:: The S.I.C.L.E. Cell ::

:: Monday, September 13, 2004 ::

A day in the life of a "sidewalk counselor":

"We arrived at 6:15am in the 23 foot RV graciously loaned to us by FaceLife, Inc (www.FaceLife.org). Shortly after we took out our signs and fetal models and set our materials up, women and their companions began to arrive and wait at the door of the abortion clinic. When the clinicworkers opened the clinic doors at 7am, they were greeted with more than a dozen people, anxious to pay $375 and more for the disemboweling execution of their infants.

We greeted everyone respectfully and offered each person our special ministry packet. We educated each woman regarding their baby's fetal development and the beautiful alternative of adoption. We also offered every pregnant woman a free ultrasound in the comfort of our new mobile ministry unit. In the first 45 minutes of our ministry time we were able to offer life-giving alternatives to TWELVE abortion-bound women and their companions! Amazing? Not really.

We didn't need a marketing director or expensive marketing techniques. We don't need to rent a building, hire a director, pay telephone, light, or advertisting bills. All that is necessary to reach 10,000 abortion vulnerable infants and their moms every year in Orlando is a holy cadre of gentle, courageous Christians to go directly to where all of these babies are being butchered --- the four abortion clinics of Orlando! I hold in my hand the brochure from a local group that wants to form a ministry to reach women "vulnerable" to abortion in Orlando. They estimate that their expenses will total to well over $6,250 a month. Keep in mind that there are already SEVEN other crisis pregnancy centers in Seminole and Orange County. If we were to take the expenses of this one center and multiply them by seven, the total expenditure for greater Orlando's seven pregnancy care centers comes to a whopping $37,500 PER MONTH! This comes to almost half a million dollars a YEAR to keep the seven pregnancy centers operating! (Remember: Most of these centers areonly open part-time!)

I am going to tell you something that may suprise you. NONE of these pregnancy centers has ever ministered to twelve abortion-bound (women scheduled for an abortion) women in a 45 minute period of time. To be honest with you, I doubt if they have ever ministered to twelve abortion-bound women in an entire day, perhaps even in an entire week's time. Statistics show that 85% of the women who frequent crisis pregnancy centers are not necessarily abortion-minded. These women are simply seeking free services (pregnancy tests, maternity clothes, baby items). Seven burning questions keep running through my mind:

1. Why don't the ministries with a purported mission to engage in the"battle for life" GO to the local women who are about to murder their babies?

2. Why do they set up shop and wait for clients?

3. Why do they consistently and doggedly refuse to set up their centers next to abortion clinics?

4. Why do they spend thousands of dollars a month on a stationary building miles away from any of Orlando's four abortion clinics?

5. Wouldn't it be wonderful if women's pregnancy centers would become MOBILE (RV) and bring free pregnancy tests and ultrasound directly to the10,000 local women who make their way to Orlando abortion clinics every year?

6. Why do crisis pregnancy centers spend thousands of dollars a month"advertising" their centers to try and FIND abortion-vulnerable women when they can easily find 25 of them a day in front of Orlando abortion clinics?

7. What can I do to convince crisis pregnancy centers (and Christians) to change their modus operandi and be pro-active?

Sometimes after a morning of sidewalk counseling I swing by a local crisis pregnancy center. They are often just getting settled in to the center. The air conditioning is cranked up, the coffee is brewing and the popcorn popping. But something is missing. There are often NO PREGNANT WOMEN ANYWHERE IN SIGHT! I recently asked a local CPC director why they are no longer open on Saturday mornings (the biggest abortion day of the week). She explained:"Our counselors would sit there hour after hour and no one would ever come into the center."

I realized that by the time the pregnancy center opened at 9:30am we have already spent three hours counseling upwards of22 women who were scheduled for abortions! In the last month of pro-active missionary sidewalk counseling seven abortion-vulnerable infants were saved from abortion murder in Orlando. Still, many of the ten baby killing sessions per week (they do abortions 7 days a week, with two abortion times on a few of the days) at OrlandoWomen's Center have no Christian witness whatsoever. Can you tell me what's wrong with this picture?

Now, let me tell you about this morning:

"Alana & Jeremy" were easy to talk to. I walked up to their Jeep as they waited for the abortion clinic to open and introduced myself.

"Hi, my name is Patte and I have a special pre-abortion packet for you. I hope that it will help you to gain a new perspective about your pregnancy."

Alana took the packet and began to look through it. I asked Alana: "What is the number one reason why you feel that you can't have this baby rightnow?" Alana responded: "It's just not the right time." As I got to knowAlana, she shared with me that she was 10 weeks pregnant and had two children already. Being a single mom was a real challenge and she had recently lost her job. Alana was afraid that having another baby would just be too hard. I explained how she and Jeremy could choose a loving couple to adopt their baby, asking: "How does that sound to you?"Alana shook her head. "I don't think I could do that." When I asked "Why not?" Alana worried: "How would I explain all of that to my children?" I tried to help Alana work through the challenge of helping her kids understand why she would allow another mommy and daddy to raise their brother and sister. She admitted that they might be able to deal with it.

Then Alana did something that no other abortion-bound woman has ever done, she read the Health and Safety Alert (about a serious injury that occurred at Orlando Women's Center in December) from cover to cover right in front of me. Alana was really thinking. What a delight to meet abright, inquisitive mother like Alana. I spoke with the two of them for about 35 minutes. I'm blessed to share the the wonderful news that Alana and Jeremy talked privately for a few minutes after our counseling time and decided to have their baby! With a prayer and a hug I sent Alana off to breakfast with pre-natal vitamins, a book about pregnancy and a special beaded bracelet lovingly made by Christians who had been praying for the recipient!

Opportunity:If you live in the Conway area and are willing to befriend this precious mother, please contact me right away. Alana is looking forward to meeting you! I can't tell you much more about the rest of our morning counseling the dozens of women and men at Orlando's most notorious abortion clinic. (My family is waiting patiently for me to start a cook-out with friends) but here are a few highlights from converstations we had:

23 year old "Tony" boasted: "I've already killed five babies by abortion."Tony threatened me and described me in "colorful" ways. Both he and his girlfriend "Megan" tried to take my portable DVD player away. They were not successful (I've got pretty good grip.)

Pre-med student "Charmaine" casually and confidently explained: "This is something I choose to do. I understand that I might get injured ...that's okay. What's the likelihood of it happening to me anyway?"

University of Florida acting student "James" (girlfriend aborting): "Yes,I'll admit, abortion is morally wrong. Yes, we all know that it's a baby but ... It should always be legal to kill children ...Hey, if it was legal to chop a 2 year old's head off, more power to `em."

19 year old "Edwardo" (whose 16 year old girlfriend "Mimi" was having an abortion): "Hey, that's a beautiful picture!" (Said of the photo of a baby aborted at 10 weeks gestation.)

19 year old "Ralphie" (who was accompanying "Edwardo and Mimi") accepted my invitation to come inside the RV to watch a graphic abortion video called Choice Blues. After viewing the entire film, "Ralphie" described the bloody dismemberment of the babies to the women and men waiting for abortions, adding: "What I saw makes me want to become an activist."

Local pro-abortion attorney Penny Kfare Jacobs (who handles adoptions) came to the abortion clinic to register the women and men (who were waiting inside and outside for abortions) to vote. Jacobs was sporting abig "Kerry for President" button on her t-shirt. As soon as she arrived Penny quickly pulled up my Bush/Cheney sign. She was gracious enough to return the sign to me without doing any damage to it.

Teenaged "Ralphie" made a comment that I think helped everyone focus:

"I understand what you're trying to tell us. It's all about humanity."

(End of email.)
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Patte's emails are always interesting. There's always something remarkable going on at the abortion business. Sometimes it's remarkable in a good way and sometimes it's extraordinarily sad, punative or even dangerous. She takes the risk to physically be where most will not go. Often she goes alone, just one single person against all that fear and hatred. She is mainly spat upon and mistreated, but every now and again she saves the heart of a mother and the world for a child.

When I think of the heroes in my life she comes immediately to mind.

:: ashli 12:37 AM # ::
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