Last night was truly amazing! Thanks to all who came to the Finale Rally of the Seattle 40 Days for Life. We had over 100 present, and tons of excellent food. We reminisced about all the memories: the prayers, the trust, the love, and the harsh times experienced. We talked of stories, here in Seattle as well as all over the nation, that have made an impact on so many. And we opened up the floor to all of you to share your experiences. Finally, we talked about the purpose of the biblical 40 days events being one of grace and preparation for the next steps. And that’s what God has provided us with throughout these 40 days: a period of purifying us in fire to prepare us for the future. There are many organizations, ministries, and prayer groups that meet regularly that I hope you take the initiative to get involved in and help lead. The momentum we’ve built up is awe-inspiring - the Holy Spirit has guided us in doing the impossible - it can’t stop here. Soon we will post the contact information for all of these groups and it is my prayer that you continue to live up to the same ideals you’ve held these past 40 days. May the magnitude of our reaction to abortion reflect the magnitude of the tragedy in itself.
The following is a story received by David Bereit (National 40 Days for Life Director) from David Arabie, a friend of mine from Texas A&M who initially came up with the idea for a 24/7 prayer vigil. This is the story of how that crazy idea came into his head, and it truly does reflect a man who realized the magnitude of the crisis of abortion.
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At 2:22 this morning I received a very moving e-mail
from David Arabie, the young man who first suggested to
me the “crazy” notion of holding a 24-hour-a-day vigil
outside of an abortion facility.
That suggestion became a major factor leading to the
formation of the first 40 Days for Life campaign in
Bryan/College Station, Texas, in the Fall of 2004.
I did not know until this morning the circumstances
that led to that initial suggestion, but when you read
David’s message below, you will understand why I had to
share this with you today.
I will actually send you the rest of the 40 Days for
Life success reports and the prayer request tomorrow,
because I think this message is worthy of your
undivided attention.
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David,
This is a long email. I know how busy you are. But I
have been thinking about this stuff for about 43 days
now and thought I should share it.
Congratulations on the completion of the National 40
Days for Life campaign. I got a call from the Columbia
Magazine, the Knights of Columbus national publication,
and the conversation reminded me of the beginning of
this whole thing.
How many people will spend their entire lives yearning
for a sign that God is with them. We had a couple of
ideas, combined them over a dinner party and a meeting
at the Coalition for Life office in 2004 and then 40
Days for Life started, all in a matter of weeks. We
watched God, plain as day, mold that project in front
of our very eyes. And now it’s changing the world.
I have thought thousands of times, how did I get in the
middle of that? I had been at Texas A&M for almost four
years before we met. I didn’t even know where the
abortion clinic in Bryan was before July of ‘04. I am a
carpenter. I cuss like a sailor and I party too much.
Not so much anymore. But definitely then.
Then we did 40 days.
After it was over it became appearant that I wasn’t
called to pro-life ministry, in the same way you and
Shawn are. Abortion is the greatest evil we face, so of
course we pray and support its demise in every way.
But other than the miracle of 40 days, I never felt
called to be a part of the ministry except when I
brought the idea of 24 hours’ presence to you in the
first place.
This is how it happened. I don’t think I ever told
anyone the details.
My Dad entered the last stages of his long fight with
Cancer on Memorial Day weekend ‘04. He began
hallucinating and such. During this time he prayed
Rosaries nearly all of his waking hours. Doctors said
he would be gone in days. So I stayed with him.
It wound up being months before he passed away. In
those months, he was rarely the man I knew as my
father. But he said he loved me all the time, several
times per conversation. After a couple of weeks he
would say, “Let’s pray this rosary to end abortion.”
After several rosaries to end abortion in one day, I
asked, “Let’s pray this one to heal your cancer, or
ease your pain.”
He said, “NO! we are praying to end abortion.”
He then shared with me a story one evening about my own
conception, and its inconvenience. A very long and
complicated story made short.
They chose to have it, “taken care of.” They went to
the Abortion Clinic, he paid the money, and then my
mother stood him up for the final appointment.
He didn’t speak to her for weeks, until finally his
mother shamed him into marrying my mom.
He said, “Here it is 25 years later, and the baby I
wanted to kill is by my side at my deathbed.”
I was not upset at all about any of the circumstances
surrounding that trip to the abortion clinic. I was
upset that he had to struggle with that guilt on his
deathbed, instead of all the great times we had in my
great childhood.
I just wanted to talk about the good times, but he was
worried about his soul, because of a near miss that
never would have happened if there hadn’t been an
abortion clinic at every turn in the city of Houston.
Julius Allen Arabie died in July of ‘04.
I decided right then that I was going to do something
drastic. I mentioned the idea of a 24-hour presence at
an abortion facility to priests and fellow knights, and
a bunch of other people.
Originally I figured we were just going to stand there
in force until it closed, and then go to the next one.
And I didn’t even know who “we” was.
Eveyone tried to temper the idea. “Why don’t you just
shoot for all the hours the clinic is open,” or
something of the sort. Not you. The Lord was moving in
you, because you knew we could do it.
You made my hairbrained idea practical, by putting a
timeline on it, and making it repeatable, and
marketable. You gave me an outlet in the Coalition for
Life, and a microphone to help convince people we could
do it.
And then subsequently you were given an outlet to
spread the word to the rest of the country.
I am sorry for the length of this email. I just wasn’t
sure if you knew that part of the birth of 40 days.
Monica and I often think about the example you and
Margaret have set for us. My daughter Nicollette is
almost 2 now and when I open the door she runs full
speed to meet me with a hug. Thank you for everything.
And again, congratulations.
–David Arabie
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Isn’t God wonderful, the way He works through His
people and uses the “little” things to make a BIG
difference?
Wow.
Have a blessed day!
Your Brother In Christ,
David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life
