and Then It Happened!

I was right.
In 4 days, I've been moved to tears more times than I can count on my hands, I've been motivated by a cause so profoundly important it's become a part of me, and most importantly, I've become determined to bring this experience back with me and shout it out to those who will hear me. Since the March For Life experience was such an overwhelming amount of information in such a short amount of time, I'm only documenting day one of the trip to D.C., on January 22. It was the most foundational day for me so I think it's enough.

I'd love to say I had a good attitude when we landed in the Baltimore airport and walked at least 3 miles to finally reach the house we were staying in. However, I was running on 4 hours of sleep and no Starbucks (there was no time to putz around in the airport) which didn't help my mood at all. After we walked forever to drop our luggage off, we walked some more to go to a hotel where some conference-type things were being held for pre-marchers.
I'd heard a lot about this man named Bryan Kemper. He organized youth summer mission trips with his group called Stand True that went out and not only defended and expanded the Pro-Life movement, but motivated teenagers to put their heart and soul into this cause. Before I had even met him, I had categorized him into the "ultra-conservative Lutheran" stereotype since he was one of Pastor Clausing's friends; I was wrong. A man of about 5 feet 7 inches, he had faded tattoos up and down his arms and a laid-back, youth group pastor air about him. I instantly liked and respected him.
We all filed into a conference-type auditorium to hear Bryan speak, and the story he told sparked the passion that would continue to build in the following days. His life story was a depressing one - living in Sacramento, California, unwanted by his parents, he grew up in a physically and sexually abusive home, and was severely mistreated by his schoolmates and family members. He grew up unloved by everyone he had ever met. Drugs became his outlet at too young an age, and he continued living his life as a dealer and user for many, many years.
His testimony was one of the most incredible I've ever heard. God very forcefully
jolted him out of his lifestyle through an amazing series of events too lengthy to even explain here.
Ever since, he's devoted his life to saving the unborn. He created the teen-driven Stand True group, and also the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity.
Hearing him speak made me cry so incredibly hard. He went on to explain why he got involved in Pro-life, and what we can do.
His speech was the foundation for the rest of the trip. It's like God intentionally laid it out this way so I could get the most out of it. From his speech, I became aware of just how mind-blowingly important this cause is, and the incredibe crisis we face.

One of the main things on this trip that struck me the most was "the bottom line." I realized that none of this, NO murder of our preborn children would happen if we had any sense at all of sexual abstinence. We're so far into this sin that it's now considered normal in society. It's almost expected of teenagers and the unwed to have sex before they're married. The funny thing about sin is that it has naturally occurring consequenses. God created sex inside marriage not only for the protection of our children, but for our own protection as well. It saves us from so much of the heartache that results from pre-marital sex, and abortion is one of those natural consequenses of the immorality we face.