A few days into my new position, I experienced my first “turnaway” or “save.” A few days later, another young woman chose life. And miracle after miracle occurred before my eyes due to the power of grace and love that I offered through Jesus Christ.
I found my love – or really, God’s love — for people growing by leaps and bounds, inside my heart. Even more so, I saw that I was changing. My new post was purifying me in a powerful way, so much that I would often pass by people in the grocery store or at church and wonder – with great love and concern in my heart – what their unique story was. After all, I was having to walk up to total strangers on the sidewalk and offer them loving alternatives to a choice that I knew could affect them for the rest of their life; I was entering their life at a critical, crisis point. I remember one of my fellow sidewalk counselors, Joanne, saying, “You know, it’s not the baby that’s the problem, it’s the situation they’re in. The baby simply shines a light into the area of their life that needs help.” I came to see that it was only the love of God that could bridge that gap. I was called to be the hands and feet of Christ; I was called to help stand in the gap.
Soon after I started regularly sidewalk counseling, I remember sitting in a restaurant, waiting for a table with my boyfriend and a couple friends. One sweet little girl, probably around 3 years old, was sitting nearby and looked over at me with a big smile. All of a sudden, she took off running, landing in my arms with a big hug. I didn’t think to do anything but just hug her back! What a sudden, sweet display of love! Her mother rushed over and gently pulled the little girl from my arms, apologizing, “I’m sorry, she’s never done that before!” I laughed and reassured her that I was blessed by the gesture. I wondered if my new ministry had changed me to the point that sharing God’s love was bringing more love into my world.
But I have to say that one of my most favorite stories from the summer was the following one…
The second “save” that I witnessed was a young, 17-year old girl who was heading to the abortion facility with her mother in the driver’s seat. I was standing in the public alleyway of the abortion center, as cars were beginning to file into the center’s parking lot. I leaned down toward one car, and the girl’s mother rolled down the passenger side window.
“Hi, my name is Lauren,” I said, “We just wanted you to know that we love you, we’ve been praying for you, and we have real help this morning.”
With those simple words, I put a Rosary in her hands. In truth, I found out later that she wasn’t Catholic, but Pentecostal. But it didn’t matter. To her, it was a symbol of prayer. With few words and that one gesture, she began to cry.
I began to explain to them all of the help at the Pregnancy Resource Center next door – that we were a community of faith and love, and we would help them with anything they might need.
“But she’s so young!” Her mother said, bewildered. I could tell they didn’t know what to do. Ironically, they felt as if they had no choice.
“But that’s why she needs you right now,” I gently countered back, “…she needs your support to do the right thing.” I turned back to the young girl, “Do you have a place to live, hon?”
“Yes,” she said through her tears.
“Do you have food?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have a car?”
“No.”
“But mom does, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then you have more things than many women who have their babies. I have seen women choose abortion – people in my own family, as well as friends – and I have seen the incredible pain that comes with that. So many of them regret their decision.”
“I have friends who have had abortions. They all regret it.”
She was beginning to connect the dots. Mom, daughter and I kept chatting. Before I knew it, the tears turned to a smile. This young mother began to see how it was possible – even wonderful – for her to choose life.
All of a sudden, something happened that I will never forget. The young girl suddenly swung open the door of the car, jumped out, and threw her arms around my neck. “Let’s go get a sonogram!” she exclaimed. I was in awe of the transformation that had just taken place! “You’re like an angel!” her mother exclaimed.
I sure didn’t feel like one – I was shocked myself! Then, I realized that I shouldn’t be – after all, I knew that with God, all things were possible! I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in such an incredible way that it was like electricity pulsating throughout my body. I walked the young mother and the grandmother of this unborn child up the stairs to the Pregnancy Resource Center next store, captivated by the incredible blessing of experiencing this moment, only due to the grace of God. I left these two women in the very capable hands of the center, wished them my congratulations, and quickly went back downstairs to my post on the sidewalk.
Sometime after the women had left, the counselor at the pregnancy resource center told me that after she walked the two women back to a counseling room, put on their intake video and began to walk away, she heard something odd. She said she heard both mom and daughter start laughing…and it continued throughout the video! That counselor stopped and actually thought, Wait…What video did I put in the VCR? Later, in the counseling session, she learned that both women were so happy they didn’t choose abortion that they were literally, laughing from relief! They were so grateful; the stress was just rolling off of them! Knowing what the Scriptures say about JOY, I knew the Holy Spirit had been among us.
When daughter and mom came downstairs after their session, they shared that the Pregnancy Resource Center had given them a pair of baby booties – a sign of hope – with a second appointment to come back and see the ultrasound of her unborn child.
Randomly, I thought, “I bet she’s having a girl.” We traded information and said goodbye through big smiles, with a promise to keep in touch.
Later that summer, I transitioned from my home state of Texas to my new home in Michigan for the next three years to attend law school. When I finally completed my first semester and headed home to Dallas on break, I decided to call the two women that I had met just months earlier.
That evening, I spoke with “Grandma,” the mother of the young girl I had spoken with, months before. She shared some exciting news with me: “Lauren, Jaala was born on December 26. She is the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen. I cannot believe we almost aborted her.” What a gift those words were to me. What a gift they were to God!
Soon after, the CPLC called the family and offered to throw them a celebratory baby shower. Carol, the sidewalk counseling director, emailed me pictures of Mom, Grandma, and baby Jaala from the event, just after I had begun my second semester of law school. I treasured those pictures, and when my law school studies got tough over the next couple years, I often pulled those pictures back out and reminded myself why I was there.
I graduated law school in May of 2009 and set my sights on trying to find work in the pro-life movement.
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Finally, in the Spring of 2013, I experienced a moment I will never forget.
Earlier that winter, I had a friend who asked me to share one of my sidewalk counseling stories for a project he was putting together. I gave him a quick summary of this story, and offered to write it all down for him.
“Sure, that would be great,” Dave said, “…and do you think you could get back in touch with that mom and little girl and see how they’re doing? That would be awesome!” In truth, I had been wanting to do that, and this had given me the perfect excuse.
So, just a few weeks later, I had found Jaala’s mother on Facebook and messaged her about meeting someday. But after sometime had passed, I didn’t hear back, and I figured she didn’t want to connect. Perhaps that day had brought back some difficult memories, I figured.
However, soon after I began asking the Lord for his continued will in my life (including, honestly, whether or not I should continue in the pro-life movement after feeling quite battle-weary from all of the demanding ministry work), I received a message from Mom…
Hi Lauren!!! Oh my goodness!! I am just now seeing this. It was never filtered into my inbox – I just happened to view my other message icon, and I saw these!!! This is so amazing!! I’m so happy and very joyful that you took the time to actually find me. I totally remember that day as if it were yesterday. Jaala is 6 now, and she is extremely intelligent. She is in Kindergarden this year, and she actually received student of the month back in November. I would love for you to meet her. She is a very special little girl. I have a son now; he just turned 3 (earlier) this month….I really do appreciate your prayers and concern. Thank you so much!
In short, I was elated! I wrote back to say hello and let her know I had been concerned that I had somehow offended her. She responded back…
No!!! Never! I was very happy when I saw it! Brought back memories. I still have the pink rosary you gave me that day, it’s actually hanging on Jaala’s bulletin board.
I couldn’t believe that she had kept the Rosary I had given her, six years earlier, and it was hanging on that precious little girl’s bulletin board.
We made plans to meet up just a couple weeks later …and I will never forget meeting Jaala.
I pulled up to Grandma’s apartment – where the family was visiting at that time – that beautiful, Spring Saturday afternoon. First, adorable, grinning little brother came out to the banister… followed by his, sweet, beautiful, spunky big sister, Jaala. Mom followed behind. I made my way up the steps and was greeted by big, wonderful hugs from the whole family.
In short, the entire time we shared together was so special! Jaala, at times, would ask for a hug or to hold my hand or sit in my lap – and my heart would just melt! The thought crossed my mind: is there anything better than this?
That afternoon, any prior doubt that I had concerning whether or not to continue in the pro-life movement seemed to fade to the background.
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I often think back to that fateful summer and wonder: what if someone hadn’t been there? What if I had insisted on my own plans, rather than surrendering to God’s? Would Jaala be here? What about the other miracles I experienced?
Oh, I knew that it hadn’t been “me” – after all, my words don’t usually make people jump out of cars! I knew that it had been the Holy Spirit, the great Counselor, who had worked through me, time after time out on that sidewalk. I had only said, “yes, Lord, use me.”
But the thought had occurred to me: what if we each failed to say “yes”? What if we were unwilling to unselfishly give of our time – sometimes in the wind, rain or heat – to offer loving alternatives to women, so that a life might be saved? In reality, when a child is spared, two lives are saved because that woman is also spared a lifetime of regret from choosing abortion. And in truth, when you save one, you have saved generations.
I remember my own mother one time, saying to me, “But Lauren, why do YOU have to be out there? Can’t someone else go out?” I understood, naturally, that she was worried about my safety, as any mother would be.
But I remember responding to her, “Mom, if everyone said that, then would anyone go? If not me …then who?”
I look at the picture of sweet baby Jaala – who was very close to becoming another statistic – and realize that every sacrifice I made to be on the sidewalk that summer and beyond was worth it.