verse(s): “Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate between many peoples. They will hammer their swords into ploughshares and their spears into sickles. Nation will not lift sword against nation, no longer will they learn how to make war.” — Isaiah 2:4
Reflection: We look forward to the day when God will make all things good. As Julian of Norwich said, He will make all things well and all manner of things well.
That is to say, He will make everything perfect. We will look at all He has done, and worship Him for it. And as Christians, we know that we can begin to walk in that thanksgiving even today. The Kingdom of God is not something that will happen eventually, one day down the road. It begins in the here and now. His Kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
As we work and pray to save the unborn, we are literally helping to bring His Kingdom to earth around us. We are pushing back the darkness and allowing the light and love of His presence to be experienced by the people who need it most – His children, caught in painful places and facing hard decisions.
Just as the verse from Isaiah above points to a day when weapons of war will be a thing of the past, so we work to see a day when surgical instruments of abortion will be a thing of the past… and abortion clinics will be turned into something that helps people instead of killing them.
Faith Challenge: Pray the Lord’s Prayer today, in light of bringing His kingdom here among us in a real way, by pushing back the evil that is killing the unborn, and adding to the number (275+!) that have a chance to live a happy life.