(Bud and Tirzah)
By Bud Shaver
I received a notice from someone this week requesting me to remove them from my local pro-life contact list. I send out weekly e-mails letting local contacts know about ways to get involved in our community to reach out to abortion minded couples. This person told me that they were praying for the Lord to do something about abortion. I understand that we are all busy, but the Lord desires to use US to do something about abortion. We need to be his hands and feet in our communities and compassionately lead those in need to embrace him in their desperate hour.
Today I was praying and reaching out to abortion minded women in Albuquerque, New Mexico at late-term abortion clinic Southwestern Women’s Options (SWO). There were two cars from New Mexico, two cars from Georgia, a car from Texas and a car from Arizona. This clinic is drawing women from all over the country for late-term abortions. A young guy was sitting in his car smoking a cigarette. He was looking over at me and I could tell that he was listening to what I was saying to women as they would enter SWO. Here is what I say in my short window of opportunity: “God loves you and I care about you and your situation. Please let me help you. There are so many resources available to you. Please come and talk to me. Abortion is something that you can never take back. If you are pregnant you are a mother and your baby loves you. God bless you.”
He got out of his car and went inside the clinic. A few minutes later a girl came out of SWO. She was pacing back and forth while wiping tears from her eyes. I waved to her and signaled her to come and talk to me. She practically ran over. I told her that I cared about her and her situation and asked her if she was there for an abortion. She told me that she was. I told her that this was ultimately her choice and she would be the one most affected by it. I told her all the ways that abortion hurts women and about the breast cancer link after abortion. I told her that she would be emotionally scarred as well. I told her about all the financial resources, housing and other type of assistance available to her but she did not need any. She just needed life affirming encouragement. She told me that she was going to call her sister.
Her boyfriend (the young guy who was sitting in the car) came over and I started talking to him. I told him that abortion was not the answer to their problems. I said our culture promotes abortion as the solution to all their problems, but it doesn’t help. In fact, it causes so many more problems. I said he may feel obligated to seek abortion, but ultimately it doesn’t just affect women; it affects men too. I encouraged him to be supportive and do the right thing. Immediately I could see a transformation in his demeanor. He told me they were from Phoenix, AZ and that he was pushing for the abortion. In fact, he told me that he had already paid for the abortion. As he told me this he started to break down and cry. I could tell that he was ashamed of himself. I hugged him and told him that it was not too late and that being a father was such a blessing. I spoke with him a little more and then he reached over and hugged me and told me that I was a blessing to him.
The girl told me that she had called her sister who lived here in ABQ and that she was pregnant herself and very pro-life. Her sister pulled up and they spoke in their car for several minutes. The sister from ABQ got out of the car and went inside the clinic to get the money back. When she came out, she walked over to me and with tears in her eyes and choking up she said, “God bless you and the work you do. Thank you for being here.” The couple left the abortion clinic with their baby heading back to Arizona. For the first time they were excited to be parents.
Put yourself in the place of the pro-life sister. You may find yourself receiving a phone call from your estranged family member who you thought was in another state and meet them at the abortion clinic in your community. You too would be grateful that someone chose to take a public stand for life and compassionately reached out to your loved one. It is so important to have resources to offer couples in desperate need. The assistance we provide may be the very thing that removes the pressure or presumed need to go through with the abortion. However, all that may be needed is a kind word, a hug, or just someone offering life affirming encouragement. Love lived out and made available may be all that is needed to save a life.
Yesterday the stomach flu that has ravaged my family hit me and I was feeling lousy. I was not sure if I would be out at the clinic today. I prayed last night and entrusted it to God and when I woke up this morning I did not feel sick, so I went out to the clinic. As I was driving back home, I started feeling lousy again. It seems that God had a task assigned for me today and he gave me the strength to accomplish it. How can God use you to do something about abortion? Don’t remove yourself from how God is moving and working. We need to remove the things that consume our lives and distract us from accomplishing God’s purpose for our lives. The Lord wants to see an end to abortion, and he wants to use us to “do something about abortion.” God can use you to bless others as we stand for life.
