August 25, 2010

Dear friends of Alaska Right to Life,

In the midst of all the clutter of this summer's election season, it's easy to feel slammed. Robocalls, emails, snail mailers, radio chatter, the whole thing can make a person want to go hide deep in the woods. It reminds me of a 7-year-old boy we were foster parenting for a few weeks many years ago. He'd been hurt by several important adults around him and had become a perpetrator to other children as a result. He didn't know how to be himself and he wasn't open to learn. All he knew to do was act out. If given instruction, he’d cover his ears with his palms, close his eyes, and chant lalalalala.

Why do I bring this up to you? Because there is a danger that we will become somehow like that unfortunate child, lost to ourselves, without a vision, jaded and sluggish. As a counselor I sit with many who suffer from what the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard called the major problems of the human psyche: boredom, anxiety, and despair. And with the way things are going in our culture these days, it's easy to fall into one of these traps.

Boredom and busy seem to oppose each other, but we all know that's not necessarily true. Busy with boredom easily leads to anxiety and despair. As when we hear those daily robocalls and back clatter but feel out of control personally to change anything. Or when we work and work but the bills still don't get paid. Or the times when we madly prepare to get away for a precious summer weekend, only to be drenched by a deluge of rain. We know how it feels to be busy and bored.

I want to encourage you to readjust your focus. Allow yourself to think for a few moments about the more than 40 million individual lives murdered through abortion in this beautiful blessed country. Granted, it is more than the mind can conceive, like we can't fathom the trillions of dollars of national debt which is leading our nation to the very brink of bankruptcy. Anyone who has held a newborn baby in their arms...well it's just too hard to imagine 40 million children lost to the life God gave them.

But there is something we can do. We can be a witness, a cloud of witnesses, to our children and all the children still around us. We can witness to the love and forgiveness of God. We can take our palms off our own ears and open our eyes. We don't have to be silent. We can open our mouths and help others know the truth. We can reach out with compassion and empathy to the confused, the uninformed, those suffering with boredom, anxiety, and despair. People in my generation can tell them what it was like when killing your child was not accepted as legal, when life in this land was so much more respected.

Am I saying there is a connection between trillions in national debt and 40 million slaughtered unborn children? Not a direct one, but there are a few glaring similarities. You don't have to go far to hear or read that we are destroying our children's future so we can salvage our lifestyle today. Do you see a connection?

At Alaska Right to Life we are pushing forward, as is every individual and organization in this state that seeks to educate on the culture of life and influence individuals for positive change socially, spiritually, or politically.

Presently the nonprofit organization Alaska Right to Life is functioning as follows. We are:

1. Actively supporting the Personhood Initiative, directing energy and other resources toward its passage.
2. Bringing our booth of educational materials to the Alaska State Fair, as we have for over twenty years.
3. Issuing endorsements and maintaining involvement in the legislative process through our Political Action Committee. Alaska Right to Life’s endorsements are sent via post card and can also be found on our website alaskarighttolife.com.
4. Enlisting volunteers and engaging them in many aspects of this important work, under the direction of our new Volunteer Coordinator.
5. Investing time and talent in 40 Days for Life, starting every year in September.
6. Utilizing the Truth Truck to speak out with accurate, authentic pictures.
7. Expanding our media presence in different venues, thanks to our new Media Coordinator.
8. Keeping regular office hours Monday through Friday, under the oversight of our Administrator, who is handling the volumes of forms and data needed to keep us up to date and compliant with regulations.
9. Scheduling regular times when we are in the community at events such as during Juneteenth and the recent home school convention, where we had informational booths.
10. Increasing the scope of our picketing, appearing at places like City Hall and outside Assembly meetings at the Loussac Library.
11. Preparing for our Proudly Prolife Dinner in November, where our speaker will be Lila Rose, the dynamic young woman who gained national prominence by courageously exposing Planned Parenthood. You can find more info on our website: alaskarighttolife.com.
12. Expanding our website, making it more informational and active.
13. Implementing a new email alert system, not to bombard you but to inform you of opportunities to become involved.
14. Increasing connection with the Interior and Juneau branches of Alaska Right to Life. This includes planning a GAP event this fall at Fairbanks. We will take all our materials up there, set it up, and help them present it.
15. Utilizing our Abortion Alternatives phone line, providing support and referrals for those seeking help.
16. Broadcasting educational and uplifting television spots earlier this year, with plans to do it again.

At Alaska Right to Life we’re not weary in well doing, but we sure could use your support. Currently volunteers are needed to help with picketing, Prolife Dinner preparations, Personhood Initiative signatures, 40 Days for Life involvement, and office work. In addition, on our website you can find a list of standing committees. If you are drawn to serve on any of these, please don't hesitate to contact the committee chairperson or call our main number: 276-1912. We will return your call if we can't pick up right then. And of course, we greatly appreciate any financial donations you can give. We try very hard to be efficient and frugal with all our expenditures.

Boredom and busy. It seems that most of us are very busy, and sometimes overwhelmed by events and circumstances. At the same time, when we reach for a higher goal such as standing with loving strength against the killing of our nation's unborn, we may find that we are rarely if ever bored.

Thank you for taking time to read through this letter, and may God bless you as you do your part.

Yours truly,

Dr. Christie Eberhardt

President

Alaska Right to Life