6 lb. 4oz

Well, what weighs 6 lbs, 4 ounces?   I’ll get to that…first, let me tell you a story.  Last June, a young girl in a Lexus with a middle aged man drove up to Planned Parenthood at 104 Babcock.  It was Saturday, and of course an abortion day.   The man went into Planned Parenthood, the girl stayed in the car. As she sat there in the car all alone, she stared at the signs that said “Free Help…1-800-395-HELP”.   The man came back to the car, she refused to get out, they conversed and they drove away.  Later that week, SACFL found out the girl had called the number she saw on those signs.  She asked for legal help, her father was forcing her to have an abortion.  Operation Outcry and other ProLife legal agencies got involved to help her, court cases ensued, her father continued to push….but, that 14 year old girl chose life.   Last Friday, Jan. 30^th she delivered a healthy baby girl, 6 lbs, 4 oz.

Praise God!  Thanks to all of you that hold signs and pray….It is making a difference!!

Amber

 

post-abortive shock

Cathy shares a post-abortive experience which occurred last Saturday @ Planned Parenthood. 

A post-abortive woman named Nichole came and talked to me and some of the others on the sidewalk. We gave her information and encouraged her to call for help – and we all encircled her and prayed together right there on the sidewalk. I don’t know if I said the right words in that prayer. I guess only God knows the heart and the Spirit speaks.

It is so rare that a post-abortive woman actually comes over. She was in shock, and we could see that she was physically and mentally hurting. Looking back, I wonder if I could have helped more. Could I have offered to take her for coffee…or give her a ride somewhere…or just be with her longer? Sigh. We do what we can do and what comes to us at the time.  Please pray for her.  She is heavy in my heart right now.

Others came and got flyers and info – one mom with 2 other kids yelled at me. We all prayed for her, too.

It was great to see so many people out there praying today. There were several whole families who came to pray. One little boy asked his mom, “Why aren’t they in jail if they kill children?”  There it is. The truth from a child about children.  Seeing so many families becoming active leads me to think that doing the spring 40 Days Campaign is the right idea. You were right when you said – United We Stand.

Thanks to Cathy for her caring and sharing. Lets not forget the mothers of aborted children and pray for their reconciliation and healing. As another resource being added to our side bar of  Life Links, here’s AfterAbortion.Org

1st Abortion Day of 2009 (Updated)

On what ended up being a strange and emotional day, we had an estimated 22 abortions for the 1st abortion day of 2009  .  The day, which started with a strange fog that continuously ebbed and flowed throughout the morning hours, brought with it an unusually high amount of Planned Parenthood consumers who chose to share their stories and emotions.

There was a gentleman who asked us what we would do if  one of our daughters were raped. He was informed that despite the theory of  an abortion some how helping rape victims, it has been shown that abortion actually adds to the trauma of the rape.

There was a mother who brought her daughter to Planned Parenthood to get “a pill”,  because she was “only” 4 weeks pregnant. The mother opposed surgical abortions and considered them morally wrong, but believed RU-486 was like taking a contraceptive, not an abortion. She spent a good deal of time with our side walk counselors who shared information on the stages of child development and RU-486 abortions.

A gentleman spent time with several of our counselors explaining how his wife,  who came from a family with 19 children, demanded getting her 4th abortion so she could complete medical school. Initially this man was argumentative and oppositional with our counselors, but ended up crying about his wife’s decision to abort and took the information offered to him.

So many different stories and reasons for abortion, all of which took precedence over the right to life of the most innocent of all human beings. We have more stories and video interviews to share for a different time.  God bless all of you who support the pro-life efforts any way you can.

We are adding the testimony of Christina who goes into much more detail of the above events, as well as providing a personal testimony of why she chooses to go out to the sidewalk of Planned Parenthood.

Saturday was a rough day but the hope that maybe, just maybe we saved one baby keeps me going. I had an extensive conversation with a mother, who’s daughter was in the clinic. She told me how she regretted having an abortion years ago. She was very young and afraid to tell her mother. I could relate, as I have a young daughter, who faced the same situation. Thankfully, despite my daughter’s fear she chose to have her baby. The result is our beautiful grandson who we absolutely adore.

I pleaded with the mother at the sidewalk, to the point of begging her to go in and get her daughter. I told her that was her grandchild that her daughter was carrying. She had a very important question for me, “When does “it” become a baby?” Thankfully, Amber was there to tell her the baby (at four weeks) already had a heartbeat. She was taken back by this and it really made her think about what was truly happening. I pray that my words and Amber’s words touched this mother. I pray that her daughter will choose not to take the “abortion pill”. I pray that it wasn’t too late to save this young women’s child.

Another challenge my husband and I faced that day was with a young man who had brought a rape victim to the clinic. He came straight to me and asked, “How would you feel if someone violently raped someone you care about?” I told him my daughter was sexually assaulted and I understood that she was in pain. I showed him a picture of my daughter and my grandson. His tone changed from anger to curiosity. I talked with him about my daughter. I told him how much my daughter loves her son and that each day she wakes up and is thankful for him. Despite all of the pain she suffered she would do it all again to have her beautiful son. I continued on and kept his attention. My husband added in that we were not there to judge but to speak for the babies who’s voices can’t be heard. He explained to him that each child is a miracle and blessing from God.

By the end of our conversation with this young man I explained to him that the young woman who was having the abortion would need help. I gave him a pamphlet about Post Abortion Syndrome and he eagerly took it. I told him her pain would not be over because the pregnancy was terminated. I told him that she would feel a great loss and an emptiness. I informed him of some of the symptoms of post abortion syndrome and asked him to please make sure she got counseling. So I pray that this young man will get her the help that she will need. It would be a tragedy if two lives were destroyed.

Please pray for these young people and always remember to keep your hearts open to hear the pain that others are suffering. Compassion should be a priority when dealing with others. Each of us has our own testimonies and that is why God has put us on the Babcock sidewalk. We are fulfilling God’s purpose for us. To show others of his unconditional love.

Thanks to Christina  for her selfless efforts for the unborn and their parents on Saturday.

Sometimes the days are dark

Please read a comment left by, in my opinion, one of the most faithful pro-life individuals in the city of  San Antonio.  If anyone has the excuse of not having enough time it could be Cathy – yet she is always out there on the sidewalk. Many times through out this last year – by her self. If anyone has spent anytime alone on the sidewalk, they know how daunting a task this can be.  That is to say nothing of everything else she does for “life”, that may go unnoticed and unappreciated.

There are some days that are much harder than others, and Cathy shares one of these days with us . Please pray for Cathy and for others like her that do so much to protect innocent life and healing for those in most need.  

Today was a hard day for me at the Babcock sidewalk. I spoke to a man who was holding a woman closely as they came out of the clinic. She looked so hurt – so devastated. I spoke as kindly and softly as I could to offer post-abortion materials. The man turned to me in anger and said that their baby had died – they did not abort it. They very much wanted this child. I tried to tell him how sorry I was for them and that we would be praying for them and that we were only trying to help. I don’t think he could really hear me. He said we should be careful of what we say to people and that I should get away from them. I have been in sorrow for this couple all day long, and I ask for your prayers for their healing and their grief. Here is yet another reason why we need to speak tenderly to one another. We have not walked in their shoes – we cannot understand their pain and situation – but we can pray and we can be a voice of kindness and compassion.
There were several post-abortive men who spoke rudley in their pain and anger today. There were people from the donut shop who yelled pro-choice slogans. But there were a few who stopped and listened to the counselors and took information. For these, I am grateful.
David Bereit sent a note today with the blog address for 40 Days showing the photo of a child saved from last year’s campaign. I really needed to see that today. What a beautiful gift. It is worth all the standing a praying if even just one child – one mother, or one father – is saved.

May God’s blessings be yours.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.
Cathy Nix

angry man almost hits sidewalk counselor with car before aborting the life of his child

Contribution from Alan:

    On Saturday Nov 22, I was leaving the PP sidewalk about 8:00 AM.  I said good-bye to Frank, a fellow counselor, right in front of the “Entrance” sign and stepped into the entrance area – still on the sidewalk.  A car, driven by a young man, was turning left from Babcock.  I saw him turn left so I stopped.  He turned to drive into the PP parking lot – swerved toward me with his car and I stepped back.  He turned straight and entered the parking lot, stopped at the front door to let a lady off.  I looked at the entrance area and he had plenty of room to enter the parking lot without swerving toward me. 
    I noticed he parked near the exit of the parking lot after dropping off his lady, so I moved quickly down to sidewalk to talk to him.  When he got out of his car, I asked him if he was mad at me or his situation.  I asked him to come talk to me so I can help whatever he is angry at.  He simply yelled to get out of the way next time and went into the PP building.
    Jeff was gracious enough to give me his license plate #.  I prayed about this — what good would I do to bring charges?  I believe no civil challenge against his anger with a vehicle swerving toward me could be worse than the part he took in destroying an innocent life.  I will continue to pray for this man and all who enter the PP parking lot with anger and defiance against the truth they know in their heart.  We MUST continue to Pray, do Penance, and have Presence at the PP to witness to the truth and speak for the innocent lives who do not have a voice to speak for themselves.

May God bless the merciful.

sidewalk successes

On the sidewalk recently, some individuals have asked us about the “successes” we have had during our peaceful, prayerful protests. The question often leads to a conversation about the fact that God uses our efforts and prayers in ways that we do not always know and sometimes do not understand. Conversely, there are also times God allows us to see some of the fruits of our labors, because He loves us and wants to give us a sign of His hope.

There have been 25 confirmed saves during the last 12-13 months since September 2007. This is comparable to about the size of typical school classroom, filled with children who will now be able to grow, run, play and smile… Our Presence is really making a Difference.

As recently as last Saturday, a young woman left the abortion clinic after seeing her sonogram.
A couple of weeks ago, within the span of an hour and a half, there were six women who left Planned Parenthood for no apparent reason, most of them crying in the arms of their significant others.

Sometimes, a woman such as Kayla, will approach the sidewalk counselor (usually crying) saying that what they heard prior to going into the clinic made a difference. In this case, after hearing a sidewalk counselor say she regretted her own abortion, Kayla just couldn’t bring herself to have one herself.

Many times our ‘successes’ are largely unknown to us. We have seen cars pull into the parking lot that end up driving away without leaving their cars. On one particular morning, a white van drove up to where we were praying and said, “I just want you to know that you are making a difference.” Apparently last year his granddaughter came to this very clinic for an abortion and after seeing us on the sidewalk, changed her mind about having an abortion. He thanked us for his grandson Adrian. You see, abortion doesn’t just affect the mother, father and child. It also affects grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles…and so on. When your prayers go up to save a child from abortion, you are also working to save an entire family from the tragedy of abortion.

The bottom line is that we do make a difference. Although sometimes we are “rewarded” by God with the tangible results of a visible “save”, which often keep us motivated in times of weakness, we need to remember that its faithfulness, not visible results, which will be responsible for ending abortion in San Antonio and throughout the world.

While @ Planned Parenthood

Some pics and videos while spending a Saturday morning @ the local Planned Parenthood – 104 Babcock rd.

a sense of responsibility

The following was submitted by Sandra Rojas:

I recently had a heart awakening by listening to a radio station (fm 89.7)
Something happen deep inside of me but I felt I had the resposability of doing something for those inocent little ones killed every day in abortion.

This is going to be the second weekend that I’m going to the Babcock clinic.

It really feels good spreading a seed of love for those little ones!!
Thanks!

Thanks Sandra

stone cold heart

The following experience is being shared by Kenneth Maes after he and his wife participated for the first time at the Babcock Clinic.  Kenneth has a blog called Pensanientos.

Today, my wife and I volunteered to stand with others in front of an abortion clinic and not only show our support for Life but to also pray for those entering the clinic. This was our first experience as we have been very moved by the videos that I have shared with you recently.

We hadn’t been there five minutes and a lady in her forties approached my wife with tears in her eyes and said that she had an abortion when she was fifteen years old and to this very day she has never ceased in thinking about what she did and how she regretted that decision.

It is so sad that she has had this experience and it makes you wonder how many others have gone through the same thing. It also made me think of something else, while we were standing right in front of the clinic I realized that just about fifty feet away, behind those doors, lives were being taken. You cannot imagine the chill and the goosebumps I felt throughout my body.

Then I thought of the man who wants to be president whose mother chose to keep and because of her unselfish act he is where he is today, running for the most powerful office in the land. How then, could this man have such a stone cold heart that he would support and condone the murder of innocent lives?

This does not make a bit of sense to me. May God have mercy on his soul as well as all who support this holocaust!