Romans 2:6 “God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” 

Small Victories ministry prayed for favor this day as we headed out to deliver God’s mail to the celebrants of Labor Day in Granite City , IL . This holiday signifies the end of summer and we honor and remember the backbone of the working force. We had no idea what the Lord had in store for us, but He did and sufficed all our needs.

As Hurricane Gustav was coming ashore in Louisiana , we were experiencing our own tornadic activity at this parade. It’s always fun going into the enemy’s camp. But this day was much more like a hornet’s nest, only we the remnant were doing the stinging in love.

Once again we were strategically placed in the VIP section and were joined by some new proclaimers. There were no local Granitonians in our midst. But that’s how it goes. We staggered our signs as the parade rolled. The Grand Marshal came by. He smiled and waved as we greeted him. Minutes before the parade started we were informed a staunch pro-abortion U.S. senator would be in the parade. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin was confronted by gentle Christians at the City of Slaughter ’s annual Labor Day Parade. Senator Durbin was quite upset when confronted with the truth of abortion and what he stands for. Recently, House Speaker and rabidly pro-abortion Nancy Pelosi tried to twist the Catholic teachings and proclaim to the nation it’s okay to be Catholic and kill babies. Heresy!   

            He looked right at the sign Savanah was holding depicting a gloved hand holding the dead body of a baby that was killed by a partial-birth abortion, which this senator gave his seal of approval for. His demeanor changed. His face dropped. Angela called over, “You are an abomination to the Catholic Church, Mr. Durbin.”

He stood back and pointed his finger at Angela, “Don’t judge me!” Angela questioned, “Didn’t you judge these babies when you endorsed and voted for partial-birth abortion? You hypocrite! You can’t be Catholic and pro-choice.”

We told him, “You help kill babies and God calls all of us to make a righteous judgment. Repent and turn from your evil deeds!”  He continued marching in the parade, just a little hotter.

This is what Mr. Durbin says on his website: “Throughout my 20 years as an elected official, I have strived to be a leader in the fight to protect women's rights. In addition to preserving women's reproductive rights, I have fought cuts in family planning funding and supported the coverage of contraceptives in health insurance programs.”

In Granite City, IL at the Hope Clinic they kill 10,000-13,000 babies a year with many of  them late-term and many women coming from states all over the country, as there is no parental consent. We have been proclaiming outside this clinic for 15 years and God has blessed us with over 2800 babies saved and 26 having been put up for adoption! Our own baby Hannah, the youngest of 12, was saved from a late-term abortion this past fall.

Many politicians and laborers were carrying their Obama ’08 signs, so we countered with our sign: “What if his momma had aborted Obama?” Many steel workers shook their heads. Many cars layed on their horns as they passed us. 

God blessed us with the police protecting and respecting us, and even people walking in the parade said, “We’re glad you’re here!!” and, “That abortion clinic is disgusting!!”

            God has rewarded our faithfulness on the sidewalk as the number of abortions being performed is continuing to decline, with many employees either being fired or getting work elsewhere! They have been confirming what we have been trying to expose happening inside this abortion clinic. The sign Hunter held read: Hope Clinic kills babies and butchers women. That is not healthcare.

The parade was full of labor unions, their locals, steelworkers, the Granite City high school marching band, boy scouts, and a few politicians. Some actually came over and told us they were glad we were here. Mostly were Democrats and Obamanites. One man marching with an Obama sign began screaming after seeing the sign Ken held: “Obama + Biden = more dead babies.”

“All you care about are the babies!” he yelled and then started coming towards us. We thought, “You should be thanking your momma.” The police officer quickly stopped him and told him, “Stop screaming at these people. They are being quiet.” He threatened to arrest him and told him to keep moving. The man apologized to the officer and marched off. 

The only church representation was the United Methodist Church . The Knights of Columbus float was practically empty with seven men and a few women.   

As the mayor of Granite City walked by us tossing candy out he looked over at the sign Angela held which read: “Million dollar makeovers can’t save Granite City while the blood of over 400,000 babies flows through your streets.”

The mayor recently made the papers for his efforts to renovate the dilapidated downtown area with a million dollar makeover when only two blocks to the south a baby slaughterhouse exists. He continues his campaign to rid his city of the “undesirables” to improve the town’s postapocalyptic and meth capital image.

A female passenger in the mayor’s truck yelled over at us. Another woman screamed, “Thanks for ruining our picnic.” With each negative comment we received we answered softly, “Truth is hate to those who hate the truth.”

The parade was held up for a few minutes due to a participant who fainted, most likely from the heat. It was sweltering with the humidity, but it wasn’t as hot as the tempers of the stiff-necked, pro-death liberals who were repulsed at our presence in this annual parade.

When the Granite City high school marching band attempted to block our signs with their truck,. the police officer told them to keep moving. The driver mouthed off to the officer and he replied, “I’m telling you to move.”

At the end of the parade we gathered together and prayed thanking God for helping us to deliver His mail. We extended our thanks to the three officers walking by us and asked for God’s protection over them as they serve and protect in the streets.

We asked the Lord to remove the scales from this town’s eyes, “Let them know that we, the Lord’s remnant, love Granite City . We love them enough to tell them the truth.” We asked God to, “Touch their hearts and convict them. They can redeem their city and take back what the devil has stolen. Just as Queen Esther saved a nation from it’s destruction with God’s favor, we too want to see Granite City saved before it’s too late and once again become prosperous and over-flowing with blessings due to its steel mill image and not the late-term baby killing mill industry it is currently known for.”

Be encouraged ~Angela