WATER!!!!

Today has been a pretty good day.  Of course, the Lord made it and I rejoice in it!  So regardless if I had a flat tire, sickness or a flood happened in my house, it would still be a day that the Lord made and I would rejoiced in that.  Okay, none of these things have happened today (although I am finally over my cold) and the day is not over yet....you see my point. 

We are starting a new training for future lay counselors at our crisis pregnancy clinic.  It has not changed too much but we are now doing this weekly instead of over a weekend and a couple of weeknights.  The training is around 25 hours on average and it covers a lot of territory.  Anyone who finishes it (even if they actually do not come back to minister to clients), would leave with a wealth of knowledge on the pro-life subject. 

I love it all but the first night is one night I particularly enjoy.  I love meeting the new people and hearing how they were called to this ministry.  It is awesome to hear how people heard about us and it is encouraging to hear some testimonies of some.  Frequently, there seems to be 1 or 2 people who pretty much admit at the outset that there was an abortion in their past.  They feel called to warn others to avoid that destructive path.   Not everyone can do that at the first meeting in a group of strangers.  Others wait a little later.  We strive to make this a time and place for  people to feel safe to share frankly and openly. 
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One thing that is also very encouraging is what I call the "Lightbulb Moment".   I have personally had many myself.   Those moments are akin to Helen Keller learning her first words.  Sometimes the expression is about the same.  After those realizations, you can just see that they cannot go back to the "old" world.  A kind of fog has cleared.  I also like the analogy of an aerial for a television set.  Why would you want to go back messing with a set of bunny ears to get a clear televsion picture once you have an aerial to receive that clear signal?  No thanks.  I will never go back.  There, I just dated myself.   You whippersnappers out there just have no idea of the frustration (or the body contortions needed) to obtain a picture on one of 4 channels on an old black-and-white television set.  No complaints really,  I felt pretty happy to even have a television set in my room. 

Please pray for this new class.  We are already under spiritual warfare and we have not even started the first night.  I will not go into details of what is taking place, but as past classes have gone, it is par for the course.  We just never know what form it will take.  Will it be technology that goes sour?  Sickness?  Difficult people?  Maintenance issues?  Physical space issues? Sometimes the warfare manifests in attacking the students with sick children, work schedules changing and car trouble.   God will get us through it and He will grow us in the process.  Still, we appreciate your prayers. 

Often, because of the difficult and sensitive subject of abortion, the groups form lasting friendships and bonds.  As you can imagine, it can all be very emotional and maybe even heated at times.  At the end of it though, we see healing take place and we see God work mightily in the most amazing ways!!!  That is an addiction I never seem to get over....God working! 

I am praying for an old friend of mine to have one of those lightbulb moments.  She calls herself Christian and yet still thinks that if a baby is born of rape or incest, that the best course of action is abortion.  I pray for people to be put in her path to teach her because once she has that "first word in her hand", she could do great things with that realization.  She would not believe in slavery of course, but her rape and incest exception for abortion puts her squarely in the same camp as if she were back in 1861.  She keeps company with like-minded people so there is the bubble!   I am praying for someone to pop that bubble and her circle of influence to change.  I was there once upon a time.  I do not know how God will do it, or who He will use to change her mind but I pray for that person and or that situation. 

My handsome and wonderful husband is going to be here in a few minutes to pick me up.  He is also a part of this training team.   We have quite a few awesome people who contribute to this training venture.  Well, my handsome hubby is here so I am signing off.   Please pray for all of us these next 10 weeks!!!