Pro-Life, Abolition, New York, And Apathetic Professing Christians Who Remain Silent.

Hi everyone,
I have a lot to cover as I have not yet written about the March For Life or the new murderous laws of New York, so let's get started.

First let's cover what is called the "Pro-Life" movement.
 I serve with Pro-Life Missionaries of Maine, however I am not merely pro-life, I am an abortion abolitionist. That means that I am not content with merely putting regulations on the murder of unborn children by abortion, such as a heartbeat bill. While we can rejoice that some baby's lives are saved because of these bills, other babies are still being murdered. I believe that abortion is murder, and must be abolished from the point of conception forward. I am also one who believes that abortionists should be punished as murderers as well as any other person who pays for the murder of a child, such as the mother. To be clear, most women who have abortions are not victims contrary to what others may believe. I know that some women may be forced to have an abortion against their will, however in the vast majority of circumstances, the mother is not innocent, she herself is a murderer.

Overall the pro-life movement is a failure. Yes, some babies have been saved, but when your main focus is not preaching the Gospel of Christ, when you call women who murder their children victims instead of murderers, and you fail to call abortion what it really is, the murder of children, when you treat abortion as a "choice", "option", or "decision" instead of murder, when you start sounding so much like Planned Parenthood that people think that your material is pro-choice, and when you actually call yourself pro-choice, you have failed.

What we need is for Christians to realize that the Gospel is what changes people's hearts, and that the Gospel is the answer to abortion. No more, trying to coax women into our clinics so that we can tell them that there are "choices" other than having an abortion while not actually telling them that abortion is wrong, or that they are enemies of God who deserve Hell because of their sins against a Holy God and not sharing the hope that is found in Jesus Christ for those who repent and turn to Him in faith. No, stop playing games with them and tell them the truth. Abortion is murder, murder is against the law of God and they need to repent and turn to Christ.  If you actually believe that abortion is murder, treat it as such. Call for the complete abolition of abortion, NOW! Don't ask legislators if you can make protections for some babies while not protecting other children created in the image of God who may not have a heartbeat yet.

Many, many people gathered in Washington D.C. recently to March for Life. Many Roman Catholics and people who follow other false religions, can say they are pro-life, however, we should not let non-believers lead the way in pleading for the lives of those who are being killed. As Christians, we have the true Gospel which can change the hearts and minds of mothers, so that they do not desire to kill their children. We also have a command to preach this Gospel, and a command to rescue those who are being taken away to death, (Proverbs 24:11.) The Church of Jesus Christ should be standing up to defend the voiceless. Yet the Church in America is largely apathetic and silent about abortion, but I will write about that more later.

Now on to New York. New York State has now allowed non-physicians to perform abortions, have allowed murder of children up to the third trimester of pregnancy, and taken away rights for children born alive after an abortion. And the response of many people to this decision, was celebration. What a wicked country we live in! The governor of New York even ordered for a pink light to be lit on the World Trade Center to celebrate this evil. Ironically, listed on the 9/11 memorial are the names of 11 unborn children, who lost their lives on 9/11. Now the World Trade Center is lit up to celebrate the "right" to kill others just like them.

Another thing, why are people outraged at this new law that allows abortion up to the third trimester? Abortion is no less murder at conception than it is in the third trimester. If you are outraged at the murder of children, you should have been outraged for a long time now. Abortion has been around for a long, long time. 3,000 babies have been murdered every day in our country, we should be calling out for justice for them as well. It should not take this new law to awaken Christians to the truth. They should have been fighting against abortion a long time ago.

In response to the State's decision, brother Jon Speed from the "Babies Are Murdered Here" film, who also lives in New York, closed his bookstore and put up a sign which said that this was a day of mourning in New York State and that they would not collect sales tax for a tyrannical government who murders babies, they would resume regular business the next day collecting sales tax under duress. He finished by saying, END ABORTION NOW. Some well known people picked up on the story and the story was shared thousands of times of Facebook. Mr. Speed also appeared on Fox News. We need more people who are willing to stand up like Jon did and make a peaceful protest to the unjust rulers who protect the murder of children. If you are ever looking for some books, may I suggest Jon Speed the Book Scout. 

Now I move on to something else that is irritating: apathetic and silent professing Christians. Christians need to wake up to reality, children are being murdered in our country, the pro-life movement is not doing what needs to be done to abolish abortion, and many professing Christians are sitting in Church pews not willing to say anything!
Where is the public outcry from Christians, demanding justice for the pre-born?
Where are all the Christians who care enough about their fellow image bearers that they will stand up against our culture and demand that this murder be stopped?
Where are those who will be brave enough to call abortion what it is and show others that we cannot play games with this and need to treat it like the grievous evil that it is?
Where are those who will realize that the pro-life movement, is failing in this fight?
Where are those who realize that the Gospel is the only answer?
Where are those who actually believe that abortion is murder and are willing to treat it as such?
Who is willing to be different than most other professing Christians in America and actually open their mouth and say something instead of sitting by silent, while your neighbors whom you are commanded to love are being slaughtered?

In our country, abortion is a sin that is accepted by many people as permissible if not celebrated as wonderful. It may continue to spread, and the Church of Jesus Christ needs to get out of their cozy, comfortable pews and take the Gospel outside of the walls of their buildings, and confront the culture. They should be on the frontlines of the battle to fight against this.

In our country and around the world, those who stand up and proclaim the name of Christ will be persecuted. If you go out to the abortion mills with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, yes, you may be laughed at, mocked, cursed, you may have someone say they wish you had been aborted, you may be spit on, or possibly physically assaulted, but you know what, God is sovereign, and He will give us the strength to endure when we are persecuted for righteousness' sake. We have a command from our Master, let us obey that call and leave the details to Him.

There are still Christians around the country who are willing to stand up and follow the commands of their Lord, and plead for the lives of the unborn, they are serving on the frontlines of this battle. Jon Barros, Patte Smith, Rusty Thomas, Jon Speed, Jeff Durbin, Donna Hebert, there are many. I challenge you to pray for them as they serve, and follow their example.

What can you do to help abolish abortion?

With love in the Lord,
Virginia

Jeremiah Thomas, A Letter To His Generation And His Wish

Hi everyone,
I do not know how many of you have heard of Jeremiah Thomas. Those in abortion ministry may have heard of his father Rusty Thomas from Operation Rescue/Operation Save America. (OSA) Jeremiah was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and passed away in August. After he was diagnosed, the Make-A-Wish foundation contacted him. Jeremiah's wish was to speak to Governor Greg Abbott of the State of Texas about ending abortion in his State. Governor Abbott told Jeremiah that that is what they would be pursuing in the next legislative session and that his wish had been granted. Jeremiah did not see the fulfillment of his wish before he died. Now a new initiative has been started called "Jeremiah's Wish" and there is a petition for Governor Abbott to keep his promise to Jeremiah.

The Republican Party of Texas re-adopted this plank to its platform: “We call upon the Texas Legislature to enact legislation stopping the murder of unborn children and to ignore and refuse to enforce any and all federal statutes, regulations, executive orders, and court rulings that would deprive an unborn child of the right to life.”

The legislative session in which Governor Abbott said they would be pursuing the outlaw of abortion altogether in Texas, starts today.  I call upon all Christians to sign this petition and do all you can to help abolish the murder of unborn children in our country.

Something for young people to do, whether you live in Texas or elsewhere. Below is a poster that OSA has posted. I would like to challenge all Christian young people to take part in this. Even if you do not think you do well on camera or are afraid of it. Believe me, standing staring at a camera to make the video was not a strong suit of mine. However, I wanted to do it so I did. Get over the fear. This may be easier said then done. My video on Youtube appears at the bottom of this post.

Before Jeremiah died he wrote a letter to his generation. Here is a link to it. Jeremiah Thomas Letter To His Generation

Even in his short life Jeremiah fought for the abolition of abortion. At 16 he could preach both in Church and at the abortion mill. God used him in a powerful way. May we all strive to use our lives to glorify God and advance His Kingdom. May those of us who are of Jeremiah's Generation use the days of our youth to grow in our relationship with God and the building of His Kingdom. Let us throw off the expectations of our culture, that we can be foolish and immature simply because we are in our teenage years,  and look to the standard of God's Word. We are not exempt from being held accountable for our actions, we still are commanded to preach the Gospel, rescue those who are being taken away to death, and studying to show ourselves approved. 

May the people of God rise up, and storm the gates of Hell in Jesus' name!

With love in the Lord,

Virginia

Some Recommended Materials

Hi everyone,
These are some materials I recommend for either personal learning or to go through with others.

The Unity Of The Bible
This is an amazing sermon by Dr. James White at Apologia Church. For those who do not know, Dr. White is the director of Alpha and Omega ministries and recently joined Apologia Church.

The Sermon That Shocked Everyone. Unforgettable ending!
This is another sermon. Jeff Durbin preached this about the Gospel and ministry and abortion ministry. As the title suggests, the ending is great and you do not want to miss it.

Pastor Confronts Local Government
Jeff Durbin and other Christians from Apologia Church went before the Phoenix City counsel and urged them to end abortion. This is brother Durbin's speech.

180 movie
This is a short film from Ray Comfort on abortion. For those who are not involved in abortion ministry, you may want to watch this film before watching Babies Are Murdered Here linked below.

Babies Are Murdered Here
This is a good wake up call to those in the Church who are not involved in abortion ministry and a good reminder of what is actually taking place for those who are.

This Is Why
These are short videos featuring Zachary Conover on why abortion is still legal.

James White on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and Jehovah's witnesses.
Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints
Jehovah's Witnesses

Dr. White's book "Letters To A Mormon Elder" is also good.

Be About The Cure
This is a very good sermon by Sye Ten Bruggencate which challenges us to focus on the Gospel rather than on winning arguments with unbelievers.

How To Answer The Fool
This is one of brother Sye's movies, which includes excerpts from a debate, talks on the college campus and teaching. It is a very good film on presuppositional apologetics.

Epic Debate Over God's Existence
For those who are into debates, this is Sye Ten Bruggencate, Jeff Durbin and Paul Viggiano debating 3 professing atheists.

The Refining Reason Debate: Matt Dillahunty and Sye Ten Bruggencate

Debating Dillahunty
This is Sye's documentary of the debate with Matt Dillahunty.

Hopefully these resources help you as you seek to learn more about the Bible, ministry and apologetics.
Love in the Lord,
Virginia

Courting, Dating, And Purity, Revisited

Hi everyone,
I know have written a post about courting, dating and purity, before but I think the subject is so so important that even Christians can benefit from looking at this issue again, checking ourselves to make certain that we are striving to glorify God in all of our lives, including our relationships with potential suitors.

I have seen how twisted our culture's view of dating and marriage is, and sadly the world's views on dating often pollute relationships between Christians. Secular culture has no basis for morality in their worldview and choose to do what they believe is "fun", throwing purity out the window, and ruining people's lives in the process. It is rare for fathers to protect their daughters from young men. Young adults protecting their purity is rare. This is what the world does. You may think Christians are doing better but I believe that even Christians can fall into dangerous and destructive habits in the area of relationships.

One issue is being too physically intimate with someone of the opposite gender before marriage. I understand that people who like each other want to touch each other. I assume most young adult females desire to have the physical touch of a male, and vice versa. However, the physical desire to have the touch of someone of another gender, must be brought under control and it is not something that should be satisfied by your "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" .

"Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh."

Romans 13:13-14

Physical touching beyond the limits of a mere friendship with someone of the opposite sex, must be kept to the correct confines, family and marriage. I am totally okay with a girl holding her father's hand or arm, or hugging and kissing her father and mother, in a manner that is pure. However constantly holding hands, sitting on the lap of, or hanging off of a young man, feeds a desire for physical intimacy that can lead to further contact which can lead to sin. While it may not always lead to sin it is a temptation that should be avoided.

I am one who believes in the biblical command of a holy kiss and I will hug friends who are males. However if a holy kiss is practiced by a person, the manner in which they kiss someone that they are in a relationship with, must not be different than the way they would greet another person of the opposite gender. A manner of greeting people should also not be more intimate with someone of the opposite gender, then with a person of the same gender. We must make sure that we act in manner that is pure toward all of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

While the Bible does not say "you shall not hold hands" any physical touching between young adults can cause great temptation. Romans talks about not putting a stumbling block in the way of a brother. When a young woman or man is in a relationship with another person, it is extremely dangerous to excite sensual desires. The act itself may not be sinful but it can be unwise and dangerous. One touch can lead to another touch and soon you may find that you have gone farther than you thought you would or what is appropriate.

In relationships we must also guard our emotions. Saying things to someone you are dating and courting that you think would be inappropriate to say to another person, should be avoided. Such as saying "I love you." That is fine to say. We are to love those who are in the body of Christ, as brothers and sisters in the Lord. However, it is different if the only person you say "I love you" to, is someone you are in a relationship with.

When you are in a courtship, you are preparing yourself for marriage and seeking to make sure that the person you are courting is the one that God has for you to marry. You should always treat each other with all purity as a brother or sister in Christ. (If you are Christian and the person you are courting or dating is not your brother or sister in Christ, I have one piece of advice, stop courting/dating them.) When a young man shows interest in a young woman, that excites a girl's emotions. The young man, the girl's parents, and the girl herself, must be very careful to protect the girl's emotions. One way to not excite thoughts for someone of the opposite gender is to guard your mind from things can lead to inappropriate thoughts. Do not read romance stories or watch a lot of movies with false romances. Do not talk with your friends about how "cute" a person is. In our culture people put too much focus on looks. Talking about how a person looks can lead to sensual desires for a person that we should be treating with all purity.

If a man really cares about a girl he is in a relationship with, he will look out for her future even if he does not marry her. He will seek to guard her in any way he can, and protect her heart from wrong feelings. He will be fiercely protective of her, and protect her from other men who would try to treat her inappropriately, not just because he thinks she is "his" but because he cares for her well being and loves her with all purity. Any brother in Christ who really loves his Christian sisters should try to protect a girl from a man who is treating her in an inappropriate way. The man should also have a good relationship with a girl's father who is her primary protector.

Make sure that even if you are courting a person, your life does not revolve around the other person to the extent that you would be lost if for some reason the relationship must end. Our primary goal in life should be seeking to glorify God. Make sure that you do not give your heart away to a person prematurely. If for some reason you do not marry the person you are courting, have you already given them your heart, your emotions, or your body?

A young man should honor a young woman with all purity as a sister in Christ, a young woman should honor a young man as a brother in Christ.

"Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity."

1 Timothy 5:1-2

Part of what a young woman should do in order to honor her brothers and to avoid putting a stumbling block in front of them, is dressing modestly. I do not say that every woman needs to wear dresses as I do in order to be modest. The Bible does not say that women must wear dresses, that is a personal decision. However, dressing in tight pants and shirts which show off every part of your body is inappropriate. It is a man's job not to lust after a woman. It is woman's job to make sure she is not dressing in a way to purposefully show off her body to men, thus leading them to lust after her. A man should be attracted to a woman because of her character and her love for the Lord, not because of what she looks like. 

The most important thing that we can do in a relationship is to strive to follow biblical principals, to glorify God, and to help our brothers and sisters in Christ to grow in their relationship with God. If you are in a relationship try asking yourself these questions:

"Is the way I act around this person and the way I treat this person, glorifying to God?"

"Am I seeking to build this person up as a brother/sister in Christ, or am I in this relationship to satisfy fleshly desires?"

"Am I tempting this person to sin and putting a stumbling block in their path by the way I act?"

"Am I concerned about protecting the other person's emotions or am I arousing their emotions in a dangerous way?"

Think about this; if you do not marry the person you are courting or dating, will the way you have treated them harm a future relationship they may have?

Your purity is precious. Exciting emotions and sensual desire is dangerous. Glorify God in your relationships.

With love in the Lord,

Virginia

God's Double Agent And Persecuted Christians

Hi everyone,
Recently our family read the book "God's Double Agent" by Bob Fu. This book is the amazing true story of a Chinese Christian. He was a "double agent" being a Christian and preacher in the underground house church and a teacher at a communist school. He spent two months in a Chinese prison for his faith. He had secret agents watching him. He and his wife had to escape from China because... well, you will just have to read the book to figure out why he had to do that.

Brother Fu now lives in the United States where he is founder and president of China Aid.

I had the privilege of meeting Brother Fu, last month at a conference we attended. We also had the privilege to have the Lord's Supper with him. We should honor such brothers in the faith, who have endured even prison for the sake of Jesus Christ.

For more information about our persecuted brothers and sisters, please visit China Aid and Voice Of the Martyrs. 

Visit www.vomadvance.com to find a Voice Of The Martyrs conference near you, where you can learn more about what our brothers and sisters go through as they strive to serve God in their countries.

This is a very good song which was written by Gilbert Hovsepian, a Christian from the Middle East whose father was a martyr. "Send Me Out"
This is another song entitled "I Forgive You" also written by Gilbert. He wrote it to those who killed his father. Gilbert himself was also persecuted for his faith. May Gilbert's testimony of forgiveness serve as an example to all of us. May we love those who persecute us, pray for them, and realize that apart from the saving grace of God, we too would still be dead in our sins hating God.

I realize I said that we should love those who persecute us, implying that we will be persecuted. Some may object but this is the teaching of Scripture.

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,"

2 Timothy 3:12

"Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours."

John 15:20

One thing that is to be considered is this: Are you following Jesus Christ in such a way that the world identifies you with him, and thus hates you because you are so closely acquainted with the God they hate, whose Word they despise? If not, then examine yourself and beg God to conform you more to the image of His Son. 

May we all seek to be so close to Christ that the world knows that we love Him, and that we are willing to lay down our lives for His sake, and let that be the thing that makes them hate us and persecute us.

Christians around the world are sitting in prison, being tortured and killed for their faith in Christ. These are your brothers and sisters. Will you let them suffer in silence? Will you let them serve alone? 

Pray for your brothers and sisters, pray for their persecutors, pray that God's kingdom would expand through persecution.

"the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church" 

~Tertullian

"Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body."

Hebrews 13:3

With love in the Lord,

Virginia

A Call To The Government Of The State Of Maine To Abolish Abortion

Hi everyone,
Below is an essay I wrote for the Government of the State of Maine to call for the immediate and complete abolition of abortion in my state. Consider writing to your own government officials urging them to abolish abortion in your state.

Check out this resource from End Abortion Now. This is a great tool for contacting your legislators about abolishing abortion.

Here is my essay:
"To the respected members of the Government of the State of Maine,
My reason for writing this essay to you, is to urge you to consider the issue of abortion.

For over 40 years our country has suffered from the effects of the well known court case Roe vs. Wade. The case of Roe vs. Wade should never have come before the Supreme Court. No one should even think about whether it is a woman's “right” to murder a child. The Court's decision in Roe vs. Wade was errant and as a court decision it is only binding in that one case, it is not a law that is to be blindly followed by the entire country over 40 years later. The Supreme Court cannot make laws. Since Roe vs. Wade was decided, over 60 million children have been murdered by abortion. That is over 60 million children in America, who are endowed by their Creator with the unalienable right to life, whose innocent lives have been taken, without due process of law.

I am an abortion abolitionist. I believe that these children are persons with the same rights as any other citizen of the State of Maine and of the United States of America. They have dignity and value as human beings, and they are deserving of the full protection of the law. It is my hope to lay out for you in this essay a moral, scientific, and legal case for the abolition of abortion in our State.

Moral
As our founding fathers believed, everyone is endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights among which is the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. All human beings are created in the image of God. No man has the right to destroy a fellow image bearer. In our country we have laws against murder in most cases, but there is an exception for unborn children if their mother chooses to abort them. My case is that this is an absurd situation. Since all human beings have the right to life given to them by God, and since, as we shall see later, a child is a human being at conception, it follows that anyone who willfully takes the life of an unborn child is as much a murderer as the person that kills an adult human. In our country we have said that the willful killing of an adult is murder, but that the willful killing of an unborn child is merely a “ woman's choice”. May I point out that no person in their right mind would accept a woman's “choice” to murder her husband, but they fully support her if she chooses to have her child dismembered by abortion. This is inconsistent.

Scientific
At conception a new human being is created, separate from both it's mother and father. As the American College of Pediatrics says: “The American College of Pediatricians concurs with the body of scientific evidence that corroborates that a unique human life starts when the sperm and egg bind to each other in a process of fusion of their respective membranes and a single hybrid cell called a zygote, or one-cell embryo, is created.” (1)

Since, at conception the child is a unique human life, the only thing that is different between that child and an adult human is, 1) Size, 2) Level of development, 3) Environment, 4) Degree of dependency. As we examine the differences listed above, we see that these are not legitimate reasons to discriminate against unborn children and deny them the right to life. Both of the first two points, size and level of development, could be applied to a 3 year old child. The reasoning would be like this: A 3 year old child is smaller and less developed than an average adult, therefore we should have the right to kill them. This is absurd and should never be considered. Looking at number 3, your location does not determine your value as a human being. The last point is degree of dependency. Most people do not believe that we should kill a person who is dependent on insulin, or an oxygen tank, or a person who is on life support. I hope that it is clear that we should not discriminate against any person for the above reasons.

Legal
Now we look to the legal case of why unborn children have the same rights as other citizens. We look first to the Constitution of the United States. In the 14th amendment it states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

In the case of Jessie Livell Phillips vs. State of Alabama, the Supreme Court of the State of Alabama stated: “Today, this Court adds Alabama's capital-murder statutes to the growing list of Alabama's, and other states', broad legal protections for unborn children. In so doing, we affirm once again that unborn children are persons with value and dignity equal to that of all persons.” (2)

All human life is worthy of protection from the point of conception. We cannot deny equal protection of the laws to certain humans based on arbitrary standards. It is our duty to uphold justice and to defend the rights of the poor and needy. Today in our culture, many unborn children are at risk of death. They are vulnerable and it is our duty to protect them.

The Declaration of Independence states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

The reason governments are instituted among men is to secure the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Sadly our government is not protecting those rights but instead have made it “legal” to murder unborn children. When our government perverts justice and fails to fulfill the goals for which it was ordained, we as a people have the right to abolish or alter it. Will our government stand up and fulfill it's obligation and enforce justice for all it's citizens?

Abortion procedure
A D&E abortion procedure is performed by a medical professional inserting objects into a woman's body and brutally tearing a live human being limb from limb and crushing their skull. They then take the baby's body and reassemble it on a tray. You can affirm this fact by reading the testimonies of doctors who have performed abortions. Abortion is murder and it is inhumane. I hope you are fully disgusted by the fact that children in your State are being murdered by these methods.
You can also find pictures of aborted children on http://www.createdequal.org/

Conclusion
As we have seen the moral reason that we must protect human life because it is created by God, the scientific reason that human life begins at conception, the legal reason that all persons are deserving of equal protection of the laws, and the truth of what abortion actually is, what must we do with this information?

My call to the government of the State of Maine, is to abolish abortion. I do not ask that you regulate the murder of children by making a pain-capable ban on abortion, banning only dismemberment abortion and still allowing other methods of murder, or by instituting a heartbeat bill which only prevents the murder of children at a later stage of development, or merely regulations that only limit the number of children that are murdered. What you must do to uphold justice and to protect your citizens is to fight for the complete and immediate abolition of abortion by any means from the point of conception on!

From conception to natural death, all human life is precious. It is your duty to protect these children! Stand for the law. Stand for life. Stand for justice! Children are dying in your State. What are you going to do to stop it?"

Sincerely,
Virginia Cowperthwaite, age 15
Thomaston Maine

Footnotes
(1) https://www.acpeds.org/…/position-statements/life-issues/wh…
(2) https://law.justia.com/…/al…/supreme-court/2018/1160403.html

With love in the Lord,

Virginia

East Coast Tour: Harvard Square And UMass Boston With Pictures.

Hi everyone,

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week our family joined Scott Smith and the East Coast Tour for a couple days of street preaching, and we had a great time! We met up with Scott, Mike Stockwell, Robert Gray, Don Karns, Scott's son Brendan, and Tom Mammen on Wednesday at Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachussetts.

After we all got together Scott, Robert, Brendan and Tom went over to the Harvard campus while Mike and Don stayed and preached at Harvard Square. We stayed with Mike and Don and were able to pass out tracts. I was able to talk to one girl as well. Don had a heckler who got up and shouted about Donald Trump and other things. There was even a girl dancing. Even those who try to mock the Gospel message can draw a larger crowd of people who can hear the truth of God's Word through the preaching. 

After a while the other men came back from the campus and a couple of them preached at the Square as well. I got to meet "John" who I think is actually a girl, who the guys knew from another campus. There are certain people that have absurd beliefs but are okay with it. Like "John" thinks that before humans existed the universe could have both existed and not existed at the same time and in the same way. These people need Christ. As my brother in Christ would say, "Jesus did not only die to save souls for eternity, he died to save reasoning now". "John" has some Christian literature, please pray for her salvation. 

On Thursday everyone except Tom went to UMass Boston. It was a crazy day. Different men preached throughout the day from the stone ledge on campus. I passed out tracts and we were able to have many conversations. One of my conversations was with a Muslim boy and two other boys. This was my first time doing campus ministry. I had a great time but sadly I do not have much opportunity to have conversations like that so I can still use practice. Questions such as, "Why did God make us if he knew we were going to sin?" One person used the analogy that I was a teacher, and if I knew that no matter how much I studied with a student they were going to fail the test, why did I even give to them? An objection came up that the Bible had been rewritten multiple times. One boy showed me a supposed contradiction in the Bible. These are some of the things you encounter when doing street ministry. Daddy came into the conversation after I had been talking with the Muslim boy for a while, but he had spoken with Scott and Mike previously and just didn't like the Bible's answers to his questions. 

One of the boys, Greyson, asked if I was okay, if anyone hurt me. I told him I was fine, I was not part of a cult. That I had men who loved me and would protect me. Why do people think that since I go out to do ministry with my family that I am abused? The people I need to fear are the worldly people who attack Christ's messengers. We will hear about them later in this post. Mommy and Daddy were both able to talk to lots of people as well. We met one Christian girl that was very nice, and we even got some pictures together. 

We had some police around and a huge crowd, probably up to hundreds of students at a time. The more people that hear the preaching the better. There were some people yelling, and some who were opposed to the Christian's presence got mildly violent.

Mike was up on the ledge preaching and two people jumped up behind him and one of them dumped water on Mike, hence the wet shirt. The other person poured water on the team's signs and literature. At another time a girl jumped up on the wall and put her hand on Mike but did not push him or anything. The police had her move away. Someone else was led off by a police officer after she spit something towards Mike. Another person threw packages of Skittles up on the raised area that we were on. The crowd at one point moved closer and the police ended up standing near the preacher. Here is a picture of Robert with his "bodyguards". We are very thankful to the police for their work. Some people tried to put papers on one of the signs with stickers but the police officer took them off and put them somewhere else.

Daddy had a large group of people that he was talking to. 

Someone tried to steal the team's things but Robert got them back. We had what looked like some police cadets around along with other officers. In the end I think we had 12 or 14 police. Yesterday was the first time that I walked away from the preaching spot followed by police officers. It is a new experience when you are walking into an elevator and the police are around and then you get down to the next floor and they are there to continue walking with you. They walked with us down toward our cars. Like I said, it was a crazy day.  

We had a great time and the Gospel was proclaimed. We learned some of what these brothers go through as they preach at campuses like this. We knew some already but yesterday was another example of the total depravity of man. One guy had written a sign with things that I will not even bother to repeat here. These people need the Gospel and sadly there are not many Christians that will stand up and preach it boldly. I am not saying that everyone has to be a street preacher, however WE ARE ALL COMMANDED to PREACH THE GOSPEL. We are not given an option, it is a command. If you do not preach the Gospel you are in disobedience against God.

Yes, people are willing to hurt God's messengers and there can be an element of possible danger as described above. However that is not often and we cannot use our fear of what man may do as an excuse to not obey God. Christians in other countries face imprisonment and even death for preaching the Gospel, yet they still do it.What are you afraid of, that someone might look at you funny or think you are strange? Or in the weird situations, are you afraid that someone will scream at you or pour water on you? Persecution is part of being a Christian. Those who are persecuted for their Christian faith are blessed. Think about it this way, are you more concerned for your physical safety and your feelings, or about the souls that are dying and going to Hell and the command that was given to you by your God? 

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age'.”

Matthew 28:18-20

Do not be afraid to be a fool in the eyes of the world. Paul the apostle challenges Christians to be willing to be a fool in the eyes of the world in order to be wise in Christ.

"We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute."

1 Corinthians 4:10

Be an ambassador for Christ!

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."

2 Corinthians 5:20

Myself, Mike and Robert. These brothers are faithful ministers
of God and it is a privilege to labor alongside them.

So what are you going to do this week to preach the Gospel to the world? Pray for these brothers as they continue to go out and labor in this world. Pray also that they will continue to have access to college campuses.

With love in the Lord,

Virginia