A Changed Perspective
Dear Friend,
How do you convince a mother to choose life?
Have you ever asked yourself this question?
To be honest, working with women experiencing unplanned pregnancies is a lot of pressure. After all, lives are at stake.
Sue, AlphaCare’s Perinatal Nurse, has faithfully provided excellent care to our clients for 12 years.
Around a year ago, I met a woman named Jeriesha*. She came to AlphaCare, scared and confused, just wanting to confirm that she was pregnant. She was. The news didn’t seem to bring her any joy. I asked if she’d like to see an ultrasound of her baby. Her response was a polite but mumbled “no.” I asked if she had any questions about her health or the health of her child.
“No.”
I shared about our health and social services available to her. I showed her a flyer listing our services and described them to her — parenting support, trauma healing groups, diapers, baby clothes and more. “Would you like to take this information with you?”
“No thank you.”
I could tell Jeriesha wasn’t ready to talk or receive more input from me. She was guarded, having already set her mind and heart on having an abortion. I continued my nursing duties and wrapped up the appointment by providing her with resources for prenatal care should she change her mind. I did my best to ensure Jeriesha had everything she needed for her own health and to make her own decision about the fate of her baby. “If you need our services in the future just give us a call.” I prayed for the Lord to bless the work of my hands (Psalm 90:17). And then, I gave it up to God.
I can’t convince anyone to choose life. It’s outside my power. It isn’t what God is calling me to or the ministry He has prepared for my life. Convincing mothers not to abort is not what we do at AlphaCare. We come alongside women, offering hope and help so they feel supported in making a decision for life.
With your help AlphaCare can continue to be a place for women like Jeriesha to feel the love of Christ in a safe space while learning about the life growing within them. Will you support us in caring for women and their babies?
When God called me to AlphaCare 12 years ago, I often wondered how I could help expecting moms see the life growing inside them for the miracle it is. I would empathize and imagine myself as a scared young woman, pregnant with little to no support, scarcely able to get by on my own…and I would think hard about what it would take for me to bring life into this world. I would envision a nurse in my role — speaking with grace and listening without judgment — I would strive to become that ideal in hopes God could use my words to change hearts and minds. I would be the woman He would use to help moms find joy in giving birth. I could convince them to choose life. But God quickly revealed something to me. My job is not to convince. I learned my job is to be present for women — to make them feel loved and cared for, to show them that their life is valuable — so they have the support needed to choose life. God is in control and with time I learned to rely on Him regardless of the choice made by each mother.
A few weeks ago, Jeriesha walked into our office. More than a year had passed since our last meeting. I recognized her immediately.
“Hi, Jeriesha. How are you hoping we can help you today?”
For a split second, I saw that same fearful woman I had encountered a year ago. But then she smiled and placed her hand on her once again growing belly. Her joy broke through whatever anxiety had been wearing her down.
“I’m pregnant,” she said. “And this time…I want to keep my baby. Can you help me?”
In that moment, I felt God’s power and presence. I felt overwhelmed by His grace. I felt honored to be a part of His plan to speak to this woman’s heart, and I praised the Lord for the role AlphaCare will play in helping her prepare a life for her child. God is making all things new (Revelation 21:5), and it is such a joy to be part of a ministry that gets to see his redemptive work up-close. As I went over Jeriesha’s pregnancy plan and helped her through some next steps on her journey, she shared with me how grateful she was for AlphaCare. Her heart was in a place to accept our services beyond a pregnancy test and ultrasound.
I signed her up for prenatal vitamins and childbirth classes through AlphaCare and supplied her with a list of healthcare providers who could offer her prenatal care. I want to pass her heart-felt “thank you” on to you, our dear partners. You opened the door for Jeriesha. You gave her a safe place to come to for answers. You valued her health, wellness and dignity. Because of you, she had the opportunity to encounter God’s love.
We provide up to 15 ultrasounds each week.
Only God can speak to the hearts of mothers. Only His Holy Spirit can guide them to choose life. Only our Savior’s grace can draw them into the life of abundance he desires for them and their families. It’s all out of my control, but God is sovereign over it all.
And when God is in control, miracles happen.
As you partner with AlphaCare, you’re helping moms discover life, not through me or my co-workers, but through the grace of the Living God.
As Jeriesha chooses life, it is because God moves her heart. Will you join me in praising God for the miracle in Jeriesha’s life and in celebrating the coming birth of her baby?
Let’s continue to do our part in the fight to save lives, but never lose sight of the truth that God is sovereign over every life.
Thank you,
Sue Henderson
Perinatal Nurse
P.S. Your gift will plant the seeds in the hearts of moms like Jeriesha who choose life the first time, as well as those who return for help. As you consider making a gift to this life-saving ministry, please join me in prayer for God’s continued miraculous intervention in the lives of moms in need.
*Name has been changed to protect the privacy of our client.
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