What Happened at Planned Parenthood?

Last Thursday seemed so different than usual, but it was really all the same...

When I got there before work, Glen and I wondered at how many people were there. It looked like Ginger was rallying the troops. She was standing at the end of a long line of young people who had colorful, flourescent signs. She seemed to be encourageing them, but when I approached her on the sidewalk, instead of being pleased that there were so many extra workers, she seemed discouraged. That was when I looked at their signs, and noticed that one said "Pro-Choice..."

There are times, when things happen at Planned Parenthood that you begin to realize are darts sent by the enemy to get us all in a tizzy.

A couple of years ago, for a period of a couple of weeks, they started bugging us about where we could stand. The realtor who owns the property would come out and talk to us about where we were allowed and not allowed to stand, and about complaints about noice. This would create a buzz among us, like when you close the opening of an ant hill, and the ants start moving around faster, and going in circles, and for a period of time, they seem to be in a state of panic. Once we focused on what we were there about, the buzzing stopped, and we were back to doing what we do. The good thing was, that they resurfaced the parking lot and repainted the lines. Now, we know when we are crossing the line, and that's cool.

Once a guy got vulgar and attempted to pick a fight with my husband, and tried to offend as many people as could hear. It became obvious that this was one of those darts.

There is the smiling escort, who seems to cause one of us want to discuss Einstein's view of God. There was the woman who pulled into the alley, and wanted to argue about the war in Iraq. There was the time when I found myself insulting the guard for not doing his job.

What are we doing there?

Of course, as a servant of Christ, we want to be ready in any situation to switch gears and go with what God brings us. But while some of us were standing behind this wall of Pro-choicers, women and men were walking in the doors, not hearing what God sent them there to hear.

We prayed, and I went to work. Glen, who usually runs errands from then until he takes me to PP on my break, went back. We saw Thursday that prayer is effective, and that God can direct our hearts, and focus us for the work He has for us. Amen! Glen said that everyone was down to business, and that they were being good witnesses. The Jerico March (A Catholic march around the block 7 times) was on its sixth lap and there were a lot of them.

When I got there, Ginger told me that 1. a catholic woman had left the march and told her (first time to verbalize this to anyone) about her abortion; 2. a woman had come out and talked extensively to her, was crying, and she turned and went away from PP with her husband and baby. She has two children at home.

The march was done and a kazillion people were gathered in the parking lot across the street. Glen said that the pro-choicers were well coached to not engage us in conversation. Glen has a heart for these people, so he tried to give them my flyer. Mostly he did what he usually did, stood there with his sign to let people passing by know what was going on there.

While I was there, Ginger and I tried to talk to a woman whose friend was there for an abortion. Even though she wouldn't come near, she heard what we said, but an escort (there were more escorts than usual, and they seemed more intense) came and stood between us and her. So, we talked to her and through her. (We never know how God might use our words when we can see no effect. We know, though, that God's word will not return to Him void.)

While I was at one corner of the parking lot talking to the cracked car window of a man who was smoking, Ginger was talking to a young international who had come to PP alone, on foot. They talked for quite a while and then Ginger came and asked me if I had CPC's number. I have it on my cell phone. We gave her our numbers, the church number, CPC's number, and she walked away. She had already given them a check, but the last time Ginger sent someone back in to get their money back, they came back out looking as though they had just gone through Guantanamo. She told her to put a stop payment on it, and if she couldn't, we would give her the money back. We told her to call us any time, and we could help her. Her boyfriend did not want her to abort. So there is a father in the picture. She said that she would need much help. She didn't know what she was doing. We hugged her and she went away.

After a prayer of thanks giving with others on the sidewalk, I noticed that the guy in the car was talking to Ginger's husband. He was there with a friend and his friend's wife. There was some sort of medical situation, and their doctor had recommended an abortion. This guy went in to talk to his friend. I haven't heard anything more about that.

I can't tell you how many children died yesterday. God knows.