Heroes in the Making
BY Joleigh Little

Let's do a little math. Those of you who are as challenged as I am in this particular discipline, bear with me for a minute and it will all become clear.

One shepherd boy + five smooth stones + one sling = one dead tyrannical giant.

One bold young woman + a supportive family + a secret room = Jewish lives saved from the Nazi Holocaust.

One faith-filled girl + a willing heart + the Holy Spirit = the birth of the One whom Christians believe is the savior of all mankind.  The purpose of this exercise, you ask? To point out a timeless truth: all it takes to change the course of history is one person.

Where would we be today without the heroes of yesterday: the Corrie ten Booms and Oskar Schindlers of World War II, or in our nation's own not-so-distant past, the Frederick Douglasses and Harriet Tubmans of the abolitionist movement?

Where would our nation be without the countless brave men and women who have fought to preserve the freedoms we hold so dear? And where would our world be without Davids to fight the Goliaths and--more timely than ever during this Christmas season--the Marys and the Josephs willing to risk all for the birth of Jesus.

This is more than food for thought. In a minute it might even require some action from you, because there's another truth that might not be so obvious: heroes like those listed above are still a part of our lives today.

The dictionary defines a hero as "a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose" or "someone who fights for a cause." This certainly applies to the courageous men and women alongside whom we fight in this battle against the culture of death that threatens to ruin our nation.

But it also applies to another--often overlooked--group of people. Let's call them "heroes in the making."

These are the pro-life teenagers who live and go to school in your communities. The 12-year-old girl who proudly and, I might add, bravely wears her pro-life t-shirts to school in spite of threats of discipline from teachers who disagree with her. (Teachers are scary when you're in junior high.)

The 15-year-old boy who has an oral report due during the week of March 31, 2005, and chooses to take time in front of his peers and teacher (in a public school) to report the truth about the dehydration death of Terri Schindler Schiavo.

Or what about the young girl whose idea of the ultimate "Sweet 16" party is to ask her friends and family to forget about giving her anything and instead wrap up gifts for the local pregnancy center?

These kids are heroes because they stand up for the rights and lives of others who have no voice. The "in the making" part means that, although they have the heart and the passion to change the world, they still have a LOT to learn about how to do it.

That is where we come in. We're the adults--the movement veterans--and it is OUR job to give these young people the tools and the training they need to become the heroes of tomorrow.

If we do our jobs well, perhaps one of them will one day argue the case before the Supreme Court that ultimately overturns Roe v. Wade. Another will become the President of the United States. Still another will be the diplomat to China who brokers a deal that permanently eliminates the forced abortion policy that has taken so many lives.

Hundreds and even thousands of heroes in the making will become the doctors and nurses who refuse to starve and dehydrate their patients to death or kill unborn children. Countless numbers of them will earn law degrees and spend their lives on behalf of the vulnerable and voiceless. And a few ... a really, really brave few (the pro-life equivalent of the Marines) will have the courage it takes to become members of the secular media! Their impact--individually, and as a generation--will literally alter the course of history.

But this can only happen if we do our part. Just as every single pro-life young person has the ability to change his or her world, every pro-life adult has the ability to be the "grown-up" who helps make it happen.
Kids don't just magically appear at pro-life training camps, conventions, and the upcoming National Youth Leadership Summit sponsored by NRLC. They need encouragement, financial support, and guidance to get there.

My challenge to you today is this. Think of a pro-life teenager or college student in your church or community--maybe there's even more than one. Ask them if they are interested in becoming more involved in the cause of life--maybe by traveling to Washington, D.C., in January for the National Youth Leadership Summit.

Then do everything in your power to help them raise the money they will need to accomplish this goal. Help them plan a cookie sale, write a fundraising letter to friends and family, organize an event at church, or come up with other fundraising opportunities. Perhaps you or your chapter could partially or even completely fund their trip.

The heroes of tomorrow are out there. We just need you--the heroes of today--to help us find them and train them. For more information on the National Youth Leadership Summit sponsored by NRLC and National Teens for Life, contact jlittle@wrtl.org or djones@nrlc.org or call us at (715) 378-4302 or (202) 378-8853. (See page 20 for more details on the National Youth Leadership Summit)