Well, come November you will have a chance to make a difference where such issues are concerned. Please exercise your right to vote. Please vote as "...reasonable people of goodwill...."

Following is a quote by Republican candidate John McCain. You decide.

"Americans expect more of their leaders . . . [Obama's] extreme advocacy in favor of partial-birth abortion and his refusal to provide medical care for babies surviving abortion should be of grave concern to reasonable people of goodwill on both sides of this issue. There is a growing consensus in America that we need to overcome narrow partisanship on this issue for both women in need and the unborn. We need more of the compassion and moral idealism that my opponent's own party, at its best, once stood for. No one is above the law, and no one is beneath its protection."

Question: Do we really want a man like this leading our county?

If you believe Mr. Obama is bad for our country forward this link to everyone you know: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdbYjmbFzo

And God have mercy on us all if he is elected....

Yesterday I received notice their 'findings' were that there was "no substantial link" between abortion and depression, etc.

Read the full report at LifeNews.com.

Even so, God is good ALL the time!

Abundant blessings in Him,
Mary

That's why I'm writing to you today. If you have been wounded by abortion you know the grief, loss and trauma that experience brought into your life. Whether you have walked the path to healing or not, if you know that abortion hurt you, there is a specific and powerful way you can make a difference for others that have not yet traveled this road.

With that said, I am enclosing a letter from the Justice Foundation and Operation Outcry. Read their letter and know that you can make a difference for the daughters, granddaughters and everyone else in future generations because of the pain you have experienced.

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Do you want to see the end of Roe v. Wade? Do you want to see an end to killing children and wounding women and men who participate in abortion? You can help by becoming a Declaration Ambassador for Operation Outcry (www.operationoutcry.org). Operation Outcry is a project of The Justice Foundation to reverse Roe v. Wade which has proven its effectiveness already at the United States Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court is listening! Thirty-five years after the Supreme Court legalized abortion-on-demand, the tide has turned. It's the beginning of the end of Roe v. Wade.

Upholding the federal ban on the horrific and gruesome "partial-birth abortion" procedure, the Supreme Court cited The Justice Foundation's Amicus Brief (also known as a friend of the court brief) in its ruling. The brief was filed on behalf of Sandra Cano, who was "Mary Doe" of Doe v. Bolton (the companion case to Roe v. Wade), and 180 women hurt by abortion.

Citing sworn testimony of women who had abortions presented by The Justice Foundation and acknowledging that abortion hurts women, the Court concluded that "some women come to regret" their abortions. "Whether to have an abortion requires a difficult and painful moral decision" and is "fraught with emotional consequence," the Court said. The Court also noted that "severe depression and loss of esteem can follow" an abortion.

HOW CAN YOU BE INVOLVED?

As an Operation Outcry Declaration Ambassador, you can help us mobilize one million voices to express the harm that abortion causes men, women and children. Operation Outcry has already collected approximately two thousand of these sworn testimonies. You can give a Declaration form to women and men who have had abortions so that they can tell the United States Supreme Court how abortion hurt them. Click here for the forms.

You can forward this email to someone you know who has had an abortion and encourage them to complete the form. The easy to follow instructions are on the Declaration form. It is a simple form, and their name can be protected, by using first name or initials only. Personal contact information will always be kept confidential. The Justice Foundation is a well respected and established legal organization which has the legal duty and obligation to protect the confidentiality of those who desire it, to the full extent under the law.

The Supreme Court has said that abortion can cause "severe depression and loss of self-esteem" but the Court said there is no reliable data on the size of the problem. That's why we need to collect one million declarations!

There is Christ centered help and healing for those hurt by abortion through a 24 hour -seven-day-a-week National Helpline for Abortion Recovery. The toll free Helpline number 1-866-482-LIFE is also on the bottom of the Declaration form.

We need to mobilize a million voices of those who have been hurt by abortion to show the Court the size of the problem. These Declarations will be taken to the United States Supreme Court when it considers the abortion issue again and the Declarations will also be shared as appropriate with state legislatures and governments throughout the world that are considering banning or restricting abortion.

Click here for the forms.

If the truth about abortion is not collected for the Court, the lie that abortion is good for women will win. How do we overcome Satan? We overcome by the "Blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony..." Rev 12:11 Fill out the Declaration yourself or forward this email to a friend.

Touching Hearts, Changing Lives, and Restoring Justice,

Allan Parker, President Clayton Trotter, General Counsel Lisa Dudley, Director of Outreach

As David ventured out to defeat Goliath, he stopped to gather five smooth stones. Of course, the job was completed with only one stone (and his BIG FAITH in our HUGE GOD!), but those other four stones didn't hurt any.

Today I am asking for five minutes of your time. You see, the book I authored, Secret Sin: When God's People Choose Abortion is listed on Amazon.com and has been since it was published a year and a half ago. In all this time there have been only two comments posted about the book. The first is from my wonderful husband who "gets" this ministry and supports it in every way - physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. While his review of the book is a glowing recommendation, he's still my husband, and his opinion can appear to be biased. :)

The second review was less than stellar. And that's okay! Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

What I'm asking from you is that if you have read Secret Sin, and if you saw any value in it, if you agree with me that the information in it is important to the Church today, would you please go to Amazon.com and post a review?

The review section is near the bottom of the page. Simply give the book a rating and a couple of sentences (or more!) telling people why you would recommend it.

Besides helping people to have a more balanced view of the book, it helps to get the word out that this IS an important topic.

Please help me in this small way; my prayer is that it would have a BIG IMPACT on the lives of those suffering in silence with the pain of an unresolved past abortion.

I consider it the greatest privilege to serve God and His people in this ministry.

Abundant blessings in Christ,
Mary

But the reality of the situation is altogether different.

You have trouble going to sleep at night. When you do finally drift off, the nightmares begin. You wake with a scream or in a cold sweat. But the last thing you want is to go back to sleep....

You find you shudder at the sound of the vacuum cleaner or the suction of the dentist's tools. It takes you back to that day, so you begin to avoid those things altogether.

You notice that you can't see children or teens or young adults without thinking, my baby would be about that age now, if....

You may struggle in your relationships with family or friends or romantic interests.... You fly off the handle for seemingly no reason. You are accused of being cold and distant or mistrusting or controlling. You sleep around or avoid sex completely, trying to fill the void; trying to keep from being hurt more. You angrily defend your right to feel those things, to act those ways; after all, you've been betrayed, wounded, violated.

You may not make the connection between these feelings and behaviors and your abortion experience. Or you may know where they come from, but you just can't seem to get over them.

You may feel that things will never change; that the nightmares will never go away; that you will never be free of the thoughts and physical responses or relationship issues. You may come to realize the drugs or alcohol or food you were using to medicate those wounds have now begun to control you. You may fear you will never be free.

But I have good news for you!

No matter how bad it is, no matter how difficult your circumstances, you can be free! You can heal. You can recover. You can experience joy again. You can know peace again.

I won't lie to you: the journey isn't an easy one. It is one of the hardest things you will ever go through and it will take a lot of courage to take the steps necessary to go through the healing process, but healing --- recovery is possible.

You don't have to go through this alone. Neither do you have to tell family or friends that you are going through abortion recovery. We are here to help you, to walk with you through the healing process. I know firsthand the pain and damage done because of abortion. I have felt the grief, regret, guilt and shame of having been involved in an abortion. I have experienced the pain but I am no longer shackled by that abortion event. I am free. You can be free too.

Wherever you are, whatever you're feeling, if you have been touched and wounded by an abortion - either your own or that of someone close to you - contact us. We know how abortion hurts and we are here to help.

You only have to take one step at a time. Pick up the phone or send the email. The first step is the hardest; once you conquer that, you are on your way to reclaiming your life.

Contact us today. Begin your healing process now. You will be so glad you did.

[If you don't live in the Northern Colorado area, call or email us anyway. We have a network of compassionate, experienced abortion recovery facilitators all across the U.S. and in some areas around the world.]

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If you saw value in this article or in the ministry we are doing, please link to our web site! We need your help in spreading the word.
Thank you!

One of the things I've noticed over the past few years is how there seems to be such division in our world (what else is new?) over Post-Abortion Syndrome. The debate centers around the after-effects of abortion. The question, does abortion cause pain or doesn't it. The answer, I've found is "Yes."

So shall we shame those that experience relief? Shall we condemn those that never suffer? No! We cannot tell them they "should" experience pain or symptoms of having lived through a trauma any more than we would tell someone that is suffering that their pain is imaginary.

It is my humble opinion that we need to abandon this debate altogether. Feelings are feelings. They are neither right nor wrong. They simply are. And wherever you are in dealing (or not dealing) with your abortion, is okay. If and when the time is right to revisit that experience you will know. You may resist going back there, but, if you're willing to be honest with yourself, you will know deep down the only way to heal from this kind of emotional wound is to cauterize it; to dig out the poison and infection that has festered, cleanse the wound with a purifying wash, apply some healing balm, and have the wound properly dressed. (We have a term for that. It's called abortion recovery.)

Whatever you call it, be honest with yourself in the assessment of your abortion experience and the after-effects of it. If you or someone you know is struggling with a past abortion experience, contact us. We have lived through the life changing affects of an abortion decision. We know that for many people, it is an extremely painful event that doesn't go away with the simple passing of time, and we are here to help. You don't have to go through this alone.

[If you don't live in the Northern Colorado area, call or email us anyway. We have a network of compassionate, experienced abortion recovery facilitators all across the U.S. and in some areas around the world.]

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If you saw value in this article or in the ministry we are doing, please link to our web site! We need your help in spreading the word.

Thank you!

While I wrote the article with the abortion recovery ministry audience in mind, it occurred to me that others might run across this article and feel judged by my comments. In fact, some of my son's friends had seen the movie and loved it. Of course they are teen-aged boys without the life experience many of us here have had. Even so, I would hate for them to feel judged by anything I communicated in this forum.

Being judgmental or condemning of others is so contrary to what In Our Midst, A Safe Place and I are about. And any article that communicates otherwise is inappropriate for this newsletter.

So if any of you were offended by my previous post, please know I apologize deeply for that.

I went to see the movie Juno last Saturday with my husband and a dear friend. We had contemplated taking our 16 year old son and 13 year old daughter. I did the research before we left and the "sexual content" warnings were significant enough I thought we should view it before taking them. How glad I am for that little bit of wisdom!

I know that's a heavy statement, but let me give you some details.

The character Juno, for which the movie is named, becomes pregnant at the age of 16 by her best friend, Bleeker. Forget the fact that Juno seemed entirely more wordly-wise than any 16 year old girl in the suburbs should be. Forget that she was completely crass and lewd in her comments. As unsettling as those things were, the elements of how she became pregnant (through a casual encounter with her friend on a night when they were "bored"), her response at being pregnant (it was more like she had an unsightly wart on her nose that needed removal), and the reaction of her best girl friend, (the pregnancy was simply something to take care of: Which women's center do you want to go to? Very matter-of-fact...) all told a story of how cavalier our young people are today toward sex and pregnancy.

Add to that the phone call where Juno made the appointment for the abortion -- it was like she was making a dental appointment -- and the brief encounter she had with the receptionist at the abortion clinic -- the girl was totally "goth" and her conversation with Juno entirely inappropriate -- and by what appeared to be a mood-swing, Juno decides against the abortion and determines to place the baby for adoption.

If all that wasn't bad enough, the reaction of the audience (it was a full theater) was beyond belief. I know the movie was billed as a comedy, but these people were laughing at a storyline that quite honestly made me ill. Of course I was seeing it through the eyes of all those I have spoken with that have been in those shoes -- pregnant, unmarried and faced with a life and death choice. I was watching this story through the eyes of the women and men I've known that chose abortion and lived to regret it. I watched it through my own eyes of having been an accomplice to an abortion.... And I couldn't believe my ears as the laughter continued throughout most of the movie.

My friend and I turned to each other more than once, astounded at the laughter; questioning what they could possibly be laughing at...and can I just say, marveling at how glad I was I hadn't brought my two teenagers!

So no, I would not consider Juno to be pro-life. There were some hints toward the value of the life that grew within her and was eventually delivered and adopted, but these afterthoughts of the beauty of life were completely overshadowed by the unbelievable callousness and casual acceptance of teen-aged sex and abortion.

My first comment as I exited the theater was that I felt like I needed therapy (and a shower!) after that movie.... What I had expected would be a message of hope and value in the life of the unborn, as well as a deterrent to teens considering or active in sex was anything but. Of course I should have known better when I heard there was talk of nominating the movie for an Academy Award.

Do I recommend you go see Juno? Surprisingly, yes. Go on a Saturday evening when the theater is full, but go prepared to be astonished...and go without your teen aged children. We need to not bury our heads in the sand; we need to know more realistically "where" our society is, but we also need to not be discouraged by it.

As hopeless as it looks, we have the truth and the hope of changing lives -- if one by one. Each one is significant. Each one has an impact on the lives in her/his circle of influence. And each one matters to God.

Juno is a sad commentary on the condition of our society, but we should not be surprised. Likewise it is a call to persevere on behalf of our children, their friends, and the countless masses that are wounded by past sexual encounters and abortion experiences.

The bottom line: God is good all the time and we who are blessed to be called by His Name have a job to do!

After you see the movie, come back here and post a message to let us know what your assessment of it was. We always love hearing from you!

As with all pioneering endeavors, there comes a time when we begin to think outside the traditional box. In the world of post-abortion pain that time is now. We at A Safe Place Abortion Recovery Center, have begun to explore new ways of reaching a larger percentage of the effected population, to tailor our efforts to reach this specific group in a way that meets their needs.

At A Safe Place Abortion Recovery Center we are committed to creating a safe, confidential environment strictly for those wounded by abortion. A place where they can begin to heal and to find the hope and peace and joy they lost in that past abortion experience.

In Our Midst Ministries is proud to present A Safe Place Abortion Recovery Center. Although we won't officially open our doors for services until January 15, 2008, the web site is now live. Please visit A Safe Place online for more information.

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A Safe Place Abortion Recovery Center is a division of In Our Midst Ministries.

But what if you're not feeling the cheer of the holiday season? Perhaps Christmas brings with it a proverbial magnifying glass, enlarging and spotlighting the unceasing ache you feel inside for the child you lost to abortion. All the bells and carols in the world can't bring your baby back, and they can't fill the emptiness or turn back the clock.

Perhaps you don't feel much of anything anymore. You may have shut down your emotions a long time ago, closing off the throb of pain pulsing through your heart, and now, you just don't feel.... Christmas for you is just a day like any other.

Or perhaps you've made peace with your abortion. It was an event you wouldn't want to relive and you're glad it's over. You may feel it was the best solution to a bad situation so you've put it in the past and moved on. For you it's something you don't give much thought. That's okay too.... Everyone responds differently to the experience. For some the emotional pain is severe and immediate. For others it takes years for the reality and pain to awaken. For others it's just a matter of fact.

Christmas is a time for joy and celebration, but it can also be the saddest, loneliest, most heartbreaking time of the year. Underneath the merriment and good cheer there is an unrelenting undercurrent of pain for anyone that has suffered loss, and few losses bring the deep, soul-searing pain that accompanies abortion. So for those of you out there feeling this kind of pain and loss this Christmas season, my first words of encouragement are these: you are not alone.

There are countless people just like you all around this country, even all around theworld today that are experiencing the same kinds of feelings you're feeling right now. Abortion hurts. And even though our society doesn't acknowledge that, we here at In Our Midst want you to know we understand. We know you're out there. We know the kind of pain you're in.

We also want you to know there is hope.

On the surface Christmas is all about giving and receiving gifts, but the greater message of Christmas that often gets lost is the message of hope. Our pastor pointed out in last week's sermon that of the four gospels in the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), the first one deals with what he termed, "the darker side of Christmas." How insightful. He spoke of the fear Mary felt at learning she was pregnant out of wedlock -- a condition that could have brought a punishment of death. He spoke of Joseph and the personal tragedy and public humiliation he experienced at marrying a woman pregnant with "another man's" child. Then there was the pursuit of baby Jesus and His parents by Herod, who would stop at nothing to exterminate the child that was prophesied to be the next king...even to the point of annihilating every child in the land under the age of two. What weeping and mourning there was that night!

No, the Christmas story isn't all joy and peace, good will toward men. It is filled with personal tragedy and deep, excruciating loss. But thankfully the story doesn't end there -- and your's doesn't have to either.

The part of the story that ushers in hope is the one where we realize that, as the Bible says, God suffers with us when we suffer. He suffered with those parents on that night these innocent children were torn from their arms and killed. And He suffered with you when your child was torn from you. God doesn't stop tragedy from happening; but He doesn't abandon us in it either. He knows the pain you're in and He wants to heal your broken heart. His heart's desire is to restore your life to you; to restore peace and joy to you.

I know, it probably sounds impossible to some of you at this point, but I assure you it is not. And the reason I can say that is that God loved us so much that later on, years after that first Christmas, He gave over His only Son Jesus to death -- the most excruciating, most humiliating death -- to pay the penalty for our bad choices and wrong actions. He did this for us; for me, for you, so that we could have a relationship with the Just and pure King of the universe.... Someone had to pay the penalty; so the Father sent the Son to do the job. And therein is our hope.... Because of Jesus, you and I can have a relationship with God; a relationship with the One that can help us through these hard times and dark nights. A relationship with the Only One that can heal our hurts and mend our broken hearts. And someday, because of our relationship with Him, we will be reunited with the children we've lost.

Tragedy did indeed occur that first Christmas, but the greater message was that hope was born on Christmas. That hope was born for you.

If you (or someone you know) are struggling with the pain of a past abortion contact us. We are here because we know...we understand...and we want to help, at Christmas or anytime.

Email us at staff(at)inourmidst.com.

[Dear Readers: Please take a moment to pray for these families, these communities and for our country....]

Look for more details in the coming months, but for now just know that our God is amazing and we are passionate about serving Him in the ministry to which He has called us - for His glory and on behalf of those wounded by abortion.

Please make a note of our new phone numbers and my new email address effective immediately. Our mailing address is the same.

Have a blessed day in Jesus!

With warmest regards in Him,
Mary