Thank you everyone for replying to the last post regarding the March for Life.  Our trip is now full and almost ready to go!  UWF Students for Life asks that all please keep this March for Life trip in your prayers and thoughts – this is going to be a huge accomplishment for UWF and for our group.

We have THREE TIMES the number of trip participants as we did last year!  Our group is growing in strength, number, and knowledge!  We will keep you posted on the trip – please do spread the word about this event – there will be HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of pro-lifers marching to the Supreme Court in Washington D.C. January 24th 2011.

GREAT NEWS!

Abby Johnson, a pro-life convert who used to be the director of Planned Parenthood last year has finally been able to reveal the secrets of what Planned Parenthood is really like behind closed doors.  If you are looking for an eye-opening read on the abortion business from someone who knows personally – this is a must-have.

Abby Johnson video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwHQWhAr9lc&NR=1

This week, we have some exciting things going for our group!

FIRST….

Thursday, 8:30-9:45AM, we will have our weekly planning meeting.  Get to know leading members of the group and help us plan awesome, life-changing events!

SECOND…

Thursday, from 12-2PM, we will be featured at the Alpha Center Open House!  This is our way of showing the rest of the community that college students care about life issues.  You are invited to this event so you can see the place where your friends can receive pregnancy help as well as meet new people who just like you care about life issues!

THIRD…

Sunday, 9:30AM-3PM, we are carpooling to the Claire’s Hope abortion museum in Mobile.  We will join up with the new and hip FL Teens for Life group to see what an abortion clinic looks like on the inside.

FOURTH…

Sunday, 7-8:30PM, 40 Days for Life is having it’s bi-annual kick-off party.   This will be at the St Anne Parish Family Life Center and will include music and fun!  Click here for more details.

IMPORTANT:

• Please email us by tomorrow if you will be attending the Alpha Center Open House.
• Please email us by Friday if you can attend the Claire’s Hope trip.  We will be meeting by the water tower (gym parking lot) at 9:30AM to decide on carpooling arrangements and then leave from there.  Also, you will need to bring your own lunch or money for fast food.

Belated Christmas wishes in February

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break!  Yes, I do say “Christmas break” rather than “winter break” because that is the reason for the break; the reason why we have always had our school semesters designed to break around the month of December.  During this time, we acknowledge if not praise the powerful and historical story of a baby born of one simple young woman.  A woman who encountered very difficult circumstances, but at the same time trusted in God’s providence … and then gave birth to a King who would redeem all mankind.  This is the hope we bear as pro-life students: that each human life has infinite worth and potential!  Regardless of your faith background, I hope at least this hope-filled recount touched your heart during a wonderful several weeks off from school!

March for Life wrap-up

Following our break, UWF Students for Life made its first-ever trip to Washington D.C. to get a taste of the super large pro-life march.  This year, we had an estimated 400,000!!!  90% being young people – abortion holocaust SURVIVORS – taking a stand against the unjust ruling of Roe v. Wade and the other degrading rulings that mark our history!

We saw great numbers of college students, such as the group from Notre Dame numbering in the HUNDREDS.  We saw highschoolers, middleschoolers, kids, toddlers, babies, young parents, and even a couple older parents…  If anyone tells you that the March for Life is for senior citizens, they have not set foot NEAR the March for Life!

To find out more about our experience, come to our first UWF Students for Life meeting this February 24th (Wednesday) from 7PM-9PM in the Commons Room 225.

Also, don’t forget to check out our pictures from the March on our website!  We will definitely be going up to the March for Life next year, and with many more people.  Start saving up now and thinking about who else might like to go, and I will do my part to keep you posted about trip planning.

Upcoming Events:

1. 40 Days for Life (February 17th-March 28)
2. First meeting: February 24th, Wednesday 7-9PM Commons Rm 272
3. Panhandle Run for Life opportunity March 27th
4. Tentative Movie night: “Bella” 2nd week of April

More details to come….

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Valentines Day, etc…

Bernadette Ensley

Those who would like to go to the March for Life with the UWF Students for Life group will be carpooling together in a caravan.

We will begin our drive up to the Capitol Thursday morning at 6AM and arrive in Arlington, Virginia around 9:30PM.  The driving will be shared so that no one gets drowsy and we will stop to stretch our legs from time to time.  We will get lots of restful sleep Thursday night at our hotel and wake up refreshed to march the 6 hour-long March for Life, which begins at the mall and ends at the White House.

There will be speakers at the White House and people from all over the world marching alongside us!  We will hear accounts from women and men who have suffered the agony of abortion, leaders speaking out against abortion, and maybe even the account of some people who have survived abortion.

Saturday, we will have time for sight-seeing and relaxation before our trip back home on Sunday.

$$$: The cost of the trip per person depends on the type of car they travel in and the number of people sharing a room.  The cost of round-trip carpool transportation will be anywhere from 45-70 dollars.  The cost of lodging will be around 20-30 dollars a night per person, with four people to a room.

RSVP: If you would like to come, you must email me by January 10th to come on the trip.  Please respond as soon as possible!

I did not receive enough confirmed travelers for the March for Life bus trip to off-set the overall cost of our reserved charter bus.  I got 26 total confirmations and 23 uncertain responses (maybe’s).  I was hoping the “maybe’s” would opt to come at the last minute- but this did not happen by the due date (December 29th).  We could have made the trip with at least 45 travelers confirmed- but having only 26 would make the bus trip cost 245 dollars per person.

Pro-lifers wanting to go to the March for Life- Don’t Lose Hope!!!  My alternative plan for the March for Life trip is to carpool up the Washington D.C..  For those who need rides, please email me.  For those who have a car and would like to help drive, please email me as well.  This way, I can network drivers and riders.

In addition, I have contacted a coordinator from a nearby pro-life group who will be taking a private charter bus to the March for Life.  If there is room for other passengers, I will send out an email.  In addition, if this group has too many people wanting to go to the March for Life- perhaps enough to fill our bus to at least 45 travelers- I will also send out an email.  Currently, the pro-lifer-friendly bus company: GulfCoast Tours has allowed us some lee-way time to cancel, so I will send out another update this week with the final plan- the plan with the greatest benefit for those trying to go to the March for Life.

In addition, you can be certain that I will be coordinating another bus trip to the March for Life next January! So come Springtime… start saving up your allowance  With many months of preparation time, I wouldn’t be surprised if we could get two bus loads up to the March for Life next year!

Lastly, if anyone cannot attend the March for Life but would like to support another traveler to be able to represent them- please email us.  We have several students at UWF who only have enough funds to survive during the semester but who would truly benefit from this opportunity!

Thanks and I wish you all a very blessed new year!

Bernadette Ensley

That’s right!  UWF Students for Life has reserved a charter bus for the trip!

Now, all we need is people to fill the bus!

The bus has room for 55 people.  Will you take up the opportunity to participate in this historical protest; to physically show your utmost support for the dignity of human life?  Most – if not all – of you are SURVIVORS of the abortion holocaust, which began after the unconstitutional Roe v. Wade ruling which legalized the prejudiced killing of human beings living in their mother’s womb.  Now you have the chance to stand up for your peers who were killed, the friends you should have had, the people who should have been allowed to live.

Many of you are deciding what you want to do with your college experience… or maybe experiencing for the first time what it means to make decisions for yourself now.  Why not do something truly amazing – something that will both change your life and change the lives of others.  Be a hero and stand up for life with us in Washington D.C.

Ways to get there:

• Ask for money for this trip for Christmas – little amounts here and there add up!
• Send a hand-written letter to your church of worship or to an organization you are a part of to see if they would consider donating some money to help you to support human life.
• Offer to do chores for people you know – or who your parents know – and ask for a donation toward your trip (during the holidays, many people could use an extra hand around the house, yard, or with babysitting).
• Put on a bake sale by yourself or with a friend.  Your sincere efforts to raise money for a good cause will be evident and people will want to donate.
• Be creative! Email me your ideas

We are doing all we can to get the word out about this amazing trip, but we certainly cannot do it without your help.  If you can come, email me as soon as possible, or at least before December 28th.  If you cannot come, tell friends and family about it.  This trip is open to all pro-lifers who are in good physical shape to walk the 6 hour long march to the White House.

Pictures of the 2008 model bus we will be taking:

You can check out Gulf Coast Tours website here.

More information about the trip to come…

Blessings!

Bernadette Ensley