Miriam's Seminar Ends Up in the Abortion Clinic

Impact Report: January 2013

PREFACE

A friend pulled Miriam out of bed one Saturday morning to take her to a pro-life training seminar JFA missionary Jon Wagner had arranged when he was a student at Azusa Pacific University.  It was the first in a series of small steps that ultimately led to a big decision — right inside an abortion clinic.

Time Magazine proclaimed on January 14, 2013, that “40 Years Ago, Abortion-Rights Activists Won an Epic Victory with Roe v. Wade.  They’ve Been Losing Ever Since.”  If Time is correct, we think the efforts of pro-life advocates like Miriam are the most exciting illustration of progress.  It’s small steps like hers, along with the small steps of each of us, that can change our culture.  

THE STORY

I’m writing to share with you a story of how your influence as an organization is like a pebble in a pond, whose ripples keep spreading and spreading.

In 2005, I was fortunate enough to attend JFA’s Abortion: From Debate to Dialogue seminar.  It ignited a passion which led me to attend your March 2005 trip to Texas.  I’ve since been to four more seminars and three more campus outreaches.  Needless to say, JFA’s ministry has etched itself on my heart.

A couple years ago, when it was my turn to bring the devotion to my family’s weekly dinner night, I decided to present a mini version of the JFA seminar, using my JFA training materials.  I passed out the JFA Exhibit brochure, and I even facilitated my parents and siblings and their significant others to role-play “pro-choice person” and “pro-life person.”  It went very well, and that was that. I hadn’t thought about that night for a long time, until it was brought back into my mind in a very big way.

“JFA’s ministry has etched itself on my heart.”

When I gave that mini training, my sister was dating a nice guy named “Damien,” so he was there for the training.  Later on, he and my sister went their separate ways and Damien began dating another girl, “Mindy.”  Recently, my sister came back into contact with Damien, and he shared an incredible story with her.

A few months after he began dating Mindy, they found out she was pregnant.  Being young students with only part-time jobs, they decided on abortion.  They made the appointment and went into the clinic.  When Mindy left to have the procedure done, Damien sat alone in the waiting room.  He said that suddenly all the things he had learned that night at the mini JFA training came flooding back to his mind.  

He became very frantic and forced his way to the room where Mindy was.  He begged and pleaded with her not to go through with the abortion.  In those few seconds, he blurted out everything he remembered from the training and told her he’d do whatever it took to make it work.  She said she’d think about it; then the clinic personnel forced him to leave.  Damien sat in his car and cried for two hours while he assumed his girlfriend was aborting their child.

Later that day, she called him and told him that she thought about what he had said, and she had decided not to go through with the abortion.  Today, his beautiful little girl, “Sophia,” is the joy of his life, and he told my sister that he can’t imagine life without sweet Sophia.

- Miriam Bernard

COMMENT

Miriam talks to a University of Texas student during her first JFA mission trip.

Miriam’s story is a series of small steps — steps which may not have seemed to her to change hearts or save lives.  When she had the natural opportunity to share what she had learned with her family, she took it.  She was doing what JFA trainers regularly teach in our seminar: focus on being a faithful ambassador for Christ and leave the results to him.

Once in a while God gives us a glimpse of the work he’s doing through that faithfulness, and in Miriam’s case we all have the joy of seeing how her small steps had a big impact in the lives of Damien, Mindy, and Sophia.

Those who support JFA also take steps to make sure our team can keep working full-time to save children from abortion.  Sometimes, to them, their steps seem insignificant, but God is pleased to use those small steps to make a big impact.  

The close of Miriam's letter is as much a note to our faithful supporters, as it is to our staff:

THANK YOU for the impact you have made on me, and for giving me the tools to share the truth about abortion in love and common sense with people like Damien. One can never know when those morsels of truth will surface and affect major decision-making.  Because of JFA, Sophia is alive and loving her daddy today.  

- Stephen Wagner
Director of Training

Seat Work + Feet Work = Repeat Work

Impact Report: November 2012

Preface

We describe the JFA training program in terms of Seat Work, Feet Work, and Repeat Work.  

The duty of JFA mentors is to guide their student volunteers through an interactive seminar and then shepherd them as they practice their skills at an outreach where they talk to people in real time, many of whom really disagree!  The expected outcome?  Students will experience making a difference, and they will want to continue using their skills to change hearts and save lives.  In other words:

Seat Work (SW) + Feet Work (FW) = Repeat Work (RW)

From start to finish, Conny’s story exemplifies this simple equation.  See for yourself.

The Story

Last year I participated in the Justice For All training program.  I had several conversations during the outreach day, but one in particular changed my world.

Feet Work: Connie at a University of Nebraska outreach

“Amy” was writing on the Free Speech Board when I asked her how she felt about abortion.  She responded that it did not matter how she felt and that we should all die for putting girls at her school through the trauma of seeing pictures of abortion.  Amy seemed to hate me without even having talked to me first.

I was distraught by this.  I hated that my actions were causing pain, but I thought of the countless children who would die that day, and I stood my ground.  Little did I know that Amy’s friend “Lisa” had been raped repeatedly by the same assailant, resulting in five pregnancies.

Each time that Lisa had become pregnant, she had gotten an abortion.  Her rapist was eventually found, and he is now in prison.  He will never leave jail.

It was Amy, the girl standing right in front of me, who had gone with Lisa each time to Planned Parenthood.  Amy had been Lisa’s “Rock of Gibraltar.”

I ended up consoling Amy for the better part of an hour.  Then, she started asking questions about the things that Planned Parenthood had told her and Lisa.  For example, someone there had told them that babies don’t have heart beats until ten weeks.  She related other misrepresentations that I couldn't believe.

By the end of our conversation, she no longer hated me, and she asked for my contact information.  I felt such love for her.  As she left, I promised I would continue to talk to her.

Over the next month we talked—not about abortion, but about life.  We became good friends.  I was there for her when she had bad days, and we bonded.  I learned about her schooling, her faith, her friends, and finally, I learned about her boyfriend.

Her boyfriend…  He was not the ripest apple on the tree, but she insisted she loved him, and they were sexually active.  Eventually, he cheated on her and hurt her deeply.  She came to me to talk about it, and we hung out together.

The day Amy found out that her boyfriend had cheated on her was significant in another way:  she also learned that she was pregnant.  She had no idea what to do, so I took her to a pregnancy center.

She decided she would have the baby and let her be adopted.  I was overwhelmed with joy.  It was probably the best day of my life.  We laughed and cried together.  Then, to my amazement, she attributed her daughter's life to me!

Amy has since had the baby and given her my middle name!  The baby has been adopted by a wonderful Christian family who love her extremely.

Why do I tell this story?  I hope to inspire others to action.  A wonderful child of God was brought into this world by an hour-long conversation!  To have had this experience is the most encouraging and wonderful gift I have ever received.

-Conny Fiedler

Comment

Such a simple equation.  What a dramatic sum!  Conny graduated last spring from Pius X High School, a private Christian school in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Conny and her classmates first participated in the JFA training program in 2011.  I was privileged to mentor Conny this year during her school’s second year of offering the Justice For All training program to its students.

Thanks for helping us mentor and shepherd students like Conny through Seat Work and Feet Work and into their own opportunities for Repeat Work.

-John Michener, for the JFA Team (2012)

(Note: John Michener served as a Justice For All trainer from 2010-2014.  He is now the Director of Oklahomans United for Life)

Mission Trips—Catalysts for Change

Impact Report September 2012

Thank you for supporting our ministry with your finances and prayers. With your support, we are able to offer mission trips like this one that are transforming people’s lives. Thank you!

David Lee, Executive Director

Stuart Boyes reaching out at the University of North Texas

Stuart stood under the oak trees at the University of North Texas (UNT) and waited for his next divine appointment.

A young lady approached the Justice For All Exhibit, and like a stone statue, she stared at it. It was not raining, but a drop of moisture ran down this statue’s face. Then the statue cracked and became human.

Reacting to this sign, Stuart gently began a conversation. He learned that she had chosen to have an abortion earlier in the year. He asked if she would like to talk about it with someone who had made a similar decision. He then brought her to Lori Navrodtzke and Angela Weatherly, two JFA volunteer missionaries.

Lori and Angela sat with the young woman on a bench under the trees for over two hours. Besides providing her with immediate lay counseling, they were able to connect her with local professional counseling options and a local post-abortion women’s Bible study.

Susan Boyes on the mission field, participating in JFA outreach

Stuart later reflected, “This experience has not only motivated me to be more confident in being able to talk to anyone about Christian values, but has given me the tools to be more effective in doing so.”

Stuart’s learning experience was aided by the combination of Seat Work with Feet Work. He was able to immediately put the skills and principles he learned into practice. His learning was not just theoretical; it was practical.

In addition to the combination of Seat Work with Feet Work, people learn even better in an environment that forces them to immerse themselves in using the skills they are trying to master. That is why many Christian families prioritize a family mission trip.

Many Christians feel that it takes a trip out of the country to accomplish these goals, and they believe they cannot go because of the expense. But there are other ways that families on a tight budget can experience Christian leadership and discipleship training, as evidenced by the Boyes family.

Stuart and Susan Boyes, along with three of their six children, traveled from Oklahoma City to Denton, Texas, for a three-day Justice For All mission trip. On the first day of the trip, the Boyes family attended a seminar, where they studied and practiced how to defend their pro-life beliefs. Then over the next two days, the family went to the mission field, in this case the campus of UNT, to engage students in heart changing dialogue about abortion. This process included Seat Work followed by Feet Work, and they experienced both in a super-charged learning environment.

Stuart explained, “I think the [trip]…provided better learning opportunities because of the fact that we were immersed in learning for three full days… Being away from everything else, I was able to focus on our immediate task without distractions from work, other ministry, and other things that constantly fight for my time and attention.”

Stuart’s seventeen-year-old daughter Jennifer said, “JFA has taught me so much! I have learned skills I can use in any conversation, like asking questions, listening, and finding common ground.”

Stuart concluded, “Thank you so much to the JFA organization and the leaders and mentors, who are so great at training and leading by example, for giving my family and me the opportunity to minister to the students at UNT. This has truly been one the greatest experiences of my life.”

JFA mission trips powerfully transform participants by combining Seat Work with Feet Work and by immersing participants in a focused, intensive learning environment—the mission trip experience. The best part is, from defending life to sharing the gospel, you will not need a passport or shots on a JFA mission trip!

JFA’s cost to provide the educational experiences of the mission trip is approximately $200 per participant. Please consider funding a scholarship, so that more families can attend this leadership and discipleship training program.

Give at www.jfaweb.org/donate and designate the gift “Mission Trips,” or mail your gift to our home office in Wichita, Kansas.

Amanda, Kim, and Lucy

By Catherine Wurts

March 2012

Amanda kneels to make her mark signifying that she thinks human rights begin at fertilization.

She made a beeline for our table, knelt down, and drew her line directly below the conception photo, signifying her view that human rights begin at that point.  Later that day, she helped save a child from abortion.

This is how it happened.

After Amanda stopped to give her opinion during a Justice For All outreach at Wichita State University (WSU), I asked her why she drew her line at conception and whether or not she ever gets into conversations with people who disagree with her.

Amanda said that as a Christian she knew abortion was wrong but wished she knew how to make a strong case for the pro-life position to her non-religious friends.

She was eager to learn, so over the course of the next 20 minutes, I gave her a crash-course version of the Abortion: From Debate to Dialogue seminar.  The conversation was very animated, and Amanda was a quick learner.

Catherine and Amanda talk near the JFA Kiosk.

As we talked, Amanda became pensive and shared that earlier that week her friend at work, “Kim,” had told her she was planning to get an abortion.  Amanda realized the situation was urgent because Kim is only 19, has already had one abortion, is raising two small children, and has an unstable relationship with her boyfriend.

“Amanda believes that God brought JFA to her campus as an answer to her prayer.”

Kim is not a Christian, so Amanda didn’t think it would help to use the Bible to talk her out of abortion.  During the two days prior to the outreach at WSU, Amanda had been praying for God to somehow give her the words she would need to boldly reach out to Kim with love.  Amanda said she believed God had brought JFA to her campus that day as an answer to her prayer.

I then gave Amanda a copy of the JFA Exhibit Brochure and showed her how to give Kim a two-minute summary.  We also discussed Choices Medical Clinic, which provides local resources for women who are considering abortion.  I helped Amanda brainstorm how to broach the topic with Kim naturally.  We prayed together, hugged, and traded contact information before Amanda had to leave for work.

That afternoon, Amanda gave Kim a ride to work, stopping for coffee along the way.  She told Kim that some people had come to her campus to talk about abortion and that she thought Kim ought to look at the information they were handing out.

Amanda prayed silently and handed Kim the JFA Exhibit Brochure, saying, “I know you’ve had an abortion before, so some of these pictures will be difficult for you to see.  But I think it’s important that you look at all of the information in here while you’re deciding what to do.  And I want you to know I’m here for you.”

“[JFA’s brochure] made me realize that getting an abortion would be worse for my baby than the bad situation I’m in with my boyfriend.”

— Kim

The very next day, Kim called Amanda to say that looking through the brochure had caused her to think about everything in a new way.  Amanda asked what she meant, and Kim said, “It made me realize that getting an abortion would be worse for my baby than the bad situation I’m in with my boyfriend.”  Kim said she had decided against having an abortion!

Kim has since visited Choices Medical Clinic for a free sonogram, counseling, and other care. She and her two children have moved in with her mom.  She also has a new, better-paying job, and her baby is due to be born this August.

Please pray for Kim and her children, and please pray for Amanda as she continues to reach out to her friend with truth and love.  Amanda says she wants to go through our entire training program and to be more active with JFA in the near future.

Note: There’s more to this story.  Keep reading.

GOD WAS AT WORK IN THE LIVES OF AMANDA AND KIM

"Extras": More Details from Catherine's original March/April 2012 Letter from which the above report was drawn ("On-The-Spot Training Helps Save a Life")

We thank God for orchestrating these events and working through Amanda to pursue Kim and her precious child.  Consider these additional details of the story:

• For years Amanda had felt God calling her to do something about abortion, but didn’t know what to do.

• Amanda and Kim have such different lifestyles that people at their work have wondered aloud why they get along so well. Amanda is convinced it is all by God’s grace, according to His plan.  

• Our JFA team would not normally have had an outreach at WSU in January. The only reason we were there that week was to test out the new kiosk before taking it all the way to Arizona at the end of the month.

• There's another reason we might never have met Amanda; she was only going to stop at the kiosk for a few minutes between classes. But the class she was heading to got canceled, so she had time to stay and get trained!

• After talking with Amanda, Kim called the JFA office the following week on a day that I don’t usually answer the phones, but I happened to pick up.  She had already decided to keep her child, but she seemed stressed.  I felt privileged to be able to listen, process with her, and arrange a three-way call with one of the counselors at Choice Medical Clinic. 

APRIL 2012

“Today I had the privilege of seeing a sonogram of the child whose life was spared by God working through me, and as I watched her wiggle around on the screen, we found out she is a precious baby girl :)”

— — Text Message from Amanda (April 19, 2012)

NOVEMBER 2012: ONE (TINY) PERSON AT A TIME

A Note from Catherine Wurts

Dear Family and Friends,

"Lucy"

This spring I wrote to you about Amanda, who I met on her campus in January.  Later that day, she shared our brochure with her friend, "Kim," who had already had one abortion and was planning to get a second one.

Kim said that the JFA brochure helped her realize “that getting an abortion would be worse for my baby than the bad situation I’m in with my boyfriend.”

Amanda and I were privileged to attend Kim’s baby shower on my birthday (best birthday present ever), and we got the news in August that her baby girl was born!

When this picture was taken, Amanda was so happy to be able to meet Lucy for the first time!

Kim and Amanda continue to keep in touch.  Earlier this month, Amanda sent me the beautiful photo above with the message, “I’m hoping to meet her soon!”  And last week, she sent me the photo below of herself holding Kim’s baby girl with the message, “Finally met her!”

I am so grateful to God for the grace and courage he has given these two young women, and for the life of this beautiful baby girl.  Thank you for partnering with me in this mission.  Together we are making abortion unthinkable, one person at a time.

In Christ, 

Catherine Wurts

DECEMBER 2013: YOU HELPED SAVE THIS GIRL'S LIFE!

A Note from Catherine Wurts

Dear Family and Friends,

Last year I shared a story with you about meeting Amanda the day after her friend, “Kim,” told her she was planning to get an abortion.

Amanda holds "Lucy," now one year old.

After we spoke, Amanda shared the JFA brochure with Kim, and it changed her mind.  In Kim’s words, “It made me realize that getting an abortion would be worse for my child than the bad situation I’m in with my boyfriend.”

Kim’s baby girl “Lucy” was born last August!

Amanda continues to be a positive presence in Kim and Lucy’s lives.  Last month I got a text message from Amanda.  I opened it to find the photo you see nearby, along with the following caption: “The first time I saw my precious jewel since she turned 1.”  I just had to share this update with you!

We have heard of quite a number of lives that have been saved as a result of pro-life people lovingly sharing our little nine-inch JFA brochure with abortion-minded women.  If you would like copies of our brochure so you can be prepared to help a woman in the same way, please [request them here].  I would also be glad to share with you ideas of how to bring up the conversation and how to share the information in the brochure in a loving way, just like I did with Amanda that day.

Thank you for your support of my work at JFA.  Whether you send prayers or financial gifts or both, your partnership allows me the great privilege of being here, living out our mission of training thousands to make abortion unthinkable for millions, one person at a time.

In Christ,

Catherine Wurts

Jinny

Report By David Lee (JFA Founder), 2010

Jinny (right) interacts with fellow Pasadena City College students in 2009.

Jinny, a Pasadena City College (PCC) student, contacted Justice For All (JFA) in fall 2008 to ask if we would ever consider bringing JFA’s training program to her school.

Our initial response: “Probably not in the near future.” However, we encouraged Jinny to pray.  At that time JFA’s May 2009 California training plan only included UCLA and UC-San Diego.

Early in 2009 we saw that UCLA was not going to be possible.  Jinny was still very interested so we began working with her to substitute PCC for UCLA.

Jinny, a 19-year-old, is the ideal student to sponsor JFA’s training program.

She always returned calls, always went the extra mile, reserved numerous training locations at PCC, and recruited volunteers to participate in the JFA training program!

Jinny even took a part-time job to help cover JFA’s expenses related to coming to PCC!  She is the first student in a decade of campus work to take such steps to insure that her school mates would have an opportunity to understand the truth about abortion, and the love of Christ.

Above, left to right: Sarah Torre, Focus on the Family Institute volunteer, Rebecca Haschke, JFA’s newest intern, Steve Wagner, JFA training director, Jinny Li (wearing blue visor) and Jon Wagner, JFA staff.

““Jinny took a part-time job to help pay JFA’s expenses to bring its training to PCC!”

As a result, we had every needed reservation and also hit our training goal (75) for the number of volunteers who participated.

JFA’s training equips volunteers like Jinny to engage anyone, anywhere, at any time with the truth about abortion, and integrate their Hope (I Peter 3:15), Faith (I Corinthians 15:3-4) and Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) into the dialogue.

So it was not a surprise three months later to receive this email from Jinny:

“Sunday night, I got a phone call from a friend.  She was crying because she found out she's pregnant...  I called her Monday and Tuesday but she didn't pick up.  I finally saw her today.

She wants an abortion.  She’s going to Planned Parenthood tomorrow for information.  I’m trying to convince her to keep her baby and to go with me to a crisis pregnancy center.  Can you please pray that she changes her mind?  Thanks, Jinny”

What Jinny didn’t say in her email is that when she met with her friend — Amanda (not her real name), she walked her through the JFA Exhibit Brochure in order to help Amanda understand life before birth (pp. 2- 4) and death by abortion (p.5).  Before leaving that day, Amanda actually asked Jinny if she could see the JFA Exhibit Brochure again!

Despite Jinny’s best efforts, Amanda’s abortion was still scheduled for August 28.  Jinny called JFA to ask what we thought about her calling Amanda’s parents to inform them of their daughter’s continued plan to abort their first grandchild.

Jinny had several fears with making such a call.  What would be the position of Amanda’s parents on the scheduled abortion?  Would a call to Amanda’s parents harm Jinny’s future opportunity to talk with Amanda?

When it became clear that Amanda was not going to return Jinny’s calls before the scheduled abortion date, Jinny called Amanda’s parents.

They were horrified to learn what Amanda was about to do and said they would immediately speak with her.

Jinny’s only earthly contact with Amanda for the next month was through Amanda’s mother.  However, Jinny had plenty of spiritual contact with Amanda through the hundreds of people that Jinny persuaded to pray for Amanda and her baby.

Long story short, here's a portion of the email Jinny received on September 9:

"Hey Jinny. ... Well I just wanted to tell u sorry if I was a little harsh on you. I just felt like it wasn’t your place to tell my parents. But I know that you were trying to help and maybe it was for the best that they found out early on.

Anyways I think I'm keeping the baby! So I’ll keep you updated and send you pics when the little one is born....  I realize that I would probably regret killing it but I would never regret my baby.” —Amanda

““I realize that I would probably regret killing it but I would never regret my baby.””

The last sentence in Amanda’s email speaks to the successful completion of JFA’s mission through Jinny: train students to make abortion unthinkable for their family, friends and strangers, one person at a time.

Words fail to express the value of your support that enables JFA to train students like Jinny, not simply for a JFA outreach event, but for the many divine appointments that they will have throughout their lifetime!

Jinny, now attending San Francisco State, has already asked if we will bring the JFA training program to her new school!  We told her to pray!

Christina

There is one thing we can always be certain of on every campus:  Encountering students who are either considering abortion or who have had an abortion.  Our hope is to connect them as quickly as possible with valuable life-saving resources. 

Having a local pregnancy resource center (PRC) table near our exhibit is invaluable.  Because we’ve been blessed to have the presence of PRC tables manned by directors and volunteers, many lives have been saved and impacted.  Here is one of those stories.

Six years ago I had an encounter with a student on campus that I have never forgotten.  Her name was Christina. 

As she viewed the exhibit I asked, “What do you think about this exhibit?” 

She looked at me and replied angrily,

“I’ve had three of these, what do you think I think about it?” 

My heart broke as I expressed sorrow for her pain.  After sensing my spirit of compassion instead of condemnation, Christina shared her story with me. 

With her first two pregnancies, each boyfriend split after hearing the news.  She got involved with a third guy who promised he would stick by her no matter what.  But she once again discovered she was pregnant and this guy turned out to be the same as the others.

“Thank you ... you’ve given me my life back.”

— Christina

With each pregnancy her mom informed her she would not continue her financial support for her education if Christina didn’t have an abortion.  Her mother also reminded her each time that she wouldn’t be able to continue playing soccer competitively and she would lose her scholarship if she didn’t get an abortion.  Scared and unsure, she chose to follow her mother’s advice each time.

After she finished her story, I asked her if she would be interested in talking with someone who knew her pain firsthand.  She nodded yes. 

I walked with her to the PRC table nearby.  Christina picked up a brochure that listed over 10 symptoms of post-abortion syndrome.  I’ve never forgotten her response: 

“I thought I was the only one feeling this way.”

She spoke to Terri, the PRC director, who had also had three abortions.  Terri shared hope with Christina for the pain and anguish she had been feeling.  Christina took the information on the abortion recovery class that was starting the following week.   She then hugged me and thanked me before she left.

Two days later, Christina came back.  As she walked toward me I noticed something was different.  She was smiling and immediately gave me a hug.  I’ve never forgotten her words: 

“Thank you so much, Tammy. I feel like you’ve given me my life back.  I’m going to start going back to church and also start going through the bible study program at the pregnancy center.  I am a Christian and I think it would be good for me to get back to God.”

Nicholas

“...I saw the [Justice For All] exhibit at the University of North Texas, one month before I got pregnant with Nicholas.

Nick could have easily been an abortion photo on your exhibit [if I had not seen it first].

God…used [the JFA] exhibit and my pregnancy to get mine and Nicholas' father's attention in a BIG way.

Nick is the lover of my soul...and I love him too -- SO MUCH!

All things are possible through Christ, who strengthens us!"

—email from Nick’s mother, 8/16/2006

Reprinted with permission.

Unscheduled Divine Appointments

We had just finished training about 70 high school seniors from Faith Christian Academy in Arvada (Denver, CO area) on a late September Friday afternoon in 2006. The students would join us for the Exhibit at Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins during the next week.

As our training team drove north on I-25 toward Fort Collins at about 3:30 PM, I turned my cell phone on to listen to voice mail. The very first one spelled immediate disaster—a CSU administrator informed me that we would not be able to have the Exhibit at CSU on Monday because the student club paperwork was not in proper order.

We made a quick exit off the freeway and found a hotel that graciously let us to use their wireless internet in the lobby. After 90 minutes of intense prayer, phone calls, tracking down students and information, the crisis was resolved and the CSU reservation again secured.

Relief was followed by starvation. Most had missed lunch. A few had also skipped breakfast. Tammy and Paul remembered that we had stopped at that very exit to eat on an earlier mission to Denver with less than enjoyable results. Votes were cast. We would eat at a different restaurant nearby.

A fatigued training team of 8 JFA staff and volunteers sat down to “destress” and have dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the energetic service that a waitress named Cecilia (named changed for privacy) provided.

Near the end of the meal, I complimented Cecilia on her excellent work and asked how long she had been a waitress. “Six months”, she replied, adding that she was also a student at Metro State (Denver).

“In that case you may have seen our ugly abortion display called the Justice For All Exhibit there last fall,” I responded.

“I did! And I thought that it was needed and very well done.” Then more softly Cecilia continued, “My mother had an abortion a long time ago, and she still has problems with it – she’s recently been having dreams about it.”

“Could I give you a brochure that covers that experience that you could share with her?” I asked.

“Most certainly I would. Thank you.” She replied leaving the table to process my credit card payment for our bill.

She had barely left the table when Paul jumped up to retrieve a Focus on the Family abortion recovery brochure from the truck to give to Cecilia when she returned with the credit card receipt.

Upon my offer of the brochure, Cecilia said, “My mom only speaks Spanish. Do you have anything that I could give her that’s written in Spanish?”

I promised to find an abortion recovery brochure in Spanish for her to review and give to her mom, and we traded email addresses.

Cecilia then added, “I have a good friend who wanted to get an abortion, so I went with her to Planned Parenthood. I was appalled by what they did not tell her, so I showed her the Justice For All Exhibit in order to show her what really happens in an abortion. She now has a beautiful baby girl!” (text in bold was Cecilia’s emphasis)

Cecilia went on to tell us that she is a pre-med student, and that the Justice For All Exhibit offers an extremely valuable service to students since they don’t learn about abortion anywhere else. She made us promise to let her know when we would be back so that she could volunteer at our next Colorado Exhibit!

And we have! Pray that she will join us for at least part of a day in 2008!

--As told by David W. Lee, Executive Director, Justice For All

Ashley

Reflection on the Justice For All Boulder Outreach
Focus on the Family Institute, September 2003
By Ashley* 

I remember the bus ride up to Boulder, talking, laughing with my friends.  All the while, in some of the deepest parts of me, I felt some very familiar emotions being pulled.  Babies, unwanted pregnancies, abortion, embarrassment . . . I began to remember them all.   

I know some of the students I was with were a little nervous.  They didn’t have any experience with this stuff and were afraid they didn’t have much wisdom to offer others.  In a way it’s sort of true.  Unless you have been there . . . unless you know what it feels like to be single, pregnant, in an abusive relationship, maybe even disowned by your family . . . it’s hard to say what you would do.  I wish I had been in the same boat with my friends, but I wasn’t.  I’d been there; I remember what it felt like. 

“I believe in divine appointments . . . the kind that you know only God could have set up for an exact 15 minutes of your whole life.”

No one will know unless I tell them, I thought.  I never considered that God would use me. I was broken, embarrassed, and ashamed.  I was surrounded by 87 students who had more character and integrity than I had ever seen and I felt their strong, honorable lives were more valuable than my destructive past.

I knew we were all sinners, but my sin was different . . . you could see it.  Everyone else got to quietly discuss their issues with God, while mine was displayed for the whole world to see for nine months.  There’s a stigma that comes with unwed mothers, especially in the Christian community.  Sometimes I still wonder if my Christian friends see me as “Ash” or “Ash that had a baby.”

I was intrigued standing around the exhibit, listening to debates, arguments, and people just sharing so vulnerably with strangers that you know a lot about a person after only a few minutes.  Everyone was being real and a fire was starting inside me.  This issue was so close to my heart.

A year and a half earlier I found out I was pregnant with a guy that I should have never dated.  Not walking with the Lord, and all options on the table, I seriously considered abortion.  I remember when I made the appointment, I wanted it done as soon as possible and the woman on the phone told me that we had to wait six to eight weeks because the baby was so small right now that they wouldn’t be able to tell if they got it all out.

It was only a couple of days afterwards that I decided against the abortion.  It wasn’t a heroic gesture to save my baby’s life.  It wasn’t a good moral decision based on the idea that all life is sacred.  It just felt wrong to me.  Though I wasn’t walking with the Lord, the Holy Spirit was with me and wouldn’t let me go through with it.  I gave birth to my son on January 13, 2003, and gave him to an amazing adoptive family.

I believe in divine appointments . . . the kind that you know only God could have set up for an exact 15 minutes of your whole life.  I was surrounded by a crowd of people, all standing in silence looking up at the giant, horrific pictures.

In the background you could hear side conversations and debates, but they are all drowned out by a voice in your head, trying to comprehend these pictures.  Are they real?  This is so wrong.  These can’t be real.  You finally gain your composure after your breath is literally taken away, and you muster up something to say, maybe to yourself, maybe to the person next to you.

“I would have another sibling, but my mom had an abortion,” said the young man standing next to me.  His eyes didn’t move from the pictures.  I’m not sure who he was talking to, maybe anyone who would listen.

As I slowly turned my head to see the tall, thin man, with a baseball cap, and hands in his baggy jean pockets, I hear another person speak out.  This time, on my other side.  The man, not quite as young as the one on my left, had a beard and glasses.  He was holding his girlfriend’s hand.  “I participated in an abortion once.”  I nodded my head to acknowledge his words and looked down at the ground as I gently moved the grass under my foot.

After what seemed like an eternity, I looked up to make eye contact with him.  The girl on his arm had tears streaming down her face.  Before I had a chance to speak, she said, “I had an abortion once.”  I couldn’t hold it in a second longer – with no reservation I blurted out, “I had an appointment for an abortion once, but I ended up giving him up for adoption.”

The girl let go of her boyfriend’s hand, took a few steps, and collapsed in my arms, sobbing.  We held each other and cried, holding nothing back.  I sensed other bodies around us and then felt the arms of the two men who had also just shared their hearts with us.

There we were, four strangers in the middle of a college campus, surrounded by hundreds of people, brought together by the Creator of the Universe, to help heal each other’s pain.  After the heavy sobs stopped and we began to sniff and wipe our noses, I asked these three strangers if they wanted to pray.  None of them spoke, but they all nodded in agreement.  I took the girls hand, knowing the guys would follow, and led them away from the crowd, under a tree, where we stood in a circle, holding hands, praying to our Lord.

“This experience wasn’t a highlight of my week, or even semester, but something I will treasure and remember for the rest of my life.”

I have no idea what I said or prayed as we stood under that tree, because it wasn’t me speaking.  I spoke truth to them that day, and though I’ll never know how it was received or if I made a difference, I know how they impacted me.  As I watched them walk away in different directions, I felt a sense of peace and relief for what the Lord has saved me from.  I am forgiven and have been washed as white as snow.

This experience wasn’t a highlight of my week, or even semester, but something I will treasure and remember for the rest of my life. I realized that day that everyone was broken; I wasn’t alone. And despite our brokenness, God still wants to use us for His glory. What an awesome feeling – to be used by our King. He took my shameful past and used it for good.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  – Romans 8:28  

* Name changed.  Used by permission.