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Issue 37 Dec. ’07, Jan.08
We decided to make this newsletter one of GIFTS.
I love you. You are my precious son.
(this was said by one of our 2007 Project Rachel women.
Perhaps Mary said the same thing too!)
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MAY THE GIFTS OF CHRISTMAS OVERFLOW INTO YOUR NEW YEAR.
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Lord GIFT us with your Love
This Christmas, Lord, please unwrap our hearts, and fill them with your compassionate love. Give us a humble heart so that we will proclaim the Pro-Life message with gentle love. Light our candle of respect so it will shine brightly for others to see whether they ’Choose Life’ or not. Enlighten us with the grace to embrace each person as your beloved! Lead our souls to seek forgiveness for judging others. Surprise us with the good news that we have a Saviour who loves each one of us unconditionally! Guide us to pray with deep trust in Your almighty plan.
Strengthened by all Your gifts, we offer ourselves in joyful Pro-Life service so Your Truth, Mercy and Love may reign.
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WANTED FOR LIFE
OR AT LEAST A YEAR!!
THE GIFT OF YOURSELF
AS A BOARD MEMBER FOR
NOVA SCOTIANS UNITED FOR LIFE
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The Gift of Discernment
January 2008 marks 20 years since the Supreme Court decision
removed ALL restrictions on abortion in Canada.
Life Canada is sponsoring a camaign:
ABORTION: HAVE WE GONE TOO FAR?
In January, please check on the their website for more about this campaign
www.AbortionInCanada.ca
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The Gift of knowing Will Smith
On July 22, Will passed away quietly in his sleep at home in Truro at the age of 28 years just about 2 weeks before he was to leave to work on his PhD. in Philosophy.
Will impacted so many people and was such a pro-life proclaimer. His friends best expressed the Will they knew and loved.
- A man with his feet on the ground, his eyes on heaven and a heart that sang with genuine charity.
- It was apparent that he only did good in his life and his purity of soul left a lasting impression on everyone.
- He was known as “HAPPY” - he always had a smile on his face.
- Most of my memories of him involve playing the NHL series of video games back on the Sega Genesis. Even back then he was pretty devote and disciplined because, as addicted as we were to playing that game, as soon as Lent hit, away went the video games for 40 days. Even at 15 he could have set an example for Catholics and Christians twice his age.
- One Truro pro-life friend mentioned that one day, after a Life Chain, he said to her “I can’t wait for the day when abortion is no more.”
We think he now enjoys this wish to the fullest.
Our sincere condolences to his parents and siblings.
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Gifted Speakers
The National Pro-life Conference was held in Moncton, NB on Oct. 25 – 27. One first time attendee was most impressed with the caliber of the speakers and has kindly shared her notes with us. Here are a few of the speakers:
Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition, opened the Conference. He made the statement that we are not replacing ourselves with the current birth rate of 1.4 children per woman. Our politicians are relying on immigration to fill our need for “people”, but they want educated or professional immigrants, not immigrants without training or job skills. Jim noted, “since we have killed off our own children with abortion, now we want to rape the third world.”
Stephanie Gray, despite her young age, is a veteran debater in the Canadian pro-life scene. She is the co-founder and executive director of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. Stephanie’s talk began with history, focusing on the abolitionist and the civil rights movement. She explained that people need to see the reality of injustice, not just hear about it in words.
John Henry Westen, co-founder and editor of LifeSiteNews, addressed Media Wars in the Battle for Life, and he discussed the biases that media people have when reporting pro-life issues. Westen encouraged us to write to our bishops and religious leaders, asking them to take a stand in the pro-life debate.
Mary Anne Kuharski, wife and mother of 13 children (7 of her own, 6 mixed race adoptions), was a total delight. Mary Anne is president of ProLife Across America, otherwise known as the “Billboard people”. The word abortion is never used on the signs. Instead the wonders of fetal development are highlighted, such as: “18 days old, my heart is beating.”
We thank New Brunswick Right to Life for their dedicated hard work in organizing such a great event which 3 of our Board members attended.
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Our Gift to others
“Become cross-bearers
for the child-bearers”
Rev. John Ensor (Heartbeat International) spoke at the National Pro-Life conference in Moncton.
He compared our encounter, with a woman facing a crisis pregnancy, to that of the Good Samaritan who not only showed compassion initially but promised to return and pay what was owed! He asked “Are we willing to ‘suffer’ to save souls?”
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The Hidden Gift in
Baby’s Teeth
In 2003, a pediatric dentist, Dr. Songtao Shi, discovered that there are certain types of cells in children's primary teeth that have the ability to differentiate into other types of cells.
Every baby tooth which a child loses contains a host of stem cells which can be collected in a non-life-threatening way and stored for many years using a totally natural process.
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Receiving God’s Gift of Forgiveness
3 women attended our 2007 Project Rachel support group and have been mightily healed!
- “Now that I know God’s love and forgiveness and am free, my heart is open to claim you, my son, and love you completely and forever.”
- “I am writing to tell you how much I love you, Isabella. I know you are in heaven with Jesus and he is holding you in his arms and loving you.”
- “The most amazing thing is that I have connected with my child with love. I am so fortunate, God, to have Project Rachel in my life. This healing journey truly saved my life.”
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The Gift of Dal Alive!
On Nov. 20, this ‘on fire for life’ student group brought in 2 women from Silent No More to speak on campus about their abortion regrets.
Before the talk, for about 10 minutes, the two women plus one of the Dal Alive Students and our Exec. Dir. stood in the lobby of the Student Union Building with signs: “I regret my abortion” and “Women deserve Love not Abortion.”
Eventually, we were asked to move, yet we knew that many eyes had seen and read these ‘Signs of Life’, ‘Signs of Hope’. Thank you Lord!
(NSUL is so privileged to have 3 Dal Alive students on our Board.)
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Healing Rock Garden -
A Memorial Gift
Our rock garden has proven to be such a gift to those who have lost a child before birth. This year we had families who had lost unborn children as recently as one year ago, and as far back as 1956!
The on-going gift of the rock garden is that, as people walk around the garden to view the rocks, they say each child’s name. So our babies are being ‘called by name’ as they would have been had they lived here on earth!
- An older couple had only recently named their miscarried baby boy whom they lost in 1956. He is named after one of their young brothers who lost his life in WWII!
- Another family came—parents, daughter and grandson, to remember a daughter/sister they lost to miscarriage in 1996.
- Another couple, accompanied by the grandmother, had lost a baby boy a year ago. And yet, as they painted his name on a rock, they were rejoicing because of the safe arrival of their week old baby girl.
- One young woman offered to bring plants over to place in the garden.
- One man who lost a daughter by miscarriage in 1966 painted her name on a quartz rock.
- Others were either re-painting the rocks which had withstood the winter fairly well, or were there for the first time as PR women or as parents who had lost their unborn children due to miscarriage.
Each person came to express their pain in a tangible way and acknowledge the fact that their precious child is loved so deeply and will not be forgotten.
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An Unexpected Gift
We are most grateful to the Knights of Columbus Truro Council 6633 who presented their Pro Vita Award to our Executive Director, Margo Burke, in June 2007.
It reads: “In Recognition of Outstanding Service in the Promotion of Respect for the Sanctity of Life. In Support for the Unborn, and for Upholding the God-Given Dignity of Motherhood.”
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The Gift of Compassion
In Memory of James Crawford from Corinne and Reg Ware
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The Gift of Laughter
Herm Wills email comment:
“They say don’t give Herm a coffee break, because then you have to retrain him!” (not true!)
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