My pro-life journey started mostly during the summer of 2007. As a teacher, I had always worked through the summer but this summer was different. God gave me the privilege to set aside this summer to seek His face. The main question on my heart during this time was, “Lord Jesus, what is on your heart?” As I began to seek Him with this deep question He began to share with me how the unborn, the babies that were being slaughtered daily in my nation, Canada, but also worldwide.
This revelation was so new to me at the time. Before this time I thought very little about this issue, even though since a very young age I had conviction in my heart that life began at conception. I also always believed in my heart that I would never have an abortion. In high school, I even completed projects/papers debating and expressing my views that abortion was wrong.
I bless my parents and honour them for being ones who have been a true example to me of ones who have chosen life by having six children. They always saw each of us as a gift and a treasure from God. For this I will always be grateful because they allowed me to come into the destiny God had for me to be born by choosing life. As well, since my adolescent years, I saw my mother as one who would reach out to mothers in need while counseling those wrecked by the havoc of abortion. She has always been an inspiration to me yet all the while only God knew that I would someday walk in her footsteps in a way.
As one who has always loved children and had a heart to see them come into their full destiny. I never made a heart connection with this issue of abortion before. As Jesus began to show me His heart for the babies He also showed me how He weeps for them. At this time I asked that He would change my heart so that I would know His heart and have more of His heart in me. He began to answer the prayer of my heart and as He did I began to weep as well for the unborn. As one in my 20’s I began to weep for the 40% of my generation that never made it past the womb. I began to realize the destinies and purposes of God that had been aborted. He began to place such a groan in my spirit to pray for the ones that have no voice and those who are often striped of their right to life.
As I began to research abortion within Canada and worldwide, I came across a LIFE prayer movement called Bound4Life. It was birthed out of a dream a man named Brian Kim had in 2004. In this dream he saw many young people with red tape with the word “LIFE” over their mouths. This dream inspired a group of intercessors to stand for 31 days at the United States Supreme Court with the word “LIFE” written on a piece of red tape covering their mouths before the 2004 Elections. Since then, many intercessors all over the US and worldwide have continued to pray as they did on these 31 significant days in 2004. I learned they wore this red life tape as a representation of the silent cries of the unborn in the womb at each of their prayer meetings.
When I first learned of this movement, God began to speak to me about Ezekiel 22:30 which states, “I looked for a man among them who would build up a wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so that I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” In a time where babies were being sacrificed to the god of Molech, just as they are now, this verse speaks of God looking for a man/woman that would stand in the gap for a nation so He would not have to destroy it. At this point, God clearly spoke to me directly about how He wanted me to be one who would stand in the gap through prayer and intercession on behalf of Canada. He showed me our need to cry out for mercy for the innocent blood that had been shed.
As He spoke these words to me I began to wonder if this B4L movement had begun in Canada yet. I remember thinking, “We need this prayer movement in Canada!” After some research online I found www.bound4life.ca and at this time Faytene Kryskow had recently begun Bound4Life Canada. On the site I watched a video called, “True Choices”. This video had statistics concerning abortion in Canada and it wrecked me even further as the alarming stats echoed through my entire being. When I found out the severity of what was happening in Canada, God immediately spoke to me and said that I was to start a Bound4Life chapter in North Bay, Ontario where I was living.
After getting in touch with Faytene, the North Bay Bound4Life Chapter was set in motion. North Bay B4L was the first chapter to have a LIFE ape Prayer Siege in Canada (Aug. 2007). Since then, every month our chapter has met at various locations throughout our city to pray for the ending of abortion in our nation, praying for women in decision, praying for women who are in need of healing from the devastating effects f abortion and anything else Holy Spirit leads us to pray.
I have no doubt in my heart that God has heard and will continue to hear our every prayer and knows our every groan. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that as we, The Body of Christ in Canada, rise up to pray 24-7 for the ending of abortion we will see this evil brought down by the power of God Himself!
On a more personal note, during this initial encounter and revelation God began to speak to me about how my husband and I needed to make some changes for we had been aborting the plans of God to have children. It was interesting because as He began to speak to me about this He also began to speak to my husband at the same time. He spoke to us saying that we had bought into the lie that we needed to have our lives in order before having children. Also, He shared with us that we had been allowing fear and selfishness to prevent the process of having children. He told me to immediately get off the pill and allow His plan for life to manifest itself in every area of our lives. To our delight, only a few months later, we found out that we were expecting our gift from God himself. Our daughter, Esther, as far as we know, was the first child in the womb that took part of the Life Tape Sieges in Canada.
In August 2008, Faytene asked me to take on the leadership of Bound4Life Canada. I accepted this position after seeking God about whether or not this was His desire for me or not. It has been my pleasure and an honour to serve our nation through mothering this prayer movement and being apart of what God is growing through His spirit.
My prayer is that every city, town and province would have a Bound4Life chapter that would come along side those who have been standing for LIFE through prayer and action for many so many years. I honour those who have been in this so much longer than myself. My prayer is that as we stand together in unity and agreement through intercession, we will see this evil end in our generation. It has been amazing to see how God is raising up a generation (young and old) to cry out on behalf of the ones whose voices have been silenced on earth. I know that their cries have been and will continue to be heard in the heavenly realm. God will bring His justice and His kingdom will come to this earth.
Jesus, we plead your blood over our sins and the sins of our nation. God end abortion and send revival to Canada!
Rachel Barrett
National Director of Bound4Life Canada
Other entries in the series:
Vicki Gunn, Executive Director of the Christian Heritage Party of Canada.
Maria Slykerman, head of Campaign Life Coalition Manitoba
David MacDonald, singer and pro-life activist
Denise Moutenay, founder of Canada Silent No More
Bill Whatcott, activist
Reverend Ed Hird, Rector of St. Simon's Anglican Church
Father Ted Colleton, activist, missionary.