“Rolling through the hills along the Mississippi River, over twenty young adults pursued some of their greatest passions: cycling and athleticism, spreading the pro-life message, and wearing sunscreen. Okay, maybe wearing sunscreen is not necessarily a “passion,” but one certainly gets passionate about NOT being sunburnt by the hot sun in southern United States.”
A national pro-life movement called “40 Days for Life” begins tomorrow on September 28. If you have never had the chance to participate in the nation’s largest pro-life mobilization, this may be the opportunity for you! From their website: 40 Days…
Early this morning, at 6 a.m., 22 young men and women set off on a pro-life adventure that will become one of the most memorable weeks of their lives. Team Chicago and Team New Orleans began their journey over 1,000 miles apart; in just 4 days, they will unite and finish before family, friends, and pregnancy resource centers for whom they resolved to make this unique journey six months ago.
Not only do PRCs advocate for choosing life with Christ-like compassion, they are also deeply invested in the success and well-being of the families, prepared to offer practical and loving support during all stages of pregnancy as well as after the child’s birth. In so doing, all pregnant women can have the confidence to accept the gift of life they’ve been given, knowing they will not be alone.
Like most pregnancy resource centers, The Morning Center strives “to provide high quality maternity care to underserved women.” But then Korey kept talking about that idea, about providing the same level care that a normal suburban mom would receive if she went to a medical clinic, and I was hooked.
Life Network of Southern Illinois is more than the trying effort of a single group of people. Life Network of Southern Illinois is more than the trying effort of a single group of people. It is a community effort coordinated and led by Debbie Geist and her hard-working teammates of paid staff and volunteers. The community and myself are proud to stand (and pedal!) behind them—churches and pastors of various denominations, the Catholic Diocese of Belleville, many proud residents of Waterloo and the nearby towns, and of course Biking for Babies.
“One morning in between breakfast and dishes, I felt from within a deep sense of purpose. I started thinking about the riders and their physical, emotional and spiritual sacrifices for the babies. That phrase “for the babies” struck such a chord with me, that I heard in my heart, “You can do these dishes, for the babies.” 5:00 AM wakeup call? For the babies. Hauling the laundry to the laundry room again? For the babies. Convincing the almost-two-year-old to eat that dinner I worked hard on (to no avail)? For the babies.”
“Tonya’s pregnancy was confirmed. After processing for a while, she realized how capable she is of being a mom and standing up for herself. She stated with excitement “I am keeping my baby!” Tonya was able to hear and believe that God loves her and that the lives of both her and her baby have immense value.”
Celeste W. is partnering with Birth Choice of Oklahoma for this year’s ride. The mission statement for the center is: “Birth Choice exists to encourage any pregnant woman to choose the gift of life for herself and her unborn baby by providing the means to do so.”
I get stuck thinking that the Women’s Care Centers are only serving those who don’t come from a good background or are in an abusive relationship or come from a broken home and have no support system. But these places serve women from all different backgrounds and no matter where they come from, all are treated with dignity and respect.
In this first period of formation, the young adults:
With eyes now opened to the need and Christ-centered solutions of problems, these young adults are sent forth as “missionaries” into the rest of the formation program and into the rest of their lives, committing to live with the truth of the Gospel of life as the lens through which they see every relationship, every decision, and the world at large.
In this second period of formation, the missionaries
In this last period of formation, after the National Ride, missionaries
