Life Chain 2013

October 6, 2013June 25, 2014 ~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

Today was Respect Life Sunday, and the national Life Chain event (which was one of the first pro-life events I participated in). We stood at the intersection for an hour with our “Pray to End Abortion” signs and got lots of positive responses from Atchison residents. It was beautiful to see so many people out there willing to stand for life and be a witness in our community. It was especially beautiful to see many of the Benedictine professors out there praying up a storm with their kids.

It reminded me of the first time I did this two years ago. It was back home in a much busier and liberal area.

So I went and found my Facebook note I wrote the day after (before the blogging age) and thought I’d share it with you:

October 4th, 2011

Yesterday I participated in the Life Chain event, a nation-wide peaceful and prayerful event where pro-life people stand along busy streets holding signs. These signs herald pro-life messages such as “Abortion Hurts Women”, “Adoption the loving option”, and “Pray for an end to abortion”. I didn’t know what to expect going to this event, since I’d never been before, but was happy to join others in standing for life.

Our local Life Chain happened on a very busy intersection with lots of car dealerships around. I arrived with my Mom and two of my sisters. We hopped out of the car and headed down the road to get signs to hold. We got ours and joined friends along the street. I took my post, watching cars, praying that our quiet witness to life might inspire people who drove past.

Most cars zoomed past us. Some slowed down to read the signs. Of those who read the signs and responded, we got at least four positive responses for every negative response. Some waved, or gave us a thumbs up. Others honked and smiled, while a few gave us “the finger”. As I stood there on the side of the road, I wondered what these people were thinking. Did they agree with us? Did they disagree? Do they know what abortion is? Some of them thought we were crazy, as did one man who stopped and told us to quit accusing him of being a natzi *bleep*. Did any of our signs say that? No. Did any of the participants say that to him? I doubt it. I wondered what caused this man to be so bitter against us. Had he been personally hurt by abortion? I hope God blessed him with a good rest of the day, and that he continues to think about abortion. Hopefully he will come to realize the truth of the pro-life movement one day.

I smiled and waved back to the people who were honking, waving, and giving up thumbs up. It was great to see those people respond to us. I don’t know if I should be surprised, but so many people didn’t respond to us at all. Some even avoided looking at us. What was going through the minds of the drivers who were just starring in front of them?

One lady gave a big thumbs down as she waited at the stop light, and shook her head. Another person proudly displayed his finger for the world to see as he passed. A motorcyclist spat at us as he revved his engine and sped by. Had these people been personally affected by abortion? Was the woman suffering from the aftermath of one herself? As she waited at the stop light, she rested her head on her hand and starred into the distance. It looked like she was remembering something. Something that had hurt her. Maybe something we were displaying signs about…

As each of these people passed by, I prayed for them. I prayed for those who gave us thumbs up that they would have the courage to stand with us, for those who gave us a thumbs down that they will someday realize the truth about the scourge of abortion, and I especially prayed for those who did nothing, those who starred into the distance, and those who zoomed past without acknowledging us that if nothing else we planted a seed in their minds. A little seed that when they encounter abortion in their own lives, they will remember those people standing by the road with signs, and will choose life.

If I brought anything away from my Life Chain experience, I came away wishing more people passing by had responded. Even if we had had more negative responses, I would much rather have that than the countless people who did nothing. This is part of what the pro-life movement faced with. We are faced with too many people who do nothing. It may sound a bit harsh, but it’s true.

Think about it: Of the hundreds of people who passed by us, I estimate that 10 – 15% responded. Can you imagine if everyone had responded? Can you imagine if everyone was educated about abortion and took a stance on it? Can you imagine if everyone stood up for what they believed in?

This is what I see in different aspects of life. People tend to be either uneducated on the matter (and therefore unable to take a stance on it), or do not muster the willpower and courage to stand up and make a difference. How are things supposed to get better, and how are we going to help others see the truth if we don’t do anything about it? I love how this quote summarizes what I’m saying “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Boom, bam, baby. I couldn’t say it better. We can’t change hearts and help others to see the truth if we don’t try.

After reading this, ask yourself: “Am I a person who is fine watching from the sidelines, or am I a person who stands up for what I believe in, even if I stand alone?” Are you one of those people cruising down the road, or are you standing there with a sign? I sincerely hope that you are willing to stand up for what you believe in. I pray that God gives us all the courage to speak out against evil, because we need more people who are willing to get uncomfortable for what is right.

Find Your Purpose

July 22, 2013June 26, 2014 ~ Laura ~ 2 Comments

Some people can relate pretty much everything back to their favorite tv show or book series. Me? I can relate most things to the pro-life movement. Why? It’s my passion. It’s what I read about, it’s what I work for, and it’s what I think about quite a bit of the time. Of course I don’t spend my life consumed by it, but it is my cause. How did I get here? I noticed recently that I don’t write many things about my personal life on here. So today (and this week) I decided to start sharing more of that with you.

I found my cause a couple years ago, but it happened slowly.

Growing up, pro-life issues were not things I knew much of anything about or really talked about. At all. I do remember going to some sort of pro-life rally or protest in Sacramento when I was around 9, but I don’t remember what it was for. I do clearly remember seeing graphic abortion signs, and to this day know which one in particular people were carrying.

Fast forward to January 2011 when I went to my first Walk for Life. It was an experience unlike anything I had ever been to. It was inspiring and moving. I had never had the experience of being part of a movement like that – something bigger than myself. It’s hard to describe. To know that you are walking for a cause, for the truth, with thousand of other people? That’s pretty powerful. To this day, going to marches and pro-life rallies never ceases to inspire me and sometimes move me to tears. That day I think something was planted in the back of my mind.

January 2011 is also when I got my Facebook account and shortly after found Live Action and Life News which I started reading. My eyes were opened to a whole new world I had known absolutely nothing about.

I was working for Sears at the time, and quit that job in June 2011 after a terrible experience (a whole other story). I didn’t know what I was going to do, and needed a job. I applied to the usual – fast food and restaurants – but didn’t get anything. I got to the fall and just decided to wait and see what would happen. I would like to say that I had a moment when I just threw it in God’s hands, but I don’t really remember. Something better was in the works…

In the fall of 2011 someone I know introduced me to someone who introduced me to people at Live Action. The rest, you could say, is history.

I started working for Live Action in October, and it all snowballed. I went to the International Pro-Life Youth Conference in November 2011, wrote my first blog post after that, and later started writing for Live Action. Now I’ve worked for a couple different pregnancy centers, and multiple pro-life organizations.

This all happened in the span of a couple years, and let me tell you: I could never have imagined being this uber pro-lifer. Just a few years ago, I knew nothing about abortion and related topics. But everything fell into perfect place. And it’s not because I planned for this to happen.

In college I’ve met many different kinds of people, but one thing I’ve noticed is that not too many of them are extremely passionate about anything in particular. They come to college to get a degree, and la la la. They don’t really know what they want to do. I’ve noticed this about all sorts of people in other aspects of my life as well.

I don’t get this.

As someone who feels rather strongly about pro-life issues, I am convinced that this is what I was meant to do. We’re all here for a purpose, right? This is mine. Or at least part of it. I cannot imagine now not being like this, but am fully aware that many people are not. Why? I don’t think they’ve found their purpose yet.

So this is my message: If you’re one of those people, start exploring things NOW.

High school is the perfect time to start finding internships and making connections. If you’re older than that, you’re going to need to hit the ground running. Like now. Learn how to have integrity, and always give your best effort. Get summer jobs. Ask your teachers questions.

Don’t know what you love yet? Start with the process of elimination. Make a list of tons of jobs and cross out the ones you know you don’t want to pursue. Pray about it. Talk with a friend about your strengths and weaknesses, and how those will play into your future (your parents would be good at that too). Talk to people you know whose work looks interesting. Go to work with them. Read articles.

We were all put on Earth for a reason, and if you haven’t found that reason yet, you’re wasting time. Quite frankly, you’re wasting your life. God handed you a specific set of talents and gifts, and it’s your responsibility to figure out how to best use them. If you don’t, you’re basically throwing them in God’s face and saying “Thanks, but no thanks”. You’re missing out on some serious joy too.

One of the greatest joys in life is being confident in the fact that you are doing what God wants you to be doing. It’s beautiful. And it just feels right. Do you have what it takes to get there?

Find your passion. Find your purpose.

Pro-lifers are prettier

July 13, 2013June 26, 2014 ~ Laura ~ 1 Comment

And I’m not saying we’re more fashionable or do our make-up better. I’m talking about a deeper look at how our inner convictions change the way we live.

This came up because of what has been happening in TX with HB2 being passed. Someone posted on Facebook that “Only Prettier” by Miranda Lambert should be the theme song for Texan pro-lifers. So true, huh? The difference between pro-lifers and abortion supporters in TX is astounding, and let’s just say our presentation was quite a bit prettier. When abortion supporters felt their “right” to abortion past 20 weeks being pulled away, it got pretty ugly. Let me illustrate.

Some of the following images may not be suitable for all audiences. Proceed with caution.

abortion supporters sang this song parody…alrightie then

The mob with their classy hanger….with Cecile Richards mother watching

abortion supporter being arrested, note the red paint

How friendly….and quite a creative idea for decoration

another arrest (she had chained herself to the railing)

Add to that the reports of abortion supporters bringing jars of poop, guns, and maxi pads filled with glitter. Not to mention all the signs filled with profanity I’ve purposefully neglected to post here. This is FAR from the worst. Now let me share with you pictures of pro-lifers at the capitol.

Take a look back on those pictures if you need to. What struck me is how drastically different these groups of people are, separated simply by their views on abortion. Pro-lifers were peaceful for the most part, as abortion supporters chanted “Hail Satan” and spat on them. It’s striking what a difference you can see in just the facial expressions. How terrible is it that such an issue cases people to act so terribly! But in the end, it was an incredible opportunity for pro-lifers to be a witness to the fact that the truth doesn’t need to be shouted and thrown at people packaged up in maxi pads.

Take a moment to reflect on this and then ask yourself: Aren’t pro-lifers prettier?

The Reality of Pregnancy Centers

July 6, 2013June 26, 2014 ~ Laura ~ 1 Comment

Did you hear about that #ExposeCPC tweetfest that happened a while ago? It was interesting to say the least. Click on the picture below to check out my latest article for Live Action about it.

Sometimes you just gotta carry on

July 2, 2013June 26, 2014 ~ Laura ~ 1 Comment

Sometimes…

Disclaimer: I’ve never actually done this.

Sometimes I wonder where our society is heading. Like seriously…there have been so many things recently that are kind of putting a damper on my life (more so than a gloomy day *GASP*). For example:

The whole DOMA & Prop 8 thing
SB5 being filibustered out of voting
Wendy Davis being celebrated as a hero
That priest who was martyred in Syria
…and so much more

I read about so many terrible things happening, and hear so much crap about what’s going on. And it gets to me. I’ve actually gotten so used to hearing it that it doesn’t surprise me anymore when I hear about the latest thing being praised by the media. Gay “marriage”? Yup. Abortion on demand? Yes sir-ee. Murdering babies who survive abortion? WHOO-HOO! Would you puh-lease sign me up ASAP?!?!?!

The list could go on forever, but you get the point.

How can anyone not recognize the humanity of the unborn, especially those old enough to survive outside the womb? Beats me. I mean, science tells you they’re human. Ultrasounds show it. But oh-me-oh-my, we are just too smart to go by that, huh?

Have you ever seen those stories of those precious teeny-tiny babies born around 21 or so weeks? They fight for their lives and beat the odds. AMAZING! And did you hear those stories about babies born around the same gestational age during a failed abortion? They were murdered and beheaded, and isn’t that just fab-U-lous?!?!?! Wendy Davis sure thinks so. But I digress.

I’m saying this simply because I’m sick and tired (Bill Cosby says those always have to go together) of people accepting the idea that murder is okay. It’s not. And that’s why I’m going to keep working in this battle that we’re really kinda, sorta, totally getting the upper hand on. I can tell because many of the abortion supporters in TX right now are carrying signs of women’s reproductive parts with swear words on them (which, BTW, that one picture I saw totally looked like a volcano – we might be better artists too). That’s what happens when they don’t get their way. Swearing and yelling, and Cecile Richards sneering at you when you say “God Bless you”. Oh hey, I wonder if she sneered at Obama when he said “God bless Planned Parenthood”. I dunno.

What I do know is that I’m not going away any time soon. As much as I get tired of hearing these things, they really need to be heard. They need to be talked about more, and thought more deeply about. People need to know what’s going on in the world and for crying out loud, DO something about it! That’s why I’m working at pregnancy centers and continuing to write here. It makes a difference. And we all need to do our part in this battle with crazy-pants over there who needs to sit down and talk logic and science. I say, bring it.

And you know all those babies I’ve seen coming into the centers I’m working at? (Just kidding, you don’t, I haven’t mentioned them.) They’re really cute. Guess what else? They wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for people who fight every day for them. That pretty much makes it all worth it in the end.

Carry on, good soldiers.