Report from Wanda

to me

The blustery weather has set in. This past week we saw two days of rain and more strong winds towards the end of the week. Remember to dress warmly.

Thank you to the faithful prayer warriors who come to pray for God’s protection on the unborn, and who also pray for a change of heart for those who promote abortion.

The churches and groups who have undertaken to host a vigil day are doing a great job … but don’t let that deter you from coming down to Bank Street to pray at the vigil site. The more people we have praying, the stronger the witness of our belief that human life is sacred. Come as often as you can.

This week we need extra manpower on Thursday, Oct. 8 and Friday Oct. 9, since no group has claimed those days. Monday Oct. 12 is Thanksgiving Day and, because most families are gathering for Thanksgiving, we always have a shortage of prayerful people at the vigil on that day.

Let us remember that when we come to our judgement day, God will ask us what we did, out of love for one another. When we stand in defence of another human being, it touches the tender heart of God. 

Some notes on parking:

-          Paid parking, on the street and in the underground parking at the 240 Sparks building (entrance on Queen St.) is applicable Monday to Friday in the daytime.

-          Monday to Friday, after 5:30 pm, street parking is free. Underground parking rates are reduced

-          Free on-street parking Saturday and Sunday

-          Underground parking at 240 Sparks is free all day Saturday (8 am to 11 pm) and Sunday (11 am to 11 pm)

-          Parking is allowed at the school across from St. Patrick’s Basilica, on Nepean St., weekday afternoons and evenings, with a parking pass. Parking passes are available in the bin at the vigil site or by emailingwanda40daysforlife@clife.ca

-          Parking is allowed in the school yard across from the basilica for free all weekend

-          West of the basilica, in the Percy St. area, free two-hour on-street parking is allowed. Check the street signs before you park

-          Wednesdays, travel free on OC Transpo for seniors

PHOTOS 29/09/2015

Paroisse Annunciation of the Lord Parish....

Report on the First Week

The first week of the 40 Days for Life campaign has gone well. The weather has been good, with no rain. Early on, our microphone gave out during the proclamation of the word, but that problem was easily resolved. Of course we had the occasional middle finger and obscene comment, but we’ve also had words of encouragement.

Sunday, an annual Memorial Service for our police was held downtown. Streets were blocked off and the prayer vigil was in eyesight of the parade as 2,000 police officers marched from the Supreme Court Building to Parliament Hill. This was done to commemorate officers who died in the line of duty. These officers know too well how abortion traumatizes people’s lives, they see it in their every day police work. And we pay tribute to them for standing against the evils in society.

Bank Street has a continuous flow of buses. As I stood praying, one bus driver who stopped for the red light opened her door and gave me a big smile. It reminded me of the first day of the vigil when another bus driver gave us the thumbs up as he passed by.

Today, my former boss, Karen, came to pray with us, along with her husband and youngest son, John. John has angelman’s syndrome, a type of cerebral palsy that effects his walking and his speech. As he sat in his wheel chair, he happily waved at people passing by, especially the children. I was surprised at the number of people who waved back at him – whether or not they were pro-life, I don’t know, but he had an impact on them.

This coming week we have a couple of days where we need extra prayer warriors. Both Wednesday Sept. 30th and Friday Oct. 2nd are in need of having time slots filled. Please come and join us at the Bank Street vigil, if you can spare an hour.

Wanda

Wanda Hartlin

Co-ordinator

40 Days for Life Ottawa

Photos from September 23rd -- Photos du 23 septembre

Ground Zero Report September 23rd /Rapport de Ground Zéro le 23 septembre

Proclamation of the Word read to some construction workers /
Proclamation de la Parole lue à des travailleurs de construction

Français à suivre...

Today I spent three hours at Ground Zero. During that time there was about 5-8 of us.  I was the first to read the Proclamation of the Word. My reading was Psalms 1-14.  I read the readings with my strong voice so that people could hear me down the street. One line from Psalm 10: 17-18 struck me:

O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;

    you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

    so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Is there anyone more fatherless than a child about to be aborted?

The sidewalk counselor told me that before I’d arrived, she had given some pro-life pamphlets to women going in, but the janitor took them out of their hands. He explained that women get told off in the clinic if they walk in with the literature. He made it seem like he was doing them a favor.

A young man spoke to some vigilers. He said that while he respected freedom of speech, we were harassing women (although we are on the other side of the street from the clinic) and that he would call the police. We do have a permit to be there, so there’s no point.

At one point, there was a couple who was hesitant to go into the clinic. I had seen the woman look at our signs. They went to Sparks street and hung around. They really didn’t seem like they wanted to go. I told the group so we could pray for them. They finally went into the clinic. It was very sad. It made me cry. I thought to myself: maybe I should have said something.

I had a very sad conversation with an elderly man who clearly had some serious issues. He said that he supported abortion and that it would have been better for him to have been aborted because when he was born, he had been abandoned by his mother and he was beaten in the orphanage. He never got a formal education so he was never able to make anything of himself and now he lived a life of survival and nobody loved him. At first I answered some of his arguments, but I realized that I shouldn’t push the conversation further. His issue went far beyond that of abortion.

Français:

Aujourd’hui, j’ai passé trois heures à Ground Zero. J’étais la première à lire la Proclamation de la Parole. Ma lecture s’agissait des Psaumes 1-14. J’ai lu avec ma voix forte pour que les gens m’entendent au bas de la rue.  Il y avait plusieurs passages pertinents dans les Psaumes. Comme :

Tu entends les vœux de ceux qui souffrent, ô Eternel!

Tu affermis leur cœur; tu prêtes l’oreille

Pour rendre justice à l’orphelin et à l’opprimé,

Afin que l’homme tiré de la terre cesse d’inspirer l’effroi.

(Psaumes 10 :17-18)

Il n’y a personne de plus orphelin que l’enfant destiné à être avorté.

La conseillère m’avait racconté qu’avant mon arrivé, elle avait donné des pamphlets à deux madames, mais le concierge de la clinique les a enlevés. Il a expliqué que les clientes se font disputer si elles entrent avec la littérature. Donc, il faisait semblant de leur faire un bon coup.

Un jeune homme s’est adressé à quelques veilleuses. Il a dit qu’il respectait la liberté d’expression, mais les dames harcelaient les clients et il a menacé d’appeler la police. C’est complètement inutile, puisque nous avons un permis pour être là.

À un moment donné, il y avait un couple qui hésitait à entrer dans la clinique. J’avais remarqué que la fille avait regardé nous pancartes de près. Ils ont flâné sur la rue Sparks. C’était clair que ça ne leur tenter pas d’y aller. J’ai dit au groupe de prier pour eux. Finalement ils ont entré. C’était très triste. Ça m’a fait pleurer. Je me suis dit : peut-être j’aurai dû intervenir.

J’ai eu une conversation triste avec un homme âgé qui manifestement avait des problèmes mentaux. Il a dit qu’il appuyait l’avortement et que ça aurait été mieux si sa mère l’avait avorté parce que quand il était né, sa mère l’a abandonné. Il n’a pas été éduqué et n’a pas pu se bâtir une vie et maintenant il essayait simplement de survivre et  que personne ne l’aimait. Au début, je répondais à ses arguments, mais finalement je n’ai pas trop poussé parce que son problème était beaucoup plus profond que l’avortement.