Day 31: Lenny

Well, we're almost a week away from the finish line, and I hope you received your invitation to our victory dinner (see below if you haven't!). Also, here's the CBN news report from the Manassas vigil: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=1947.

We have received news of a woman in grave danger due to a life-threatening pregnancy. Please keep in your prayers the following prayer intention:

The woman's name is Lenny... Lenny had a baby less than a year ago by C-section and became pregnant again right away. The pregnancy was not healthy... Doctors told her she had to have an abortion or she would die. She refused. They did an MRI at 22 weeks and cared for her as best they could... They will do another MRI on Friday and operate to do some surgery Monday to try and save her life and deliver the baby which is mature enough to live if they can get the baby out without harm.

Claire has been delivering babies for about 14 years and has never seen anything remotely like this, or any surgery ever so complicated. None of the physicians have either. The best medical team in Portland will be there Monday...

Lenny has been in the hospital for three months. Today the two women shared their faith and prayed. Lenny was crying and said she just wants to live to care for her babies.

Her husband is terrified.

Please keep this courageous faithful woman and her family in your prayers. She said she would like to be on prayer lists, so please also forward this message.

Day 30: Come to our Victory Dinner!

You are hereby invited to our

40 Days for Life Victory Dinner

to be held on
Sunday, April 17, 2011

at St. Lawrence Church
6222 Franconia Rd, 22310

beginning at
1:30pm

The favor of a reply is requested by April 14
RSVP: Facebook or jandsdina@cox.net

Day 29: Contact Governor McDonnell

Please take a minute today to call Governor McDonnell, and ask your friends to do the same.

As I understand it, our state government is about to adopt regulations that would compel adoption agencies to place children for adoption or foster care with homosexual couples or individuals...

... and according to Delegate Bob Marshall, "Governor McDonnell can still weigh in on the... regulations and propose an amendment, but he only has 15 days from April 1 to act."

I just placed my call myself, and it was very simple.

In case you are wondering, the regulations in question read as follows:

The licensee shall prohibit acts of discrimination based on race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, political beliefs, sexual orientation, disability, or family status to:
1. Delay or deny a child’s placement; or
2. Deny an individual the opportunity to apply to become a foster or adoptive parent.

The legality of such a regulation is in question since the General Assembly has repeatedly rejected laws making “sexual orientation” a “protected class.” However, Delegate Marshall comments,

These regulations would not only constitute an endorsement of “parenting” by same-sex couples, but they would also force church-based adoption agencies to either violate their sincerely-held religious beliefs or withdraw altogether from the ministry of adoption services (emphasis added).

In addition, Virginia state law reads, "The Governor may recommend amendments or modifications to any regulation that would bring that regulation into conformity with statutory authority or state or federal laws, regulations or judicial decisions."

Homosexual 'parenting' strikes at the very heart of the family and what 40 Days for Life is all about. Please pick up your telephone, and make a quick call to Governor McDonnell's office today encouraging him to weigh in on this decision, and amend the regulations to remove "sexual orientation" as a protected class, before it is too late!

Governor McDonnell's office: (804) 786-2211

Re: Vote on Health Exchange Bill

Also, please contact state legislators to oppose Governor McDonnell's amendment to the health exchange bill which is to be voted on today! Below is a suggested letter. (Please see list of members of House of Delegates and Senators at end of this email, which you can cut and paste to send to all legislators at one time.)

Re. Anti-Planned Parenthood Rally April 7

Thirdly (lots going on these days!), there will be an anti-Planned Parenthood rally early tomorrow morning in DC, combining an all-day GAP display with a 7:30-9:30 early morning outreach to 'Hill rats.' Note: this is not a 40 Days for Life activity. If you are interested in attending, please read the letters from Jack Ames, Dick Retta, and Missy Smith which follow.

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!

Day 27: Our Final 2 Weeks

253 babies saved so far through 40 Days for Life this spring -- thank you, God!

And thank you all for your prayers, as I'm sure they made a difference for these children!

Less than two weeks left to go, and alas, our vigil schedule still has many holes in it. Will you consider signing up for a few hours between now and the end of our campaign?

Twice this weekend I passed the vigil site...

...in the course of a long Saturday of door-dropping...

...only to see there was no one praying.

Let's step up the pace, team!

Click here to view the schedule or see hours needed below.

Since it's not fair asking people to do what you won't do yourself, I am making a personal commitment to two hours at the vigil site each day from now until Day 40.

Also, we have only two more Saturdays for our door-to-door efforts -- will you consider coming out for at least an hour to help us distribute flyers this weekend?

Door-to-door outreach is one of the most exciting parts of the campaign, but for some reason has the least participation. So I offer tremendous thanks to all the plucky souls who have assisted thus far!

I'm planning to walk all day on the final Saturday of our campaign - April 16. I'd love to have some friends join me -- any chance you can be there?

Just imagine what our city could be like if each person had the opportunity to learn the truth about abortion. Your time will not be wasted, I can guarantee that!

To help out with the outreach faction, email Paul.

Finally, I'm excited to tell you we finally have a location for our concluding celebration dinner, which will be a combined event including the Fairfax and Washington DC campaign teams. The festivities will take place at

• St. Lawrence Church (6222 Franconia Rd, 22310) on
• Sunday, April 17, beginning at
• 1:30pm

Mark your calendars now to attend!

We are working on some great entertainment, food, and speakers for your edification, but we could use some help with cooks, music, and miscellaneous tasks for the afternoon. If you or a friend can help out with that, let me know at jacinta.40days@gmail.com. Also if you know or work with a pro-life group that would like to present information to folks attending, feel free to let me know about that, too. Thanks!

Below are a few pictures, from two visiting vigilers from Fairfax: Jonathan and his friend Dave. Feel free to send pictures and your experiences for inclusion in our daily reports. We all need the encouragement!

Day 24: The Importance of Prayer and Fasting

Today is Friday: we remember Our Lord's death on the cross and the sacrifices He made so that we might live. In our vigiling and outreach we also sacrifice for life, which can be difficult at times, almost impossible. However, Peter Chrysologus, a 5th century Christian leader, notes how prayer, fasting, and mercy are inseparable from each other, if we are hoping our petitions will be heard and answered by God:

Prayer knocks at the door. Fasting obtains. Mercy receives... These three are one and they give life to each other... Let no one try to separate them; they cannot be separated. If you have only one of them or not all together, you have nothing.

So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others, you open God's ear to yourself...

...Let us use fasting to make up what we have lost by despising others... There is nothing more pleasing that we can offer to God, as the psalmist said in prophecy: A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God does not despise a bruised and humbled heart...

...Fasting bears no fruit unless it is watered by mercy... However much you may cultivate your heart, clear the soul of your nature, root out vices, sow virtues, if you do not release the springs of mercy, your fasting will bear no fruit.

When you fast, if your mercy is thin your harvest will be thin; when you fast, what you pour out in mercy overflows into your barn. Therefore, do not lose by saving, but gather in by scattering. Give to the poor, and you give to yourself. You will not be allowed to keep what you have refused to give to others.

So let's make our fasting generous, and our mercy rich in compassion for the little ones among us. We only have about two weeks left in our campaign, and they will be quickly spent. Let's make this a time of scattering, of giving, and of mercy, and in time we will surely reap abundant harvest!

Our Halfway Rally Yesterday

We had a very good halfway rally yesterday evening, with around 15-20 people participating. The rain held off until the event was concluded, and the vigil site was quiet and reflective, with grey skies overshadowing the proceedings. The clouds, however, did not dampen the spirits of participants, who shared stories and reflections about vigil experiences, sang hymns, and prayed together.

Special thanks to Fr. Michael Kelly of St. Mary Church, who provided spiritual leadership, and to Bob and Susan, vigil keepers who provided leadership for the music.

A Note From the Outreach Coordinator

Paul Spicer sends the latest from the door-to-door front and invites you to participate!