“WHAT MAKES A HERO?”

Written by Angela Michael

            Is it a badge or a gun? Or a Bible and some pro-life literature? A helmet or a sonogram machine? Any one of these represents someone who tried to save a life. And some were successful as we witnessed on the evening news this past week. There were several televised stories on this subject of heroes and rescuers in what could have been a tragic outcome. Only, the people with the sonogram and the pro-life literature were not viewed by the eyes of our nation as the others, but all saved lives this past week.

            A group of students, construction workers, and passer-bys witnessed a motorcyclist get rammed and pinned under a BMW in Utah. The car burst into flames and the cyclist lay unconscious and injured under the car. Normal people didn’t even think about it. They responded. It took several of them to literally lift the burning car off the injured cyclist and pull him to safety as paramedics arrived. He should have died several times, but from his hospital bed he thanked those selfless heroes who responded and saved his life.

            Another incident: two little boys, approx 9 years of age, rescued a paralyzed and drowning victim who hit his head as he dove into a pool. He lost the use of his arms and legs as he sunk deeper to the bottom of the pool. The boys saw what happened and knew something wasn’t right. They dove into the water and struggled to lift this man who outweighed them. He was over 200 lbs., and they swam with him, pulling him to safety until medics could arrive. They, too, didn’t even hesitate to help save a life.

            This past week a young mother drove over 3 ½ hours from Indiana to Granite City, IL to kill her unborn baby. She was shocked to have to pay $245.00 in cash for an ultrasound inside the abortion mill. All they told her was that the baby was “messed up,” it would take three days to kill it, and over $2000.00 would be the fee. They would let her look at the screen as they covered it with a curtain. She was mortified and kept sobbing into the cell phone.

            Daniel and I kept taking turns to softly speak to her as she sat smoking and crying. “Honey, no matter what it is, there is nothing too big for the Lord to get you through. Trust in Him. We can help you for free.” When our words failed, we prayed out loud for the Lord to touch her heart. “She needs You, Lord. Let her know we care and how much You love her and that innocent baby.” Finally as we gave up and walked away to the front sidewalk, she stood up and started walking towards the mill entrance. Stan called over, “Would you like to see a picture of your baby on the ultrasound?” We looked up to hear her ask, “You can do that?” Stan replied, “I can’t but,” and he pointed to Angela, “she can.” That was when all three first responders kicked into action.

            We met her in the alley. Her shirt and face were wet from tears. “It’s going to be okay honey. I told you we would help you.” She wiped her eyes as we had to walk the block over to our ultrasound van due to the preventative baby saving parking between the abortion mill, the collaborating hospital, and city officials. “Kelly” came inside and we immediately went over preliminaries and scanned. She was apologizing for not listening to us earlier. BAM! There to her shock was a perfect approx 24 week old baby, presumably a girl, auditioning for her life on the screen. “Is it okay?” she asked. She then began confessing that she had been drinking a lot of alcohol and was worried. “Does it have everything?” she asked, and right on cue the baby held its tiny hand up for us to count all five fingers. “Oh my God, I can’t do it! I can’t go back in there!” she screamed. We calmed her down.

            At about that time, her girlfriend came inside the van and looked at the screen. “Is it okay?” she asked. “It appears so.” We measured and viewed different parts of the baby. She then asked if we could tell the sex. “Is it important?” we asked. “No, not really. I just want to make sure it’s okay.” Again, we reassured her and instructed her to follow-up with her physician. We checked all four chambers of the heart, counted the ribs, and viewed a closed spine. We even snapped a profile picture pointing out the tip of her nose. She listened to the heartbeats, approx 160 per minute. “They’re so fast,” she said. “Your heart would be racing too if you were a baby in the womb and realized where you were.” She finally smiled at us. “Thank you all so much. You are like angels,” Kelly said, and her friend chimed in. We handed her a baby bag full of baby gifts and a few outfits. “Now, you let me know what else you will need help with. Promise?” “Yes, of course.” And she hugged me tight before she got into the car headed back to Indiana. We watched them drive off.

            We never know if we will hear back and they follow-up with us, but two nights later after I got back in, a heartfelt message was on my machine. It was the f.o.b. He called and said, “Hello. I don’t know if you are the lady who did the ultrasound on my fiancé, but I wanted to thank you,” and he started crying. I could hear Kelly, the girl from Indiana, in the background. “I wanted to thank you for helping my Kelly and for saving my little girl. I really appreciated you being there for her. God bless you,” and he hung up. WOW! Praise the Lord!

            Thank You, Lord, for helping us to heed the call as Your chosen ones. Thank You for putting those in need across our paths, and for giving us the strength and the courage to forage on and rescue and save more lives. In Jesus’ name we pray.

            Heroes are not made. They’re born. For such a time as this. You don’t have to seek them out; they will find you. 1 Samuel 14:7 “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; I am with you.”

            Be encouraged ~Angela

“Go Get ‘Em Angela!”

Labor Day Parade 2011

September 5, 2011

Written by Angela Michael

            It felt more like autumn as we set up our signs and banners along the prestigious parade route. The heat-wave was broken; God blessed us with much appreciated fall-like weather. It was beautiful. As the crowds began trickling onto the route, it appeared numbers were down a little, but moms and f.o.b.’s soon filled the spaces. The parade hadn’t even begun yet, and one irate, foul-mouthed young woman crossed the street and began verbally attacking us for being there. I told everyone, “Just ignore her.” A lone policeman stood in the distance watching. I told her to go back across the street. She did eventually after spewing her filth. We hadn’t even unfurled our message yet. Oh boy!

            With a loud BOOM! the 31^st annual Granite City Labor Day parade began rolling down the street. The politicians and parade Grand Marshal came first, including Mayor Hagnauer who groaned as he came by. We no sooner took our strategic places, when one politician and his entourage came by us. From his car he yelled, “Go get ‘em Angela!” and flashed us a thumbs-up. I don’t need to mention names, but most of the politicians walked over to us, shook our hands, and told us they were with us. Some thanked us for standing this day. “You need to be here,” one said.

            Thank God for our children. The scripture Psalms 127 came to mind, and they were a great blessing to us this day. They know how important getting the message out in this public forum is. Our signs were not the problem. The problem was the truth of what this deplorable city houses and allows to happen to innocent children. We held banners, one stating: “Stop Abortion in Granite City,” and signs depicting what happens to babies inside Hope Clinic only two blocks over from us. I held Baby Malachi and a ho-made sign around my neck stating: “Granite City’s Shame.”

            The fire truck pulled in front of us trying to cover us up. Three jackbooted firemen folded their arms and used their broad bodies to block Angela. They began a tirade of cursing and telling us that their kids shouldn’t have to see this. Our son Hunter grabbed his big sign and came to his mother’s aid. He is over 6 feet tall and held the sign up over his head. “You can’t block the truth.” The firemen then surrounded Hunter, and one clenched his fist. They put their faces right in our son’s, and I yelled, “You put one hand on him and there will be a lawsuit.” They retreated and joined up with their group.  

            A steelworker woman yelled, “This is a children’s parade.” More pitiful looking floats came by. The children were told to turn their heads, but they could have cared less; the children were more interested in throwing candy or receiving it. It was the parents that were being convicted and spewing their hate, “F*** you’ all!”    

            The Granite City High band came by, and for once they didn’t attempt to block us because they knew our banners reached high over their trailer. One woman brought her children to view the graphic signs, telling them the truth of what the signs represented. These children didn’t seem to be terrified or negatively affected.

            “That’s bull***! This is supposed to be a parade,” said a float-rider as two young girls sat next to her more focused on throwing their candy rather than on the signs we held. The children around us concentrated with glee on collecting the pieces of candy scattered about them; on the other hand, their parents were the ones infuriated at the graphic truth of what Granite City allows. More foul language filled the air as the parade continued. “That’s f******* beautiful!” commented another angry laborer as children stood nearby.

            All of a sudden the Coors Light beer truck rolled by. One of our helpers questioned, “I thought this was a children’s parade?!” They were advertising alcohol in it. I looked over and replied, “Well, this is Granite City.” There wasn’t much in the procession this year except for a few photo-ops of steelworkers’ and spectators’ kids posing with a wooden rocking horse they assembled.

            As the parade drew to a close, a local Granitonian came by. He thanked us for standing and said that he was proud of what we do. Every year he encourages his congregation to join us, yet they shrink back. “I ask them to come down to the abortion clinic and stand, and they shrink some more.” He went on to tell us, “Just this week I saw a young girl at McDonalds that told me she was going to get an abortion, but she saw you guys out in front of the clinic. One of you talked to her, and she decided not to do it.” We rejoiced, gave God the glory, and ended in a closing prayer.

            I thank God for my quiver because we were not put to shame this day. The truth went forth; even the fire department could not drown it out. No matter the cost, we will continue to be faithful. We will not be quiet and passively exist while the slaughter of innocent children goes on just two blocks away. “What I have failed to do,” is why legalized abortion goes on. I commit to follow in the shadows of those who have gone before us overcoming injustice and oppression by their courage, sacrifice, and confrontation that it took to end slavery, segregation, and any holocaust. Through the Lord we have completed everything and then some that we have set out to do and set the bar a little higher.

            Psalm 127:3-5 “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.”

Scissors, Suction or Shotgun

                                                     
         This past week we listened to a shaken detective describe two children, a four year old little girl and a five year old little boy, murdered by a shot gun blast to each child’s head at the hands of their protector: their mother, Yokeia Smith, 25, of East St. Louis, IL. The only survivor was an eight year old boy who ran for his life. He described the crime scene as very graphic, and his officers “saw evil in that room and will never be the same.”    http://www.fox2now.com/news/ktvi-east-st-louis-two-kids-killed-yokeia-smith-
        The same crime scene can be drawn inside abortion mills, quite often referred to as “slaughterhouses,” where children are barbarically tortured and graphically dismembered. The detective went on to say, “These children died brutal, horrific deaths.” Don’t aborted babies die the same way? He ended by saying, “They died a terror-filled, frightened death and these officers bear a heavy burden for what they saw. I hope people don’t forget, because these officers will never forget the evil they saw.” Here we go again. Don’t abortion-bound babies feel the terror? Mind you, I don’t agree with child killing, but how can we continue to judge this mother and hold her accountable when our government has violated the Constitution by giving mothers the right to decide who gets to live and who gets to die? It’s crazy.
        We witness mothers doing the same thing with their family members and friends outside the abortion mill. “It’s her choice!” they scream at us. “We’re here as her support.” The same was said by Ms. Smith’s family members in front of television cameras. “We have to put our arms around Yokeia and her surviving child. We support Yokeia,” sounding as if the other two dead children didn’t matter anymore. Can we draw the parallel between abortion and child killing? It happens everyday inside abortion centers. When it comes right down to it, it’s just a matter of timing, and in Ms. Smith’s case it was just a later-term abortion, just like Casey Anthony. Anyway you view it, scissors, suction, or shotgun: two more innocent children are dead by those entrusted to their well-being and care. There is no respect for life inside the womb or outside the womb.
       When you sow bloodshed in the womb, you will reap it in the streets, and that is exactly what we are seeing with the increasing violence in our homes and in our streets. Are we going to connect the dots or stay in denial? When will our church leaders rise up and stand against what is evil and call it what it is? This is not the will of God. And our professing leaders bear the responsibility to say so and preach and act against this evil. It is the most important crisis that we face in our day. It’s not the economy or the environment; it is the value we place on human life.
       God showed us, His people, how He felt by shedding His own blood and giving His life for us. How can God bless a nation that continues to ignore the cries of over fifty million children and counting whose blood is being shed? We must confess that as our brothers' keepers we have failed, but we do not have to wallow in that failure. We must follow in the example of those brave souls who have gone before us to bring to an end any oppression and holocaust, and not worry about the loss of man’s praises or character assassinations. We must embrace courage and make sacrifices, and act on it, in order to restore full protection to the innocent child in the womb and out of the womb. Only then will the murders of innocent children end and respect for life return. It is an epic battle of good versus evil, and it is a battle that can be won.
        “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.” Matthew 25:45

Be encouraged ~Angela

Angela Michael Saves Another “Life”

( # 3867)

Psalms 139 13-14 “For You created my inmost being, You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

“Isn’t she lovely, isn’t she wonderful, isn’t she precious..

I can’t believe what God has done, through us He has given

Life to one, but isn’t she lovely made from love”… Stevie Wonder



        Being presented with her picture took my breath away and brought tears to our eyes. We took her first picture back in the cold winter when her young mother was deciding her fate, and this little one was auditioning for her life. She was approximately 22 weeks pregnant and we were able to bring her inside our ultrasound van. She was scared and timid. She felt she had no hope, but we showed her the love of Jesus, and the small youth group witnessing this day spiritually adopted this pregnant mother. We promised to walk with her through her pregnancy and the Lord would supply her needs and our ministry could provide the materials.

        I thank God she was open; she listened with her heart and decided to choose life for her innocent baby. Since then, her whole life has turned around with the love of Jesus and through wonderful caring people who came up alongside her in her time of need and continue to be supportive. Even the father of the baby is back in their lives and embracing his role as “daddy” to this little one. Now this is real hope.

         Humbly, we rejoice that her parents gave her that name considering had we not been outside this family extermination center in the City of Slaughter, things would have ended with a tragic outcome.                                                                                                    

“Thank you Lord for working in our lives to make a difference every day we show up on that sidewalk. We know through our ministry that You are touching hearts, rescuing babies, and saving lives. Understandably, we may never know the epic proportions Your own arm of salvation or through our skilled hands, our compassionate words babies have been saved, but You do Lord and we are humbled at the thought of one day being able to meet those little cherub faces that we fought and sacrificed for, by being their voice. Thank You for this little victory and know that in God’s eyes they are huge victories with each one saved.” Amen

        ~Angela