A Simple idea . . . with a BIG vision . . .

The Vaccine Choice Prayer Community (via the Facebook group) was "officially" launched on July 4, 2014 -- a day that those of us in the United States celebrate freedom.  

I first started researching the pros and cons of vaccines in the late '80s when I was pregnant with my third daughter and the recommended vaccine schedule for children was on the rise. Recently,  I have become keenly aware of the fact that we, as individuals and as parents are losing our right to decide what is injected into our bodies and into that of our children; and that to me is frightening.

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With the loss of rights and forced vaccines weighing heavily on my mind, I began to pray and ask God for guidance.  As I attended mass the following Sunday, the gospel reading was taken from Acts 12; and although I am 62 years old and have been listening to gospel readings all my life, I could not recall having heard that particular one before.  I share the reading below.

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Acts 12 ~  Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison ~ New International Version (NIV)

12 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark,where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.

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I often say, "Coincidences are God's way of remaining anonymous "  The older I get, the more I see God's hand in every "coincidence" in my life.   As the gospel ended that Sunday morning, my immediate thought (or perhaps God's message) was, "God trumps all the laws and mandates." I felt as if God was tapping on my shoulder and telling me that the answer to the vaccine issue is prayer -- a community of prayer, like the prayer community that was "earnestly praying to God" for Peter.

There are many fact based vaccine-related books and online resources as well as blogs that reflect more personal views.  For a list of resources that I have found helpful click here.  I kept searching to find a resource simply devoted to prayer in connection with the vaccine issue, and I could not; so with a compelling vision of a worldwide prayer community in mind, I shared my thoughts with a few close family members and friends and continued to ask God for guidance.   As a result the Vaccine Choice Prayer Community was born.

The vaccine issue is a controversial, emotionally charged one that has a tendency to divide people.  (I recently heard a wonderful priest from Nigeria say that the word "WAR" is an acronym for "We Are Right".)  The Vaccine Choice Prayer Community is an opportunity for all of us to put aside our differences; focus on our commonality -- optimum health for ourselves and our families -- and pray together. 

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"An international, interfaith community praying together for informed consent and vaccine choice -- for the right to decide what substances are injected into our bodies and into our children; for those who have been and are being forced to vaccinate against their will;  for the victims who have been harmed or have died from vaccines and their families; for safer vaccines and for the scientists, doctors and lawmakers responsible for vaccine development and policy."

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Members of the Vaccine Choice Prayer Community and your intentions are in my daily prayers. Although we are still few in number right now, the bible verse on the home page of this website reminds us that even a small group can work wonders!  I invite you to invite others to join us and please feel free to contact me with your suggestions as to how we can best pray together.

Please post your vaccine related prayer intentions in the comment section below or on the Vaccine Choice Prayer Community Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/vaccinechoiceprayercommunity/  so that we can pray together, as a community, for them. 

Please pray, in whatever way you choose to pray for the intentions of the Vaccine Choice Prayer Community.  If you would like to hold a special prayer service at you home or place of worship please let me know and I will share the information with the rest of the community.  Even though we might not be geographically close enough to physically attend;  we can be joined together in prayer during that time. Thank you so very much and God bless!