Saturday, November 24, 2007


The final piece of the PIE

(Plainfield, Irvington and Elizabeth)


Gateway establishes a third location at



701 Park Avenue, Plainfield






Dean with Plainfield volunteer director, Dorothy Booker and David Barker, Gateway Board member at the new location, opening in early January 2008


Your help is needed
Painting, cleaning, light construction
Pray for the $4,000 needed for a lit sign
Call us at 973-399-8378 or email us at
dean@gateway.org or

contact Dorothy Booker directly at:

djbook@verizon.net

if you can help -- thanks!



(11-29-07 4:28pm Post)

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!
they have removed Jerry from some meds that were causing the foot issue and he is much better today and it looks like his foot will be fine!!!!!
Thanks for your prayers!!!!! Please keep praying for both Jerry & Tommy (and Chris & Kim as well) God is blessing the prayers of the faithful!!!!
THANK YOU!!!!! Love-Penny


(11-28-07 7:57pm post)
Hello Friends-
The news for Tommy was that his cancer has recurred in his lymph nodes and he will need additional chemo to see if it can be ratified. Please pray for his counts to improve so they can begin treatment. God is still in the miracle business, so I believe if enough of us continue to pray, who knows what God will do. Please pray for Kim (his wife) as well.
Jerry has had set backs as well. His surgery went well and last night they closed the wound, but today discovered that he has vascular damage in his foot and they may need to amputate. His wife, Chris, gave a go for a procedure that will inject dye to see if there is a blockage, but this could wreak havoc on his kidneys. Please pray and also for Chris.
Both spouses have thanked me for your prayers. (and me too!)
God bless you all and thank you!
In Christ-Penny

(11-25-07 5:15pm Post)

Penny MacIver has this prayer request:

Dear friends,
A few months ago I asked for prayer for my dear friend, Tommy. He had a liver transplant that went well, and has been doing great! He recently had a set back and his doctor's think the cancer has returned. His wife, Kim, asked if I would once again ask the prayer warriors to pray for healing for him.

Second, another friend, Chris, her husband, Jerry under went a lung transplant and is not faring well. She asked for prayer as well since there is a fear he will not make it through the night. Chris is trusting Christ, and has through this whole process. This is on the heals of losing her Mom the day before Thanksgiving to cancer (they got the call for Jerry two days later).

Please, friends, pray that God's will be done in the lives of these two men and for strength for their spouses.
Thanks, again for your love and willingness to lift them up in prayer.
Love-Penny

Gateway's 22nd Annual Stewardship Banquet - November 16th.




Our featured speaker,Rev. Kevin Brennan, pastor of Evangel Church, Scotch Plains
The band "Six" performs
'How Can I Keep From Singing Your Name?'



and 'Here I Am To Worship'


Our theme

Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Matthew 9:37-38

Please pray for Gateway volunteer, Dorothy Booker's requests:

'Please pray for my father that God will manifest His healing presence in his life according to His will and restoration in my dads relationship with Him. Pray for sister in law, and family and the death of their brother Joe, that the Lord will confort and bring a solution to the problems. Prayer for the Lord to touch hearts and save souls. prayer for safety while I travel to the South and return on Wednesday for my nephew and myself. Praying that the Lord will help me to serve in a way that honor Him by the power of the Holy Spirit.. God Bless, Thank you'

Monday, November 12, 2007

The Gallery of Grace

'In Him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with
the riches of God's grace' Galatians 1:7

Check out 'The Gallery of Grace'
http://www.photoshow.com/watch/WM3GJ9uc

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Bud Bayley's grandson- in -law has an urgent prayer request. Bud has given Gateway much help with our computer and is a 'Friend of Gateway':

Hey everyone,

Many of you already know that we are expecting an a new member of our family next May. We are excited about this news, but we have recently received some hard news. I am writing today to update everyone on the status of this pregnancy.

Today we had our "level 2" ultrasound at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Manchester, NH. Last week's ultrasound revealed some abnormalities in the baby's spinal development, which needed more investigation. We found out today that we are at 12 weeks, nearly finished with our first trimester, but the baby officially has Cystic Hygroma. This means that excess fluid is building up behind the baby's spine, a condition that usually indicates genetic or cardiac problems. On the genetic front we are most likely looking at Down's syndrome, Turner's syndrome, Trisomy 18, or Trisomy 13. On the cardiac front, I am a little less clear. If it is a result of cardiac problems, then it is probably also related to Down's syndrome.

The doctor told us that the majority of these pregnancies end in miscarriage, but the odds improve as you move through the second trimester. I am sending this information in a mass e-mail because it is hard to talk about it right now. I don't know what lies ahead, but we both want to take this pregnancy to term. It is amazing, but they will perform an abortion up to 22 weeks.

As you can probably imagine, we are pretty surprised by this turn of events. I will try to keep everyone posted as this develops. Feel free to pray as you see fit, but especially pray that God will give us peace right now. We miss you all and look forward to catching up with many of you at Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Jacob Austin

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Abortion after rape. Is it ever an option?

A recent 'discussion board' question:
Q: I'm curious as to how many people in this group who are totally against abortion (like myself) think that it would be okay in the case of "Rape".Should the woman have the right to an abortion if she is raped?

I'm not sure what I would do if I was raped. I would probably have my child, but give him/her up for adoption, for the simple fact of, every time I look at him/her I will think of that night and what that man did to me.

What do you think? Is it okay, in this case?

Here's our reply --

A: Here's a reply to your question. The answer is 'no'.

Abortion should not be acceptable if a girl was raped.

Please check out www.gateway.org and feel free to email me at: dean@gateway.org

Abortion for a 14-17 year old results in sterility 30% of the time; 25% for those over 18. This means that the crime of rape is compounded by a 2nd crime against the girl because she risks future sterility.

Also, 85% of women having one abortion experience regrets, emotional pain and even breakdowns. Why should a rapist victimize a second time? Why get rid of the evidence of his crime (a baby)?

There are about 1 1/2 million infertile couples seeking adoption in the US each year. Adoption is an option everyone can live with. The crime was perpetrated by the rapist, not the girl - she should not have to bear the risks and consequences. Obviously, we still are speaking of a baby, regardless of how conceived.

---------------------------------------------------------------------some interesting data ------------

The humanity of the pre-born, rape and the crime of abortion- Medical science clearly shows that life begins at conception.

Consider the following:

· At 18 days of gestation, the baby’s heart begins occasional pulsation.

· At 20 days, the foundation for the entire nervous system exists.

· At 21 days, the heart begins to beat regularly and pumps through the circulatory system.

· At 30 days, the eyes, ears, mouth, kidneys and liver exist.

· At 42 days, brain waves are reliably present and reflexes exist.

· At 45 days, teeth buds are present; skeleton is complete; movement begins.

· At 56 days, all body systems are present; he reacts to pain.

· At 9-10 weeks, he squints, retracts his tongue, and will bend his fingers around an object.

· At 11-12 weeks, all body systems work; his arms and legs move; he swallows, sucks thumb, inhales and exhales amniotic fluid, and has fingernails.

· At 14 weeks, the auditory sense is present.

· At 16 weeks, eyelashes are present; he can grasp, swim, kick and turn.

· At 18 weeks, his vocal cords work; he can cry.

· At 20 weeks, hair appears; he weighs about one pound and is about 12 inches long.

Source: http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=3110&department=CWA&categoryid=life

Rape and abortion

Rape and incest victims: The newly released book Victims and Victors presents data from 192 women who became pregnant as a result of rape or incest. Of 50 rape victims who reported feelings about their abortions, 88 percent explicitly stated it was the wrong choice. Forty-three percent of the rape victims surveyed reported having abortions because of pressure from others. More than 90 percent said they would discourage other victims of sexual assault from undergoing abortion.

Source:

Concerned Women for America 1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20005
http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=1457&department=CWA&categoryid=life

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Rape and incest victims: Dr. Reardon touched on a newly released book, Victims and Victors, that presents data from 192 women who became pregnant as a result of rape or incest. The January/February 2001 issue of Family Voice includes an article on the results. Of 50 rape victims who reported feelings about their abortions, 88 percent explicitly stated it was the wrong choice. Forty-three percent of the rape victims surveyed reported having abortions because of pressure from others. More than 90 percent said they would discourage other victims of sexual assault from undergoing abortion.5

Concerned Women for America: http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=1456&department=CWA&categoryid=life

_______________________________________________________________________________

..How other people treat her

In his book Why Can’t We Love Them Both, Dr. John Willke reports that rape pregnancies occur about 1 or 2 for each 1000 rapes. Less than half of rape pregnancies are aborted; the rest of them are carried to term. Willke cites a study in which women carried their babies to term in 28 of 35 rape pregnancies. Willke says that the complaint of a woman who is raped and gets pregnant is not that she is pregnant, but how other people treat her, avoiding her or acting as though the rape were partly her fault.

Statistics are often skewed

There are an estimated 1,365,730 abortions performed in the United States each year. I've seen esimates on the Internet for as many as 700,000 rapes per year while my Almanac quote FBI Uniform Crime Reports for 1996 as 95,770 forcible rapes, down from 109,060 in '92. (A different page in my Almanac tells me that the average prison sentence for rape is 9 years 9 months, while the average actual time served is 5 years 5 months.)

Dr. Sandra Mahkorn found that 75 to 85 percent chose against abortion.1

For example, it is commonly assumed that rape victims who become pregnant would naturally want abortions. But in the only major study of pregnant rape victims ever done, This evidence alone should cause people to pause and reflect on the presumption that abortion is wanted or even best for sexual assault victims.

Rape Victims Don't Always Want Abortions,

Women's Organization Says by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor September 7, 2006

Springfield, IL (LifeNews.com) -- An organization for women who become pregnant after becoming victims of sexual assault says that raped women don't always want abortions and challenged abortion advocates for making it appear that way. The group says that abortion creates more problems for women pregnant by rape than it solves.

The members of the Ad Hoc Committee of Women Pregnant by Sexual Assault (WPSA) want to insert their voice into the abortion debate.

In an attempt to do so, they have written a petition to Congress and state legislatures asking for hearings on their experiences. They want women who've become pregnant through sexual assault to be allowed to share their stories and address the real concerns that they have faced.

"In virtually every case, those people who claim to represent our interests have never taken the time to actually listen to us or to learn about our true circumstances, needs, and concerns," the group writes in its petition.

"We are deeply offended and dismayed each time our difficult circumstances are exploited for public consumption to promote the political agenda of others," the group added.

Kathleen DeZeeuw, who gave birth to a boy after she was raped at the age of 16, says abortion advocates have used the issue of sexual assault pregnancy to push for abortion without considering the real needs of the women involved.

"I feel personally assaulted and insulted every time I hear that abortion should be legal because of rape and incest," she said.

"I feel we're being used to further the abortion issue, even though we've never been asked to tell our side of the story," DeZeeuw added.

"Women who have gone through the trauma of rape or incest need to be counseled, cared for, and listened to," she explained. "A woman is most vulnerable at a time such as this and doesn't need to be pounced on by yet another act of violence. She needs someone to truly listen to her, care for her, and give her time to heal."

The group's efforts come at a time when abortions in cases of rape and incest are the subject of debate.

As states like Louisiana, South Dakota and Mississippi grappled with abortion bans in their state legislatures, debates raged about whether those exceptions should be added to the prohibitions on abortion.

A poll in South Dakota found that while the state is split on the abortion ban there, which does not have the exceptions, South Dakota voters would overwhelmingly support it if those exceptions were added.

But the group, in a statement sent to LifeNews.com, says that abortion does not help women who are victimized by rape or incest.

"In many cases, we felt pressured to abort by family members, social workers, and doctors who insisted that abortion was the 'best' solution," the group says.


"For many the abortion caused physical and emotional trauma equal to or exceeding the trauma of the sexual assault that our abortions were supposed to 'cure,'" the group added.

Dr. David Reardon, the director of the Elliot Institute, which studies the effect of abortion on women, has written a book called Victims and Victors about such women.

He said the results of the South Dakota poll results reflect voters' desire to spare women the hardships often associated with giving birth to a child conceived in sexual assault. But he explained that the perception doesn't match reality.

"Typically, most people have accepted the premise that sexual assault victims not only want abortions but will actually benefit from them," Reardon said.

"They assume abortion will help victims put the assault behind them, recover more quickly, and avoid the problems that might arise with giving birth to the child--who is often described as the 'rapist's child' rather than the woman's child," he added.

Reardon pointed to two studies and said they were the only ones published about what women who are victims of sexual abuse really want.

Tracking the choices and experiences of women who have become pregnant after rape or incest, both studies found that approximately 70 percent of pregnant rape victims chose to give birth rather than have abortions, even though abortion was readily available.

"Prior to becoming pregnant, many of these woman would have said that they would have an abortion if they became pregnant through rape." said Reardon. "But after the rape, many change their minds because they have a heightened concern about abuse and trauma.

They want to break the cycle of violence. Many also sense that an abortion will only add to their emotional suffering."

The Elliot Institute also surveyed 192 women who became pregnant through rape or incest. Of those who had abortions, nearly 80 percent said that they strongly regretted the abortion, with most saying it had caused far more harm than good in their lives.

Among women who gave birth to their children, the consensus against abortion was even stronger, the survey showed.


Of the women who reported having abortions, most reported feeling pressured by family members or health care workers to undergo abortions.

"This was especially the case for those who became pregnant through incest," Reardon said because the perpetrator often used abortion to cover up his crimes.

"In almost every case, the abortion was chosen by the girl's parents or tragically, by the perpetrator himself," Reardon explained. "In some cases the abortion was used to cover up the incest and the girl was returned to the same abusive situation to be victimized again."

But if sexual assault victims aren't offered abortions, what should be the response from those around them?

"The women in our survey said repeatedly that what they needed was time and support to come to terms with the assault and the resulting pregnancy," Reardon said.

Related web sites:
A copy of the petition can be found in the booklet, "The Hard Cases: New Facts, New Answers," which can be downloaded for free at http://www.unchoice.info/resources.htm.

Elliot Institute - http://www.afterabortion.info

Printed from: http://www.lifenews.com/nat2566.html


Several reasons are given for not aborting. First, approximately 70 percent of all women believe abortion is immoral, even though many also feel it should be a legal choice for others. Approximately the same percentage of pregnant rape victims believe abortion would be just another act of violence perpetrated against their bodies and their children

1. Mahkorn, "Pregnancy and Sexual Assault," The Psychological Aspects of Abortion, eds. Mall & Watts, (Washington, D.C., University Publications of America, 1979) 55-69.

Robbed of her maternity

"Many women report that their abortions felt like a degrading and brutal form of medical rape," he writes — involving "a painful examination of a woman's sexual organs by a masked stranger who is invading her body … while she lies there, tense and helpess, the life hidden within her is literally sucked out of her womb. The difference? In a sexual rape, a woman is robbed of her purity; in this medical rape she is robbed of her maternity." Source: http://www.afterabortion.org/PAR/V2/n1/RAPESUM.htm

Teen girls having sex with older men – a statistic on the rise

"Young women who had ever been forced to have sex were twice as likely as those who had not to have a partner who was 3–5 years older."

"Such age differences are generally of little public interest. However, when adolescents younger than 18 are involved with men who are substantially older than they are, differences between partners in such factors as maturity, life experience, social position, financial resources and physical size may make such relationships inherently unequal, and the young women may therefore be vulnerable to abuse and exploitation by their partners." Source: Family Planning Perspectives, July/August 1999, the Alan Guttmacher Institute

A woman who becomes pregnant due to an act of either rape or incest is the victim of a horribly violent and morally reprehensible crime. Although pregnancy as a result of either rape or incest is extremely rare, there is no getting around the fact that pregnancy does occur in some instances.

Concerning this, Dr. Stephen Krason writes: "A number of studies have shown that pregnancy resulting from rape is very uncommon. One, looking at 2190 victims, reported pregnancy in only 0.6 percent." (Abortion: Politics, Morality, and the Constitution [Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1984], p. 283.)

A personal testimony from Jackie, a rape victim

"I soon discovered that the aftermath of my abortion continued a long time after the memory of my rape had faded. I felt empty and horrible. Nobody told me about the pain I would feel deep within causing nightmares and deep depressions. They had all told me that after the abortion I could continue my life as if nothing had happened."

The humanity of the child does not change

As theologian and ethicist Dr. Michael Bauman has observed: "A child does not lose its right to life simply because its father or its mother was a sexual criminal or a deviant."

Source: Michael Bauman, "Verbal Plunder: Combatting the Feminist Encroachment on the Language of Religion and Morality," paper presented at the 42nd annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, Louisiana, Nov. 15-17, 1990, p. 16.

Rape used as a excuse for abortion

What are the most used defenses for having an abortion? Are the reasons of rape and incest used more often? These justifications should be the least often used excuses for having an abortion. But in reality, the statistics are probably higher. Any woman can walk into a clinic and say, "I was raped, I need an abortion," or "I was raped by my uncle, I need an abortion" without proof or evidence. Today, there are more reported rapes and cases of incest. Source: http://www.liberator.net/articles/abortion.html

Legalized abortion has actually increased the incidence of rape and sexual attacks

Women annually reported about 500,000 rapes or sexual assaults. Friends or acquaintances of the victims committed more than half of these crimes. Source: http://www.cwfa.org/articles/3109/CWA/life/_______________________________________________________

What about the psychological problems of rape?

The anguish and psychic suffering caused by rape and incest has been treated quite effectively. Professor Stephen Krason points out that "psychological studies have shown that, when given the proper support, most pregnant rape victims progressively change their attitudes about their unborn child from something repulsive to someone who is innocent and uniquely worthwhile." Source: Stephen M. Krason, Abortion: Politics, Morality, and the Constitution(Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1984), p. 284. For an overview of the research, see Sandra Kathleen Mahkorn, "Pregnancy and Sexual Assault," in David Mall and Walter F. Watts, M.D., The Psychological Aspects of Abortion (Washington, D.C.: University Publications of America, 1979), pp. 67-68.

Studies show why there’s a low pregnancy rate after rape

Of these 200,000 women who were raped, one-third were either too old or too young to get pregnant. That leaves 133,000 at risk of pregnancy.

A woman is capable of being fertilized only three days out of her 30-day month. So divide 133,000 by 10, and 13,300 women remain.

One-fourth of all women in the United States of child-bearing age have been sterilized. That drops the figure to 10,000.

Only half of the assailants penetrate her body and/or deposit sperm. Cut it in half again. We are at one to 5,000.

Fifteen percent of men are sterile; that drops the figure to 4,250. Fifteen percent of non-surgically sterilized women are naturally sterile. That reduces the number to 3,600.

Another 15% are on the pill and/or are already pregnant. Now the figure is 3,070. Now factor in something that all adults know. It takes from five to ten months for an average couple to achieve a pregnancy. Using the smaller figure, to be conservative, divide the 3,000 figure by 5, and the number drops to about 600.

Finally, we must factor in one of the most important reasons why a rape victim rarely gets pregnant, and that is psychic trauma. Every woman is aware that stress and emotional factors can alter her menstrual cycle. So what further percentage reduction in pregnancy will this cause? No one really knows, but this factor certainly cuts the last figure by at least 50%, and probably more, leaving a final figure of 225 women pregnant each year, a number that closely matches the 200 found in clinical studies.

Source: http://www.abortionfacts.com/online_books/love_them_both/why_cant_we_love_them_both_29.asp

_______________________________________________________________________

If the rape victim is treated immediately A study of 1,000 rape victims, who were treated medically right after the rape, reported no pregnancies. Source: L. Kuchera, "Postcoital Contraception with Diethylstilbestrol," JAMA, October 25, 1971

But what if the victim is not treated immediately ?

If the rape victim is not treated, and if it is limited to true assault rape, the pregnancy rate will still be extremely small. If all "reported" rapes, including statutory rape (under 18-years-old, but sometimes with consent given), when drunk (with questionable consent), etc., it is higher.

If these had been limited to true assaults and the women had been given hormone treatment, the pregnancy rate would have been much lower, perhaps zero.

Source: "Sexual Assault on Women and Girls," Amer. Jour. OB/GYN, vol. 109, No. 3, Feb. 1971, pp. 480-486 Hayman et al., "Rape in the District of Columbia," Amer. Jour. OB/GYN, vol. 113, no. 1, May 1972, pp. 91, 97

In still another series of 126 assault rape victims, only half of those at risk of pregnancy were treated, but none became pregnant. Source: Evrard & Gold, "Epidemiology and Management of Sexual Assault Victims," OB & GYN, vol. 53, no. 3, Mar. 1979, pp. 381-387

______________________________________________

Carry the rapists child?

"In the majority of these cases, the pregnant victim’s problems stem more from the trauma of rape than from the pregnancy itself." Mahkorn & Dolan, "Sexual Assault & Pregnancy."

Source: In New Perspectives on Human Abortion,

University Publishers of Amer., 1981, pp. 182-199 239

As to what factors make it most difficult to continue her pregnancy, the opinions, attitudes, and beliefs of others were most frequently cited; in other words, how her loved ones treated her. Source: Mahkorn, "Pregnancy & Sexual Assault." In Psychological Aspects of Abortion, University Publishers of Amer., 1979, pp. 53-72

Conclusions:

q Without comprehending it, what the rapist sought to bring about by force, the victim, by aborting, vindicates and completes. Source: Steve Kellmeyer http://www.envoymagazine.com/backissues/1.3/mayjune_story3.html

Abortion is never necessary

Since conception does not occur immediately following intercourse, pregnancy can be eliminated in all rape cases if the rape victim receives immediate medical treatment by having all the male semen removed from her uterus. Source:

See the results of studies of 4,800 victims of rape in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area, as cited in John F. Hillabrand, "Dealing With a Rape Case," Heartbeat 8 (March 1975), p. 250

So, what’s another option?

Some women who had children after rape, then raised them, feel adoption
would have been the better course. Kathleen DeZeeuw writes: "I personally
believe that for her child's sake, the rape victim should strongly
consider adoption.

That may sound strange coming from me, but I know theemotional problems that can result from being daily reminded of the assault. In many cases it may be truly better for the child that he or she not be subjected to this added turmoil." Source: http://www.abortiontv.com/RapeAndIncest.htm

More crime than is reported!

While the media occasionally report high-profile horror stories of abortion doctors raping and abusing multiple women, the true picture is obscured: Young women are being raped and sexually assaulted with alarming frequency in America's abortion clinics. Source: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/816008/posts

On the web:

http://www.preciouslife.net/womenshealth-rape.asp

http://www.righttoliferoch.org/nstatrape.htm

http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=1456&department=CWA&categoryid=life

http://www.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=1457&department=CWA&categoryid=life

http://www.afterabortion.org/PAR/V2/n1/RAPESUM.htm

http://www.afterabortion.org/

http://www.abortionfacts.com/online_books/love_them_both/why_cant_we_love_them_both_29.asp

Below are some helpful links :

http://www.gateway.org/pdf/Rape.pdf

http://72.14.253.104/custom?q=cache:iJvmMMNElV0J:www.gateway.org/content/pdf/Incest1.PDF+rape&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

Hope For Healing. Org What is Date Rape?


According to Dictionary.Com date rape is "Rape perpetrated by the victim's social escort." Survivors know it as a major crime against women in this country. Its victims are much more likely to know (and trust) the perpetrator involved.

The majority of victims are between 15 to 25 years old.

The effects are long term and can leave a victim's life ripped apart. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a common problem for rape survivors.

The crime effects not only the primary victim, but spreads to include significant others, friends and can even impact distant family members. The devastation for the victim can be far reaching and the conviction rate is poor because only 5% of date rapes are ever reported

There are many situations where perpetrators don't feel their behavior has broken the law, but according to the victim, the story is different.

Ideas like: She really wanted it. Girls say no when they really mean yes. She wouldn't have gone out if she hadn't intended to have sex. I deserved something for buying the dinner, flowers or movie. She knew she wanted it but just didn't want to admit it. -- These are ALL misconceptions about rape.

When a woman says no, the answer is No. By going out on a date a woman is not automatically agreeing to have sex no matter how much money was spent. Sex is not something owed in return for going on a date.

One of the most common questions people ask me is, "If we've had sex before and I told him no and tried to fight him but he ended up getting his way is it really rape?" Those types of situations can be emotionally difficult to sort out. The victim in this case feels violated. The perpetrator feels like nothing happened that was wrong, caring very little for the feelings of the victim.

Date rapes are the most common type of rape committed. It tends to be very devasting because the victim has been harmed by someone she previously trusted. Victims have to learn to trust people all over again. This is not an easily accomplished feat.

Drugs such as Rohypnol are being used more widely. Very often, the victim will not remember a crime being committed but will only have a vague awareness of something happening.

Most people think of rapes as being done by someone jumping out from behind a bush and overpowering a victim. That is not usually the case. Approximately 42% of the rapes that happen are date rapes where the perpetrator is known to the victim.

There is hope. Education may be the key to curbing this occurrence. Men need to learn that when a woman says no. The answer is no. It's not, maybe. It's not, later. It's no.

Women need to know that it's all right to say no, to mean it, and that having agreed to have sex with this person in the past does not give that person an automatic right to thier body. If a woman says no. It should be taken and meant as a no because that's what it is. No!

Source: To see the full article and credits please go to Healing News November 1997

Please check out www.gateway.org and feel free to email me at: dean@gateway.org

Lorena's cousin, Becky writes:

I'm writing to you all.....my friends (mostly women).....to ask for your prayers today.

My cousin, Thuy (pronounced Twee) who is bearly 39 years old, is pregnant, due date is tomorrow, water broke this morning, and after arriving at the hospital at 7:30 am or so, the doctors have not been able to find a heart beat.

They say the baby is no longer living and that Thuy will have to deliver the baby boy she was hoping to take home. Besides the obvious utter heartbreak, she felt the baby moving just last night.

I have spent the last two hours since hearing about this just begging the Lord to breathe life into this little baby boy so that Thuy will be able to take her son home and have no other excuse but to recognize God's miraculous work in this situation.

Please pray for Thuy and her husband, Mike as they endure through today. I am not sure where they stand in their faith, so keep that in mind when you pray as well.

I thank you so much for taking any amount of time out to pray for this family.

I know all you mom's and dad's can feel the heartache of this type of situation.

Thanks for your thoughtfulness in praying for them.

Sincerely,
Becky

Monday, November 5, 2007


5:37 pm: Friday Nov. 9, 2007

Joan visited the doctor yesterday. She still has some of the infection, which will be treated with antibiotics. She is on pain killers and still in pain. There's some 'uncertainty' as to the next step. She revisits the doctor at 11:30 on Wednesday morning 11-14-07) Please keep praying.


2:07 pm: Tuesday Nov. 6, 2007

The surgery was completed and
Joan is home. Her face is swollen and she is in a great deal of pain.



Keep her in prayer as she visits the doctor
tomorrow to get the results.


Urgent Prayer Request!

Please keep Joan Vitale,our associate director in prayer.

She will be undergoing an operation this evening to help relieve as severe sinus infection


Dr. Raimundo L Obregon, an otolaryngologist will perform the surgery at Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth. Joan has had severe headaches for a couple of months and the doctors finally localized the problem.

Please pray for a speedy recovery. Feel free to email a note of encouragement to Joan at:
joanV714@verizon.net

Previous post on October 1, 2007
'
Please keep Joan Vitale (Gateway Associate Director) in prayer. She’s suffered from severe headaches for the past week. She was recently in the emergency room. Joan will be seeing a neurologist to determine if they are migraines.'

Saturday, November 3, 2007

For those new to the ministry... a :30 second video





News from
'across the pond'







We're twinseparable!

Happy with his brother, the boy who refused to die

By LUCY LAING - They say twins share a strong bond - but the one between Gabriel and Ieuan Jones was unbreakable.

When doctors found that Gabriel was weaker than his brother, with an enlarged heart,and believed he was going to die in the womb, his mother Rebecca Jones had to make a heartbreaking decision.

Doctors told her his death could cause his twin brother to die too before they were born, and that it would be better to end Gabriel's suffering sooner rather than later.

Thriving: Gabriel, right, with his twin brother Ieuan, is now a healthy 12lb 6oz at seven months

Mrs Jones decided to let doctors operate to terminate Gabriel's life.

Firstly they tried to sever his umbilical cord to cut off his blood supply, but the cord was too strong.

They then cut Mrs Jones's placenta in half so that when Gabriel died, it would not affect his twin brother.

But after the operation which was meant to end his life, tiny

Gabriel had other ideas.

Although he weighed less than a pound, he put up such a fight for survival that doctors called him Rocky.

Astonishingly, he managed to carry on living in his mother's womb for another five weeks - until the babies were delivered by caesarean section.

Now he and Ieuan are back at home in Stoke - and are so close they are always holding each other's hand.

Mrs Jones, 35, a financial adviser whose husband Mark, 36, is a car salesman, said: "It really is a miracle. Doctors carried out an operation to let Gabriel die - yet he hung on.

"It was unbelievable."


"When I felt him kicking madly the morning after the operation, I suddenly knew that he was going to hang on.

"The doctors couldn't believe it when they could still hear his heartbeat the next morning."

Rebecca Jones: 'It's a miracle'

Mrs Jones learned she was expecting twins when she was ten weeks pregnant. She said: "When they told us we were over the moon."

But at her 20-week scan, doctors had some devastating news. One of the boys was half the size of his brother.

They didn't know what was causing it, but somehow he wasn't getting enough nutrients.

Then doctors said his heart was three times normal size and it was likely he would have a heart attack or a stroke in the womb.

Mrs Jones said: "They told us that if he died, it could be life threatening for his brother.

"We had to decide whether to end his life and let his brother live, or risk them both."

They said it would be impossible to keep him alive afterwards as he was so poorly.

It would be kinder to let him die in the womb with his brother by his side than to die alone after being born.

"That made my mind up for me. I wanted the best thing for him."

At Birmingham Women's Hospital, when Mrs Jones was 25 weeks pregnant, doctors tried to sever Gabriel's umbilical cord to cut off his blood supply and allow him to die.

But the cord was too thick, and they could not cut through it.

As a last resort they divided Mrs Jones's placenta so that when Gabriel died, it would allow Ieuan to survive. Mrs Jones said: "I put my hands on my stomach thinking of Gabriel. It was devastating. I had said my goodbyes."

But the next morning Mrs Jones felt Gabriel kicking. A scan showed his heart was still beating. She said: "No one could quite believe it."

Gabriel hung on, and his enlarged heart started to reduce in size. He also gained weight.

Mrs Jones said: "They thought it may be because the placenta had been divided. Inadvertently, it had evened out the distribution of nutrition between them, allowing Gabriel to survive.'

When Mrs Jones reached 31 weeks doctors carried out a caesarian to deliver the twins. Ieuan weighed 3lb 8oz and Gabriel 1lb 15oz. Both were kept in hospital, but since going home they have thrived. At seven months, Ieuan weighs 15lb and Gabriel 12lb 6oz.

Mrs Jones said: "The boys are so healthy, they have huge appetites too. Ieuan is the noisy one, while Gabriel is always laughing, it's like he's just so happy to be here.

"There is such a strong bond between them.

"They are always holding hands and if one cries, the other reaches out to comfort him."

"Doctors tried to break their bond in the womb, but they just proved it couldn't be broken."

(edit note)

“..if it were not for the restraining hand of God upon them, they would , soon break out, they would flame out after the same manner as the same corruptions, the same enmity does in the hearts of damned souls, and would beget the same torments in ‘em as they do in them. The souls of the wicked are in Scripture compared to the troubled sea, Is. 57:20.


For the present God restrains their wickedness by his mighty power, as he does the raging waves of the troubled sea, saying, “Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further”; but if God should withdraw that restraining power, it would soon carry all afore it.


Sin is the ruin and misery of the soul; it is destructive in its nature; and if God should leave it without restraint, there would need nothing else to make the soul perfectly miserable.


The corruption of the heart of man is a thing that is immoderate and boundless sink of sin, so, if sin was not restrained, it would immediately turn the soul into a fiery oven, or a furnace of fire and brimstone.”


Jonathan Edwards: Sinners in the hands of an angry God (1741)

Banquet 2023 ALL DETAILS

  On the night of the banquet, we will be updating our supporters about Mission England 2024 view here the promo video directly from the UK ...