Day Two: Respect Life Month

Today was a calm day at our Alexandria prayer vigil. The thunder has died down, and most people are quietly accepting our presence. However, the schedule was a bit difficult. Although every hour was signed up for, one prayer volunteer did not show up or call, creating a complication in the vigil system. Please, if a prayer volunteer is late or unable to make his shift, call Mary Ellen or myself so we can try to maintain coverage and keep track of our vigil supplies! It's particularly critical when there's only one person signed up for a particular slot, as the preceding person often has an appointment and can't wait for latecomers to relieve him. Despite quirks in the schedule, good news from the national team: 11 saves already (www.40daysforlife.com)!

Today was also the first day for St. Joseph Church members to pray from 5-7pm! Deacon Al led the prayers and gave a blessing at the end of the day. We welcome tomorrow and Saturday members of St. Raymond Church, who have signed up en masse to fill these two days chock full! If you are a regularly scheduled prayer volunteer for Friday or Saturday, you are likely to have some company!

We have a few empty hours coming up on Sunday afternoon from 1-2pm and from 3-6pm so if you have some free time to spare for the babies please sign up and consider a weekly commitment to fill these slots (www.vigilcalendar.com/alexandria)!

Finally, we begin Respect Life month on Saturday, October 1. There are several pro-life activities during this time: International Week of Prayer and Fasting, Life Chain, Day of Pro-Life Solidarity, and more. To help you chart out your calendar, prayer coordinator Marie and I prepared a list for you now posted on our website at 40daysforlife.com/alexandria/documents/2011OctoberActivities.pdf. We will participate in some events as a team, but others you may wish to do on your own. Enjoy!

Day 28: Thanks for Your Help!

Yesterday I wrote to ask you for help with our prayer vigil, as many time slots were still empty.

Well, thanks to our wonderful volunteers, it now looks like the vigil schedule is beginning to fill up nicely for our last few days, and we now only have -- at last count -- only 38 empty hours remaining on our calendar! Praise God!

I have listed the remaining hours needed over the next few days below. If you can spare some time to pray for the unborn as we wind up our campaign it would be much appreciated!

Despite wind, clouds and rain, spring is still here, and I am including a picture from yesterday's vigil to prove it! The picture shows vigil keepers Mary Beth and Claire, as well as members of St. Joseph church, with whom I was blessed to pray later in the evening. Doesn't that spring cheer just warm your heart!

This photo comes with the following comments from Marie:

While Mary Beth and I were at the vigil yesterday for about an hour, 10 people altogether passed through to stand vigil, including us. It was so encouraging... to see new faces and hear about their dedication to Life!... By the way, we think the abortionist drove by while maybe 6 of us were there... We prayed for him!

Yes, it was a beautiful spring day, and to pray with fellow believers is always an uplifting experience!