Wow. Last night was AWESOME!
The whole day yesterday was just amazing.
Our fearless youth group leader, and my dear friend, Paula Hoppel, was inspired to put together a pro-life rally for the youth of the area.
It was a huge project and we were so blest to be a part of it.
Yesterday we went to Mass, as usual. Adoration began immediately after, and so many people from our parish were there to pray for LIFE and the success of the rally.
John and I went over to the school to set up, since the banner was my project, and then we went to Adoration. I think that this wonderful time in front of the Blessed Sacrament was not only the most precious part of my day, but it was the key to how smooth and productive the evening was.
After Adoration, John and went back over to the school to see how things were progressing.
There was food and lots of help! We finished what needed doing and started getting some of our project done.
Our part of the event was the Banner activity. This banner will be carried by the Youth in the "March for Life", in DC in January.
The idea was to have each person that wanted to participate put a handprint on the banner. Within each hand print is a small hand, representing the baby that each person will spiritually adopt and pray for for nine months.
I got the banner ready and we started by printing the hands of the kids who were helping out.
Around five we headed back to the church for Benediction and a very nice service.
We got back just as people started arriving, and at first it looked like a rather thin crowd, but as the music, played by Mathias Andrulewitz and his band,
warmed the crowd, we saw the chairs filling up, and soon we had to get out more chairs.
This was billed as a youth event, but I saw all ages. Moms and dads, babies, teens and several of our older folk. Everyone turned out for LIFE and it was beautiful.
After the introduction, there was a performance by the Mime Troup "Silent Witness".
They bring life contemporary Christian music, and it was very good.
Then there was the testimony of the director of the Bel Air Birthright center.
It was beautiful, and her story and mine are almost identical. What a blessing it was to hear the story of another mom in a crisis pregnancy that chose life. I talked with her afterward and showed her pictures of the grandbabies. We both agreed that we were saved by the Grace of God from a lifetime of regret. Where would I be without my precious girls?
After that there was more music and we had a lot of people add their hands and prayers to the banner effort.
Another mom got up and told us the story of her amazing son, Blain, a young man with a vocation of love. He was born with Down's Syndrome, and he has blest the world in so many amazing ways just by being the beautiful creation he is!
The next person on the program was Cecelia Grace Sugarman. She is a very, very talented young songwriter, who wrote a song to enter a prolife contest. She sang it for us, along with some other songs she has written. Amazing!! She has a beautiful voice. The video here has the words.
Seeing her live was so special. She has lots of other songs linked here too.
God has given us some tremendous momentum with this event, and we are very grateful!
