The folks of Appalachian State University always have a broad spectrum of responses when they see GAP. Here are just a couple from our most recent visit.

No time for truth.  “I won’t accept anything from your 7-year-old embryology book,” yelled one pro-abort, as if human development has changed during the past seven years.   We told her to go to the library and find a recent version to compare it to.  Her response?  “I’m not doing your job for you!  I don’t have time for that!”  After yelling at us for five hours straight, you’d think she would take some time to get her facts straight.

Some just get it.  During handheld GAP on a busy highway in Boone, NC, one man saw our sign about past genocides.  “I was in Rwanda when it happened.  The river was red with the blood from all the bodies that filled it,” he said.  “I was there to help feed people while they hacked each other to pieces with two-dollar machetes from China.”  Needless to say, we didn’t have to explain the signs to him.  He understood genocide.

Just over the state line from ETSU is Appalachian State University.  Many children live today because of our numerous visits to App State over the years. Here are some interactions from our most recent visit.

Gore meets GAP.  Not surprisingly, we were met with more pushback than praise.  Pro-aborts continually yelled obscenities at our team.  A group of them held signs with absurd statements such as “I like my government like I like my coffee—not in my vagina.”  One held a sign that said, “I eat dead babies.”  Sick.

When profanity is your only argument.  While some pro-abort protestors got creative with their signs, most had common pro-abortion slogans.  One said,  “F*** YOU.”  Hmm.  That’s an argument we never considered. We’ll have to go reconsider our entire worldview. 

Here is the last in our series on our recent visit to East Tennessee State University. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. We hope that you have also enjoyed hearing our stories. You can read the first two installments here and here.

Older and wiser. One student observed that the pro-abortion students protesting were “all so young,” but that CBR staff were older and “older people have wisdom.” This appearance of maturity, along with the abortion images themselves, caused several students to break away from the mob and seek dialogue. If being called “old” means we can better expose abortion, then we’ll take it!

More proof that abortion hurts women. A Nigerian mother of three said, “It’s hard to look at the pictures. These kids are selfish. They do not understand.” She told us about when she became pregnant and her father forced her to abort. “I know I am forgiven by God, but I have never forgotten,” she said, “It is a great sadness.”

Oxymoron. The teaching of Jesus is one Truth, but the doctrines of demons are many, diverse, confusing, and self-contradictory. (1 Timothy 4:1)

One male yelled “I agree with you! We shouldn’t have a choice! We should abort all the babies!” We asked what good that would do. “I don’t know,” he responded, “I’ll leave that problem to the next generation.”

Lemme get this straight. The next generation, the one we kill, can tell us why it’s good they are dead. Riiiiiight.

The prodigal granddaughter returns. One student expressed her supposed hatred for the Church and self-identified as a “positive-outlook nihilist.” After a long conversation, she admitted she missed her Christian grandparents. They hadn’t talked recently because of her non-Christian lifestyle. Jane encouraged her to read the Bible to find Christ, and to give her grandma a call. Two hours later, the student returned to happily report the hour-long conversation she had just had with her grandma. Miracle of miracles, she even asked her grandmother to take her to church.

Stay tuned for our last reflections on ETSU next week.

The amazing Turning Point USA student group sponsored us at ETSU and they gave us so much hope for the future!

A campus divided. We were blessed to have a large contingent of fearless helpers. However, evil was also present in full force as students screamed falsehoods and accusations. Instead of responding to their absurdity outright, a family of GAP volunteers began singing worship music. Of course, that only made the mob angrier.

Safety hazards. One hateful student told volunteer Patty that he wished we would all die that night. As you might imagine, pro-life students felt threatened by this. One wrote us a note saying she wanted to speak with us but was afraid for her own safety

Twenty going on two. Some pro-aborts threw tantrums. They stomped up to the barricades, clenching their fists, screaming at the top of their lungs, “Get off our campus!” Again and again. Sometimes those terrible twos turn into terrible twenties!

Understanding pro-aborts. Still, God does work in the hearts of men. Some of the students broke away from the mob and found themselves in conversation with us. “En masse, they scream. In groups of two or three, they listen thoughtfully,” noted one volunteer.

Stay tuned for more from ETSU next week.

When a couple approached volunteer Tony at Cleveland State University this spring, he had no idea the amazing thing that was about to happen. 

They stopped in front of the Genocide Awareness Project and said to Tony, “We have an abortion appointment scheduled. What can you say to change our minds?”

Tony responded “If these pictures don’t change your minds, what about the realization that you will be the parents of a dead child that you paid to have killed? Can you live with that truth for the rest of your life?”

The couple were quiet as they contemplated the pictures in front of them and Tony’s bold words. After a little while, they left saying that they would not abort their child. 

Praise Jesus for this young family spared!

It was lively in Chapel Hill, as always!

Failure of Christian leadership. “They don’t show you this,” she said. “They say it’s just a clump of cells! They’re lying! That’s a baby! This is really hard to look at.  It makes me angry.” Lilly is a Christian student, but had never seen abortion before. Her complaint was against professors who lied to her, but maybe she should confront church leaders who also hid the truth from her.

Powerful arguments? For more than two decades, we’ve asked pro-aborts to justify decapitating and dismembering little human beings. They can’t, but they gave it their best shot. Their signs and chants were not convincing:

•  Whose campus?  Our campus!

•  Go home!

•  My body, my choice!

•  If you don’t want an abortion, don’t have one!

•  You’ve taken away our right to be safe!

As they packed to leave, one of them, referring to us, remarked to another, “They really don’t have an argument.” Riiiiiiight.

Counterproductive. Tripp laughed. “This is awesome!” he said, pointing to the pro-aborts protesting GAP. “They think they’re hiding the message, but they’re just drawing more attention to it!” He was right. And we love it when a plan comes together.

Quiet support. Many students support our work, but fear reprisals. Jane told one of them, “Take this brochure and, under cover of darkness, give it to someone who is on the fence.” He took it.

Death wish. Please pray for these dear children who tell us they are so miserable that they wish they had never been born. We hear that often. We try to share the Gospel; some listen and some do not.

Thank you! Kathy said, “Thank you. This makes me so sad,” as tears came to her eyes. We thank you, our financial partners, for sending us to Kathy and others at UNC, because we can’t go unless you send us.

We believe that God always makes special appointments for specific people to see the photos and respond accordingly, so we pray that no obstacles would prevent these appointments from being kept. Here are just a few examples from our most recent visit to Columbus State University in Georgia:

No such thing as unplanned.  “Rachel” was adopted from Ukraine as a teenager and is a Christian.  CBR staffer Jane Bullington challenged her belief that abortion could be okay in some circumstances. “Because God is God, and He knows, and He is in every situation, there are no unplanned pregnancies in His mind.  He will help.” Rachel walked away pondering these truths.

Calling all overcomers. “Cathy” grew up amidst poverty and abuse, which she is overcoming. She was glad to learn that there are resources for women in need and she took our resource cards to copy and distribute, so that students would know about pregnancy resource centers and adoption agencies near campus.

They say she should be dead.  “Eva” told us that she had been conceived in rape, so it hurts her when people say a child conceived in rape should be aborted.  How could it not?

Kennesaw State University students are always ready for a discussion. We had huge talkative crowds on both days of GAP.
The choice to kill. One student was adamant, “The mother should get to choose whether to kill her child.” He admitted abortion kills a “child.” Volunteer Brad asked if she should be able to choose whether to kill her toddler. He responded, shocking everyone, “The mother should get to choose whether to kill her one-year old!”
Brad escalated, “What if the child is 20 years old and this tall?” as he raised his hand to the student’s height. He walked away, muttering to himself.
Emboldening and Equipping. GAP often attracts pro-life students who want to be a witness. Stephen stood with us for hours talking with his classmates. Armed with undeniable truth, he was formidable. By the end of the day, he was a pro!
A history major encouraged us, “I speak up in philosophy class against abortion and the class gets quiet…But I’m not as bold as you guys are.”
A freshman said, “These pictures make me more informed.”
Many others thanked us. Some helped us. These pro-life students feel so isolated and overwhelmed by the non-stop woke evil around them. Seeing GAP on campus is a welcome change of pace.
Who are the extremists?  The Cobb County Courier called us “extremists” who make “false use of images.”  CBR-SE Director Fletcher Armstrong responded, “You called us ‘extremist.’  Maybe you’re right, but you will have to explain why it’s OK to decapitate and dismember a little human being, but ‘extreme’ to show a picture of it.”  To read Fletcher’s Letter to the Editor in full, click here.

CBR Staffer Mik’aela Raymond explains that just because an act is government sanctioned, doesn’t mean it is right.

We had not been to the University of Georgia in many years, and our return last fall did not disappoint. Students and faculty showed up with visceral reactions, shouting the usually obscenity or ad-hominem attack. However, several students came back with calmer, even remorseful, spirits.   It was in these pockets of humility that we found opportunities to share truth.

Google is on our side. “Fetuses are not human,” one woman emphatically claimed. CBR Staffer Mik’aela Raymond responded, “If these organisms aren’t human what species are they?”  “We’re not talking about organisms, they are just one cell,” the woman explained.  She attempted to use Google to prove her point.  Fortunately, our scientific sources check out with “Google science”.  She was confused upon reading the results of her search — a human being is a living organism from it’s most humble single-celled beginning.

180 degree, “About-Face!” A young man returned to our display to re-visit a conversation with Mik’aela.  “I was rather incendiary yesterday; that was wrong. I shouldn’t have acted that way and I am sorry.” He went on to admit, “I have a different view now than an hour ago.”

Actions speak louder than words. “Get off our campus; we don’t %^$&*n want you here.” A woman was visibly upset during her first visit to our display.  The next day, she returned and hung around the display all day long — listening to various conversations, staying silent. When asked if her mind had changed at all she said “No”,  but her radically shifted countenance spoke much louder than her words.

The truth is solid! A group of five men huddled around CBR volunteer Marie. One piped up to ask, “How do you justify comparing abortion to genocide?” Marie explained, “When we fail to recognize the humanity of an entire group of people it enables us to justify all kinds of violence against them.” The group fell silent, then one said “Solid!”  He left.  The second said “Solid!” and left.  The third said “Solid!” and left.  The last two stayed for a continued dialogue.  It was like a scene out of a movie!

Much has changed in our world this past month, but three things have not changed:

1. Abortion providers are still killing children, and the death toll far surpasses that of the COVID-19 threat.
2. CBR is still working for the helpless.  As long as babies are dying, our work to make abortion unthinkable goes on.
3. God is still in control.  We don’t need to panic; we can choose to trust in and follow Him.

As each of us is bombarded with pandemic news and opinion, please do not forget the less visible (but just as real) plight of abortion victims.  Continue to be a witness and a light in the darkness, knowing that “as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Although we can’t take abortion images to large crowds on college campuses (for the time being), there is still much important work we can do.  Please be in prayer for the following needs:

1. Summer Intern Program.  We are already training our 5 new interns to raise their own support for the summer. Please pray specifically for Maggie, Heidi, Annie, Brittany and Merissa.  Upon arrival in May, their schedules are packed with intensive training, displays at Christian events, urban GAP, and other forms of street activism.
2. Pro-Life Leadership Youth Camp.  We are collaborating with other pro-life ministries to plan a one-week day camp for middle and high-school students.  Our vision is to empower each student to “stand strong against the storm.” (Matthew 7:24-25)  Learn more at www.vimeo.com/282887769 (3.5 minutes).
3. All Black Lives Matter at the African American History Museum.  We are working the phones to recruit staff and volunteers and to partner with churches in the DC area.  When the Museum reopens, we will be ready!
4. Fall GAP planning.  We are seeking pro-life students to invite us to bring GAP to major universities in Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee.

There’s even more.  We are also recruiting new staff/interns, performing much-needed maintenance on our RCC truck and DOT compliance program, updating our computer databases and systems, and revising our project handouts, to name just a few!  Plus, we’ll soon take our interns back out to the streets with our huge hand-held signs (Lord willing).

In addition to prayer, please continue to support our work financially, as you are able.  Many of our staff are still only partially funded, and they need your help to stay in the fight.  The universities are closed, but the bills keep on coming!

We thank God for you, and we are praying for your health and peace during this time of uncertainty.  Please let us know how we can pray for you, and feel free to send our staff any notes of encouragement.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:38-39

Your friend for Life,
Fletcher

P.S. God said, “And I sought for a man among them, that should … stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” (Ezekiel 22:30)  Will you keep standing in the GAP with me?  Please click here to help end abortion.

Hundreds of students are shown the reality of “Choice” in between classes.

Once again, our recent visit to Chapel Hill exposed many a “tolerant” college student to be less supportive of the free speech, and more “if I don’t like what you have to say, I have the right to yell, hit, and destroy.”

Even though many students were angry, they ended up attracting even more students to the display. These calmer students quietly observed the pictures and began wondering if abortion is as clear-cut at they thought.

Dead child, better parent? “I aborted my child with Down Syndrome because of the life it would have had. I think my husband and I are better parents because of the abortion.” This woman told CBR staffer Joshua Lindsey that her profession, ironically, involves working with people with special needs.

Abortion hurts men, too. A mild-mannered man wanted to know if there are truly any women who want a strong man in their life. “On this campus, women don’t seem to want a man to speak anything into their lives.” This gentleman raised an interesting, yet sad point – with abortion, fatherhood is sometimes taken from a man who is willing to be there for his family.

A path toward healing. Two women approached the Free Speech Board, one crying and one comforting. The first was post-abortive and needed a hug, the love of Jesus, and post-abortion materials. They received all three, and left, late for class. Praise God the truth of GAP was an impetus toward healing for this young woman.

Thank God her mom didn’t think the same way. A young woman boldly proclaimed, “I would be more concerned about pushing an 8 pound baby out of my body, breaking bones and stretching skin than anything else.”

Students flocked to GAP in between classes. Many had never seen what it is that abortion does to a baby.

Fall 2019 was full to the brim with eventful campus visits…to say the least. We hosted the Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in October, where the student body came out in swarms to see our display.

Check out press coverage of our visit:

•  Anti-abortion exhibit spurs counter-protests from campus activists
•  Maya Little arrested Monday after group protesting abortion came to campus
•  Doctoral student Maya Little arrested by UNC Police

CBR Staffer Joanna Kielson and a volunteer answer a young man’s questions about abortion and rape.

At East Carolina University (ECU), students flocked to our Genocide Awareness Project (GAP). Some had unfounded claims, others brought quirky questions, and still more came with minds eager to learn. Here is a snapshot of the weird and wonderful!

Can a tomato really think? “If you are pro-life, you need to be a vegan.” There it was again — the well-worn argument posed to catch a pro-lifer off guard. CBR staffer Joshua Lindsey quickly challenged the young man’s statement, “Sure, you are still (technically) killing even when you eat veggies, but we all take it for granted that veggies can’t think.” Joshua stood in disbelief as he heard the young man’s reply, “Actually tomatoes can think. There is a book that says tomatoes can think.”

Knowledge is power. CBR volunteer Tony spoke briefly with Justin, a freshman. Justin admitted, “Abortion is crazy. I was pro-choice, but now being informed about it, I’m having different ideas of if it should be legal (or not).” No wonder the other side works so hard to cover up abortion; they know that once people see for themselves, the lies that justify abortion begin to crumble.

Who wants to cancel Halloween? A group of students approached the display and immediately proclaimed their feelings: “Your pictures are traumatizing and make us feel unsafe. They cause PTSD.” Quick to point out a double-standard,  Joshua mentioned that there was a bloody hand picture in the student center advertising a movie for Halloween. He said, “That doesn’t upset you because it isn’t real. Abortion is real. If I asked for Halloween to be canceled (because some find it offensive), you would laugh me out of the room.” The student reported: “You WILL NOT cancel Halloween.”

The healthcare deception. A male nursing student was appalled. “I was trained to believe abortion was a good thing; that it was simply the removal of a clump of cells. I have been mis-taught and deceived.”

God is faithful to provide. Tommy encouraged us, “Yeah, these are big pictures, and you are doing a great work.”

A student protests GAP at ECU.

In October 2019, CBR headed to Greenville, North Carolina for a return visit to East Carolina University. We captured the attention of the campus for the two days with our Genocide Awareness Project.

Check out the press coverage of our visit:

•  Anti-abortion display should have been reconsidered
• Group calls abortion ‘genocide’ at ECU