UIUC 40 Days for Life Campaign Student Recap

Check out this great article by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign senior Stephanie:Champaign’s spring 40 Days for Life resulted in two known saves! God is indeed good! Colleen, a senior at U of I, was responsible for one of the saves. Joy Pace, Champaign’s veteran sidewalk councilor, witnessed the other save.Students and Champaign-Urbana community members prayed in front of Planned Parenthood from 7 am to 7 pm every day from Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday. Countless people saw our fervor and faith for life. These lives saved and the visible witness, however, only show the beginning of the impact the campaign.Standing outside Planned Parenthood with a sign saying “Pray to End Abortion” isn’t exactly a typical college student activity. For many of us, going out to Planned Parenthood gives us that stifling feeling of awkwardness and anxiety. We fear the labels our society will put on us and the consequences of taking that next step in our faith. Each and every time we go out to pray, our conversion to the Lord is deepened. We learn how to be witnesses, how to stand up for the Truth, and how to be Christ to other people. It truly forces us to live out our call to teach others “to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20).This spring’s 40 Days was one of the first ways several of my friends who have recently made big steps in their faith were able to be witnesses outside of the Newman center. 40 Days is a wonderful opportunity to learn how to be vulnerable within a somewhat controlled setting. Courage to preach the gospel of life gained during a scheduled hour of prayer can overflow into everyday conversations with friends, family members, and even professors.During the last two hours of the campaign, participants had the opportunity to share their experiences. Experiences included people that said their first rosary while out at Planned Parenthood, friendships made between those sharing hour shifts, and true appreciation for the scope of the abortion problem in the United States.Being out at Planned Parenthood puts faces to the statistics and understanding of the deeper problem. Seeing the individuals go into the clinic heightens the humanity of the issue and the complexity of the causes. And, most importantly, forces the realization that the fight for life is also the fight for our society’s morality.The two lives saved were just the beginning. Not only did 40 Days make a difference now, but what was learned will continue to bear fruit far into the future. Who knows how many souls will be converted through the individuals who gained courage from participating in 40 Days!