I want to be the kind of person that when my feet hit the ground in the morning, the devil says,
“Oh darn, she’s up”!  Want to join me?

     In the classic Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey becomes despaired with his life and as he stands on a snow covered bridge, prepared to jump into the icy river below, he is visited by an angel ~ Clarence.  Clarence showed him all the lives he had touched and how different his little neck-of-the-woods would be had he never lived.  Through the story, George learns not to define his life by his failures, but to focus on his accomplishments.

     This is what we do at Next Step, we walk out onto the bridge and meet the pregnant woman, who is feeling like a failure because she got pregnant, and we show her how valuable she and her baby are.  And all of you are the angels ~ for without your prayers and support, the bridge would collapse into an icy river of pain, devastation, and death.

Thank you for being that kind of person that makes the devil unhappy! 

Is that a bell I hear?

On June 1, 2012 I sent the following prayer request to our prayer partners ~

Please pray for a woman who is 20 weeks pregnant and has a very rare type of cancer.  “Laurie” had surgery but because she is pregnant and has MS, she can’t have the needed treatment until after her daughter is born. To further complicate a difficult situation, she has been told that her daughter has an unspecified heart condition.  The doctor has scheduled a c-section for the end of August, which will put the baby at around 36 weeks.  “Laurie” feels her baby is a blessing no matter what happens.  You can only imagine the well-intended-advise she has been getting from the professionals that would result in the death of her baby.  She called us looking for help with baby things ~ she said she doesn’t have anything at this point.  We have a few preemie girl clothes but if you have anything you could donate for this little angel, please let me know.  Laurie is under a lot of stress and anything we can help her with will ease her mind and allow her to concentrate on her health and the health of her daughter.  And pray, please pray.

Here’s the update ~

The response from our prayer partners on behalf of this client was phenomenal!  We immediately received donations of baby clothes and miscellaneous items and a $100 check earmarked for her specifically.  The offers and items came in for days.  After collecting an impressive amount of wonderful donations, I called to let Laurie know.  She didn’t answer so I left a message.  A few days later I called again, no answer so I left a second message.  A week later I called for the third time but I didn’t leave a message when the machine picked-up.  Did she miscarry?  Did she abort?  My thoughts were unsettled so I asked God for guidance and I waited.

On the morning of July 13th, I received an email from a supporter that attended our June auction.  At our auction she and her husband bought a beautiful basket that was full of baby girl clothes, blankets, and toys.  As they were leaving the auction Nikki showed it to me and, looking over her shoulder, smiled and announced that they bought it for “Laurie”, which made me a little sad to hear because I still hadn’t received a return phone call from her.  A few minutes later, another guest at our auction lovingly handed me some items she had bought with Laurie in mind.  “Lord,” I silently prayed, “please bless these loving intentions and please let Laurie and her daughter be ok.”

In that email on July 13th Nikki said her husband, Ray, would be dropping the basket, two strollers ~ one specifically for Laurie, and a bassinet with an attached changing table ~ also specifically for Laurie, off at our office that afternoon.  Oh my gosh, I thought, I’m going to have to tell our prayer partners that I hadn’t heard from Laurie since her phone call to our office on the day I sent out the prayer request.  I had been asked dozens of times for an update on her story but I had nothing to say, I was still waiting myself.

I just missed Ray on the afternoon of July 13th, but as I marveled at the donations he left for Laurie, a peculiar thing happened ~

A woman walked into our lobby, obviously expecting a miracle.  I smiled and asked how I could help her and when she said her name, which isn’t “Laurie”, I wasn’t sure I heard her correctly.  My heart began racing as I repeated her very unusual name in the form of a question.  She confirmed and I introduced myself as the woman that called and left messages.  She apologized to me for the delay in responding, but explained that she had been extremely busy attending doctor appointments and hospital stays.  Then she shared a remarkable story with me.

Previously married for over ten years, she was never able to conceive a child.  Towards the end of her marriage she was diagnosed with a rare form of cervical cancer.  Now on her own, it was a struggle and a whirlwind of information, anxiety and fear.  As a precaution to beginning treatment for her cancer, a routine pregnancy test was done and to Laurie’s surprise, she was pregnant.  The doctors told her that the treatment would cause a miscarriage and they urged her to have an abortion immediately so that they could begin healing her.  She didn’t because she couldn’t.  They told her they would both die.  Five months later, Laurie states there is no sign of cancer.  In fact, she states that she learned that the particular type of treatment they were going to use to heal her would have killed her.

There are other health issues with both Laurie and her daughter.  A portion of the baby’s heart is growing outside her body and she will require multiple surgeries from birth.  Laurie said the pressure from the medical community here in Washington to show compassion for the pain the baby will endure by ending her life before birth has been tremendous.  Because of this, there will be a team of specialists at the hospital in California for the  delivery of her daughter, Astrid Lily Nicqelle.  Laurie’s MS is in check and she gives much of the credit for that to her service dog, Simon.  But, she absolutely, wholeheartedly, gives all the thanks and praise to God for the miracles she has witnessed in her recent life!  She knows He gave her this gift ~ this life that saved her life.

Laurie was thankful beyond words for the generosity she received from our center ~ from our supporters.  She told us that there was a scheduled cesarean section the end of August.  I called Laurie on Thursday of this week and, not surprisingly, my call went to her voicemail.  I left a message letting her know that I had been praying for her and Astrid and that I know they are in good hands, God’s.  I asked Laurie to call me when she had a chance, and I promise, I will send out an update when I hear from her.  Until then, I would ask that you continue praying for these two precious souls who have touched our lives and blessed our ministry.  If you would like to join our prayer partners, please send me an email to kathy@angelourm.org.      Joy & Peace,   Kathy

I just heard of a prayer movement by Humboldt County Clergy for Choice called 40 Days of Prayer Supporting Women Everywhere written by Faith Aloud and I feel overwhelmingly compelled to enhance these intentions with thoughts of my own.  I will list all 40 of the prayer intentions as they are written in their brochure and my comments will be bold and italicized.  You can view the 40 Days of Prayer Supporting Women Everywhere brochure at http://www.plannedparenthood.org/srpp/files/Six-Rivers/40_days_of_prayer_brochure.pdf, and you can find information on Faith Aloud at http://www.faithaloud.org/.  I’m not sure if this is a blasphemous attempt by Planned Parenthood to trick unsuspecting, trusting people, but it sure sounds like it to me.  Nonetheless, I believe there is evidence of evil in this and Isaiah 5:20 warns: “Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter”.

Day 1:  Today we pray for women for whom pregnancy is not good news, that they know they have choices ~ like chastity, parenting, and adoption.
Day 2:  Today we pray for compassionate religious voices to speak out for the dignity and autonomy of women ~ and that these religious voices will speak out on behalf of the innocent children that are being killed.
Day 3:  Today we pray for our daughters and granddaughters, that they will always know the power of making their own good decisions ~ and that these decisions will not include killing a baby.
Day 4:  Today we give thanks for the doctors who provide quality abortion care, and pray that they may be kept safe ~ and that they will be spared the pain and agony felt by the children that they aided in killing.
Day 5:  Today we pray for medical students who want to include abortion care in their practice. May they receive good training and find good mentors ~ and may they be reminded that a doctor’s roll is to heal, not to kill.
Day 6:  Today we ask for blessings upon the women who pass through hostile protesters on their way into an abortion clinic. May they be shielded from physical and emotional harm from those who do not know them ~ and may they see that in reality, these people are loving, caring and compassionate individuals who are praying because they care about what happens to a mother when she allows her baby to be killed.
Day 7:  Today we pray for the 45 million American women who have had safe, legal abortions. May they stand tall and refuse shame ~ and we pray for the 45+ million Americans who were never allowed the opportunity to stand anyway because they were victims of abortion.
Day 8:  Today we pray for elected officials, that they may always support a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions ~and that these elected officials realize that they are voted into office by individuals and there are about 50 million less Americans because their lives were ended legally by abortion.
Day 9:  Today we pray for women who are afraid of their lovers. May they find the confidence to turn away from abuse and take care of themselves ~ and may they turn to the open arms of our Lord and Savior for their support, care and love.
Day 10:  Today we pray for women who were joyfully expecting a child, but have learned that the pregnancy is not sustainable ~ and may they experience the comfort of knowing that their little boy or girl is being held gently in the arms of our Blessed Mother.
Day 11:  Today we pray for better access to all forms of birth control ~ and that the knowledge that Natural Family Planning is the only safe, natural, effective choice that promotes health, intimacy and trust in a marriage relationship and that all other forms of birth control have the potential to increase medical, emotional and spiritual complications in men and women and that pregnancy still occurs with most birth control options resulting in a spontaneous abortion.
Day 12:  Today we pray that women know the power of their own stories. May they find their voices and tell their truths ~ and may they be truthful in acknowledging the emptiness and pain they have endured due to the absence of a child that they chose to abort and the power of forgiveness that will make them whole again.
Day 13:  Today we pray for the men in our lives, that they may offer their loving kindness and support for women’s difficult decisions ~ and may these men in our lives have the courage to speak on behalf of their unborn child and be the voice of reason, support, and encouragement.
Day 14:  Today we pray for Christians everywhere to embrace the loving model of Jesus in the way he refused to shame women ~ and that Christ will deeply touch the hearts and minds of women who are shamefully considering killing their innocent child.
Day 15:  Today we pray for parents whose teen daughters are pregnant. May they help their daughters through this difficult time with kindness and openness ~ and may these parents celebrate and rejoice as they help their daughter prepare to give birth to their grandchild and may they be open to the loving choice of adoption.
Day 16:  Today we pray for the counselors in abortion clinics that they may listen with their hearts and offer wise guidance ~and may their hearts be filled with compassion for the mother and the baby and that they promote life as opposed to death.
Day 17:  Today we pray for increased financial support for low income women to access contraception, abortion, and childcare ~ and that all women will discover the freedom of standing firm to their values and the support and care they receive from our Heavenly Father.
Day 18:  Today we pray for all the staff at abortion clinics around the nation. May they be daily confirmed in the sacred care that they offer women ~ and may they quickly realize that the care they are giving these women is anything but sacred.
Day 19:  Today we pray for all pregnant women. May they be surrounded by loving voices ~ and may the pregnant women walking into an abortion clinic to end the life of their baby hear the voices of the people praying outside the clinic as they are – loving.
Day 20:  Today we pray for the families of yesteryear who still mourn the loss of their mothers, sisters, and aunts due to illegal abortion ~ and we pray for the millions of innocent lives of yesteryear lost as a result of illegal and legal abortion.
Day 21:  Today we pray for women in developing nations, that they may know the power of self-determination. May they have access to employment, education, birth control, and abortion ~ and may they develop a strong set of values so that as they become educated and employed they may be able to stand firm on them.
Day 22:  Today we pray for an end to all violence against abortion providers ~ and we pray for an end to the pain and violence imposed on innocent lives as they are being provided an abortion.
Day 23:  Today we give thanks for the strong women in our lives who have given us examples of good decision-making ~and we pray for all the strong women that will never know the power of making good decisions because their lives were taken by abortion.
Day 24:  Today we pray for an end to hateful language that diminishes the dignity of women ~ and we pray for an end of the lies that lead women to believe that abortion is a loving and unselfish choice.
Day 25:  Today we pray for women who have been made afraid of their own power by their religion. May they learn to reject fear and live bravely ~ and may they be overpowered and freed by the love of God and his encouragement, protection and guidance in all situations.
Day 26:  Today we give thanks for the intelligence, talent, wit, and wisdom of all the women and girls in our lives ~ and we grieve the loss of these attributes in all the women and girls that should be in our lives that are absent because they were aborted.
Day 27:  Today we give thanks for abortion providers around the nation whose concern for women is the driving force in their lives ~ and we pray that God will be merciful to them as they explain why concern for women involved killing innocent life.
Day 28:  Today we pray for the women who travel hundreds of miles to get an abortion. May their determination be rewarded with spiritual strength ~ and may these women be sent an intercessor that will reveal that true spiritual strength and freedom comes from making God approved choices.
Day 29:  Today we pray that all women will know that they are created in the image of God, good and holy, moral and wise ~ and may they understand that God is the designer of all life and that He doesn’t make mistakes.
Day 30:  Today we pray for women to throw away their secrets and claim their histories with power and truth ~ and we pray that all women will know the truth that abortion is not power.
Day 31:  Today we pray for all discrimination against women to cease ~ and we pray that all women will cease in the self-destructive behavior that may result in a discriminatory act of violence against their baby.
Day 32:  Today we pray for an end to the stigma perpetrated against women who have abortions ~ and we pray that they will instead understand that they are not under scrutiny or judgement by others.
Day 33:  Today we offer a prayer of remembrance for abortion providers who lost their lives because of their commitment to women ~ and we acknowledge that killing – in any form is wrong.
Day 34:  Today we give thanks for abortion escorts who guide women safely through the hostile gauntlets of protesters ~ and we pray that these escorts will see that they are guiding these women to the wrong side.
Day 35:  Today we pray for girls everywhere, that they may have every opportunity for education, sport, health, art, and vocation ~ and we pray that girls everywhere will have loving mentors guiding them with truth and honesty as they continue on their life’s journey.
Day 36:  Today we pray for the families we’ve chosen. May they know the blessing of choice ~ and may they know that for every choice they make there is a possible consequence and that they will make all choices with courage and clarity.
Day 37:  Today we pray for women to claim their equality and demand their rights as citizens ~ and we pray that all women will know that as citizens they have the right to know that abortion isn’t their only option and that they have the right to choose parenting or adoption for their baby.
Day 38:  Today we pray for a cloud of gentleness to surround every abortion facility. May everyone feel calm and loving ~ and we pray that the calm and love will surround everyone to the point of transforming
Day 39:  Today we pray for a contagious love to overflow from our spirits ~ and that the Holy Spirit will guide us and consume our lives with His joy and peace.
Day 40:  Today we give thanks and celebrate that abortion is still safe and legal ~ and we eagerly anticipate the day that the senseless killing of innocent babies will soon be a thing of the past.

And now, in my own words, prayer for day 41~

Today and everyday we pray for an end to the senseless killing of innocent babies.  Today and everyday we pray that those working in abortion clinics will learn the truth of their actions and that they will under go a transformation from the culture of death to the culture of life.  Today and everyday we pray that men of all ages and backgrounds will find the courage and strength to be Godly men.  Today and everyday we pray that all women, near and far, will live pure lives.  Today and everyday we pray that those who chose abortion in their past will find forgiveness and healing as they turn to our loving God for reconciliation.   Today and everyday we pray that the light of Christ will shine through us so that everyone we encounter will know that they are loved by an amazing God!