Our Lady of Guadalupe

(Report from Guadalupe Partners)

“Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation.” 1 Pet 2:12 (NABRE)

People that pray or sidewalk counsel outside abortion centers are often maligned as evildoers – but not always. Sometime, they are affirmed. I’ll share two stories from this week.

“Memorial Service today (at Northland Abortion Center – Southfield, MI) showed a woman coming out walking slowly, holding her hand to her face to hide the tears – obviously in great pain, sadness and remorse. The boyfriend/husband had his arm around her walking her back to the customized white van. Obviously an abortion may and actually did take place – a horrible sight to see afterwards of the effect of and affects to – in so much misery.

After the ending (of the Memorial service) and walking back to (my vehicle),  another woman drove over to where we parked and stopped to talk.

She’s smart and spoke about they’re trying to exterminate the black, etc.  We told her
we are here to pray which she affirmed and expressed appreciation.  “They killed a baby”, she said when we told her about the woman in great sadness and pain.  She also spoke favorably about when we’re seen out front and the patrons see us and understand the mercy permeating from our souls of love.

A little report is better than no report.

Hopefully it’ll serve it’s purpose that the Memorial Service is doing what it is intended for – to spread love, prayers, forgiveness and mercy to those victims of the deceitfulness of abortion.”

That was from last Saturday’s 4:30 PM Memorial service:

“This past Wednesday, I joined Emmanuel at Summit Abortion Center. Summit affords marvelous counseling opportunities because the sidewalk is right by the door.
Call me cowardly, but I let Emmanuel do the sidewalk counseling and I pray or, more recently, sing hymns of praise.

After Dr. Sharpe arrived, we briefly talked about the discouragement that we sometimes experience outside these death pits. We have both seen a hardening of attitudes in the nine years that we’ve been on the sidewalks. The women usually do not respond to the help offered and their escorts often imitate Pontius Pilate, washing their hands of the innocent blood and blaming the mothers for coming there. We are often dismissed with a “God will forgive me”,  as if God is okay with people rejecting His gift of life and doesn’t care that people don’t love Him.

I was about to leave after singing “What Wondrous Love is this”, when the door opened and a woman emerged and told Emmanuel, “you touched my heart and I’m going to have this baby. I’m just waiting for my ride to arrive.”  She mentioned her concern that the abortion staff would give her a hard time, but they cheerfully refunded her money and told her she could come back if she changes her mind. Emmanuel gave her info about the local pregnancy resource centers, including ICU, and I could see the beginnings of a friendship.

So, “Whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.” Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5; Yerushalmi Talmud 4:9, Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 37a.  In the case of abortion, a baby’s life spared is a sign of hope to the community and an affirmation that God’s mercy exceeds His wrath.

But there is another part of that quote, which actually precedes it: “Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world.”

Culture of Life versus Culture of Death – “the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5

Memorial Service is every Saturday at 4:30 pm on the public sidewalk outside Northland Family Planning, 24450 Evergreen Rd., Suite 220, Southfield, MI.  The Knights of Columbus pray there every Saturday at 8:30 am.

If you are adventuresome, you can join Emmanuel and I outside Summit at 15801 McNichols Rd., Detroit, MI.  from 8:30 -11:30 on Wednesdays,  or join Guadalupe Partners (734) 282-6779, at Summit on Saturdays in the morning.

May God bless you and your loved ones.

Barb Yagley (248) 703-3577