Everyone Deserves a Chance to Live Life

Angela is one of several young people from a single church that come to volunteer with Cities4Life on the sidewalks of an abortion center. It all started with two young ladies who have been on the Monday team for years. Word of the work they do began to gather interest, and this past few months, several members of that church congregation have formally joined Cities4Life, received training, and are now regularly volunteering. The special blessing of this particular group of young people is that they SING beautifully. So when the abortionist has arrived and the women begin to emerge, the heavenly voices of the Harmony Fellowship choir proclaim the love, hope, and healing of Jesus.

Angela, like many of the new young volunteers expressed a self-perceived weakness in fearlessly speaking to the women. Nonetheless, she and her friends, these brave young people from Harmony Fellowship church, have pushed their fears aside and are forging ahead despite tremendous discomfort. Why? Angela beautifully explains:

I go...Because I want to reach out to the people that come to the abortion center everyday. I want to show the love of God to those who need it. It makes me feel so sad to think of all those precious babies getting killed every day, and I want to do my part to encourage women to choose life. Life is such a wonderful thing..I want to do what I can to help give other humans the privilege of living it. Everybody deserves a chance to live life!!

While it is saddening to see how many women ignore our calls, and go through with their abortions, it is so exciting to see some of them choose LIFE!! It makes everything we go through out there worth it to know that a woman chose life for her baby, or someone gave their heart to Christ!! I am so excited to see how God will work on the sidewalks of the abortion center in the future!!

We are excited to see what God will do in the future as well. Our hope and prayer is that one day, no more sidewalk counselors will be needed since abortion will be unthinkable in the world of our prayers. Until that day, we need help. Email me at vkaseorg@cities4life.com for information and training.
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Psalm 28:7 

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Abortion is My Generation's Battle Too: A Teen Crusader for Life

                                                                                                             

Fearless teen Annabelle committed to saving lives

This young lady is sixteen years old. She has been counseling at the Southeast's busiest abortion center for the past 4 or 5 years. Annabelle has a bulldog mentality (never give up) and despite her young age, is fearless in approaching the women determined to abort their babies. Annabelle is full of sweetness and compassion, but she believes strongly that the taking of innocent life is wrong and harms the mother as well as the baby.

She is not afraid to stand on the side of the driveway where the pro-choice escorts cluster, despite their often cutting and profane remarks. She smiles and tries to stop every car entering the abortion center parking lot with her eager waves and offers of help.

Annabelle comes with her family, but she made it clear, she does not come because she is forced. When she had to stay home to care for a new puppy, she was distraught. She missed the opportunity to minister to these women.

What a wonderful young lady of solid convictions. What prompts her to forego what most teens her age would consider fun in order to stand on the sidewalk urging angry, despairing, and/or desperate women to consider life over abortion?

Annabelle:

Why am I a sidewalk counselor? Well since the first time I went to the abortion clinic I have felt a large tug on my heart for the babies that are murdered daily in abortion clinics across America. I feel like I am responsible as a child of God to protect the unborn. And the way I do that is by being at the abortion mill to stand in the gap for these babies. 

Another part of it is, I know it's not only the baby who will suffer because of the abortion. I know the ladies who are at the the clinic are hurting and lots of times feel alone and helpless. The Lord has placed in my heart a true love for those ladies! I want to help them and show them that they are not alone. I want them to feel the true love and comfort that comes from Christ, as I do. 

I feel that with both of these reasons it's my generation that needs to step in because for the most part it's ladies in my generation that are having abortions. So I feel that as I stand on the sidewalks I'm representing and calling for my generation to stand up. This isn't just my parents fight, it's my fight too.

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If you feel called like Annabelle to stand up for the babies of this generation who are victims of abortion, please email me at vkaseorg@cities4life.com

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Psalm 1:1 

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

Pro Choice as Long as the Choice is Abortion

Cities4Life counselor Liz who brings her adorable son to the sidewalks each week to advocate for the unborn

The wonderful truth of standing on the sidewalks of the local abortion center is that we do not need to be afraid that we won't know what to say. We  won't. No one does. Except God. And I promise you, God is enough.

This past week, the "pro-choice" crowd has decided that when we speak on the microphone or even call out to the women with no amplification, they will block our sound with pornographic music and "comedy" routines that make fun of people of faith. They are "pro-choice" as long as the choice is abortion.

I was speaking with a woman weeping in the parking lot because she didn't want to abort. The security guard came to her and told her she could talk with us if she wanted, but she couldn't park in their parking lot. Compassion for the women just oozes out of that abortion center, doesn't it?

Our volunteer we spotlight today was there as the "pro-choice" crowd spewed pornographic garbage over the sound system. Liz moved her ten-year-old son down the street where she could still minister and offer real choice and tangible help to the women without sacrificing the purity and sacred heart of her child.

Why? Why would she subject herself to this? She tells us in her own words. 

I stand on the side walk every week for two main reasons...First, I feel God has called me to do it.  From a young age God put this issue on my heart and for a long time I felt very frustrated and helpless...I mean, besides using my voice at the ballot box, what else could I do to make a difference?  Fast forward many years to last September when I finally found Jesus and was Saved. I felt like God was yelling at me through a bull horn, saying... DO SOMETHING! At the time, I had no idea of the amount of babies that were being murdered everyday, just 40 minutes down the road or that NC was home to the busiest abortion mill in the SE.

I woke up one Monday morning, yet again feeling frustrated and helpless ...I decided, I would just pray endlessly until God gave me my answer on, HOW I was supposed to DO SOMETHING! That following Sunday, I walked into church and right there in front of me was a Cities4life table! Thank you Jesus, I got my answer! I signed up and was ready to go out...my very first day on the side walk I was so (unexpectedly) overcome with emotion. I cried, a LOT... I cried for the helpless babies, I cried for the hearts of the mothers fathers, I cried for the lost clinic workers..and after I left, I cried all the way home. I knew that day, that I was exactly where God wanted me to be.

My second reason for standing on the sidewalk is that I have seen the aftermath of abortion on the lives of friends whom I loved dearly, their lives, their relationships, their self worth..all forever changed and so my heart weeps for all those involved.
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May my heart weep for what grieves Jesus and may it always motivate me, like it does Liz, to do all I can to incline others to Him.
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If you are moved to help us, we sure can use it! Please email me at vkaseorg@cities4life.com

John 14:17

Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

His Grace is Sufficient: A Sidewalk Counselor's Testimony

Hannah - Always with a word of encouragement on her lips

 
This is Hannah. She is a young adult, committed to God and certain that He would have her stand on the sidewalks to protect the babies being led to the slaughter. She sends me regular texts encouraging me in the work we do! What a gracious and empathetic soul, to know that even we seasoned counselors can use a reminder that God is working even when we don't see it at times. Hannah is new, and is still shadowing experienced counselors. She started by only holding signs, then advanced to handing literature to the abortion-minded women arriving in cars, and now, even speaks to people as they enter the abortion center. I am so enthralled watching her transform into a sidewalk counselor.

Here is what Hannah has to say about why she is called to the sidewalks of the busiest abortion center in Charlotte:

I feel like it is one of the ways God has called me to fulfill the great commission in Matthew 28:19-20. I, as a Christian, know God will hold us accountable for not sharing truth with the spiritually dying, lost world around us. This ministry was something I had never thought was for me. I had been praying for opportunities to minister for the Lord's kingdom. This one came up. I said, "no", but God worked on me. It was like He was saying, "You have prayed for this, here is your task, an opportunity for ministry right in your lap an hour away in the city of Charlotte."

When God gives us a command we can't say "no", unless  we want to be miserable like Jonah. So I said "yes, God!" It has been among one of the best decisions I have ever made. There is such a joy and peace that comes from being in His will. The sidewalk at the abortion center is a sad place, don't get me wrong. But I keep motivated when I see women choosing to keep their babies and some coming to Christ.

It is a challenging, heartbreaking ministry, but fulfilling. Working with the other Cities 4 Life volunteers is such a blessing, and the support we are to each other helps me go on in this ministry.

If you feel like God is calling you to this ministry but feel like you are incapable, remember God will give you sufficient grace. He never asks more of us than we can handle! I encourage you to seriously take the "plunge". I had to despite all my feelings of fear, timidity, and insufficiency. I testify, it is Christ within me; His grace is sufficient!
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The mom who chose life for her twins a couple of days ago spent hours talking about Jesus first with our counselor Elijah, and with Angela, and then finally with me...and she accepted Jesus with joy last night. Meanwhile, she said she is meeting women right and left who have had abortions, carrying that deep dark secret they are ashamed to share with anyone. They all say the same thing to her in their sorrow and despair: "I had no choice but to abort."

Wait...I thought abortion was all about choice????

This new believer now sees God has already given her a mission field. "I don't know what to say to them...how to help them..."
"Tell them about Jesus," I said, "And what He did in your heart."

photo by Jessica Mauney- The feet that bring good news!

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 Please join us. We all have our inadequacies, but God's grace is indeed sufficient. Email me at vkaseorg@cities4life.com

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2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Sunny Optimism and Dogged Determination In Speaking Life

 

Lisa- a Cities4Life volunteer who never gives up if a woman she can speak to is in earshot

When I met Lisa, her arm was in a large uncomfortable cast, which she had worn for months due to an ongoing shoulder issue. She was facing likely surgery and yet that smile you see in the picture above is the smile that never leaves her face. If anyone exudes the joy of the Lord, no matter what she faces, it is Lisa.

Her sunny optimism is coupled with dogged determination. She is not on the sidewalk to chit chat. If an abortion-minded woman is in sight, she is speaking to her, pleading with her, as though a life depends on it. In fact...a life does. Listen to Lisa describe why she is so fervent on the sidewalks of the abortion center.

Lisa:

Honestly, the reason is 100% Jesus. He did all the work in my heart and life to get me on the sidewalks. When I went out there the first time in the spring of 2014, He broke me. One of my childhood friends became pregnant out-of-wedlock as a 15-year old and walking through that journey with her definitely gave me a heart for women in crisis pregnancy situations and for their precious unborn children. However, I was not ready for the tidal wave of emotions that hit me when I first stood on that sidewalk and looked in the eyes of each person who drove into the mill parking lot. The broad "issue" of abortion now had faces to it. It became personal and individual in my heart and mind.

All the desperate men and women at the abortion mill as well as their little babies are my neighbors. I am called to love them. And the best way to love anyone is to give them Jesus. The sidewalks of 3220 Latrobe Avenue is a place that desperately needs Jesus and His severe mercy that turns a man from the flesh-satisfying path of wickedness to His soul-fulfilling path of life. I am so thankful for Cities4Life and how they provide a way for me to bring the light of the Lord to the gates of hell at the abortion mill. Praise Jesus that He allows us to be part of His redeeming work in this city. 

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Many of us know a personal story of someone who has struggled with unplanned pregnancies. Their responses and stories often shape our response to someone contemplating abortion. Yesterday, a fellow counselor received a text from a mom that had chosen life because of the Cities4Life counselors who had been on the sidewalk offering hope and help. When that overwhelmed, frightened mom arrived at the abortion center, she said she had no choice but to abort. She was counseled by several of our team members, and then saw her baby on our Monroe HELP Pregnancy Center RV ultrasound. She left with her twin babies nestled safely in her womb, filled with gratitude and hope. 

Here is what she said later that day:
At this point I just cannot stop staring at the babies' ultrasound picture. I have been laying in bed looking at them all afternoon. It's like it finally hit me what I was about to do and the gratitude that I have that it did not happen is unbelievable. I've never been so at peace in my life. I have no idea how I'm going to do this but I know it will be OK

She wants to name one of the babies after the counselor who stopped her car and comforted her in her desperation. That counselor, all alone on the sidewalk, called me to counsel the woman and offer our resources and help in her desperate situation. Another counselor arrived and took her under wing and brought her on our RV for the ultrasound. LoveLife Charlotte donated a gas card. The sidewalk was now filled with team members praying for the babies. When the woman got home, she told us she prayed and began began reading the Bible for the first time in months, realizing God was real and He was with her.

Lisa is so right. This is 100% Jesus!

Want to be a part of these miracles? Join us. Email me at vkaseorg@cities4life.com
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Ephesians 5:8

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

Genesis 1:3

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  

My Heart Breaks Because My Savior's Heart Breaks: A Sidewalk Counselor's Motive

Elijah -- Cities4Life Intern with a servant heart and a spirit-filled life

If there is anything that needs doing to help the volunteer team on the sidewalks of the abortion center where Cities4Life ministers to the abortion-minded women, Elijah is the first to offer.  Elijah sets up the microphone and sound system, gets the signs from storage, fills the refrigerator on the RV with bottled water, grabs me extra literature when I tell him I am running low. Whatever needs doing, Elijah does with an ever present smile and humble shrug of his shoulders.

When I was being shouted down and blocked with a sign held at times an inch from my face by a pro-choice protester yesterday while trying to offer help to the abortion-minded women, Elijah appeared at my side and prayed out loud for the protester's soul. He meant it too, which made it all the more poignant and effective. The video below is when two protesters used a speaker system and a large sign to try to block me speaking across the parking lot with my megaphone. I guess they didn't apply the word "Choice" to what I had to offer. In the following photo, Elijah made his way over and from then on, whenever I spoke, Elijah was beside me to pray.

Elijah often comments on how distressed he is by what is happening spiritually to the people who flock to the abortion center. His heart is always inclined to how deeply abortion grieves God, and thus grieves him. Elijah holds signs in the hot sun, his face always earnest and always somewhat mournful as he contemplates what happens in the abortion center. It is clear that he is deeply saddened...but he is always one of the first to arrive and the last to leave.

Elijah is on the sidewalks every day but Friday, AND works most evenings, AND goes to school during the school year. Why does he show up, often enduring the abuse and taunts of the pro-choice crowd, with such an overwhelming schedule? He responds to that in his own words.

I initially starting coming to the sidewalks because of an outreach with my college. For me, it was a no-brainer at first. Babies are being murdered 30 minutes from my house. How could I comfortably call myself a follower of Jesus and do nothing? 

I fought the Lord on this for a little while, telling Him that I would much rather do something else. 

But, eventually I repented of that attitude and became more involved with sidewalk outreach. One day, the Lord set me up. The leadership for that outreach at an abortion mill close to Latrobe (where I now minister) was out of town. It was me...or no one. As I stood all alone with a megaphone, not knowing what to say, I took a step of faith and simply said "Jesus"
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In that moment, God decided to share with me how He feels about abortion. I think I bawled for about 30 minutes while a bunch of nearby construction workers stared at me. 

So, now I come out to the sidewalk of 3220 Latrobe drive, the busiest abortion center in Charlotte, because my Savior's heart breaks for what happens there. And I love my Savior. 

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Jeremiah 9:1

Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!

Gentle and Lowly in Heart: A Meekness that Moves Mountains

Sarah M is a quiet, gentle soul. She speaks rarely, and when she does it is unfailingly kind. She weighs her thoughts and her words carefully, and never utters an unnecessary syllable. She is deeply committed to God, to her family, and to being a presence on the sidewalks of the abortion center.

Yesterday was the first time in the nearly four years that I have known her that I have seen her speak on the microphone. She was gentle, kind, and sweetly persuasive. She listed all the help that Cities4Life can provide. A few minutes later, a woman left the center and approached us.

"Did you change your mind?" I asked.
"Yes," she said.

When I asked why, she said she had prayed to God for a sign of what she should do. When she saw all of us on the sidewalk, it was the first sign. Then when she heard us offering all the help we could offer, she realized she was not alone. That was the second sign.

Sarah had just finished speaking on the microphone. I think it was Sarah's gentle voice that probably finally got through to this young woman who was already in the abortion center. Praise God that the women can hear us on the microphone when they are inside the building.

So why does this shy, unassuming young lady brave the sidewalks of an abortion center to speak on behalf of the babies? How does she muster the courage? She explains in her own words.

“I do not go out to the abortion center because I think that I am someone great or because I feel that I have all of the answers for these women. I go because my life has been totally changed by Jesus and I want other people to experience the life that comes through knowing Him. Sometimes I feel very inadequate and weak when I’m standing out on the sidewalk speaking God’s truth and offering help, but I am compelled to speak out against the injustice of abortion. It is destructive to the mother, to the baby, to the family, and ultimately to the nation and beyond. God has called His people to shine brightly in this dark world—and I am privileged to be a part of His Kingdom.”

Are you also reserved, maybe a little shy and meek? Do you think God cannot use you? Ask Sarah. I think she would disagree.

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If you are now convicted to contact Cities4Life and lend your quiet voice to the chorus of sidewalk counselors, please email Vicky at vkaseorg@cities4life.com for information.

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Matthew 5:5

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Titus 3:2

To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

Psalm 37:11

But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

Matthew 11:29

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Psalm 25:9

He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.