Psalm 139: 13-14
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
All names in these testimonials have been changed to protect the identity of our clients.
At Least I Have My Baby
In April Jenny had a positive pregnancy test and was determined to have an abortion. Her AWC counselor drove her to her ultrasound appointment at our Dorchester medical clinic.
On the day of Jenny’s ultrasound the counselor met her at our center in Hyannis. Due to a language barrier the client mistakenly thought she was being taken for an abortion. The importance of having an ultrasound was explained to Jenny and she willingly went to the appointment.
During the ultrasound counseling, she reiterated her desire to abort her baby. Jenny said that her boyfriend was the father of her daughter, and of an aborted baby (that he knew nothing of). However she had been intimate with another man and thought he might be the father of this child.
Two days after the ultrasound appointment Jenny spoke with the AWC counselor and let her know that she had scheduled an abortion for the following Wednesday. Our hearts grieved for this young woman and her unborn baby and we immediately started praying for them. Around this time, Jenny started to bond with her counselor and a friendship was formed as they kept in frequent contact.
Surprisingly just a few days later Jenny called our counselor to tell her the good news: she decided to keep the baby. She told her boyfriend the whole truth, he was angry and ended the relationship, but Jenny’s heart was changed through her encounters with the caring counselors of AWC. She just said: “that’s life, but at least I have my baby."
Recently our counselor attended Jenny’s third ultrasound which showed a very active, healthy baby girl. Jenny has asked our counselor to be her baby’s godmother and to attend the baby’s birth. Just one person to extend a helping hand, one person to be a friend and support a life affirming option can make all the difference!
Final Decision
Sofía sat across from her AWC counselor with a broken heart. As the pregnancy test results were read, tears streamed down her face. Sofía is Spanish speaking and was with her boyfriend Luis who is also the father of their 15 month old son.
The counselor called a local pastor who could translate. Within ten minutes the pastor was there in the counseling room. An ultrasound was done, showing that the baby was 14 weeks old. We all witnessed together a thumb sucking baby kicking his or her feet. The counselor asked Luis why they wanted an abortion, he replied “We just can’t do this, I lost my job and we are no longer together. When asked if they believed in God and that He would provide for them. They both responded “Yes” Luis added “We know he is the Creator, but we don’t want to bring a baby into a world that is already suffering.” The counselor asked him “If there came a time when you could no longer provide for your 15 month old son, would you get rid of him?” Luis replied: “No, but you don’t understand, we want an abortion.” Sofía continued to weep so the counselor asked her “Do YOU want an abortion?” She replied “No!” The counselor said to Luis: “God created men to be the protectors of the family, why are you forcing her to have an abortion?” He replied “My decision is final, we will get an abortion.” They left the center refusing to answer any more questions.
The counselor’s heart wept, not only for the child, but for what the mother was about to go through, so she took a moment in silence, seeking wisdom from God. The Lord put on her heart to contact the pastor’s wife who agreed to reach out to Sofía. She stopped by Sofía’s house at different times of the day, until one day Sofía answered the door. With open arms the church took her into their fold and helped supply her needs. Together A Woman’s Concern, and the church community welcomed a new baby into this world in February of 2011.
Un-Numbered
Sue called AWC today. She has never been to one of our centers yet our work has touched her deeply. Sue had a happy disposition on the phone as she started to tell her story. After nine years of marriage and five children, she became pregnant for the sixth time. They could not see how they could take care of another child since they were already struggling. She told her AWC counselor that she and her husband had discussed abortion as the best solution for their family. She started to cry on the phone and in between her tears she said "I just want to thank you for helping me not make the worst mistake of my life."
The story became clear as she went on. About a year ago she called AWC and spoke to a counselor. Although she did not recall the counselor’s name, she remembered that the counselor spent an hour on the phone with her: "She really listened, she understood and it was amazing, she didn't even know me and she cared so much for me"
Because Sue never came into one of A Woman’s Concern’s centers she is an example of the many women who receive help but will never be counted in the end of year numbers. Her child will not be listed in our end of year babies born list, and the counselor will remain unaware of the result of her actions that day but words of life were spoken and a family was blessed.