New Order of Sisters will do pro-life and post-abortion counseling work in Siberia.

Kelly Whittier, recently given the religious name Sister Maria Stella, the community's first novice is excited about the work which she hopes will focus on pro-life activities. "I'm just trying to learn about post-abortion ministry. There is someone going to Russia from Rachel's Vinyard retreats at the end of this month. So I'm hoping to go for that training. They've started six crisis pregnancy centers in Russia." The mission society's newsletter, Vladivostok Sunrise, says that at least 600 children have been saved from abortion through the society's 'Adopt-A-Birth' programme. Sister Julia says that the economic situation is bad and the spiritual and mental depression caused by communism has made it difficult for women to think of having children.

Fr. Myron Effing says in his newsletter, "The Russians say that the situation is so bad they have to have abortion. I say that the situation here is so bad because they have abortions." One Russian woman who attended the society's Rachel's Vineyard retreat said, "We simply cannot live on as the same person when children are being killed right next to us..We all mourn the unborn." Another said, "I felt comfortable to share my thoughts with others and get rid of my burden. Here you can talk about such things and no one judges you."

Link courtesy of Amy Welborn.