BUSES FOR LIFE IN SACRAMENTO - 1/22/04 Sacramento- Two bus loads of pro-life constituents from southern California arrived in Sacramento early on Thursday, January 22nd after a night on the road, ready for a full day of lobbying, rallying, and marching for life. To the delight of bus trip organizers, a large number of travelers were of teen age and a few even younger. The message they took to their 11 Senators and 12 Assembly Members was straight forward: 

• to improve family life in our district, don't use our tax money to kill babies

•  don't use our tax money to increase breast cancer from legal abortions

•  and protect our children from child predators by requiring abortion-providers to report child abuse. 

Among the many hi-lights of the day was watching the debate on ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION (AJR) 57 from the Assembly gallery. This terribly misguided resolution "celebrated" 31 years of legalized abortion. Pro-life legislators eloquently and passionately challenged proponents of (AJR) 57 to show cause for any celebration in view of the devastation that Roe v. Wade has caused in America. Pro-aborts back-peddled, saying no one really wanted abortion but they were celebrating a woman's right to choose. Go figure. Incredibly, ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION (AJR) 57 passed by an almost unanimous Democrat vote with only Republicans Lynn Daucher and Keith Richman defecting to pro-death side. Observers will long remember how their legislators voted on this resolution and are bringing that message back to their districts. A terrible resolution, but an extremely effective means of separating the sheep from the goats. 

Amidst their lobbying, our Life Bus riders attended two excellent rallies for life on the Capitol steps, a March for Life around the Capitol building, excellent workshops, and church services mourning the 1973 Supreme Court decision. 

Greg Cunningham of the Center for BioEthical Reform, said to pray for this generation of youth to enter full-time Pro-Life work because the urgency of need is GREAT. Nothing short of this will come close to matching the efforts of the "enemy." 

A tired but elated group returned to Los Angeles and Orange County before mid-night, a long day not to be forgotten. To sum it up in the words of one rider, "It was awesome!"

Commentary on Buses to Sacramento "A great day. I benefited by this day by learning or gaining new ideas." Robert Keefer, Palos Verdes "I thank God for this opportunity. It created memories for my son and me. We look forward to returning again. I will make a consistent effort to keep track of, speak and write my legislators." Zonya Townsend, Fullerton "It was great how we were able to help people who saw us, who might have been thinking about getting an abortion, or knew someone who was. Hopefully it helped them change their mind. It was also a wonderful opportunity to spread the pro-life message in the midst of a liberal, pro-abortion dominated media." Ryan Maxwell, Costa Mesa - a teen "It really touched my heart to hear the 67 year old German woman tell how her husband forced her to have an abortion against her will and how she suffered for forty years dealing with the pain and suffering she went through knowing she killed her baby. It took a lot of courage to pour her heart out and talk about something so personal, but through her tribulations God is now using her to touch other peoples' lives, so they won't make the same mistake." Daniel Rye, "It was a great day and a great trip. I really appreciated the spiritual part, Mass, Adoration and Rosary, processing around the Capitol. I hope to go next year if I'm still here." Mary Ann Reis, Torrance "Despite our lack of sleep and the long bus ride, the trip was definitely worth taking. We fought for something we all cherish - life! Praise the Lord for creation!" Amy R. Moore "The Pro-abortion people are nervous, so I know that we made an impact today." Hunter Nelson, Garden Grove "Pray for a man named Bill and his daughter, Virginia. He is very lost and searching desperately for the truth. A group of us (5 to be exact) talked to him for about 45 min. ranging from the subjects of abortion, creation, war in Iraq, and the concept of God. We are hoping and praying that a seed was planted in his heart."Sarah Dorsey, Krista Sagan, Colleen Dougher, Meg Dougher, and May Moore - all teenagers "What an amazing blessing to spend time with so many Christian young people who love the Lord and have the commitment to take a stand for the unborn. Their energy, joy in the Lord and courage was uplifting. The Lord has began a good work in the lives of these young people and I know he is faithful to complete it. God bless." Ginny and Louis Sulya "I heard an ex-abortionist speak at the CPLC breakfast! He gave his testimony that a pro-lifer chose him to be her doctor. Every time she came in she told him she was praying for him to quit doing abortions. Eventually she (or God) got through to him and after 8 years he not only quit doing abortions, but he became a Christian!" Judy DeVries, Ontario "This has been one of the most inspiring things I've done in my lifetime." Raquel Guevara, "I really liked today, I did something good and met nice people." Francisca Guerara, Wilmington "Today gave me a chance to stand up and profess my belief that we need a pro-life America, one where we don't end the most innocent of all lives. I'm inspired to be more in contact with my state's legislature." Naomi Freeman, "My name is Mary Lou Madrid. I came up for the first time with my daughter and two granddaughters. Being at the Capitol with my family was awesome. I definitely believe in pro-life but was made more aware of the possibility of change. I am overwhelmed with all that went on. I will definitely mediate on it and talk to Jesus about it. I am so glad my granddaughters were a part of this." Grandchild, "The funest part on this trip was on this bus with you." Joanna Luttrell, "One of the greatest days of my 70 years!" Calvary Chapel, Downey Frank Madrid, Hispanics for Life, "I was blessed to see children and teens embrace the pro-life movement. I am so glad I was able to go to Sacramento to stand up for all of the unborn babies and to speak out for those with no voice." Julie Mirabal, The Way Out Ministries, Hawaiian Gardens, "There are no words to explain how wonderful it feels to be in a large group of people with the same values, ethics, goals, beliefs and dreams." Laura Gomez, "Everything that was going on today was amazing! From the rally to the testimonies to the meetings with the legislative staffers. The vibe in the crowd today was amazing!" Veronica Gomez, "God blessed us with a wonderful experience, plus motivated us to become pro-active. Elections are coming and we will NOW make a difference." Pat Flores, "I was sincerely blessed with the fellowship on the bus." Lee Nguyen, "Extremely interesting and meaningful to meet with my legislator, Ricky Maneval. We were blessed with the opportunity to share with our Assemblyperson and speak for the unborn baby." Anna Montero and Dolores Garcia, "My first time! I am excited to return next year! I was blessed to see the passion the teens had to speak for the unborn. It has ignited me to see what God wants me to do." Natalie and Teri Quiroz, "I want to urge more to go next year. I loved it, very eye opening, very informative, plus very touching testimonies." Felicia Knoth, "God is looking at his babies and sees all." Lupe Vasquez, "I liked the worship." Edwin Zavola, "Very educational. I want to come back next year with my teenage daughter with spina bifida." Diane and Jamie Boyd, Gabby Catzior and Jerry Sanchez, Lakewood, "It was the first time to go to a rally like that. Learned a lot. I learned to better debate and engage people in this very volatile issue. I got my feet wet going to our elected representatives' offices and registering my opinion." Carlos F. Romero, "It was a wonderful experience to serve God this way." Sandra Saucedo, Pico Rivera, "I want to help young girls know the truth about abortion." Vanessa Velasco, "A special thanks to the two principals, Teryl Bruce, Way Out Ministries, Hawaiian Gardens and Tim Hearron, Calvary Chapel, Downey and to Len Beckman, the youth leader, who brought the largest group of teens!