By Rusty Lee Thomas

You shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand you still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you (2 Chronicles 20:17).

Operation Save America National Event

Join hundreds of Christians as they live out their faith on the streets of Orlando. We will become a beacon of righteousness to a city and a nation losing its way. Abortion will come to an end in the city of Orlando when the Church of Jesus Christ makes up its mind it will come to an end.

Place: Orlando, Florida

Time: July 16-23, 2011

Orlando Report

We know from scripture that the one attribute that pleases the Lord the most is when His people live and walk by faith. Hebrews 11:6 states, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Operation Save America director Flip Benham and I went forth in faith to Orlando from May 4th-7th to prayerfully prepare the way of the Lord for our national event that is scheduled from July 16th-23rd.

There are, however, special times when the Lord honors one’s faith with assurances of His leading. What we experienced was nothing less than God’s power and presence assuring us that this is the time, place, and people He has ordained for our national event. We were met with significant indicators that we were smack dab in the center of God’s will. The folks on the ground are superb. They are committed to ending abortion at Orlando’s five abortion mills. They are full of God’s word, truth, and love. They are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nor afraid to unsheathe the sword of the Spirit at the gates of hell.

Flip and Rusty with Michelle Herzog and Allura Lightfoot

Upon our arrival, Flip and I met with two precious ladies, Michelle Herzog and Allura Lightfoot. They took us to a possible location for our Memorial Service for Baby Choice on Friday, July 22nd, 2011. It is a large band shell at one of the busy parks in Orlando. It is a promising place to host this poignant event. From there, we had dinner with some of the local movers and shakers. About 25 folks came together for a time of introduction.

Flip and Rusty met with pastors from Metro Life Church. (Notice they are still smiling!)

We met with a few pastors. They were all gracious and seemed to receive the vision, mission, and opportunity that were set before them in Jesus’ name! We do not know how much they will participate, but each of them committed to help in some way. This is not the “normal” response Operation Rescue/Operation Save America typically receives from pastors. In fact, most refuse to meet with us. One pastor, Victor Morgan, from Victorious Living Fellowship agreed to host our event. It is a powerful church in the middle of the black community close to downtown Orlando. This brother is a dynamic man of God who handles the word of God like a sharp scalpel. Thanks to him and sister Winnie Bell, we now have a peg in the temple to hang the vision and mission of our OSA national event.

The day after our arrival, Flip and I went to one of the local death camps. It was no small stir. One baby was miraculously saved. God apprehended a young couple before they did the unspeakable to their own child. Flip caught them in the back of the clinic and spoke the word of the Lord to them. The young man, Kevin, walked over to Michelle in the front of the clinic and she also ministered. He was clearly conflicted. Michelle called me over and I had the opportunity to challenge him with God’s word as well. His girlfriend eventually followed, trembling with tears streaming down her face.

They both came from a church background and had not disclosed their sin to their parents. In this, the boast of Orlando’s most notorious abortionist rang true. James Pendergraft has stated, “If Evangelical Christians quit aborting their children, I would be out of business.” What a stinging indictment against those who claim to be God’s people! In other words, the only time Christians go to abortion mills is to partake of their bloody services, instead of rescuing those who are unjustly being put to death. God have mercy on us!

But I digress. The couple conspired to kill their baby in order to hide their shame. Instead of running from God, they ran right into Him. He busted up their deceitful plot, convicted them of their sin, and took what they thought was a curse and turned it into a blessing. They left the abortion mill with the courage and humility to face their failures, parents, and situation with God’s help.

In the driveway, we had one more chance to minister. It was here the young man finally broke and wept. Honestly, out of all the saves we had experienced in the last twenty years, this was one of the most powerful. Apparently, the powers of darkness agreed. Right after the child was saved, the police came at the behest of the abortion mill. They took our licenses, ran background checks on Flip and I and took our pictures. Our presence there communicated one message that causes the “powers that be” to cringe, “There is another King, one called Jesus!”

Next, we went to meet with Allura’s pastor at Metro Life Church. The vision was shared and her pastors received all the information and prayed for us. From there, Flip and I met with R.C. Sproul Jr. and Pastor David Bostrom from Lakeland, FL. First, it was an awesome culinary adventure. Beyond that, they promised to help, where they can. Pastor David confessed that he is preparing to lead his congregation to the gates of hell at the local death camp in his city.

Please pray for the Sproul family. His wife is suffering with leukemia. This is the third bout with cancer this family has endured. His wife previously survived breast cancer and then R.C. Jr. contracted the dreaded disease. He is cancer free, while his wife is struggling once again.

After that, Flip and I revisited Flip’s old stomping grounds in Kissimmee, Fl. He took me to the vicinity of his old saloon called “The Mad Hatter.” It was a fitting title for Brother Flip back then. Later, we went to the little Free Methodist Church where Flip was saved. I noticed Flip’s eyes were a little misty as he recounted the Lord’s mercy in his life. This was the place that Jesus dug Flip out of the pit, set his life upon a rock, and gave him a new song to sing (Psalm 40:2, 3). It is this song of redemption that we intend to sing loud and clear in Orlando from July 16th-23rd.

John Barros with Rusty and Flip

In the evening, we were invited to dinner and a prayer meeting with the wonderful Barros family. Brother John is a one man wrecking crew at one of the abortion mills in Orlando. He comes out five days a week. He is there before they open and does not leave until they close. God has used him to lead many to the saving grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and rescue babies from imminent death. He is currently working on helping three workers at this death camp to get out of the abortion industry to be gainfully employed elsewhere. These are the kinds of people we were privileged to meet in Orlando.

Ministering God’s Word to Jose

The next day was our meeting with Pastor Victor Morgan at Victorious Living Fellowship. It was here that God secured our host church. We had a powerful meeting and were greatly encouraged at the favor we had found. Next stop was an abortionist’s business where we called Dr. Felski to repentance. While there exposing his unfruitful works of darkness, we encountered a Hispanic man whose name was Jose. He was walking by with his dog with sleep in his eyes. After a few minutes of ministering God’s word, his eyes became big as saucers and filled with tears. We know that God had touched him and went away convicted by God’s love and truth. In this, one of our sayings was fulfilled, “We have led more people to the Lord by accident doing pro-life ministry than what we did on purpose as pastors and evangelists.”

Our next stop took Flip and I to Apopka, Florida to meet with another pastor. Once again, we found favor as we shared the vision and mission. This young man spoke of the church’s commitment to engage the culture, law, politics, and their community with the claims of Christ and the truth of His word. Truly, the Lord is to have preeminence in every area of life and we were grateful to find another church that agreed (Colossians 1:18).

Later that afternoon, we met with Jay Rogers who helped put together our schedule. We ate and then went to a powerful prayer meeting at Resound Missions Base with Pastor Larry and Leah Ramirez. We witnessed several young people aflame with righteousness weeping over their generation, city, state, and nation. God’s word burned in their hearts as they cried out to God to revive America. Resound organized what they termed a Stand for Life event that was scheduled to take place the next day. They organized the church in Florida and seven states to go to their local death camps and Stand4Life. About 70 abortion mills in Florida were covered on Saturday, May 7th.

Flip and I were privileged to participate in this marvelous mobilization of God’s people our last day in Orlando. We arrived early and for three hours we gave them heaven. Here we met a special family, the Rislers. The husband and father, David, faithfully represented the Lord’s heart and message to those entering a place they ought not to be. God watched over His word and rescued a couple from going through with sacrificing their child and shedding his/her innocent blood.

Our final destination was Planned Parenthood. Stand4Life was in full operation. Christians surrounded this death camp. Heaven came down and all hell broke loose. Once again, the police came to the crime scene as the abortion giant let loose the sprinklers on God’s people. One lady was so defiant in her sin and crime against God and her own child that she came out of the clinic and exposed herself to all present, including children. Of course, the police did nothing. Since they are defending the indefensible, their mentality is whatever happens to Christian pro-lifers at abortion clinics we deserve for being there. The double standard screams to the heavens.

Flip and I enjoyed two divine appointments. We got to minister to two young men. One was walking by and was apprehended by the Holy Ghost and God’s word. His name is Travis. He recently broke up with his girlfriend who killed his baby without his consent. We prayed with him and he promised to go to church the next day with Winnie Bell at our host church, Victorious Living Fellowship.

Flip ministered to a young man named Sean. He was at Planned Parenthood already guilty of having one of his children put to death from a prior abortion. We gathered around him as he prayed and asked God to forgive him for murdering his own child. Flip then convinced him to go into the abortion mill and pass on our literature to the woman he accompanied there. He mustered the courage and did what he could.

This report is the first fruits of what is to come. Flip and I pray everyone is greatly encouraged by this report and will convince all who read to come to Orlando from July 16th-23rd, 2011 “for such a time as this.”