Report from America - Day 24

One of the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil participants
in Kalamazoo, Michigan tells an amazing story of what
God can do with two guys standing in the rain.

On a recent morning, he went to spend time in prayer
in front of the abortion facility. When he got there,
it was pouring.

"I decided I would stay in the car and pray and when
it lightened up I would get out and to stand in front
of the abortion clinic and pray," he said. "After
all, I could pray just as well in the car as in front
of the clinic."

But then his prayer partner arrived. "I told him to
get into the car -- we could pray here."

"No," he said politely. He wanted to pray in front of
the clinic. "I didn't need any more convincing." As
they stood there praying in the rain, "we must have
been an odd sight! What were we thinking? What good
could be accomplished standing in the rain?"

The rain came down even harder as a young couple
drove in with a baby in a car seat. One of the men
made eye contact with the woman and he knew
immediately -- she was there for an abortion.

She went into the clinic, but came out ten minutes
later. The two men rushed to her with their
umbrellas. She was pregnant, she told them, and the
child was not her husband's. It was he who insisted
on an abortion.

"She was a fallen away Christian who had just
returned to God," said the volunteer. "We told her
that God had never left her and that He was always
with her and would always be with her in all of her
decisions. She felt pressure from her husband, the
abortion staff and the doctor and that's when she
asked to go outside to see us."

It turns out the woman had made an appointment with
her pastor that morning but something came up and it
was canceled. So she kept her appointment for the
abortion. Her pastor was her last chance, she
thought, and that had fallen through. Maybe God did
not hear her prayer. Now, she said, it was too late.

"But just as they were turning into the abortion
clinic she had seen us," said the volunteer. "Two
guys standing in the pouring rain, wet and soaked --
praying. She knew we were praying. She couldn't
believe it; God had answered her prayer after all! He
sent two strangers to stand out in the rain and wait
for her!"

The men consoled her, told her God loved her and that
she was not alone. "We held hands and the three of us
prayed the Lord's Prayer." She went back inside, and
two minutes later, they all came out and drove away.
She waved to the men as they left.

"What a powerful God we have!" said this 40 Days for
Life vigil participant. "God had made his love and
presence known to all of us that morning. Many lives
were touched; a life may have been saved."

Meanwhile, it kept raining. College students passed
by as they ran to a nearby bus stop. "Some of the
students looked at us kind of funny," he said. "After
all, we were just two guys standing in the rain."