Another Child is Born!
God continues to heap blessing upon blessing on our efforts here in New Mexico. Each month comes with trials, yes, but the blessings and favor of God outweigh them by far. On June 3rd Maribella was born. We met her mom Jen* several months ago by divine providence. You may remember the miraculous story of how another one of our moms (Tina*) brought Jen in to PDL. Tina and her son Candido were featured in our newsletter a couple of months back.
Jen* had an appointment at the Planned Parenthood (PP) next to PDL on the day we met her. Her baby was about 6 weeks old. She pulled her car into our parking lot and there she met Tina and asked where PP was. Tina asked her what she needed and asked her to come in and talk to myself and another volunteer. Jen felt the same way a lot of the moms we work with feel. She didn’t think the timing was right and her boyfriend didn’t want another child and was pushing hard for the abortion. Jen knew though, that she wanted her baby, she just didn’t know how it would all work out. What she needed at the end of the day was encouragement and to hear that she could have her baby and everything would work itself out.
Thankfully, about 4 weeks after we met her she came back to PDL for an ultrasound! I was so excited to see her again, because you often aren’t sure if the mom will come back. At the very first glimpse of her baby all she could say was, “that’s my child”. It was a beautiful day. Since that time Jen moved back to CO to be with her mom and pursue a college degree. Needless to say, Maribella is the love of her life. Glory be to God!
Speaking the Truth, in and out of Season
Tara & I had a presentation at Legacy Church (one of the larger churches in ABQ). We shared a biblical context for the need of the Christian community to reach out to abortion minded couples; to restore justice and minister to the oppressed from John 15:1-8 & Isa.5: 1-7.We also shared about late-term abortion clinic in ABQ and ways to get involved. Many in the audience were surprised by what they heard but also eager to help. We ended the presentation with a Questions & Answers session. It was a blessing to inform even more Christians about the reality of injustice not in some foreign, distant land, but in our own community.
A second presentation we did was on an Indian reservation about 45 minutes from ABQ. Our presence was in collaboration with our friends Manny and Grace. They organized a weekend outreach that included other speakers, free lunches, ac-tivities for kids, and gospel presentations. For a first time event, it went great. Their vision was that if even one person receives Christ and their life is changed as a result of the weekend, it is worth it. We couldn’t agree more! We as Christians should always have that mentality as we live our lives for Christ.
Tears of doubt, fear, and despair turned into tears of joy!
There were 4 turn-arounds and two babies saved this month at the late-term clinic. We consider turn-arounds to be when women leave the clinic after speaking with us. Saves are when a woman actually tells us that she is choosing life instead of abortion. One couple had come from Arizona. They went inside the clinic but came right back out and left. As they were leaving they took information from us. The woman burst into tears, and ex-pressed her thanks for our presence and help.
A family pulled up in a large vehicle but didn’t get out. In order to enter the late-term abortion clinic everyone has to pass by several strategically placed signs showing the graphic truth about abortion, pictures of live babies (both inside and outside of the womb), several life affirming word signs, and people in prayer (the most important witness and spiritual component) . No doubt this family was taking in all of this. After 20 minutes they decided to leave. I waved them over and held up some literature. They pulled up and I was able to speak with them and direct them to Project Defending Life. They wouldn’t tell me why they were there, but they were appreciative for the help.
Another woman chose life for her baby simply because of our presence at the late term clinic here. She walked into the clinic after seeing our signs and after hearing our words of compassion. She came right back out of the clinic in tears, the holy spirit had convicted her. She shared with us, “Going into that clinic was against my very nature because I am a Christian. However, my family and boyfriend were pressuring me to have the abortion.” Knowing that our presence was used by the holy spirit to convict her solidifies what we already know about being present at these clinics. It saves lives! Praise God, his spirit is moving powerfully here in ABQ!
On another day a taxi drove up and dropped off a young girl. I waved to her and asked her to come and speak with me. She came over and I politely asked her why she was there. She told me she had come from Alamogordo, NM (200 miles) for information from the clinic. I give her life affirming information that we had and told her all the ways we could help her at Project Defending Life. She said she was 18, a Christian, and the mother of 2 children. I told her that if she was currently pregnant that she was actually the mother of 3 children. She started to cry and told me she felt alone, and didn’t know what to do. She was going through a lot back home. I prayed with her, and pleaded with her to let us help her. I told her all the risks of abortion and as much information as I could. She said that she needed to get inside. I told her that we would be there for 45 more minutes if she changed her mind.
She went inside and we continued to pray for her. As I was packing up all my signs, she called out and came over to talk with me just as I was about to leave. She confided with me that she was in fact there for an abortion, but that she had changed her mind. She wanted to give me a hug. She was so thankful for the life affirming support and she started to cry again, but this time it was tears of joy. To God be the glory, it is his spirit that convicts of sin righteousness and judgment (John 16:8).
Reflecting on Our First Year in ABQ
God has done some amazing things in our lives and in this city since we moved here last June. We have been so blessed to have Tara’s nephew Charlie come live with us. We’ve also been blessed with some really great friends. Next month’s newsletter will be more about our big accomplishment of the year but for now we want to consider that Albuquerque, NM is truly the Late-Term abortion capital of at least the U.S.A, and quite possibly North America. This month a family came from Mexico. Through the course of the year we have seen cars from Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Utah, California, Kansas, Idaho, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri, Montana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, New York, and I have spoke with women who came from Hawaii and Canada. Please keep our work in prayer and may God use us to help women choose life that come here from all over North America.
