Back in the Field of Souls

at 1103 Lucerne Terrace.

Today was the first day of abortions at Lucerne since August. Mom and I arrived about 10:15, and were shocked to see that many cars were already there. Today was a rough day. Most of the people were very hard hearted...a number of the people were also professing christians.

For those of you who haven't noticed, there aren't many things that make me more upset than when professing christians have their children slaughtered. How dishonoring to our LORD, and what a terrible witness it gives the REAL Christians...not to mention that the abortionists think they're getting away with murdering true covenant children. One of them even told Patte, "My favorite babies to kill are Christian babies." What a sad state the church (visible church) in America today is in! If there will ever be revival in our land, it will start in the churches...it must start in the churches.

There is so much to say, but I'll just point out a few stories...

A while after we got there, Mom was in the back passing out ministry packets to the folks driving into the parking lot. One big van stopped to take one, and the girl (we'll call her "Shiela") seemed soft. She actually did stop and talk to us, and she professed to be a Christian. The reason she was murdering this baby was because she thought she couldn't handle having another one right now. . .she has a 3 y/o and a 1 y/o. What a selfish Mommy...we even offered (well, Mom did) to adopt her child, and she just didn't feel like allowing us to. "Oh, I could never give up my baby," she said. Yet, murder is an option. *shudders* We had a chance to talk to the father of the baby later on. He too was a professing Christian, and even said, "Oh, I talked to God about it already. It's a personal situation." Almighty God does not condone abortion. He forbids it at the penalty of death. . .physical (which, if we had righteous laws, would be what would happen), as well as eternal. He said he'd go in and talk to her about it, though. I have little confidence that he actually did.

Then there was a less-than-delightful young woman named "Hannah." She was laughing her head off as Patte talked about the consequences of abortion. She even laughed when we brought out the graphic sign (it's of a dead baby). "Oh, look at the dime," she giggled. Patte said to her, "I don't know how many children you've murdered..." (she was unable to finish what she was going to say), but "Hannah" replied by saying, "Oh, I'd do it a hundred times," as she continued to laugh. When her name was called to go in, Patte pleaded with her not to, but to no avail. She turned around and gave her a thumbs up, and a big grin.

A little while later, I approached a young man who is a father of a (now) dead baby. I had tried to give him a packet before, but this time I was a little more persistent, and followed him. He really didn't want to talk to me, but I continued to talk to him for a while, using God's Word. He told me I was a horrible person, and continued walking. I asked why he wasn't responding, and he said he didn't want to do anything that would get him thrown in jail (nice guy, eh?). Mom approached him later on. He was completely apathetic.

The last couple we talked to (well, Patte did all of the talking until the end) completely broke my heart. The girlfriend was on the porch on a chair, and the guy was sitting on the other chair. As Patte spoke, the girl kept looking over quite intently. The guy was flirting with her, and trying to be all sweet (which really sickens me...'let me "love on you" while we wait to kill our child'), which she didn't really appear to appreciate. They eventually walked over to Patte and took a bunch of information, and got in the car. We were rejoicing because we thought they were leaving. A while later, the guy walked inside, and as he was walking I asked him if they were leaving. He said, "No." Immediately, Patte went over and began talking to the girl, who was quite shy. She hardly said anything. She had taken all the things we gave her, though. Prenatal vitamins, a book about pregnancy, a bracelet, etc, and I think she was ready to leave with her baby. But, the boyfriend had other plans. He came back out and got in the car, and Patte began talking with both of them. He had every excuse. "I'm not financially ready." "I live with my parents." "I could never give my kid up for adoption." The girl remained silent as Patte talked. After a while, she was just looking at the guy, with what appeared to be a "I'm looking to you for your guidance" type look. Then, her name was called. He immediately got out. She didn't. Patte and I were kneeling next to her car door, and the boyfriend came up and asked us to move...we both hesitated, and then stood up. I asked him if he loved her. He looked at me for a little bit and said, "Well, I've got feelings for her. We haven't been together very long, though." As she got out of the car, I pled with her. "He doesn't give a rip about you. He doesn't even love you." We pled with them the entire time they were walking up to the building....and then they went in, and he came out alone. It broke my heart. He is a truly sorry excuse for a man. I'm so thankful that God has brought a godly young man like Ben into my life. I don't think I'll ever appreciate him enough.

As we walked away, I looked back at the mass of people on the porch, in tears. What a puzzling thing...spending three hours pleading with people not to pay someone to murder their own children. One day, Pastor Dave asked his son to pray with him for the people, that they wouldn't kill their babies...and he just looked at him and asked, "Dad, why do people want to kill their babies?" Out of the mouth of precious babes, amen?

Scripture is so true when it says in Romans 1,

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful,proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." ~Romans 1:28-32

It describes aborting parents to a "t." They are filled with immorality, fornication...they are wicked and covetous (that's why they murder their children--financial gain)...they are full of murder (they are happy and willing to murder their own child, for their selfish purposes), they hate the Lord Jesus Christ, Almighty God in the flesh, they are despiteful, and proud and boastful as they delight in their evil deeds. They are truly without natural affection (mothers murdering their babies in not natural...men not loving their women enough to protect them from murdering their children...men not loving their children...that's all unnatural), and indeed they are unmerciful, as they take their infant child to be slaughtered, for the sake of what they think will be their own gain.

I especially fear for unrepentant murderers (especially those who had Christians there pleading with them and offering them help and showing and telling them the truth) when they stand before the Lord God Almighty on judgment day. I say along with the scriptures that it truly is an incredibly fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Menu Planning

So, due to the surprise ministry opportunity this morning at OWC, my schedule has been pretty off today. I was able to exercise this morning, and mop the house the house this afternoon (my chore for the day). I also got to plan our menu for the coming week (an excellent eBook on this topic is Menu Planning Made Easy--it has helped us be FAR more frugal in our shopping, as more organized as well). It was rather time-consuming, as I was peaking around looking for new recipes. Thanks to Crystal at Biblical Womanhood I found a great blog with lots of wonderful looking recipes on it, by Tammy. We are having about 20 people at our house for dinner (not including the three of us) on Thursday night. The folks going to down to Miami to ministry at the Super Bowl from Life and Liberty Ministries are spending the night at our house before heading off for Miami on Thursday morning. Ben's family is coming with them, but Ben is spending the weekend here in Orlando and we'll be ministering around here. There will also be some other folks from the VA area. They're stopping here again on the night of February 4, to stay the night, before heading back to VA on Monday.

My menu for the coming week is as follows (if you want any of the recipes, let me know):

Sunday (January 28):
Breakfast~French Breakfast Puffs (from Crystal's eBook, Simple Centsible Breakfasts) and eggs
Lunch/Dinner~There is a chili cookout after church, so I don't need to make lunch or dinner!

Monday (January 29):
Breakfast~Leftover French Breakfast Puffs
Lunch~Curried Chicken Salad (sooo good)
Dinner~Chicken & Orzo soup and multi-grain quick bread (these recipes are both new...hopefully they turn out!)

Tuesday (January 30):
Breakfast~English muffins w/ egg, ham, and cheese
Lunch~leftovers
Dinner~chicken tacos, homemade refried beans (another new recipe), and rice (also new--I've made rice before though :o).

Wednesday (January 31):
Breakfast~Cinnamon Crunch Granola (another new recipe!)
Lunch~Creamy Broccoli and Cheese Soup (new also)
Dinner~leftovers (Mom and I go out on Wednesday night, since we go to the abortion mill and have women's group after that)

Thursday ( February 1):
Breakfast~English muffins w/egg, ham, and cheese (or granola)
Lunch~sandwhiches
Dinner~KFC Chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, corn, and oreo dessert (that's a "family recipe" of sorts...delicious, even if you don't like oreos!)

Friday (February 2):
Breakfast~Breakfast Casserole (also from Crystal's eBook)
Lunch ~Sandwhiches (or leftovers or something)
Dinner~homemade pizza and salad (Ben likes pizza a lot *grin*)

Saturday (February 3):
Breakfast~Biscuits and gravy (another of Ben's favorites!)
Lunch~leftovers
Dinner~Lasagna, salad, and rolls (30 minute dinner rolls, from Crystal's eBook, Simply Centsible Suppers)

There you have it! The perfect menu plan (haha). :oD

The Thoughts of the "Enemy" on Abortion

This is an interesting "letter". It is worth a read, quite thought provoking. Patte Smith sent it to me. The apathy of supposed "christians" to the wickedness that is rampant in this country makes me sick. They love to go over seas for a week at a time to "minister"...I guess evangelizing your own neighbors, and seeking to save those being taken to the slaughter (both of those things, by the way are expressly commanded in scripture) are just less glamorous. . Christians need to wake up and get moving...forget about their superbowl parties and the other "ministries" (laughing ministries--absurdity of absurdities), quilting ministries--nothing wrong with quilting, just don't quilt instead of obey God, etc), and begin obeying Almighty God. They'll stand before Him one day...and a number of "good church-goers" will be shocked when the Lord Jesus Christ separates the goats from the sheep, and tells the goats to depart from Him, as they are cast into the lake of fire.

(NOTICE: I am not advocating work-salvation. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone...but one's obedience to Christ, and their willingness to sacrifice for Him is a good indicator as to whether they have truly been saved. Like Martin Luther said, "We're saved by faith alone, but a faith that saves is not alone.")

To the throngs of demons,:

One of my favorite principles is qui tacet consentire videtur or Silence Gives Consent.

This principle, along with man's natural tendency toward the sin of spiritual sloth, allows me to ensnare more church-going "christians" than any other.

I delight in abortion for many reasons. As you well know, I view the death of innocent babies as a sacramental sacrifice to me. I relish each and every additional weight of punishment that will be meted out against the mother and fathers of the baby and all those who provide the service of offering human sacrifice for financial gain. I take great pleasure in watching the medical personnel abuse their power and take authority over life and death. Oh how I love to prosper them!

There is something else too, that I gives me particular glee. It's the number of those who call themselves "christians" that I have serving me through their explicit and tacit approval of these mass infant sacrifices. Their deafening silence is music to my ears. It appears that their sins of omission are of no consequence to them. I watch them sit idle as the little children are led to bloodly deaths and the church-goers accumulate wrath for themselves in the day of wrath by their failure to lift a finger to intervene. They seem oblivious to their spiritual fate, as day by day, year by year, over a lifetime they look the other way while I preside over the systematic tortured, mutilation and premature births of these unwanted infants. The church-goers continue their weekly religious duties, seemingly unaware that their sins of ommision will be counted heavily against them at their judgment. If they had intervened, many, if not most, of the mothers and their little ones would have escaped my sacrificial altar. What a victory! I will admit that the apathy of the outwardly pious is a perpetual puzzle to me. Perhaps it is because they cannot see the victims inside their mothers or witness the actual slaughter. Perhaps their conscience is on the fritz. Well, no matter. I get such a kick when I see the throngs of "christians" going in and out of Mass or church service, year after year, never bothering to think about, let alone do anything about, this deliciously sacred act of mass human sacrifice to me. Their religious prayers and songs and their silence about the blood offerings being poured out in my honor our silence is sweet music to my ears. They all think that they are bound for rewards in heaven -- well, heaven's loss is certainly my gain. Ha Ha!

Another reason why the principle Silence GIVES Consent is such a favorite of mine is that it is so easy to keep men in a condition of spiritual sloth, where they are mute. I can get most people to ignore their own sins of omission indefinitely, especially since it doesn't seem to draw any attention to the priests, pastors and the other church-goers like some of the blatant sins of commission do.

This legion of lukewarm souls is one of my greatest assets in my war against the image of God in humanity. Without them, it would be impossible to perpetuate this act of worship to me.

Regards. . . . . . . . . . Satan

It's back to OWC...

Just in time for the 34th anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion (ie: government sanctioned murder of unborn babies), Orlando Women's Center is up and running again. Today was the first day they were scheduling murders since they closed on August 10. Some of you might recall my post about it back then. "Dr." James "Scotty" Pendergraft has called on his hireling, abortionist Harry Perper, to murder infants in the first trimester at Orlando Women's Center. Though Pendergraft hasn't been tried yet (the depositions were today--please pray their crimes would be revealed and he would be charged with many charges of murder, that his medical license will be permanently revoked, and that the murder of innocent children at his hands, and the hands of his hirelings would cease), apparently he has been given the OK to get Perper to kill.

We showed up this morning at OWC around 10:45. The only people we talked to were not there to kill their children. One precious young lady we spoke to really wants to be pregnant! She was there for a blood test to see whether she is pregnant. Thankfully, the Lord allowed us to convince her to go the The Birth Place, a wonderful birthing center, for her test! We later found out that though they were taking appointments today, no one scheduled an abortion. Tomorrow, however, there are some scheduled, so we're planning to hit the streets again. Please pray that the Lord will intervene on behalf of the precious infants who are, for now, comfortably growing and developing in the wombs of their mothers. Pray for good weather (Praise be to GOD, as He held the rain back for us today as we ministered--what an answer to prayer that was!), and that God would give us all a holy boldness to be good witnesses for Him!

The news that OWC is open for killing again breaks my heart. We don't know what the "routine" will be, as far as when to minister and where, but we'll get that settled soon. May God lead and guide us in the decisions our ministry will be making in the coming weeks.

May God grant repentance to our nation, that we might turn away from the shedding of innocent blood that is sanctioned by our government, as well as the mass wickedness that has grown so rampant in a nation that was once godly.

"Righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people." ~Proverbs 14:34

Being Organized Feels Good

Today was my first day of implementing my "I Don't Have Schoolwork Anymore" Schedule. Thus far, everything has been really great. I've gotten lots of things done, and it feels so good to know my day wasn't wasted "eating the bread of idleness" (something the Prov. 31 woman did NOT do). I slept in a little bit (until 6:20), since I got home late last night from women's group. But, I got up and did my devotions...I started Exodus today :) After that I talked to Ben for a while (I love him!). Then, I exercised, and got "freshened up." After a quick breakfast, I cleaned, worked on scripture memorization. Today, I memorized Titus 1:1-2 (we're memorizing all of Titus in my small group). After that, I worked on my new cross-stitching project for a while. It's my first time cross stitching, except for part of one I did as a little girl. It's pretty fun, but more time consuming then I expected. After that, I had some lunch with my Mom. Then, I started catching up on Tabletalk devotions (I'm waaay behind for this month). After that, I worked on my inductive study of 1 John, which was thrilling as always! Today, I paraphrased 1 John 3, in my own words. The thing I like about paraphrasing it is that it forces you to try and figure out what some of the more tricky parts mean. After that, I worked on NT Greek for a while (I'm behind!!). I practiced piano and flute, and walked the dogs with my Mom. Now, I'm spending some time on the computer doing some things and talking to Ben (*grin*). Today, all I have left to do is work on marketing for Ben's shop. make dinner and then I get to read! (After that, I get to talk to Ben again!!). And then tomorrow, I'll do it all again, Lord willing.

I guess that wasn't the most interesting blog post ever...alas...

Hope everyone has a blessed day!
Mary Jo

Precious Letter from John Piper to his Wife

John Piper made a letter in honor of his wife's birthday public, and it is worth a read! It is truly touching, and comes from the heart of a man who obviously loves his wife...and with good reason! I hope that I might be a truly godly wife one day, to the glory of my King. To see the full letter, you can go here.

Here are a couple of excerpts:

You have supported me in my faith. When I have wavered in discouragement, you have never sunk, but stood. You have directed me to our sovereign King again and again.

You have supported me in managing a home with four small sons, now grown, and one late-arriving daughter, now growing. Only a mother can know what it costs the heart and body to be there for children all the time. But I know some of the cost. And I do not take it for granted. It shall not go unpraised. The price was high. Our sons are not perfect, but they are strong with your strength, and I am glad. May Talitha bring such strength to her man.

He closed the letter with this poem that he wrote:

For None But You
December, 2006

Before his boils made him unable to
Feel anything but pain,
Job made a covenant: “I will be true,”
He pledged. “If I should gain

Or lose the world, I will not use my eyes
To look upon a maid,
Nor let my mind spy or pursue a prize
By which you are betrayed.”

And thus he loved his wife with all his heart.
And I have done the same,
But not to imitate, as though the art
Of such obsession came

By wanting more, and saying No to this.
It has not been that way,
Though tearing out the eye is good, the bliss
Of eyes that will not stray

Is best. Nor do I mean such bliss that breaks
Beneath the weight of pain,
But ever holds like steel and never shakes
Beneath a world of strain.

This is the deep allegiance of my eyes
And of my mind and heart.
It is not wrought by pow’r of will that tries
With effort to depart

From foreign fire. It is a gift to me
And you. I will be true,
So help me God. These eyes will never be
For anyone but you.

Why I Sidewalk Counsel

I know I meant to have this post up weeks ago, but I just haven't gotten around to it until today.

As many of you know, I go at least weekly to All Women's Center abortuary in Altamonte Springs, FL. I have been sidewalk counseling for about a year and a half. A post recently on the Biblical Womanhood blog sparked a discussion via comments that gave me the idea to write this post, as some folks did not agree with my "method" of pro-life ministry. One individual went as far as to say that sidewalk counseling is hateful and abusive.

First, I want to clear something up. Scripture is clear that abortion (the murder of a precious unborn baby, made in the image of Almighty Gody) is an abomination. The Bible says in Proverbs that God even hates the hands that shed innocent blood. The shedding of innocent blood is a violation of God's holy law, which says "Thou shalt not kill (murder)." It is clear from just those verses, as well as many others, that abortion is no light matter in the eyes of our Lord, since people are created in His image, and the unborn are the most innocent of the human race!

I'll give a quick overview of what we do, for those who don't know. Upon arriving at the killing place, we immediately begin by offering practical help to the Moms and Dads. We have financial assistance, we can get them to an adoption agency, help them find jobs, and the married couples who minister with us even offer to adopt people's children themselves. It is clear to every woman that we are not there to harass her, but to help. When people reject our help, we begin preaching the law of God, as a prophetic witness against the wickedness taking place (we do not yell and scream, contrary to popular belief). I believe both of these "methods" are clearly supported by scripture.

At the abortion mill, we try to reach every individual according to their needs--Mothers, Fathers, clinic workers, and we of course try to rescue the babies. We are commanded to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We love the Moms by offering them help through their pregnancies, so they don't feel the need to go through with something as wicked as paying a man to murder their infant child.

Preaching God's law is also loving them, since the LORD tells us in the book of Galatians (v. 3:24) that the law is the schoolmaster that leads people to Christ. We don't only try to get them to leave the abortion mill without harming their baby...the ultimate goal is for them to hear the gospel and repent of their sins and trust Christ! One girl said, "Worst case scenario, the woman has an abortion..." But, scripture makes it clear that each sin committed by a lost person heaps up wrath for the day of judgment. Even if they fail to repent and believe the gospel, preventing them from murdering an innocent child is sparing them from one more sin they will be punished for in eternity.

In addition to the mothers being our neighbors, though, the babies are our neighbors as well. How can we love them if they are dead? We are commanded by God to rescue those who are being taken to the slaughter. Not only are we supposed to rescue them, but if we don't, God will hold us accountable for their deaths.

It is never wrong to proclaim God's word to people. Preaching is not yelling. Preaching is not harassing. Preaching brings glory to God, if done in love. We are even told in Ezekiel that we are to show the wicked city her abominations. Since the gospel is to be preached to every creature in the name of Christ, why not aborting mothers?

I don't deny that what we do is offensive to the hardhearted. In fact, scripture promises us in the beginning of the book of 1 Corinthians that the preaching of God's word WILL be offensive and be as foolishness to them that are perishing. So, being offensive is certainly no reason to discontinue the preaching of God's word.

Unfortunately, most abortion related ministries miss the mark. They fail to talk about the absolute necessity of repenting of the sin of abortion (as well as fornication, which, in all likelihood got the woman in the situation she was in to begin with), as well as forsaking all other sins and following Christ. Contrary to popular belief, not every woman who has her baby killed is broken and sad over it. "Seeking healing" does not mean they have godly sorrow. It can very well mean they have worldly sorrow and want their conscience to stop bothering them so they can continue on in sin. That is what we run into most often.

The same girl I've mentioned also asked if I would want the only thing the woman who had an abortion to remember is me or another individual screaming at her that she is a murderer. While we don't scream, I certainly hope that each and every person remembers what was preached to them the day they killed their baby. I pray that the conscience of every individual won't leave them alone until they repent! I pray that the preaching nags at them and nags at them until it drives them to their knees. I honestly don't have much concern for the aborting women to be happy, while headed for hell. My desire is for them to be saved, and find their joy in the King! Scripture says that godly sorrow leads to repentance. Scripture also says that it is God's kindess that leads to repentance! Would it not then follow that godly sorrow is a gift from God? And what brings godly sorrow more than the preaching of God's holy word? It is only by the mercy of God towards the aborting men and women that there are people preaching the gospel to them, so they have the opportunity to repent.

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:13-14)

There also seems to be a fairly common misconception that preaching = being judgmental, and that all judging is wrong (scripture commands us to judge righteous judgment!). Preaching is a command of God. We are to call sin exactly what it is. Anything that waters down the message of sin and repentance is an affront to Christ. The goal is not to make people feel good in their sin. The goal is for them to see themselves and their actions in light of God's word. When we preach the word of God, we ourselves are not judging, but merely declaring what God has already judged! His words and judgments are obviously without blemish, and are written to bring people to Himself.

Preaching is not harmful in any way. Any "pain" it causes a woman here is nothing in comparison to the pain she will experience for all eternity if she fails to repent and believe the gospel.

To say sidewalk counseling (grant it, some folks go about it the wrong way) is "hateful," "abusive," "ungodly," or "unloving," is simply falsely accusing the brethren of being hateful and ungodly, when they are acting in obedience to God (showing the people their sin, proclaiming the gospel, and rescuing those being carried off to slaughter) THAT, if anything, is what is ungodly. If examined from a biblical perspective, it is clear that sidewalk counseling, done right, is indeed loving and, if the gospel is preached (which it should be!!), it is fulfilling the Great Comission of our Lord Jesus Christ to preach repentance in His name!

Response to a comment from dt123

On January 5, 2007 dt123 commented on my post Laboring in the Field of Souls with the following comment:

Just out of curiosity...do you believe that pro-choice advocates have the right to endorse their view at your church or house of worship??

My church, unlike many who have fallen into the deception of liberal, openness to and "tolerance" of wickedness, would not allow an individual who is supportive of Moms paying an individual to chop their infant children into pieces at our pulpit. If they want to stand outside, that is their perogative, although disturbing the preaching of God's word and His worship is unwise.

Now, if I am correct (and please correct me if I'm wrong), you're attempting to make a parrallel between us going to abortion mills and pro-aborts coming to churches. The parrallel doesn't exist, though. At abortion mills, people hire a hitman to murder their babies. There is blood guilt. We offer practical help to the Moms as well as preach the word of Almighty God and plead with the Moms and Dads on behalf of the voiceless unborn. That is loving.

Additionally, there is no question that we have the "right" to be outside of an abortion mill, since political (don't get me wrong...I don't consider what I do politics at ALL...it's simply for God's glory...but it's considered "political speech") and religious speech are two of the most protected rights in this nation.

I truly hope I responded adequately. Feel free to comment again.

-Mary Jo

Response to a comment from Anonymous

On January 2, 2007, "Anonymous" commented on my post, "Laboring in the field of souls" with the following:

Your bible endorses killing children and aborting fetuses:

Numbers 31:17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones.

Deuteronomy 2:34 utterly destroyed the men and the women and the little ones.

Deuteronomy 28:53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters.

I Samuel 15:3 slay both man and woman, infant and suckling.

2 Kings 8:12 dash their children, and rip up their women with child.

2 Kings 15:16 all the women therein that were with child he ripped up.

Isaiah 13:16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled and their wives ravished.

Isaiah 13:18 They shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.

Lamentations 2:20 Shall the women eat their fruit, and children.

Ezekiel 9:6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children.

Hosea 9:14 give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

Hosea 13:16 their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.

Psalms 137:9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

A simple examinations of the scriptures, in their proper context, shows that Anonymous is clearly mistaken about the message of the Holy Scriptures. I will examine each one individually.

• Numbers 31:17~To see the reasoning behind this command, all one has to do is examine the previous verse which says, "Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD." The point of the command in verse 17 is that the infants being killed was a judgment of God on the wickedness of the Midianites. God commanded the armies of the nation of Israel to do that. That is not the same as a woman paying someone to slaughter her own child.
• Deuteronomy 2:34~This passage, if you look at it in context is describing a war against another nation. Again, obeying the command of God for the nation of Israel to wipe out a wicked nation is not the same as condoning a mother, or anyone else, murdering her own child.
  
• Deuteronomy 28:53~This is not a command of God. This is simply a description of what was going to happen...the consequences of the nation's disobedience to the LORD. God said that they would eat the fruit of their bodies (their children), not because He desires it, but because they were in rebellion and would, in their wickedness, decide to do that. It's a prediction.
• 1 Samuel 15:3~again, a command of God to wipe out a wicked nation.
• 2 Kings 8:12~This is a prediction of what one Judah was going to do to the nation of Israel, not a command of God to do it. Scripture is not condoning abortion...it simply records that Judah did this to the children of Israel, because it did.
• 2 Kings 15:16~Again, a record of something that happened, not an approval of abortion
• Isaiah 13:16~this is a prophecy of the fall of Babylon
• Isaiah 13:18~this is again part of the prophecy of the fall of Babylon
• Lamentations 2:20~This is Jeremiah's *lamentation* of what was happening, certainly not an approval. You misquoted the verse by putting a period where you put it, instead of the question mark that is actually there.
• Ezekiel 9:6~This is God ridding His people of wickedness, using His angels...certainly not condoning a woman slaughtering her own baby.
• Hosea 9:14~This is a plea for God's judgment, in closing the womb, which means they are unable to bear children. It does NOT in any way show approval of abortion.
• Hosea 13:16~This is again a prophecy of what was to happen to a particular nation, Samaria, because they were rebelling against God.
• Psalm 137:9~This is a prophecy...not a condoning of abortion.

As is obvious after a rather quick look at each of the verses you gave, scripture does not condone abortion. Rather it forbids it. The Bible even says that God hates the hands that shed innocent blood. Anonymous, your mistreatment of the Word of Almighty God is shameful. I plead with you, in the name of Jesus Christ the Savior, to repent of your sins and flee from the wrath to come (God's just judgment of sin is an eternal, literal, burning hell) by trusting in Christ, who died for your sins and the sins of the whole world, that those who trust Him and turn from their sin might inherit eternal life with Him.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me again.

I'm Back!

Okay, okay...

I've been back since late Wednesday night. It is so hard to get back into the habit of blogging regularly (even though I enjoy it!) when I've been away for so long. Not to mention, I've been fairly busy the last few days. But, anyway, I've returned to the blogging world. For those of you who are still with me, thanks for not leaving! I know that failing to blog for 2 weeks (gasp) is a biiig no-no in the world of blogs...nonetheless, one must maintain proper priorities!

My trip to Covenant Farm, the Murch family's residence, was splendid. I very much enjoyed my time with Ben (*sigh*) and his precious family. The fellowship was so sweet, and it is truly a beautiful place! I was sad to leave...one day, I'll be up there for good! :) Hopefully it's not too long...God's timing is perfect though, so I'll trust Him! I really enjoy their Pastor's preaching, too, so being away didn't prevent me from sitting under sound preaching of God's word. Pastor Ware is such a wonderful man of God. We were able to go out evangelizing one Saturday and then we all went to his house for lunch. It was such a splendid time of fellowship. The stories he has are so great to hear. He's about 78, so he has a lot of them! :o)

Ooh! Ben gave me my birthday present the day after I got to his house. :D He got me a beeeautiful white gold heart necklace. I should post a picture of it. I've worn it every day since I got it. He's such a sweet guy. I was so surprised, too! I had nooo idea what he had for me, even after numerous interrogations on my part (poor Ben...he doesn't really like being bombarded with questions very much).

Since I got home, I've been enjoying not having to worry about doing schoolwork. The day after I returned, I finished read a book Lauren, Ben's sister, lent me called The King James Only Controversy, by James R. White. It was a very interesting read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I've read a number of good books lately...perhaps I will do some book reviews on the blog soon. Any thoughts?

In addition to reading, I also helped my Mom get our house ready for company. We had a bunch of friends from church over yesterday afternoon for lunch. We made homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs and Italian sausage, salad, rolls (which I completely messed up--whoops!--we had to run out and get some at the store), and turtle brownies (brownies with carmel) served with vanilla icecream. It was such a wonderful time of fellowship. I really enjoyed it! Hopefully, we can do it again soon!

While I was gone, Liberty Counsel sent out an email containing a news release about how they helped us in our situation with the Altamonte Springs Police Department, in which they linked to my blog. That news release is online, but does not contian the paragraph that included my blog. Here is a link, if you are interested. I'm so thankful that God used them to open the doors of communication wider between us and the aborting women. Praise His name!

That e-mail brought a lot of traffic to my blog, as well as a few comments. I think I need to respond to some of the comments in individual posts. Over the next couple of days, I plan to go ahead and do that. I think I'm going to go ahead and start on that endeavor.

It's good to be back (in the blog world)!

Many blessings,
Mary Jo

He's Here!

Ben got here yesterday afternoon. It's so wonderful to see him again. :) Just wanted to let everyone know!

We had lunch and then my Great Aunt June came over and she, Grandma, and Grandpa were telling old stories from life growing up on a farm. It was really neat to hear all their stories. Life back then was way different. Perhaps I'll post some of the stories when I get a chance. After Aunt June left, Mom and Dad went down the hill to see some old friends, and Ben and I hung out and caught up...haven't seen eachother in forever (approximately 2.5 months). Later in the evning we went out to a Christian bookstore around here. We didn't buy anything though. It was fun to go, though. They're hardcore KJV only...which I don't agree with entirely, though I read the King James version. Grandma made lasagna, Ben's favorite, and we all sat around talking. Ben went to bed around 9:30, because he was up at 6 yesterday and worked for a bunch of hours, since he had to finish before he came.

We're heading to his family's home in Virginia a little later today. It's only 3 hours away, so that shouldn't be too long of a drive. Plus, we'll be together, so it's all good. :o)

(yes, I'm in love!)

-MJ

Another Update from the Mountains

Hello, everyone! Just popping in for a quick update...it might be one of the last ones of my trip, since Ben is coming in the morning! :) Maybe even in time for breakfast!

Today was a really nice day. I slept in until nearly 7, talked to Ben a while, and then spent time with the family. We went out this afternoon to the sock shop, which was kind of fun. We all got socks. This place used to only make its socks in Mt. Airy, but now they have factories all over. it's called Renfro's socks--very comfy socks! Then, we went to Barney's Diner. If you've ever heard of the Andy Griffith show, it's the Barney who was in that show. It was a cute place, although I'm not used to having people smoking while I'm at a restaurant since that's illegal in Florida. My Aunt Debbie headed back to Greensborrow, NC after that, and we headed back to Grandma's.

When we got home, we chit-chatted a bit. We were talking about sewing and homemaking (this was my Mom, Grandmother and I) and Grandma gave me a beautiful king-size quilt that was handmade by the Great-Grandmother, as well as some lovely aprons that my Great-Grandmother made. I just love things like that! I'm very excited. I'm much looking forward to becoming a homemaker and keeping my husband's home one day. What a priviledge! I'll probably post pictures of the lovely items I received when I get back to Florida.

After chatting for a while, my parents and I headed out to go to the grocery store (I'm seeing Ben tomorrow--I'll be doing some baking!). On the way, we stopped by my Great Uncle's law firm. My Mom used to work there, back when she and Dad moved to Mt. Airy. That's where she was working when she found out she was pregnant with me! One of the ladies who works there worked there back when Mom was there, and Mom really wanted to pop in and say 'hello.' Of course, they were all amazed at how I've grown (a lot happens in 17 years! haha). My uncle was trying to convince me to go to law school...as I said to a few people, I don't think he quite knew who he was talking to (see Titus chapter 2 for more info ;o) It was a nice visit, though. My uncle is a very good lawyer, and he told me about the case he's working on right now, and that was pretty interesting. After that, we popped into the grocery store for a few minutes and picked up some goodies for me to bake with, and then we headed over to the newspaper where my Dad used to work when we lived here in Mt. Airy. It was neat to see those folks as well. One lady, Peggy, used to babysit me when I was a little girl (before age 4). I hadn't seen her since I was really little, so that was nice.

Now dinner is being prepared, and I need to copy down an absolutely splendid recipe for "Angel Rolls" that my Grandma made...they're so good! So, I better get going. I might update again before I get home, but there's no guarantee (which I know is a big boo-boo in the blogging world...but I'll be with Ben, so I've got a good excuse)!

Many blessings!
Mary Jo

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." ~1 John 2:3

I'm here!

After all the storms and travel and whatnot, we got to my Grandma and Grandpa's house yesterday afternoon. It is wonderful being here with my family, and being able to fellowship with them. I love them very much. This morning we went out to breakfast with some aunts and cousins and relatives. It was a lot of fun talking to them. I don't see them very often at all.

But, the mountains are so gorgeous (you can see them from the back yard at the house). God is really so good! Ben is coming over on Friday, probably, and I'll head over to the Murch family's home until January 10th, when I head back. I can't wait to see him...it's been since October! Hope everyone is doing well, and enjoying some time off! :)

PS: I'd be interested to see who all is reading my blog, since I'm at 800 visitors as of today...so, if you want to comment and tell me something about yourself, that would be neat. :)

Hello from Georgia!

Hello everyone! Just time for a quick update...I'm in Savannah, GA. We couldn't leave for Mt. Airy, NC early yesterday morning because of the major storms in Florida and much of the east--safety first! ;o) So, we left home about 6:30 and Dad drove us to Savannah, Georgia. We got here about 10:15. The hotel, a Holiday Inn Express, is very nice. The room was comfy and smoke free, and Dad was able to pay for it with points, so all we paid for was bottled water! :o) We're taking off soon for Mt. Airy. My Grandma has internet, so I'll probably update some from there. I'll try to get my promised Sidewalk Counseling post posted.

Blessings!
Mary Jo

Road trip!

So, I'm going to Tampa today with Kim, Crystal, and Kyle from church...just for the day. Crystal wants to see Nolan (they're courting and he's home for Christmas, instead of in Orlando), so we're all going. I was invited at the last minute. . .being the youngest in the group, I hope I don't cramp anyone's style. I should be back between 9 and 10, I think. We'll see, though.

The promised sidewalk counseling post will probably not be completed until next week, when I'm in North Carolina. We shall see, though.

Some Encouragement

Right now, I'm reading through the Bible with Matthew Henry's unabridged commentary. I'm in Genesis 5 right now, and I was reading the commentary and there is an excellent paragraph I want to share with you. Hopefully it will encourage you in following after God and keeping your eyes on Him! The passage he is commenting on is Genesis 5:21-24.

Henry says,

"To walk with God is to set God always before us, and to act as those that are always under his eye. It is to live a life of communion with God both in ordinances and providences. It is to make God's word our rule and his glory our end in all our actions. It is to make it our constant care and endeavor in every thing to please God, and nothing to offend him. It is to comply with his will, to concur with his designs, and to be workers together with him. It is to be followers of him as dear children."

It's a Small World After All...

Yesterday after ministering at the abortion mill, my Mom, Patte, Patte's son Brendan, and a man named Jay went out to lunch at Panera's to discuss pro-life stuff. It was a sweet time of fellowship, lasting about 3 hours! Towards the end of the conversation, we talked some about Operation Rescue, and Jay mentioned he had done rescues in New England. I was surprised and said, "Oh, wow! That's where the Murches lived during Operation Rescue!" He was like, "You know the Murches?" Do *I* know the Murches? :D I'm going to BE on of them! haha

It turns out, Jay and Mr. Murch (Ben's Dad, my father-in-law-to-be) did a rescue together in Brookline and were in jail together after the rescue. It really is a small world. I guess when you have such a small circle of pro-lifers who are willing to DO something to save babies, you'll see how we all are connected in some way or other through friends. Since becoming involved in pro-life ministry, that IS something I've noticed. And it's really cool. :)

For those of you who don't what Operation Rescue was, I'll tell what I know. Back in the '80s and early '90s, large groups of pro-life Christians would get together and blockade the doors of abortion mills, destroy their equipment, and other (peaceful) things that would prevent babies from being killed. Once FACE, an act making it a felony to blockade an abortion mill or do anything to the vehicles, etc of abortion providers (AKA: murderers), it slowly fizzled out. I might have some of the details wrong, as I wasn't involved back then (I was a little squirt towards the end of the Rescue days), but I think that's the basic gist of it.

Here's an article Jay Rogers sent me this morning about the rescue he and Mr. Murch were arrested at. It's worth a read.

It really is the church's responsibility to do something about the slaughter happening in our nation, right in our back yards. You can expect a post in the near future about sidewalk counseling, and why I do it. I think it will present some thought-provoking points to the many who think sidewalk counseling is a hateful, un-Christ-like way of ministering.

I've got to go shower and do a few things, but I'll try and post later today.

Blessings!
Mary Jo

"I tell you nay, but except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish" ~Jesus

New Product from Ben

Hey, I did a post this morning (as Ben) on his blog for him (he asked me to--no sneakiness!), with pictures of all the light-up birdhouses he's made so far. They are absolutely beeeautiful! He really is so talented.

Check out the post here. Check out his other birdhouses at his website, Birdhouse-Replica.com

God has been so gracious in growing Ben's business lately. It is our prayer that He'll continue to do so, so we might be able to be married as soon as the Lord is willing! I'm so thankful for Ben and all his hardwork--I just love him! :)

Done!

Hey everyone!

I'm just writing to inform you all that--I'm DONE with high school. I just took my last test, the American History Final. I am very excited. So, I just thought I'd let everyone know. I'm looking forward to the next months, a reprieve from schooling. I plan to do a lot of reading, get more organized, and more in shape, too. I am very much looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store! In March/April-ish, I'm going to enroll in Homestead College of Bible and I plan to go ahead and get a Bachelor's in Biblical Studies, but until then, I'm going to enjoy not having any school to do!

Time to re-work my schedule! :)

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." ~Prov. 1:7

Girl Speaks About Her Abortion on TV

Check out this post by Crystal. I'd heard about this girl, but hadn't seen the clip until this morning. Being directly involved with pro-life ministry (on the front lines of the battle), I so appreciate O'Reilly's willingness to air this, as well as what Crystal had to say about it.

May God grant repentance to our nation!

Frugal Fridays-3 Questions

So, I've never done a Frugal Fridays post before, because I can never think of anything to write about, though I always read almost every single post that's posted on Frugal Fridays. Biblical Womanhood is a great blog, and a lot of seemingly great ladies participate each Friday. But, this Friday, Crystal posted a few questions to answer. So, even though I'm not a housewife yet (an almost homeschool graduate), I can give my input. Exciting stuff!!

The Questions:
1. What is the best resource for frugality you've found (book, magazine, website, etc)?
2. What is the best deal you've gotten recently?
3. What is your best idea for a creative and inexpensive gift (I was specifically thinking this might be helpful for those who still are looking for some last-minute Christmas ideas!)?

My Answers:
1. BiblicalWomanhood.com is by far the best resource for frugality I've found. Knowing I'm going to get married before too terribly long, Crystal has definitely encouraged me, through her writing, to use my future husband's money wisely (as well as help my Mom use Dad's money wisely). I've learned so much from reading her articles and blog posts, and have been able to help Mom lower our grocery bill by planning weekly menus, looking for coupons and sales in the grocery store ads, and making a list of groceries. Thanks to Crystal, I now look forward to much to being a wise steward of the money my husband works hard for, one day when I'm finally Ben's wife, and plan to, by God's grace, do it to the best of my ability!

2. The best deal I've gotten lately has got to be on the books I've purchased in the last couple of weeks. I've been wanting to build my library with books by great Christian authors/theologians (RC Sproul, John MacArthur, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Matthew Henry, Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield, etc). Books, brand new, are SO expensive! But, I found that on amazon.com, they have people who sell their own books through the site, and most books have some copies in good or very good, or even like new condition, for far less than what you'd pay at a bookstore. Also, half.com and ebay are great places to look for books. Half.com even has a section with books under 99 cents! The best thing to do is look for the lowest price book (compare all three websites) and the person with the highest feedback %. You want to be sure you're getting a good deal, for real, and not buying something from someone who will make your purchase stressful.

3. For inexpensive gifts...I don't know too much about them. If you know how to sew, etc, making something is definitely ideal! And so special! But, if not, books are nice gifts. Or cute cookies for people. :)

That was fun. My first Frugal Fridays post! Be sure to check out Crystal's blog for other posts by people who know way more about being frugal than I do!

-Mary Jo

In All Thy Ways Acknowledge Him...

"and He shall direct thy paths."

God really does work all things together for good for those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. I've been thinking a lot lately about the little things that seemed miniscule at the time they happened, that proved to lead to life altering things. A year ago yesterday, Ben put the letter in the mail seeking my Dad's permission to court me. Just over a year ago, we joined Cornerstone Baptist Church, where we still attend.

I was thinking about little events leading up to it, and really...the first thing I can remember is when Mom and Dad decided to get me a subscription to Guide Post for Teens, a "Christian" magazine for teenagers, that is no longer in print. After receiving it for a year or so, I headed over to their website and joined their discussion forum. A few months later, in December of 2003, a debate about predestination was started by a user called AJLightBearer. Aaron is Ben's older brother. Upon debating with him briefly, we began talking over IM. Shortly after, I became acquainted with Lauren, their younger sister (who is now 19) over IM, as well. The following December (of 2004), my Mom, Dad, and I met up with Aaron and Lauren, at their church. Ben drove them there. That meeting, though short, was a great blessing.

Just 3 short months later, Ben and Lauren came down to minister in Pinellas Park, FL, where Terri Schiavo was being starved to death, and they stayed at our house. Had we not met up previously, they likely would not have come over. This is when Ben and I got to know eachother some, and after spending one day in Pinellas (April 2 is the post date) with them, it was also when my interest in pro-life ministry was sparked. About a month after Ben and Lauren returned to Virginia (I think it was towards the middle of May), Ben and I began PMing through their family's discussion board. We quickly became friends.

At the time, I was trying to figure out a way that I could homeschool, with both of my parents working. Knowing the transition from public school (for K-9th grade) would be quite a big one, we decided it would be good if I went to a homeschooler school. Our first attempt failed, as they wouldn't let me in because both of my parents worked. A friend of my parents' from our former church told us about a school called Smith Prep. It was exactly what we were looking for.

Around the time I was registering with them, I read an article on the Murch family's discussion board by a lady who did pro-life ministry in Orlando, named Patte Smith. I remember thinking how amazing it would be to hook up with her, because I really wanted to get involved--God had placed a burden in me for the helpless unborn. Within a day, we received a letter (via e-mail) from Mr. Smith, of Smith Prep. In the signiture of the email, I saw the name "Patte Smith." I quickly put two and two together, and realized that she was the same woman who wrote the article. I became very excited, and Dad said it was fine if I began ministering with her, since she was my teacher's wife. So, June 4th, I went for the first time (and if you're a regular reader, you know I still do).

It was through the testimony of the sidewalk counselors, as well as the recommendation of Mr. Smith that we decided to visit Cornerstone. The first week we went, I was sold (I'd been listening to Pastor Dave on the radio for a couple of weeks--he's SO good!). Within a few weeks, Mom and Dad were too. Also, Ben and my friendship continued to blossom, and on December 23, it will be exactly 1 year since our official courtship began.

What a joy the last couple of years of my life has been--what a journey God has brought me on! It really is amazing to take a look back and see how He so clearly works everything together for His won purposes. He is so good, and has blessed me (and continues to!) me SO FAR beyond what I deserve (His undilluted fury and wrath).

Ben Murch featured in his local newspaper!

I wrote a press release a while back and sent it to some VA newspapers, and the News & Advance, a paper in Lynchburg that goes throughout central Virginia did an article about Ben that came out last week on Tuesday. It can be found here.

In other news, he has a couple of auctions up on eBay with his exceptional work. He sure is talented. His latest auctions can be viewed here. The big one is his first attempt that the Greek Revival style. It turned out beautifully. The other is a smaller, more affordable birdhouse--very lovely, indeed! You should check them out :)

Also, he is offering free shipping on all orders placed by December 31, 2006. Take advantage of that great savings ($30 or more!) while it lasts! His website is http://www.birdhouse-replica.com

I'll probably have an update about life and all that good stuff sometime soon. I just haven't had the time lately...been so busy. Hope everyone is doing well!

"Black" Friday

So, I was not planning to go shopping today. I don't do a lot for Christmas--I think it's sick how much money people spend and all the selfishness over a holiday that, by most Christians, is considered "Christ-centered." But, Dad told my Mom that we could get some things for me to set aside until I get married, so then Mom and I were prompted to go! What Mom and I set out to get was a very reasonably priced, discounted stainless steel set of flatwear, from Macy's (it was Oneida brand, which my Mom says is good). By the time we got there, they were out of it, so we were just poking around...well, we found a set of china that was incredibly marked down (about 50% off and we had a coupon) in a quality brand, and a pretty, simple pattern. Mom called Dad and he said they could get it! So I officially have 8 place settings on the way, in addition to a few serving dishes of Mikasa Antique White china (it all came in a set)! I'm so excited. I am hoping this year to make plenty of things to set aside for our house when we get married, but my parents getting us a nice set of dishes is such a huge blessing, and I'm really excited about it. I am so thrilled that God has brought such a wonderful, godly man into my life, and it will be so wonderful when we are able to start our home. I'm thankful that my parents are supportive, and happy to help in any way they can. I thank the Lord for His provision!

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name,
make his deeds known among the people."
~1 Chronicles 16:8

God is so good...I really do have so much to be thankful for. The past year of my life, in so many ways, has been so marvelous. About this time a year ago, Ben, Sam, and Hannah had just left my house after a three week visit, while Ben and Sam did some work around our house (painting, yard work, etc). Ben and I were not yet officially courting, although...love was certainly beginning to blossom. A month later was when our courtship officially began, and our love has blossomed and grown into a beautiful, deep, love that will last a lifetime.

Also, we have been covenant members of our wonderful fellowship, Cornerstone (Baptist) Church for a year now! We are so thankful for our "family." All three of us have grown so much since we've been there, and the fellowship has been so sweet. I'm so thankful for a Pastor who preaches God's Word faithfully week by week, even when it means he's not "popular." I'm thankful that he evangelizes faithfully about 5 days each week. He lives what he preaches, and calls all his "sheep" to live holy lives. I thank the Lord for him! Our congregation is also so precious. They genuinely love the Lord and serve Him! They are such an encouragement for all of us, and their fellowship is so wonderful!

In addition to those "new additions" to my life in the past year...I'm so thankful, beyond anything else, for my salvation. The Lord called me 3 and a half years ago out of my life of sin to live for Him; it was then that I repented of my sins and put my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Who paid the high penalty for my sins and purchased me with His blood. Since then, my life has changed so radically in just about every way. I praise Him for being so gracious to me, and to so many others. I am so undeserving, yet He pours out His mercy on me endlessly. Repentance is such a precious gift from the Lord, and I am thankful that I'm blessed with the opportunity to serve Him with my life, and spend eternity glorifying Him along with the angels in Heaven. I fail so often to bring Him the glory He deserves, but He continues to forgive and refine me, a work that will continue as long as I live.

I started writing this post yesterday, and didn't get to finish it because we had some friends over for our Thanksgiving feast. What a precious time of fellowship we had with Tom and Sharon Mutugi and their three beautiful children, as well as Laura, Sharon's sister, and Mandy! They are all members of our church, and we were truly blessed by their company!

-Mary Jo

A girl can brag, can't she? :)

Here is Ben's latest birdhouse. It's up for auction on eBay. Thus far, it is going quite well! Praise God!

I already posted this birdhouse once, but I'm really excited because it's doing so well...so I thought I'd let everyone know. :)

Laboring in the field of Souls...

"Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold,
I send you forth as lambs among wolves."
~Luke 10:2-3(KJV)

Saturday morning, Mom and I joined the group of Christians outside of All Women's Health Center abortuary again, at 10 AM. Upon our arrival, a police officer was lecturing Larry. If you know Larry at all, you know he's not "lecture-worthy." He's a precious older man who faithfully labors outside of the abortion mill each week. We later found out he was being lectured for using the plastic megaphone to call out to the women. The clinic worker I mentioned in my first post about ministering at All Women's, "Tanya", was the one who was flipping out. She was very disturbed by everything we did on Saturday. This time was her first, of two times, calling the police. Once the officer left, the plastic megaphone was put away. Shortly after, Dave began calling out to the women who were inside. His preaching was very touching, and much to "Tanya's" dismay, many of the women inside were crying (praise God!). She came out and told the hired security guard about it, while she was waiting for the police to come and stop Dave from speaking.

In the mean time, Patte and I began talking to a 38-year-old man we'll call "Gary." He had brought his wife to the death mill to have their tiny child, the fruit of their marriage, ripped out of her womb, for the sake of convenience. The couple has a 16 year old, a 12 year old, and a 6 year old. He thought they were "too old" to have another. He was tired of hearing his wife complain about morning sickness. They couldn't afford another baby. Excuse after excuse--bottom line...they didn't want their baby, so they were going to slaughter him/her. The thing about "Gary" and his wife "Sarah" was that they professed to be Christians. It is a horrifying thing to meet supposed Christians at a place of death who are there to murder their babies. Sadly, I've seen it more times than I can count in my short year-and-a-half of sidewalk counseling. Patte and I pled with him for about half an hour to spare his little baby. We showed him scripture after scripture...

"Thou shalt not kill."~Exodus 20:13

"These six things doth the LORD hate:...the hands that shed innocent blood."~Proverbs 6:16-17

"If ye love me, keep my commandments."~John 14:15

"Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."~Matthew 7:19

"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no sacrifice for our sins. But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries."~Hebrews 10:26-27

But it was to no avail. Thankfully, our LORD promises that His word will not return void. Until their lives end, they will still be able to repent. God's word is the most powerful tool we have when we witness outside the mills. In addition to the scriptures we showed him, we pled with him based on what was going to happen to his baby. When he saw the picture of an aborted child, after I described to him the procedure, he teared up. Clearly, his conscience was pricked. It is so hard to plead with someone (in this case, for me, to the point of tears) and see them go back in; especially someone who claims to love God. What an abomination to Him! "Gary" and "Sarah" ended up killing their child. They left the abortion mill about 1 PM. "Gary" stopped and told us to have a good day. He and his wife attend charismatic mega-church Faith World, with a "health and wealth" 'gospel.' "Gary" didn't say much for his church by being there.

Most of my morning was spent pleading with 'Gary'. After he went back inside, I went to call out in the back of the building. That was when I found out the police had threatened us with arrest, should we decide to preach again. Not only that, but we were not allowed to talk about a conversation tone. ALSO, we are not allowed to use graphic signs. Clearly, our constitutional rights are being violated. Thankfully, Liberty Counsel is going to help us out. If the Lord is willing, our rights will be restored before long!

Tomorrow morning, it's back to the field. Your prayers, as always, are coveted.

-MJ

Ben is so talented!

Here's his newest birdhouse--SO wonderful!

http://www.birdhouse-replica.com/lighthouse.htm

-the girlfriend

Yay!

Just a quick update...

I just took my last Anatomy test, and have thus FINISHED my Human Anatomy course completely! I can't find my notebook with my grades for a bunch of tests, so I wont be able to calculate my grade for the course until I do--But I'm SO thrilled. :) I'm officially down to two courses, and after today, I've got just 4 weeks left of school!!!

Fishing for men at All Women's Health Clinic, Orlando

Here is a report about the goings-on at the abortion mill yesterday.

Mom and I were in the back whole time. The first individual we came in contact with was a young man driving a pretty beat up car with a toddler-aged little girl in the back seat. I offered him a packet, and he said, "I don't need that, thanks," and waved his hand. Mom proceeded to offer him one and he sped off. He came back around later, and again refused our information. It really boggles my mind how people can bring a little, precious child to an abortion mill--I've seen it time and time again, but I never ceased to be shocked.

The next woman we spoke with (or, tried to speak with) appeared to be older, probably in her mid-forties, accompanied by a young man. Mom began to call out to her and she yelled, "No!" and walked off. They returned and sat down and I began calling out to her, offering her help. When she continued to ignore us, I began pronouncing the judgement of Almighty God, reminding her of the personhood of her little baby, and also warning her that there will be a day when she will have to give an account to God for murdering her child. It was at that point that she said angrily, "Look. You're pro-life, I'm pro-choice. I don't want to hear it. You shouldn't be here." After shaking her head she said, "We can't even feed the ones who are already here on Earth." As she turned the corner, I called out to her, trying to prick her conscience with a reminder that once you are pregnant, it is too late to decide whether to bring another child into the world because you already have. We saw her a few more times, but as far as we know, she continued on and murdered her unborn baby.

The next encounter with a woman was far better. A purple mini-van was pulling around out back and I offered the lady a packet. She let me know she wasn't here for an abortion, but a pap-smear. Right away, I let her know there was a low cost clinic she could go to that didn't perform an abortion. To my surprise, she was thrilled! She said, "I am a single Mom. I don't approve of abortion at all. You could show me somewhere to go?" I said I'd go get the packet, and she drove down the street (wanting to leave the parking lot), turned around and pulled into Dr. Scarlato's driveway. I handed her the information and she smiled. "I'm so thankful for you all being here. It's really great." She looked at the back of the brochure and was happy to find out that the clinic is right near where she lives. I handed her a Repentance Tract, and she drove away after saying, "God bless!"

After our encouter with her, we went back into the back parking lot of Dr. Scarlato's office. "Tanya", a clinic worker came out. Mom and I introduced ourselves. I told her we were with Sanctuary Ministries and she said, "Oh, that's nice." She got in her car and left, and came back a little later. We later met a clinic worker named "Cindy", who seemed very polite. Later, when I was proclaiming the gospel in the back of the building, she came out a couple of times and stood outside.

At 3:30, when I was introducing myself to Dr. Scarlato (who was, by the way, very nice!), the abortionist pulled in. I quickly got the camera ready. Before he got out of the car, he called inside the mill, apparently startled by the camera, and a clinic worker came out shortly after he got out of the van, wanting to know what I was doing (I let her know I was taking a picture...). Shortly after, one of the "inside guys" from the security service (Admiral Security Services--we have their phone # if you want it), Vincent, came over and wanted to know if I'd stop taking pictures. I said I was finished, but when asked if it was illegal, he continually evaded the question.

Post Abortion Moms started leaving at about 4 o'clock. I tried to approach one and she ran away. Shortly after, Mom and I went back into the back. An officer, who we think was named Officer Hoag came into the back. Apparently the workers had called on account of the pictures. He was very nice. Apparently he comes out there regularly because he said, "I haven't seen you here before." and he asked what my name was. I appreciated his attitude toward us--much different then the average officer.

It's heartbreaking, but it's good to be ministering at a mill again. Part of me missed it...not because I enjoy it (though it is so wonderful when a woman spares her child!!), but because God calls us to rescue the innocent who are carried to the slaughter, and even though Pendergraft's mills in Orlando are closed...babies, made in the image of God, are still being torn limb from limb from the wombs of their mothers in my own back yard, and I have no intentions of stopping until the killing stops or the Lord calls me home.

The scripture that comes to mind when thinking about it is one I read during my devotions today, in Romans.

For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations and their heart was darkened.

~Romans 1:18-21

Clearly, everyone knows--the law of God written on their hearts tells them--abortion is wrong. It's murder. And, perhaps if their consciences aren't yet seared, they even know in the back of their minds that one day they will be judged by the God. But, when they continue on in sin, knowing the truth and suppressing it in their unrighteousness...their hearts are darkened, in their foolishness.

-Mary Jo

Babysitting

I'm babysitting Timmy right now, and he fell asleep...thankfully, I brought my laptop. I'm going to do a quick blog and then work on some school, if he stays asleep. Today has been pretty productive so far. I got up at 5 this morning, after going to bed earlier than usual last night--10! I started the laundry, did my short morning devotion s (I use Tabletalk in the mornings--today it was about the necessity of repentance for salvation--very good!), talked to Ben until 7, while working on school, and then exercised (2.25 miles on the tredmill--30 minutes), made breakfast and left at 8:25. I really enjoy productive days. Timmy's Dad is supposed to be home around 10:30, and they live really close by (literally about 1 minute away). Children are so precious--truly a gift from God. I pray that He'll give me the opportunity to raise children for His glory one day :)

On a serious note, I'd appreciate your prayers. Today, we're ministering at a new (to us) abortion mill for the first time. It's been about 3 months since I've been to a mill around here, because OWC is still closed. I would appreciate any prayers for boldness and for soft hearts. Pre-abortive women are usually either REALLY hard or REALLY soft. I pray that God is already working on their consciences, and that He'll use our little team mightily, and work His will. It is my prayer that He will save babies and save souls. Our Lord is truly awesome, and worthy of our praise--it's all for His glory, though sometimes it is easy to get caught up in just going through the motions. I pray that He'll give me a soft heart for the women and babies.

To find out more about Sanctuary Ministries, the ministry I'm part of, you can visit the blog here.

I'm gonna get going so I can get a little more schoolwork done. We're leaving for the death mill at 12:30 so we can meet up with Patte before ministry time. Since we're going to be on the east side of town during ministry, we're going to just stay over there until women's group...so I won't be home until late tonight!

-MJ

Nevermind!

Well, Dad is going to take the dinner to the family, since he's going over to that side of town anyway. So, we don't get to see the baby, which is a bummer, but that's okay...it's gonna save us money, and I will be able to get more done. Just thought I'd inform you all...in case you care :)

Of High School Graduation, Schedule, and Bible Reading

Okay...so my post isn't exactly about Lasagna OR Jeremy Camp, however there is a lasagna in the oven for a family from our church with a new baby, and I'm listening to the new Jeremy Camp CD, Beyond Measure, which I picked up on October 31, the day it came out. Very good album, I must say. So, anyway, that is why I named this post what I did...I couldn't think of an interesting title, and that's what's happening as I type this!

Where to start...
I didn't finish my journal of the Philly Tour, so I'm afraid Day 1 is all y'all are gonna be able to read about that one, unless I happen to get a chance to finish it.

Life is pretty swell :) I miss Ben a LOT, though (of course). I'm hoping to make a trip up there some time in the next month or two, if time and money allow it. I can't stand being away from him! I'm down to 4 and a half weeks of school, which is really exciting. It's hard to believe I'm going to be DONE with highschool so soon. I'm going to need to re-do my schedule once I'm done. That reminds me...I've successfully kept my schedule for about 2 weeks (except for practicing flute and piano)...isn't that exciting? The reason I'm not "on schedule" today is because we're making dinner for Anne Marie and her family.

My current schedule (on most days) is as follows:
5:45 AM-Get up, get dressed, make bed
6:00 AM-short morning devotion
6:30 AM-Sign on and talk to Ben
8:00 AM-Make breakfast, do chores
9:30 AM-Devotions
11:45 AM-exercise, shower
1:00 PM-Lunch
1:30 PM-Study for tests
2:30 PM-Other schoolwork
4:30 PM-straighten up
4:45 PM-Practice Piano
5:15 PM-Practice Flute
6:00 PM-Make dinner, "free time"
7:00 PM-Serve dinner, clean kitchen
8:00 PM-Family devotions
8:45 PM-Work on stuff for Ben's shop
9:00 PM-Talk to Ben
And, I'm asleep by 10:45 PM

So, there's my schedule.

One thing I've been thinking about lately is how I'm going to go about doing my Bible reading. I'm ready for a "change"--something new. I'm considering a few things, and hope to pick one by the start of next year. One thing I'm considering is reading through the whole Bible in a month. I'llbe done with school, so the extra time wont be a problem. Another option I'm considering (though I may do both) is to read through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, one chapter a day and read Matthew Henry's Commentary with it. I love his commentary, and I'm sure I'd learn a lot. It would take about 3 years...I'd be 20 by the time I finished! So, I suppose we'll see. Do any of you (if I have any readers) have a "reading plan" you're doing?

I should have a post about my dog sometime...he's been dead over a week now. Hard to believe! We'd had him since a week or two after I turned 5, and I'm almost 17. The other two dogs don't seem to notice he's gone! Strange.

Well, I guess I'll get going. I need to finish dinner and get some things done! Mom and I are going out tonight for dinner, since Dad is at men's group.

Hope everyone is well!

-MJ

Philadelphia Pro-Life Evangelism Tour, Day 1

We left for the Philly tour at about 4:30 AM Monday (October 23, 2006), planning to only make it to the second stop of the day, at Princeton. After a 7-hour drive, we arrived and caught up with the group. It was incredibly cold and not a lot was happening at first. I did lit for a while and held a sign for a while, as well as watched little baby Jonathan Storms and took 3-year-old Julia Storms to the bathroom. On the way back from the bathroom, a woman stopped me, “Miss, miss!” I looked at her and she informed me that there were “some extremists down there” with really graphic signs. I let her know I was with them, and she got a look on her face and said, “Oh, well, I didn’t know if you wanted your daughter to see the signs.” I informed her that Julia was not my daughter, and again reminded her I was with the group. She drove away. Upon returning, I noticed a group had gathered around Jason Storms and they were debating. It was an interesting conversation, and I think the students were left with much to think about. About the time that conversation ended, it was time to go, so we packed up and went out for dinner. Mostly everyone went to Friendly’s, but we decided to go to Wendy’s instead, and pay less for a burger, so we did. After dinner, we headed to the church (Chapel of the Good Shepherd) where would spend every night of the tour. After getting settled in, we sang some hymns and had a class about modern policing and its affects on public evangelism, taught by a man named Steve who is a police officer and was part of our group for the first half of the week.

An Update On Life

Well, this week was alright. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent mostly resting and catching up on e-mails and stuff. I was tired from my trip, so it was a welcomed rest. Thursday and Friday, I worked on school work. I got behind during the Philly tour because there wasn't really any time in the evenings, and when there was, there was no where quiet enough, and there wasn't a lot of travel time like on the Virginia tour. I didn't get behind at all that week. I'm all caught up, though, except for tests. I'll need to take 4 Anatomy tests this week, and 2 history tests, so that might be a challenge, but that's okay. This coming week is my last week of Anatomy. Yaay! I'm so relieved to be coming towards the end of high school. I'm so thankful the Lord answered my prayers and changed my parents' hearts about home schooling. If He hadn't, I would be finishing for another year and a half. I should be married by then, if the Lord is willing! God is so good to His children :) After this coming week, I've only got 3 weeks left of Government. After that is 2 weeks more of History and I'll be done! I need to take a GED so I can get my diploma, so I'll need to schedule that and study for it, though I think it will be quite easy.

In addition to doing school yesterday, I started practicing piano again. Ben and I both think it will be good if I know how to play. I also plan on working on flute again, after about a year without a lesson. I don't think I'll get lessons, but I can still work on it on my own. I worked through the first set of piano books in a couple of hours, and I'm about half way through the second set ("Level 1"). When I quit a while back, I was in level 3...so I've lost a lot. It shouldn't take me too long to get back to where I was.

Today was a sad day. :( We had to put my dog, Schuster, to sleep. I'm going to do a post about him, so I'll talk about him there, but what happened was that he got paralyzed in his back two legs. We aren't sure what was wrong, but it was either cancer or a herneated disk, both of which would have cost $2000 or more to correct. We simply cannot afford that kind of medical bill for a dog. So, alas...we've got 2 dogs, now. I was really sad, but I don't think I'll cry about it any more or anything. I'm thankful for the 11 years I had him as my dog.

How is everyone? I haven't talked to a lot of people in a long time. I'd love some updates!

-MJ

Virginia Face the Truth Tour, Day 5

This is a pretty short entry...but here you have it. The last day of the Virginia Face the Truth Tour. :) I hope you enjoyed reading about it. I'll start next week with posts about the Philadelphia Tour.

After a refreshing 9 hours of sleep, Friday morning at 9:30 we were picked up and taken to the place the guys had spent the night. We piled into the vans and headed for Howard University, a black college in Washington, D.C. The stop, at least where Ben and I were, was fairly uneventful. Most everyone took tracts, and a couple folks thanked us for being there, and everyone who passed saw the signs, so it was good. The final stop of the tour was an incredibly busy intersection in Silver Springs, MD. I was on a median between multiple lanes of moving traffic doing literature, which was a little bit scary at times. Many people took the literature. Still, many were uninterested. One lady stopped to thank us for being there and gave me $10 to use for our ministry, so that was a blessing. After the stop ended, we headed home for the weekend.

I'm Gonna Brag Some, and Advertise

This is a beeeeautiful replica Ben made and has for sale on his website. It's constructed of Southern Yellow Pine with some Red Oak for the window frames, doors, etc. If you're interested in purchasing it, e-mail me or send an e-mail to information@birdhouse-replica.com. More information on this replica birdhouse can be found here.

Virginia Share the Truth Tour, Day 4

Thursday morning, I got up at 4:15. After waking up Lauren and Jessica, I took a shower. The first stop of the day was an intersection in northern Virginia, so we needed to leave early. We left about 10 minutes late, at 5:10 and got on the road. At about 6 AM, we stopped for breakfast at McDonald’s and then got back on the road and proceeded to the intersection. The response there was pretty good, in truth. A man who is in charge of some Crisis Pregnancy Centers in the area stopped to thank us, as well as a couple other men. One woman came over distraught. She asked where we were from and I told her, “All over the place.” She said, “Oh, great. All over the place. Are you with a church or what?” I told her we were there with Life and Liberty Ministries, and she informed me she was going to call the police. The ‘problem’ was that we were on public property. Thank the Lord for our freedom of speech. After we finished up the stop, we dropped by a Wawa Market (it’s a gas station type thing they have in Virginia, for you Floridians) for some drinks. We then headed to George Washington University in Washington, D.C. For a while, it was just an average campus stop; some people were glad to see us and others were indifferent, and still some were incredibly angry. Where we were standing, Jesse was preaching (he is quite the preacher, might I add), some were holding signs, and Ben and I and a few others were passing out literature. After a while, Ben and I left to go elsewhere and pass out tracts, because things were really quiet. We had a couple of conversations. One was with a hefty black man who worked at one of the little snack places along the sidewalk (they are booths where snacks and gum and such are sold). He professed Christianity but didn’t know what he’d say to God if He asked Him why He should let Him into Heaven. So, we talked to him a little while and then Ben walked over to someone else, and I went up to this guy who had made a comment (not a bad one) while we were speaking to the black guy. I found out quickly that the guy was a Catholic and he ran the pro-life group on campus. Shortly, Ben walked up and we began trying to share the gospel with him. At first, he was giving salvation by works answers to our questions. When I started to hammer him on that, he backed down a bit and started giving more solid answers; I wasn’t sure what to make of the whole thing. After we talked to him for 5 or 10 minutes, a girl walked up (who he was apparently going on a date with) and told us how much she appreciated us being there because they never “have this kind of diversity on campus” and while she was “completely Christian” and didn’t necessary agree with us, she was glad we were there. So, that was pretty weird. They walked away, and this other, really strange guy came up to us. He claimed to have the “real word of God.” We talked back and forth with him for a while, and he came off and quite sensitive and easily offended and left. It was not the last time we spoke with him. We returned to where we had been originally. Not long after we returned, a guy showed up and was passing out Planned Parenthood stickers and a girl showed up and was holding Planned Parenthood signs up in front of the dead baby pictures. A group of students began gathering across the street. There was some yelling from their end, and some preaching from ours. During this time, there were some conversations worth mentioning. The best one was with a guy named Carlo. I noticed Ben talking to him, so I walked over. Apparently before I got there, Ben had gone through the law with him, after a discussion of abortion, the signs, etc, and he was very humble, admitting he had broken all of God’s laws. When Ben began talking to him about the solution to his sin, they began discussing the reliability of scripture, which was about the time I walked up. The paper I wrote in my apologetics course comes last semester comes in handy a lot on campus tours, since I remember a number of the things I wrote. Carlo asked some good questions, and thankfully, Ben and I were able to answer them. He asked how we knew the New Testament was reliable, why the gospel accounts varied, etc. He thanked us at the end of the conversation and left. He came back over to say something else, and he and Ben exchanged e-mail addresses. In the chaos that would ensue shortly, this conversation was a blessing, and I pray that God will grow the seed that was planted, if it’s His will. Not too long after, the group across the street had grown to at least a couple hundred students (and that’s a conservative estimate). They were chanting all kinds of things (“Off our campus!” “We’re here, we’re signs, we won’t change anyone’s minds!” etc). For a while we all just kind of looked at each other and wondered what to do, and then Mike Marcavage stood up on the stool with the truth horn and open aired. It’s safe to say, people love their sin and hate the Lord. The students did not like the preaching, but he preached for quite some time. After a while, everyone wanted a woman to speak (they were chanting, “Let a woman speak! Let a woman speak!”) so Stephanie, a girl from Wisconsin spoke for a while, and then Hannah did. Hannah is a 15 year old who is the sister of one of the full-time students at the School of Evangelism. She was conceived when her mother was raped. No one listened to the girls when they preached, which was sort of ironic, since they were the ones who wanted them to preach in the first place. From then for another hour or so, it was crazy. There were some more good conversations, though. I spoke to a group of a few high school girls who were on their lunch break and was able to explain the issue of abortion and go through the gospel. They thanked me, but had to leave for class. Another girl I spoke to while Mike was preaching. She was yelling about Christ not preaching a message of hate, so I went up to her in hopes of getting her to stop yelling. We talked for about 20 minutes, and while she was staunch in her views and even after reasoning from scripture, wouldn’t admit she was wrong, she calmed down and left once we finished talking. We ended up leaving after 6 hours of being there. We all met up at Wendy’s for dinner and then headed to a home where we spent the night.

Virginia Show the Truth Tour, Day 3 (October 18, 2006)

Wednesday morning, I woke up long before my alarm was set to go off—5 AM. I laid there for a while trying to go back to sleep, but finding myself unable to, I went ahead and took a shower. I was one of three girls planning to shower in the morning, so I figured it would be good to get it out of the way. Once I got cleaned up, I peaked around the house to see if anyone else was awake, but they were not. I decided to do some reading, so I read Luke 1 using the light from my cell phone. Pressing a button every 10 seconds or so wasn’t so bad, and I had a little “snack” before starting my day. When I finished reading, I was pretty drowsy, so I decided to sleep for another half hour or so and set my alarm for 6:20, and fell asleep in my clothes. We had planned to leave the house at 7, get to Good News Free Will Baptist Church at 7:10, and leave at 7:30, but we left at 7:10, and it took 20 minutes to get to the church, so we missed free breakfast. The first stop was an abortion mill (Richmond Women’s Medical Center). Two women went in to kill, and neither turned away. But, may God bless our efforts, and draw them to repentance, if He is willing. After the mill, we headed for VCU after a quick stop at Hardee’s for lunch. VCU wasn’t as crazy this year as it was last year. The students were incredibly hard, though. I talked to a number of people. Many of them wouldn’t listen because I’m a virgin and I “couldn’t say anything” about abortion. One brief conversation that sticks out in my mind was with one of the students who came up to me. She said, “I had an abortion when I was 16. Am I going to hell?” I explained to her that unless she repented she would go to hell, but also reminded her that all sin, not just murder, makes us worthy of nothing but hell. She listened and didn’t say much. I don’t know if she was asking just to see what I would say, or if she really was concerned and convicted by the images she saw. The Lord knows. She took a Repentance Tract, and said she’d read it, and walked away. Another guy Ben and I spoke with was asking questions about the reliability of the Bible. He didn’t listen very intently and interjected a lot, but he heard the truth, at least. Aside from those and conversations others had with different individuals, there were many seemingly fruitless conversations that were mere “arguments” and the students were obviously arguing for the sake of arguing. I tried to steer away from those—that left me with no one to talk to. So, Ben and I walked a ways away to a place with no signs and just handed out Repentance Tracts and tried going through the law with some folks. No one really wanted to talk, but a lot of them took tracts. Hopefully, they will read them and be convicted and repent and follow our LORD! One thing that was really encouraging was we saw the Pastor of GNFWBC there evangelizing. It thrills my heart when Pastors evangelize; so few go out an intentionally approach the lost. He might be an Arminian, but he’s cool anyway. We stayed at VCU for quite some time, and then most of us packed up. A few others were still in conversations and stuck around. After we left VCU, we did an intersection stop not too incredibly far from campus. Most of the response from passers-by was negative--a lot of “fingers” and cursing. One guy came over with 2 notebooks he was using as makeshift signs. The first one said, “Pro-Choice! Women have rights” and the other said, “You are F---ing disgusting.” He ended up sitting down next to where Mike Marcavage was sitting. Caleb talked to him a while before he went away. We stayed there a little while and then went out for a bite to eat, and headed back to the empty house. We went to sleep around 9:40.

For Day 1, click here.
For Day 2, click here.