Troops' loved ones rescued on Bakersfield's front lines - Vol. 3 No. 9 - Weekly Ministry Focus

Upcoming Events!

Over 30 years of ministry to pregnant women and their children

Jessica and Matthew, saved from abortion

...more...

Click here to send this page to a friend

Other LSM newsletters

In Touch With LifeSavers features in-depth accounts of babies who have been saved and women who have been helped by LifeSavers Ministries, along with news about upcoming LifeSavers events and other ministry news. In Touch With LifeSavers is published occasionally, when funds allow.

Subscribe | Read back issues
Weekly Ministry Focus

Volume 3, Number 9
March 31, 2003
Weekly Ministry Focus
Troops' loved ones rescued on Bakersfield's front lines

Training seminars scheduled
Stay informed!
Scripture Focus
Prayer Focus
Ministry Schedule

The 30 year war against the unborn continued to rage last week in Bakersfield, as the anonymous "Family Planning Associates" abortionist returned for two days of merciless killings. Two crates were filled with buckets containing tiny mutilated corpses. A pastor's daughter ushered a friend inside to have her child killed, as Christian soldiers occupied the front lines outside this brutal abortion chamber, offering hope and help to the abortionist's intended victims. Several of the women receiving ministry expressed concern about their loved ones on the opposite side of the world, fighting against the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein.

"Marina," 37, has been overwhelmed with concern for her oldest son and his father, who are part of the US military forces in Iraq and Kuwait. Another child was not a part of her plans, and being pregnant during this stressful time seemed to her to be more than she could bear. Marina participates in a local Christian fellowship and had never experienced abortion; nevertheless, she was contemplating abortion as a possible solution.

At the LifeHouse pregnancy help center (across the street from the FPA killing center), Terri* showed Marina a video which graphically depicts what happens to children and their mothers in an abortion. After seeing the video, Marina told Terri that there is "no way" she will abort this child now. Marina gratefully accepted a gift box filled with baby clothes, and Terri referred her to an obstetrician.

Terri prayed that God would protect Marina and her family, especially those who are involved in the war in Iraq.

"Sabina," 28, lives in the Los Angeles area, but she was temporarily "on assignment" in Bakersfield last week. She noticed the "free pregnancy test" banner outside the LifeHouse, and after coming inside for a test, she was shocked to discover that she is pregnant.

Distressed by the prospects of experiencing her first pregnancy as a single woman, Sabina initially said she was not sure what she would do. Terri gave Sabina a "Hope for the Future" Bible as she hurried out the door.

As a priest prayed on the sidewalks outside the abortion chamber, he encountered "Celine," 20, who had an abortion appointment. He brought Celine across the street to the LifeHouse, where she talked to Terri and Pam*.

Celine explained that she couldn't care for a child until she finished school, so she felt that abortion was her only option. After watching the "Jackie and Jordan" video (which tells the story of a woman and her son who were helped by LifeSavers Ministries), Celine was struck by the fact that LSM has successfully helped women who were experiencing similar difficulties.

Terri and Tim told Celine that they would care for her baby while she finished school. When someone asked Terri a question about the upcoming birth of her tenth child, Celine happily interjected "she's going to have eleven" (referring to the child in her womb).

Terri brought Celine to an obstetrician's office for an ultrasound, hoping that Celine would sense an emotional connection with her baby as she witnessed the tiny child's movements. But the ultrasound instead revealed a quiet womb: the child had apparently died a few weeks ago.

Although the life of a child was no longer at stake, Celine was now convinced that abortion would be bad for her, so she decided to suffer through a natural miscarriage process instead of returning to the abortion chamber.

* LSM team members

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 48:17-22

"Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
'I am the Lord your God,
Who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you by the way you should go.
Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Your descendants also would have been like the sand,
And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand;
His name would not have been cut off
Nor destroyed from before Me.'

Go forth from Babylon!
Flee from the Chaldeans!
With a voice of singing,
Declare, proclaim this,
Utter it to the end of the earth;
Say, 'The Lord has redeemed
His servant Jacob!'
And they did not thirst
When He led them through the deserts;
He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them;
He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out.

'There is no peace,' says the Lord, 'for the wicked.'"

Ask God to help women who are considering abortion today to follow His voice so that they will experience peace, and that their children may live.

Prayer Focus

Dear God, help us to rely upon you for direction and guidance today, taking advantage of every opportunity you provide us, and trusting You to deal in the lives of those whom we are unable to reach.
Surround the innocent children of Bakersfield and Iraq with a hedge of protection today, that the enemy's plans to destroy them would be frustrated.
Increase the discontentment in the heart of every abortion employee today, so that they will see their need to turn to You.

Training seminars scheduled

"Speaking the Truth in Love: an Introduction to Pregnancy Evangelism," a training seminar for pro- life ministry, will be presented by Tim and Terri Palmquist twice in the next few weeks.

The first session will be held on Saturday afternoon, April 12, from 1:30 to 4:30 pm. The second session will be held on two consecutive Sunday evenings, April 13 and April 20, from 7:30 to 9:00.

The seminars are open to anyone who is interested in learning more about how to reach pregnant women with the Gospel of Life. Participants are not required to be LifeSavers Ministres team members, but all LSM team members are required to complete this training process.

Christians who are interested in helping pregnant women through the church are also encouraged to attend a one-hour orientation session for the Elizabeth League. Orientation sessions will be scheduled at various times in the next few weeks (please call 323-2229 for more information). LSM team members are required to attend an Elizabeth League orientation session.

The annual meeting for LifeSavers Ministries will be held on Monday evening, May 5, from 7 to 9 pm.

The training seminars, Elizabeth League orientation meetings, and annual meeting will be held at the LifeHouse, 2428 H Street in downtown Bakersfield. Please contact Tim or Terri at 323- 2229 if you plan to attend any of these meetings, in order that adequate preparations may be made.

Pick up the Weekly Ministry Focus from the box at the corner of 25th and H in Bakersfield

Stay informed! Pick up extra copies of the LifeSavers Ministries Weekly Ministry Focus from the "take one" box at the corner of 25th and H streets in downtown Bakersfield (in front of the LifeHouse). The Weekly Ministry Focus is also available at All Saints Catholic Store, 717 H Street. You can help spread the word by distributing copies of the Weekly Ministry Focus at your church or place of business.

MINISTRY SCHEDULE

This week we will focus our ministry efforts on the abortion days, Monday and Tuesday from approximately 7 am to 5 pm.