May 20, 2011

The Lord of Life had plenty of opportunity to speak to hearts in Michigan and North Dakota during a seven-day, seventeen-presentation For Life road trip!

Kids For Life
Presentations were made to over 800 students from St. Lorenz Lutheran School, Frankenmuth and St. Peter Lutheran School, Macomb, Michigan. Speaking to groups of 200 or so at a time, I probably had way too much fun! These students are to be complimented. They were attentive, receptive, and eager to learn. The focus for each presentation centered around what God has done that gives value to human life—every human life is created by God, every human life is redeemed by God, and every human life He desires to call into an eternal relationship with Him.

While helping the students understand that “redeem” means to “buy back with a price,” one of the students who had evidently been playing with a golf ball dropped it. Since the floor was slanted toward the front, it rolled right at my feet. So I scooped it up, found the offending student and offered to have him “buy it back with a price”! Since he didn’t have the $2.00 I was asking, I kept the ball but shared how God did pay the price for each of us in the cross of His Son. (I gave it back afterward!) Like I said, way too much fun!

(Check out photos from Michigan at the LFL Photo Gallery.)

End-of-Life
Five of the presentations were on end-of-life issues entitled, The Other End-of-Life. These were very well attended with sixty or more in every session. People seem eager to learn about the Gospel-connection to these issues. So many of us go through them either personally or with our families. There were also more than the usual number of non-Lutherans who saw it advertised and came. One elderly lady thanked me afterward and said, “I am no longer afraid to die.” Some notable people attended. Two state representatives came, one in North Dakota and another in Michigan. The president of North Dakota Right to Life came to the presentation in Fargo.

But the most memorable for me was the young man who was in the latter stages of ALS. He came in a wheel chair with his mother who told me her son had probably three months to live. He wanted reassurance about his decision not to be hooked up to a ventilator should that option come up. He received it. His situation was such that a ventilator would only prolong his dying and not enhance his living. He expressed his gratitude afterward and said he felt comforted and at peace.

Pastors For Life
We also had the privilege of presenting five sessions to the LCMS North Dakota District Pastors’ Conference in Fargo. I love it when I can present in the same week to two of my favorite groups—children and pastors. Most of the time you can tell them apart! (Pastors are taller.) The presentations were—The God-Given Value of Human Life, Biotechnologies and God’s Word, The Gospel and Post-Abortion Syndrome, The Other End of Life, and Practical Applications.

The brothers appeared to be receptive and appreciative of LFL and our resources. Clearly, our pastors deal with these issues more and more and need easy-to-use resources. One memorable comment came from a pastor after the post-abortion presentation. He said, “I was so moved, I couldn’t take notes.” In discussions following presentations, I was encouraged by the number of solidly For Life pastors proclaiming the Word of Life in North Dakota.

The “Unexpecteds” of Life
You always face unexpected episodes on trips like this. Luggage not making it from Detroit to Grand Forks was one! Luckily I did have clean underwear in my carry-on! It was also unexpected that as I was standing outside baggage claim talking on my cell phone to the pastor who was picking me up that I could not see him. He, too, said he was parked right outside of baggage claim and he could not see me. We soon realized why. He was in Fargo and I was in Grand Forks! We eventually got together!

I had an unexpected but welcomed conversation on one of my flights with a young man who was a seminary student at a Catholic university. He was very much For Life and told how he and some fellow students had just been discussing how to make the life issues a key part of their ministries. He was grateful to hear of our website and the kind of materials we offered. He expects to make use of them.

My favorite unexpected encounter was with a check out lady at a grocery store. She was one of those very friendly and happy, bubbly types. When she spotted my precious feet pin on my lapel, she said, “Like your bear paw.” When I explained that they were not bear paws but a baby’s feet at ten-weeks after conception, her countenance fell immediately. She wanted to look closer. Since there was no one else in line, she had time to explain that she had been infertile and never able to become pregnant. We had time to visit and I found out she was a Christian. I offered her the hope and comfort found in Him. She accepted my offer to give her the precious feet.

We here at the Life Center thank the Lord of Life for all the above opportunities. We also thank you and all those who support LFL for making it possible.