I have never been a politically apt person. In fact, quite the opposite. I suppose this is because ever since I have been able to vote I've thought that my rights were never under attack and that as long as someone who opposed abortion and claimed to be a Christian was in the white house I was good to go.
Silly and uninformed is what that is.
Recently I have been exposed and immersed in the depths of politics. My job as an abstinence educator has always been an politically controversial one. I partner with my local pregnancy care clinic who is pro-life. This is also another huge point of political unrest.
My job. It is something I am passionate about indeed. Spreading the undercover gospel of self worth, self respect, purity, passion and truth in the classroom. Yesterday I got a chance to go to our state's capitol, to Springfield Illinois, to lobby. Holy cow. are you serious! Lobbying. This was intense. I got to go around to most of the state representatives offices, handing out information about our program, ReL8, sat in on a briefing with Representative Reis about our plan of action and got to witness some amazing things. It was just like the movies.
Political science has always been my anti. Honestly, I hear the sound of news channel, I turn it. I see an issue of Newsweek, I ignore it. I hear political conversation and I avoid it. I didn't have a thorough understanding of it, henceforth it was complicated therefore I had no interest. After lobbying yesterday I realized ignorance isn't an excuse anymore. It's not an option.
Sometimes its hard to admit you have been ignorant. Because along with ignorance there comes this feeling of stupidity and immaturity. Well I didn't have time to be ignorant this past week. With the House bill 2354 coming up to vote today I had to learn fast. More on this bill can be found on http://archpundit.com/wp-content/uploads/HB2354.pdf
[key points include: nulification of the state’s parental notice law, requires taxpayers to pay for thousands of abortions,would mandate comprehensive sex-ed for our children starting as low as kindergarten. ]
I just new my job was in danger and that the PCC I partner with would be mandated to inform our pregnant clients where they could get abortions and make a referral and that most docotrs would be required to provide abortion services.
So yesterday I got to lobby.
This is how it works:
The Reps are in session reading through the various bills, etc that are up to be voted on. They read through them an insane amount of time and each bill is a bazillion pages long. IT'S A LONG PROCESS! When you lobby you go and stand outside the Session doors and you give your business card with the name of the Rep you want to talk to on it, it has the bill you want to discuss on it on the back, you hand it to a Page and they deliver it to your Rep. You stand outside with 100 + other people waiting to nab their said Reps and hopefully don't get trampled in the meantime. If you see your Representative come out with your card in hand YOU ATTACK! just kidding..you push others out of the way and rush up to him and hand him your info, plead your case all in a short minute!
So I did this. I was assigned two Representatives out of the 14 we needed to speak with. I got John Cavaletto and Brandon Phelps. So I wait..and I wait...and I wait....all of the sudden precious John Cavaletto comes out Missy Culpepper's card in hand and I rush to him and shake his hand while spewing forth my information etc. He was the best. He of course is a NO vote on this bill (SCORE) and was so accomodating. He remembered that I had contacted his office yesterday and told me he called me back etc..if there was anything he could ever do for us to let him know personally. He gave comendations, applause and thanks. WHOA. I felt so cool. I'm not even going to lie. Maybe I will get asked over for Thanksgiving dinner now and all of the summer cook outs?? We had another Rep who came out ready to debate us because he felt God leading him to do so. He thought we were FOR the bill. When he realized we were there to support him in voting no he was nothing but complimentary and eager to meet each of us that were there. He said it was nice to see a presense of God there. The enemy is always here, he mentioned, its nice to have people who represent the truth around making their presence known.
We got chewed out by one guy because he said Bristol Palin got knocked up and that makes abstinence education dumb. He doesn't care about the bill. It's not worth his time. When he realized that 8 women were NOT there to flatter him, swoon at his pick up lines and support him he didn't take kindly to that. He told us not to agitate him enough to make him go call up the bill right then and there to be voted on. I don't even think he has that power anyway but I wasn't worried. ..Men of depraved minds who are rejected will reject your faith..
Anyway. After miles of walking in high heels and power suits, heavy bags, and endless securty lines all for no pay, I left feeling encouraged, empowered and informed!
God is bigger than my ignorance. God is bigger than depravity. For this I am immensly grateful!
Good news: they say that HB 2354 won't even be called up for a vote because there has been such a public outcry against this bill!
God wins again.
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