This spring included some shocking discoveries: the 115 aborted babies were retrieved at the Washington Surgi Center (five of them late-term) and the leak of Justice Alito’s draft majority opinion that would overturn Roe. Both items were the topics for our Torchbearers training. After our teaching and Mass, we returned to Columbus State Community College for another fruitful outreach: two people changed their minds on abortion, three people took rosaries, Joseph talked to man considering becoming Catholic, Lauren spoke to and prayed with a woman who had an abortion and just recently became a Christian, and we talked to a man who professed Christ but rejected the Trinity. For our Third Friday Initiative, we led outreach at the Ohio Statehouse on the corner of 3rd Street and Broad. In a short amount of time, another two people changed their minds on abortion, and we had two deep conversations about Jesus with non-Christians.

May brought about that annual rosary procession across downtown Columbus attended by hundreds! Many of our Torchbearers participated and three of them passed out holy cards with the Gospel and Miraculous Medals to many curious onlookers! Close to this same time, we also conducted a sidewalk counseling training with four girls from the St. Patrick youth group core team who have started going to Planned Parenthood and plan to keep going regularly.

Our own increased sidewalk counseling efforts have kept us busy! My sister and nephew temporarily had their signs taken at Planned Parenthood. We have faced other discouragement at Your Choice Healthcare hearing things such as: “I’m very happy with my decision,” “I already had an abortion… I’m doing great,” and “Jesus is dead and has nothing to do with me or my abortion!” Despite this, other mothers were open to hearing about help! We have even had some people stop and ask about the Catholic Church (pray for a man named Zachariah). A medical waste driver has tried to get his employee to stop making him pick-up there. Pray that they do. The most encouraging encounter though was a young mother named Crystal who, while leaving the abortion facility, stopped to tell us that she had changed her mind and was keeping her baby! Praise God!

There is one more story that I must share in detail. A woman leaving the daycare next door to the abortion facility told us that she cried for three years after aborting her first baby wondering “what if.” She then conceived twins after being raped. The same man later beat her so badly that one baby miscarried, but her son who survived showed her “what love is.” She was so grateful to hear about Bethesda Healing Ministry and to receive an image of Jesus with information on the Catholic faith. She is struggling with another child now, fleeing an abusive partner, and trying to graduate. As awful as her story is, she testified to the dignity of every child, even those brought into the world in terrible circumstances, and explained how Christ has changed her life. Pray for Julianna.

At both facilities we have placed Miraculous, St. Benedict, St. Michael, and St. Joseph medals and Green Scapulars. By the grace of God and the prayers of His saints, they will close some day! Thank you for partnering with me so that we see that day soon! AMDG!