Abstinence, Abortion, & the Gospel

Small Victories outreach to the youth is a huge victory

  Written by Angela Michael

“For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light, for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.” Ephesians 5:8-9.

           

            Praise the Lord for this last minute awesome opportunity to witness and share to the youth from all across St. Louis , Missouri . We were asked to speak at Saint Catherine Laboure XLT youth night. There were over 250 youth, along with 50 ministers and youth leaders in the audience. It was very humbling as we were handed the microphone and introduced by a young lady, who years ago outside this deathcamp in Granite City, Illinois was mentored under our direction, and is now a seasoned sidewalk counselor, youth leader, has a degree in marketing, and mother of three little ones.

            The large auditorium had swelled with the sight of eager and attentive eyes as they listened to every word we spoke. The evening began with praise and worship. After our gracious introduction, we began by sharing our own personal testimony edited for age suitable ears. We had a few laughs over the size of the audience, “Looks like our house,” referring to our large family all in one room together. We shared how our ministry has grown by two feet and held up the picture of our newest addition to our family, Hannah Noelle. Hearts were touched.

            “God had His hand on me even as a young child. I didn’t realize my calling or His plan, but He had one.” I began sharing the story of my life and early beginnings. “Sometimes bad things happen to us, but we can survive and rather than live in a society of victims, we can be VICTORS! We can turn what the devil meant for harm around and God can use it for good.” It got so quiet during this time that you could hear a pin drop, which led right into the abstinence discussion of my testimony. “It’s only by the grace of God, I could of gone down a different path. I probably would not be here today talking with you. God wants us to treat our bodies as a temple.”

            At this point I asked them, “If you could put a price on your self, how much you were worth, what would it be?” Many in the audience came up with astronomical figures. “Really?”  We then went into the ramifications of having sex relations with just one person. “It is like playing Russian roulette. You are taking a chance of getting all kinds of STD’s, which in the past 10 years have skyrocketed over 200% according to medical stats. Our own staff obstetrician has shared horror stories of seeing girls as young as 12 and 13 years old marked the rest of their young lives with genital herpes, HIV, and human papillomavirus which is deadly. Sex does have a price tag,” and I referred them to abstinence author Pam Stenzel’s website to find out more.

            “The end result of sex sometimes is abortion…and that is what we are dealing with in our streets ministry.” We then shared how we got started over 14 ½ years ago from our home where police were bringing homeless pregnant girls that were falling through the cracks of local CPC’s.

            “We quickly found out abortion-minded girls were not walking into pregnancy centers to kill; however, they were walking like cattle into the Midwest’s largest late-term abortion mill located in Granite City, Illinois where no parental consent was necessary and they specialize in late-term abortions.”

            Now, I asked, “How many young people in here would go to the hospital and have their appendix removed without their parents’ knowledge?” SILENCE! They were making the connection. “Then why would we walk into an abortion mill, and notice I don’t refer to it as a clinic, a clinic is a place that heals sick people.” I heard an, “Amen!” in the audience. “Why would you go and have an invasive surgical procedure where sharp instruments are put inside your body and serious medical complications could arise?” Applause...

            “We are dealing with a culture of death. The family is under attack. Immorality is rampant and abortion on demand is a free pass to practice immorality and an institutional form of legality to justify the most horrible crimes against the weakest and most vulnerable in our society: the innocent unborn.”

            “In closing I can’t tell you the youth how important your very presence outside an abortion mill is. Many post-abortive clients or mothers who have changed their minds have shared with me their regrets or something they related to because someone their own age was standing outside there and telling them it was wrong. We need your energies, your enthusiasm to make the Gospel of Life biography in the streets. In doing so, you are touching hearts and savings lives, one at a time. You don’t have to go to Mexico to be a missionary, which is a good thing, but there is a mission field right here in our own backyard and God is looking for a few good young men and women to show up for the battle.”

            There was a standing ovation and we ended in prayer giving God the glory.

            Afterwards, standing in a receiving line, many in the audience thanked us for a refreshing and real message. The students expressed their gratitude to have “a real person speak to us and not just a microphone.” Many of the youth promised to come to the abortion mill and stand with us. They took a lot of the literature we provided.

            Two young ladies felt a voice inside them calling them to go and stand. One young woman commented that she too was adopted when she was a baby and was touched by my testimony. Praise God! Many youth ministers took our contact information and inquired if we would speak to their church. “Absolutely! God has called us to be a voice for those without one.” Thank you Jesus!

             “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light, for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.” Ephesians 5:8-9.

           

            Be encouraged ~Angela