~ Forty days transformed Moses on Mount Sinai. The city of Nineveh repented when God gave its citizens 40 days to remain faithful. Christ was empowered by 40 days in the desert.

By Diane Hochever
It took years of dedication and peaceful protests, but when the Planned Parenthood clinic in Trinidad shut down in September of 2010, the pro-life people in Trinidad gave the glory to God. So, it comes as no surprise that during this past Lent, those pro-lifers would commit to a “40 Days for Life” campaign to pray for an end to all abortions, to give public witness to the sanctity of human life, and to encourage others and strengthen themselves in the fight to protect the pre-born. After all, what’s 40 days when they have been steadfast for years?

About 50 individuals participated in the campaign that began on Ash Wednesday and concluded on Palm Sunday. For at least two hours a day, in front of Heart of Trinidad Fellowship on Main Street, an average of six people would pray and hold posters that proclaimed the value of human life. “All of our posters had positive messages,” said Roger Brunelli, one of the coordinators of the campaign. “Abortion is an evil thing,” he said, “but we wanted to bring awareness to our community that life is important – the babies and the mothers are gifts from God.”

Some posters also promoted Hope Pregnancy Center, which is a pro-life resource for the people of Las Animas and surrounding counties. Jo Ann Valdez has been the director of Hope for 19 years, a mission she knows that the Lord has given her. “40 Days was a huge thing for us,” she said. “We had this awesome opportunity to make a stand for life in our community and the support we received was fantastic. It truly lifted me up.”

According to Brunelli, the most common response from those driving or walking by was positive. “We also got negative responses, but maybe someday those people will turn to Christ. And you never know, perhaps a young woman was influenced by our presence and in the future she will turn away from abortion.”

Both Brunelli and Valdez want other communities in southern Colorado to organize their own 40 Days campaigns. They believe that good things can happen if pro-life people will unite for 40 days of prayer, fasting and outreach to end abortion.