40 Days of Prayer and Fasting - 40 Days of Constant Vigil - 40 Days of Community Outreach

We had over 17 churches and over 350 people involved in this fall’s campaign. Many people were involved with pro-life efforts for the first time, and at least two groups, possibly more, were started because of people who were involved with 40 Days efforts. Ask God: How are you calling me to become more involved with pro-life work? Volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center? Organize and lead regular prayer vigils outside abortion centers? Start a prayer chain or Respect Life group at your church? Make baby blankets for a shelter for unwed mothers? Write to your representative and become involved with pro-life lobbying? Participate in pro-life youth groups? God is calling you to something specific, if simply to offer daily prayers for an end to abortion. Spend some time and allow Him to speak to you.

I’d like to leave you with a reflection from a 40 Days volunteer who wished to remain anonymous:

“Why do I go out to pray in front of Planned Parenthood? What is the Victory I am seeking? What is the Change I am seeking?”

God loves our freedom more than anything. God loves US. He loves our heart — which can choose life — or death. There will be times when we WILL choose the path of death. And sometimes this death leads to the real death of someone, or we make choices that over time eventually mean our own death. God loves our freedom so much, that He lets Hell be an option.

So, in approaching others, we must be very, very careful to honor a person’s freedom as much as God does. In the case of the work of 40 Days for Life, that does not mean honoring the legality of a woman to have an abortion. But it does mean that we should have profound respect for the reality of the human heart, and for God’s mercy. Because what we an honoring is the love of God.
What we need to put our hope in — isn’t Zion, a good culture, or a good country. What we put our hope in is a good Christ.

We are beggars for love. That is the beauty of the movement of 40 Days for me. We stand in the cold, mostly empty-handed, without right argument, because we stand in solidarity with Christ, and we are beggars for God’s love.

40 Days for Lifers,

The date has been set! The finale rally is this Thursday, November 5th at 7:00 pm at St. Mark’s Catholic church in Shoreline. It will be in the cafeteria this time, and will be potluck-style. In traditional potluck tradition, people with last names A-L please bring appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks, and M-Z bring desserts.

The address is: 18033 15th Pl. N.E. Seattle, WA 98155. This is a celebration to mark the end of another successful campaign in the Seattle area. We will have announcements, prayer, and stories from vigil participants of things that touched them when they were at this site this year. If you have such a story that you’d like to share with everyone, please email it to me (monicaoberlin@gmail.com) and we will add you to the program.

We will also be talking about a follow-up group that will meet throughout the year. Follow-up is not always something that gets emphasized as people are usually tired by the end of 40 Days. The reality is that the unborn are killed throughout the year and we cannot afford to lessen or cease our efforts as long as abortion is legal in this country. We will have a sign up for an email list at the rally, but if you are interested and cannot make it, please feel free to email me personally.

Peace,
Monica Oberlin
Seattle 40 Days Coordinator