Dear Friend of Life,
Sometimes, God uses a whole group of people in order to save an unborn child and mother from abortion.
Take one person out of the chain, and the mother does not choose life.
We experienced the truth of that this past week when we received news from one of our Sidewalk Advocates in Indiana, Elizabeth, that a woman she was connected to through other pro-life advocates had scheduled an appointment for an abortion that Monday …and she only spoke Arabic.
Volunteers were able to gather this basic information: this woman and her family had recently moved here from Syria and they had three children; the idea of a fourth child on-the-way overwhelmed them at this point, and they had been told that a chemical abortion would be quick and easy to “take care of the problem.”
Because of the language barrier, the pregnancy center and other volunteers were not effectively able to share the message of life up until that point.
Elizabeth messaged me and asked if I might know anyone who spoke Arabic fluently and had a heart for saving lives.
I immediately posted via social networking the need for a pro-life, Arabic-speaking translator; meanwhile, I started to get messages out to a couple of my old law school friends who had recently been studying Arabic.
It was actually my sister-in-law, Angela, who said to me, “Lauren, doesn’t your realtor’s wife speak Arabic?”
My husband and I had just utilized the services of our friend, David, to buy a home here in Texas. We had forgotten that his wife, Jocelyne, had grown up in Lebanon and spoke Arabic fluently.
We immediately put a message into them, and they responded, eager to help. I also learned in the process that Jocelyne had been used in the past by a local pregnancy center here in Dallas to counsel those who only spoke Arabic — how wonderful!
I called the connection our Sidewalk Advocate, Elizabeth, had given me in Indiana. I reached a woman who gave me yet another phone number of a woman, Kris, who was more directly connected to the woman-in-need. Once I got Kris on the phone — who was extremely grateful and yet, still connected through someone else — she was excited to get connected to Jocelyne.
I introduced them via email, said a prayer and put the rest in God’s hands.
Imagine our joy when Elizabeth posted the following update on Facebook this past week…
“Over the weekend, I learned of a Syrian lady in Indiana that was abortion-minded, and her friend encouraged her to keep an open mind and was searching for an interpreter. There wasn’t much time as she had an appointment scheduled (this) Monday! I felt called to ask (Lauren) for help …she came up with an Arabic-speaking friend in Texas that could help this lady. Fast forward — the lady has chosen life for her precious one! …Thank you, Jesus, for sparing this child and for letting us know of your miracles! I was the 5th person in this chain of people that reached out to help — sometimes it does take a village! Feeling blessed!”
Praise God!
Additionally, another beautiful story underscoring this very principal once again came out of Albuquerque, NM. Sidewalk Advocates there shared a story of a woman-in-crisis who drove into the local Planned Parenthood abortion facility with her mother. While 40 Days for Life volunteers prayed, trained Sidewalk Advocates reached out with their words. Here is an excerpt from that story…
“A team of Sidewalk Advocates was able to speak with a pregnant mother of five and her mother who were driving into Planned Parenthood… Team members used skills learned from (the Sidewalk Advocates for Life) training to engage the two women, offer them life-affirming solutions and re-direct them to (the pregnancy center). Other team members and 40 Days for Life volunteers were on the sidewalk praying for the situation. What a beautiful expression of everyone working together as the hands and feet of Christ to the men, women and children outside the abortion clinic today!”
AMEN!
Indeed, God calls us all to be a vital link in the chain for a woman-in-crisis through prayer and sometimes, through word and action. Keep in mind that your link is not more or less important than another — it is all precious to God! Your YES just might be the missing link in the chain that He uses to save a life!
Let us pray that we say YES to being that vital, life-saving link in the chain in whatever way God is calling us!
This week, we’d love to share with you an exciting event that took place this past week: a baby shower for one of our moms helped through Sidewalk Advocates for Life! And please be sure to join us in prayer through our weekly devotional, below.
Friends, thank you for supporting us in this work to save lives, transform hearts and end abortion through the grace of God!
This past weekend, Executive Director, Lauren Muzyka, traveled to Pensacola, FL to speak at the 40 Days for Life-Pensacola, FL Kickoff Rally and participate in a baby shower for a mom helped by Sidewalk Advocates for Life this past Spring!
About 40+ Sidewalk Advocates and prayer volunteers gathered at a local church to celebrate the opening of their 40-day prayer campaign and celebrate this beautiful mother and baby girl due in November!
This was the first ever baby shower for a mom helped through Sidewalk Advocates for Life!
This mother shared a bit more of her heart with those present …she said that she had initially gone to an abortion facility in the New Orleans, LA area and encountered a woman yelling at her about ‘true faith.’ She was quite startled by the aggressive approach and felt like she could not share what was going on in her life with this woman. She left the facility, still seriously considering the possibility of abortion.
Interestingly, she said that something prompted her to go to the abortion facility in Pensacola, FL, next.
Arriving at the abortion facility in Pensacola that April morning, she was greeted by Sidewalk Advocates, Ernie & Mary Beth. She said that because of the kind, gentle, and helpful way that Ernie & Mary Beth approached her on the sidewalk, she felt safe enough to share her story with them.
In short, the Sidewalk Advocates were able to get her over to a pro-life Ob/Gyn and link her to resources at a pregnancy center in her area; she was excited to choose life for her baby girl!
We look forward to pictures this November — Praise God!
WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL (SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2014): “SAVING GENERATIONS”
by Destiny De La Rosa, Program Advisor, Sidewalk Advocates for Life
Verse(s): “…I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him…”
– Deuteronomy 30:19-20
Reflection: Did you know by the time a female fetus is at 5 months gestation, she already has the eggs within her tiny, little baby womb that will someday be the blueprint for her children? Think about that for just a minute. That means during the second trimester of a woman’s pregnancy, she’s not only carrying her daughter, she’s also carrying the eggs that will be her future grandchild(ren.)
That’s mind-blowing! I remember the first time I discovered this amazing scientific fact, I immediately thought back to the part of the verse in Deuteronomy that says, ‘Choose life in order that you may live, you AND your descendants.’ And while I know the original text was directed at Israel, it’s also so true when it comes to unplanned pregnancies. When a woman chooses to terminate, she’s not merely aborting her child — she’s snuffing out a whole lineage of children to come. Likewise, when a woman chooses life for her child she is choosing generations of blessings.
Faith Challenge: When you are out on the sidewalk, I encourage you not only to pray for the women, men, and unborn children you meet, but also the future of these individuals. Pray that they realize the magnitude of their decision and the lifetime of blessings they have the opportunity to receive when they choose life!