Operation Save America, New Orleans, 2014
Taking Territory, Wednesday, July 23rd
On Wednesday, Operation Save America teams canvassed New Orleans. Two teams arrived at the local abortion clinics. Another team led by Pastor Dale Sochia traveled to Barre Mcneely Investments to confront Larry McNeely, the general contractor trying vainly to build Planned Parenthood. Pastor Dale’s team set up in front of 4925 Jefferson Hwy, in Jefferson, Louisiana and gave the company heaven. BMI called the police to claim OSA was trespassing on private property when, in fact, OSA was on the sidewalk. BMI tried to convince the police that the sidewalk was within their property line. Pastor Dale knows the legal requirements for construction. When the police arrived, he asked that a proper survey be conducted.
After the survey was completed, OSA had MORE public space to witness in then the actual physical sidewalk. OSA then had access to the sidewalk and a twelve foot wide swath of cement directly in front of BMI. Despite the survey results, BMI claimed the twelve foot swath was part of its parking lot and driveway. To abide by the law, OSA members walked back in forth in the 12 foot wide area so as not to block BMI’s “driveway” on public land.
The contracting company thought it would circumvent the survey and the law by blocking the public area with a line of orange cones and tape. In doing so, BMI inadvertently made the public witness of its company easier. With the cones up, the space was no longer a driveway. OSA members were now under no legal requirement to keep moving, since there was no danger of blocking a driveway on public property. OSA members were than free to stand directly in front of BMI with their signs. OSA took territory today! Please contact Larry McNeely, the general contractor of BMI, 504-324-9140 lmcneely@barremcneely.com) and let him know lovingly, but firmly that he needs to stop the construction of Planned Parenthood. The blood money will curse his life (Deuteronomy 27:25).
While OSA members confronted BMI for its complicity in child killing, another team was sent to the proposed construction site of Planned Parenthood. The team practiced “Word in Warfare,” the concentrated focused reading of the Bible as a form of prophetic prayer and confession. As Christians surrounded the site in prayer and worship, others grouped together in small numbers to read the Word aloud. Others held posters of aborted babies and waved at passing cars.
During the “Word in Warfare,” senior citizens sat on lawn chairs under umbrellas, their precious Bibles in their laps; little children sat on the grass and toddlers reclined in strollers as mothers and fathers read the Bible out loud as a family; young people gathered quietly in groups and took turns reading the designated chapters. Until the rain. It began as a sprinkle. Soon it was a shower. Undeterred, the faithful Christians opened umbrellas, put on raingear and plastic bags as overcoats, used the large posters as makeshift canopies, and retreated under small tents set up for shade. Still the reading of the Word continued. So did the public witness.
As people prayed that the heavens would open and God would hear the prayers and confession of repentance, the heavens really did open, just not as expected. The shower turned into a downpour. The street and construction site flooded. Muddy streams overflowed the sidewalks. Flash flood warnings buzzed and vibrated on cell phones. The sand already placed as part of the foundation of the proposed mega killing center was washed away in the deluge. Not only has the building project been ground to a halt, but the work they have done, the Lord is washing away. Glory to His name!
The drenching was so great, the elderly, the children, the young people all looked liked they went swimming in their street clothes. In a show of supplication to God, the wet and wearied Christians stayed at the construction site. They moved to vehicles and read and prayed from the side of the road. After about an hour, the sun broke out and the rain ended. The Christians piled out of cars and vans and finished their Bible readings outside. Photographers from the Advocate and representatives from other media took pictures and filmed the soggy saints. At the conclusion of the “warfare,” saints worshiped and kneeled in prayer, grateful for the opportunity to stand for the Lord through the rain.
