John,

When 40 Days for Life volunteers in Arizona bring an umbrella to the vigil, it's usually to shield themselves from the sun.

But when 40 Days for Life Outreach Director Sue Thayer visited kickoff events across the state, vigil participants brought umbrellas for a very different reason: torrential downpours and flash flooding--in Phoenix!

"We got the worst of the rain that day!" said Nancy, the Phoenix campaign leader. "But brave souls came out. I really put everything in God’s hands and said, 'God knows what He is doing!'”

Whether it's a deluge in the desert or the snow, ice, and freezing temperatures of winter, inclement weather can be a blessing in disguise.

Your willingness to stand and pray in the elements is a powerful sign to your community and to abortion-bound moms. That's why more lives are saved at 40 Days for Life vigils when the weather is bad.

Warm, sunny weather has returned to Phoenix. But much of the rest of the 40 Days for Life world is still dealing with difficult conditions.

Bundle up, out there!

Munich, Germany

Prayer warriors in Munich battled the cold, layering on parkas, scarves, and hats.

"It's very cold in Munich," wrote Sanela. "But we don't give up."

Not only is her team persevering; it's growing!

"We've got new people praying," Sanela continued. "A new campaign has started very well."

Lansing, Michigan

Lansing opened the "spring" vigil with a snowstorm. But that didn't stop families and groups of friends from hitting the sidewalks to pray for an end to abortion.

"Carol, Veronica and Laura are not afraid of the cold," wrote the Lansing team.

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

— Luke 1:30-33

Heavenly Father, you have made the womb of each woman a very special place. Help us to hold fast to the sanctity of this first home of humanity, remembering the wonderful mystery, that God inhabited the womb of a young woman and came forth as the savior and deliverer of the world.

See today's full devotional

Shawn Carney
President/CEO, 40 Days for Life