We Thank God for You

I sent a message to our email list in 2017 that is just as relevant today as it was then. It’s a quick read, so I decided to feature it in this Impact Report along with numbers illustrating JFA’s impact in 2019. The letter puts our impact in its proper context, as God was pleased to accomplish these things through us —through you working together with the JFA team in a multitude of ways. Has this letter sparked a desire to help JFA in one of the ways listed? You can give a year-end gift using the enclosed giving form or using our Donate page. You can share other ways you plan to help JFA in 2020 using our Contact page. — Steve Wagner, Executive Director

We at JFA have a thought we want to share with you. It’s about your answer to the following questions:

Did you pray for one of our events this year?

Did you pray regularly for us?

Did you lead your church in praying?

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Your support in all of the forms described in this post helps our team of dialogue artists and volunteers create conversations during outreach events like this one at Benedictine College (and afterward). Conversations have the power to change lives one person at a time. For stories of changed lives, see recent reflections from Kaitlyn, Jeremy, and Rebekah.

Did you host a JFA staff member or volunteer in your home during an outreach trip?

Did you provide a meal for us?

Did you give to our Intern Scholarship Fund or Staff Support Fund?

Did you give a monthly automatic gift to our Training Program Fund (General Fund) or to support the
work of one of our missionaries?

Did you set up a speaking event for one of our staff in your community?

Did you make an appeal to a pastor to consider partnering with JFA?

Did you call or email a JFA staff member to encourage him or her?

Did you volunteer at a JFA event and create conversations with pro-choice advocates?

Did you use JFA’s monthly Resource Bulletin or other materials to create conversations with people in your everyday life?

Did you speak up when someone in your everyday life brought up the topic of pregnancy, unborn children, women in distress, or abortion?

Often we worry that you, our friends, feel like you are not truly contributing to our work unless you give money. We worry that you may put any giving that is not financial in a sort of “second-class” category. Giving financially is certainly one important way to partner with JFA, but all of the activities we’ve listed above are essential, and we do mean essential, to our work of training Christians to create transformative conversations that can help save the smallest humans on earth (and their parents) from abortion.

Surely we cannot do our work without financial support, but we trust God will provide the support we need. Just as surely, though, we simply cannot do our work without these other gifts you have given this year. Without host homes, our team wouldn’t be able to create conversations on campuses across the country. Similar things could be said about every item listed in this letter. And we trust God to provide these needs, and he has provided for us mightily through you.

Consider this: none of our conversations will have any impact on anyone without God moving in each person’s heart before, during, and after our interactions. When you pray along with us, you place your trust in God as the one who brings about change.

Our team wanted to take this moment to say thank you for partnering with us so faithfully through these very real gifts we’ve listed earlier in this letter. The stories we’ve shared this year are very truly your stories. The impact numbers we share below very truly represent your impact.

Thank you for your many sacrifices in so many different forms this year. We consider you to be such an important, “first-class” member of the JFA team. We thank God for you.

The Disappearing NFL

Imagine it is Sunday, and because you love football so much, you sit down to watch the NFL for eight hours straight. It’s going to be great!

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This artful flick from Kelce to McCoy in the September 29 Chiefs-Lions game would never have happened. Read the rest of letter to see what I mean, then go see the flick for yourself in the game’s highlights.

It’s a unique day because all of the NFL’s 32 teams are playing. 16 games packed into eight hours. The first game up is the Chiefs versus the Lions. The kickoff happens, and the ball is down. Patrick Mahomes* receives the hike and, at the 12-second mark, he disappears. He disappears. Just like that, the ball falls to the ground. Chaos ensues on the field. A bit unsure of how to proceed, the referees call for a replacement. More than a bit bewildered, Coach Andy Reid puts his second-string in. Play begins. Another 12 seconds and Travis Kelce disappears. Every fan’s face is riddled with shock. Reid puts in his second-string tight end. Play begins again. And your eyes are glued to the screen as every 12 seconds from that point on, one of the players disappears. The Lions might have been a little pleased when the Chiefs starting losing players, but then it is their turn, as they see quarterback Matthew Stafford disappear. Then another player. Then another.

Your hand sits motionless with a chip halfway submerged in guacamole. As you flip between the various games, you can’t believe your eyes. None of the NFL teams can hold on to their starting players. Every game features the same disturbing rhythm: every 12 seconds, another player disappears.

Commentators start discussing if there should be a rules change to accommodate this astonishing phenomenon of “the disappearing player.” Twitter is on fire with comments and rage. One post guesses that it’s a publicity stunt by the NFL to boost ratings. Another muses that this is a promotion for the latest Avengers movie, calling to mind the “snap” from Infinity War, in which people mysteriously disappear. Still others liken this to Bilbo’s “little joke” in the opening scenes of The Fellowship of the Ring. Everyone agrees on one thing, though: It’s the biggest news of the year.

You scan the channels and see each coach running through an entire roster of 53 players. The first string is gone. The second string is gone. Kickers are playing quarterback. Some coaches are drafting the waterboy and the mascot on the spot just so they can field a team at all. Is this a circus or an organized sport?

By about six hours into your marathon football day, you’ve watched the entire NFL disappear. About 1700 players no longer playing. Gone without a trace. Imagine how that would feel. The loss. The tragedy.

This scenario is just an imagined scene, and admittedly, it’s very far-fetched. In an eight-hour day in the real world in America, though, once every 12 seconds a woman will decide to end her unintended pregnancy by abortion.** So our imagined NFL scenario is actually a very good picture of abortion in America. Not just today—every day. Let the sixth hour finish and the seventh, and the eighth, with even the NFL’s drafted waterboys and mascots all disappearing every 12 seconds, and you have a good picture of abortion over just one day in America. About 2300 women confronting an unintended pregnancy today will end it by abortion, and about 2300 unborn children will disappear. About one every 12 seconds in an eight-hour day.

For many of the 2300 women who sought those abortions, though, that memory will never disappear.

Our JFA team was in Pittsburg, Kansas recently, and we had the privilege of speaking to 212 middle school students, high school students, and faculty throughout the day at St. Mary’s Colgan (see photos below). JFA’s Director of Operations, Paul Kulas, and I were musing over breakfast about how we might make the reality of abortion more relevant to the students. That’s when we concocted our little imaginary tale about the NFL.

Does abortion create the same chaos that the disappearing NFL would create? Should it cause all of us the same urgency we’d have if we were watching the NFL disappear? We think so. That’s what motivates our team and our volunteers to keep “taking the field” to train Christians to create conversations that change hearts and save lives.

Thanks for standing with us. You’re not just fans in the stands. You’re on the field with us, essential to making our work happen. Let’s pray that God uses our efforts to create a great win for women and unborn children this year.

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(Pittsburg, KS: Sept. 30) Having just finished the “Disappearing NFL” story, Steve Wagner gets ready to hand the mic to Tammy Cook to lead a discussion of three different kinds of abortion conversations: good, bad, and ugly.

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Paul Kulas, playing the part of a pro-choice person, reacts strongly to Grace Fontenot, playing the part of a pro-life advocate. Grace was talking over him, assuming the worst, and calling him names like “Nazi.” As you can guess, this was our dramatic presentation of an “ugly” conversation.

* Yes, I am aware that Patrick Mahomes did recently really “disappear” from the field due to an injury. Our resident Chiefs fan, Tammy Cook, is counting this a great tragedy, while our resident Packers fans, Paul Kulas and Jeremy Gorr, appreciated the reprieve in the recent game on October 27!

** See www.jfaweb.org/facts and www.jfaweb.org/more-facts. Approximately 2.8 million women in America experience unintended pregnancy each year (2011), and approximately 862,000 choose abortion (2017).

Pray for Recent and Upcoming JFA Events

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Our JFA team recently spoke to 212 middle school and high school students throughout a day at St. Mary’s Colgan in Pittsburg, Kansas. A recent reflection from JFA’s Director, “The Disappearing NFL,” explains one way we sought to help these students understand the reality of abortion.

Please pray for the health of our trainers in this season of travel. Pray for each person we train and each person with whom we converse at outreach, that God will help each to actively love every human being involved in unintended pregnancy.

• Michigan: Interactive Workshops in Four Michigan Cities (10/1, 10/24, 10/27, 10/30)

• Kansas: Equipping Events in Pittsburg & Outreach at Pittsburg State University (9/29-10/2)

• Texas: Interactive Workshop at University of Texas at San Antonio (10/5)

• Louisiana: Presentation for Friends of a Supporter (10/9)

• Colorado: Four Interactive Seminars in Four Days in Three Cities (10/10-10/13)

• Virginia: Outreach at George Mason University (10/21)

• Oklahoma: Two Interactive Seminars & Outreach at University of Oklahoma (10/31-11/5)

• Kansas: Workshop for Kansans for Life Conference (11/9)

• Arizona: Interactive Seminar & Outreach at University of Arizona (11/17-11/19)

VIDEO Resource: CK's Conversation at CSU

Watch the recently-released JFA outreach clip, “Abortion: Should We Legislate Morality?” to prepare for your conversations. This 8-minute dialogue footage from Colorado State University features former JFA trainer CK Wisner. Watch as CK patiently listens to a CSU student who feels conflicted about her position on abortion. CK artfully prompts this student to explore questions with her including, “When are we human?” and “What is the basis for human rights?” After eagerly discussing these biological and philosophical questions, the student turns to the topic of legality, asking CK about “imposing” one’s beliefs on others. This video touches on several topics in a short period of time. Use it as a springboard for further study, or use it as a springboard for your own conversation by sharing it with a friend.

Conversation Starter (VIDEO): "She's Not Sure What to Think... How About You?"

We invite you to start a conversation by sharing JFA’s recent video blog post, “She’s Not Sure What to Think... How About You?” (also JFA’s Featured Resource for October). This conversation footage from JFA outreach at CSU touches on biology, human rights, and the question of “imposing” one’s morality on others, all in a short segment. Because the student in the video feels conflicted about the topic of abortion, her conversation with CK provides an ideal platform for you to ask a friend, “Do you have a clear view on abortion, or are you not totally sure what to think? What factors contribute to your certainty or uncertainty?”

Blue Hair and Abortion

The truth about Prenatal Genetic Testing. #JustSaying #WorldDownSyndromeDay

A genetic abnormality detected (or presumed to exist) through prenatal genetic testing is a common reason for considering abortion. What do you think about abortion in this case?

To continue the conversation, read and share this 2018 JFA blog post about Iceland, a country where those with Down syndrome are almost never born.

Five Days in Northeast Kansas

Impact Report, September 2019

Our team gathered from all over the country a few weeks ago (September 8-12) to train students from Benedictine College in northeast Kansas and to conduct outreach with those students both at Benedictine and at the University of Kansas (KU). This Impact Report gives you a glimpse of what our team accomplished during those five days. Please join us in praying for the students you see pictured here.

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Sunday (Benedictine College): Kaitlyn Donihue speaks to 28 students (not all pictured) who attended the Sunday seminar. Ten returned on Monday night for advanced dialogue training.

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Monday (Benedictine College): 28 additional students attended an evening workshop.

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Tuesday (Benedictine College): From left to right, Tammy (light blue shirt), Grace (red hat), Kaitlyn (blue hat), Jeremy (blue shirt), and Jon (shorts) engage students in conversation.

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Wednesday (KU): Eric (right), president of the Wichita chapter of Life Runners, talks with a KU student.

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Thursday (KU): Tammy Cook (right) interacts with a passerby at KU.

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Sunday (Benedictine College): Jeremy Gorr steps into the “blue box” as he helps students think through “who would be in and who would be out” if various explanations of equal rights were true.

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Monday (Benedictine College): In our conversations during outreach at Benedictine, we encouraged students to join us for a workshop that evening at Benedictine and outreach later in the week at KU.

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Tuesday (Benedictine College): Jon Wagner (right) introduces a student to a new JFA exhibit called “Stronger than Abortion,” an experience of art, Scripture, and reflective prayer. Click here to learn more or to book this exhibit.

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Wednesday (KU): Catherine (left) was one of nine Benedictine College students who participated in the outreach at KU.

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Thursday (KU): Paul Kulas (center) and volunteer Rebekah (second from right) interact with students near the poll table at KU.

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Thursday (KU): JFA staff members and volunteers paused for a quick photo at the end of our second outreach day at KU. Among them are three Benedictine students who traveled more than an hour each way to spend about an hour at KU with our team.

Conversation Starter (VIDEO): "Blood Donation and Bodily Rights Arguments"

We think sharing ERI’s video “Blood Donation and Bodily Right’s Arguments” is a great way to start a conversation about abortion with a friend (get more information about the video in this month’s Featured Resource post).

Click above to see Tim’s video and explore all JFA’s Conversation Starters on Twitter.

Tim is fair to the opposing viewpoint, but his point is also hardhitting. Note that some viewers might object to the use of the word “freakin” in a few places in this video. We suggest you watch it first and judge if it will be a good thing to share with a friend. In addition, since this is an intellectual approach to bodily rights arguments, you might find that sharing JFA’s “It’s Her Body” series would make for a good introduction.

Pray for Hearts to Be Softened so that Intellectual Arguments Can Do Their Work

Even as we train pro-life Christians to engage in dialogue using the best arguments and a habit of good listening, we realize that God changes the heart of a person to incline him to be open to the intellectual arguments we present. Pray for each person who watches ERI’s video, our featured resource for September (share the blog post linked here to start a conversation using the video), and please pray for the heart of each person impacted through our recent and upcoming events:

• September Events: Trinity University (TX), Benedictine College (KS), University of Kansas (KS), University of Houston (TX), Pittsburg State (KS)

• Oct. 10-13: Seminars in Colorado

• Oct. 15, 21: Outreach at George Mason University in Virginia

• Oct. 27: Workshop in Michigan

• Oct. 31-Nov. 5: Various events in Oklahoma, including outreach at OU

Is Pregnancy Like Organ Donation?

Many people say that choosing abortion is morally equivalent to withdrawing life support - simply choosing to “not help” the unborn. Helping may be admirable, they say, but to “not help” is not the same as killing. It is as reasonable as declining to donate your blood or organs to someone in critical need.

In the ERI video below, Timothy Brahm makes a 12-minute case that this neutral “not help” option does not exist with pregnancy as it does with blood and organ donation scenarios.

Do you think that choosing abortion is a neutral choice, simply declining to support the unborn with your body? What do you think of Tim’s response to this view?

Pray with JFA - Recent Spring and Summer Events

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UCLA Outreach - May 2019

Look at this list of JFA’s spring events (see page 3), as well as JFA’s summer events and upcoming outreach events (listed below). We are in awe of what God has done through your support of JFA and through your prayers. Let’s pray together for each of the people who were challenged at each of these events to actively love unborn children and their parents.

Summer JFA Events

• Seminar in Pennsylvania (6/25)

• Workshop in Kansas (6/25)

• Outreach at Wichita State University (6/26)

• Seminar for Seminarians in Kansas (7/12-7/13)

• Seminar in Kansas (7/23)

• Outreach at Wichita State University (7/24)

• Michigan Presentations (Multiple Dates)

• Ohio Seminars (8/9-8/10)

Recent and Upcoming Outreach Events:

• Trinity University (TX)

• Benedictine College (KS)

• University of Kansas (KS)

• University of Houston (TX)

• University of Texas at El Paso (TX)

• Pittsburg State University (KS)

• University of Oklahoma (OK)

• George Mason University (VA)

Prepare for Conversations with "The Power of Common Ground"

In his newsletter for September (“The Power of Common Ground”), Jeremy Gorr shares a great model of using common ground in a real conversation. You can use his letter to equip yourself with questions that will help you find common ground with others regarding abortion. He also discusses an approach to finding genuine common ground that avoids compromising one’s beliefs. In a footnote, Jeremy mentions JFA Director Steve Wagner’s book, Common Ground Without Compromise, which you can get for free at www.commongroundbook.com. That book features 25 questions you can use to begin a conversation with agreement instead of hostility.

Start a Conversation Using This T-Shirt Design

This month, we invite you to start a conversation with common ground by sharing the recent JFA Blog post, “Is Every Child a Work of Art?” The post refers to an Abort73.com shirt design. We think the optimism the shirt communicates about already-born human beings can help us find common ground with friends and neighbors to get a conversation about abortion started on the right foot. We don’t know for sure, but we think many people would respond, “Yes, I agree that every child is a work of art.” If human beings we can see are works of art, then, even if they are poor, disabled, or have some other characteristic people generally think of in a negative light, what should that teach us about human beings that may be too small to see? And if the unborn are also works of art, how should we treat them?

Start Conversations with this New EHD Video!

Share this new EHD video (our featured resource for July 2019) with a friend.

One helpful thing about EHD is that it’s aimed at better education for pregnant moms. This is a priority that has broad support among most people. You don’t even have to bring up abortion in order to tell a friend that you think this video is worth checking out! We suggest sharing it and asking your friend, “What was most interesting to you in this video?” You can also move the conversation directly to the topic of abortion by asking, “With all of the references to abortion today in the news, how do you think it would change the discussion if people watched this video and kept it in mind?” Or, you might ask, “How does this video affect your view of abortion, if at all?”

Is Every Child a Work of Art?

"Every Child is a Work of Art" t-shirt design, created by Tori Higa and available through Abort73.com

We really like this shirt design. Here are a few questions it brings to our minds.

What do you think?

• Do you think every human being is a work of art?

• Can optimism like this provide some common ground which can help with the discussion of solutions for unintended pregnancy?

• If you think every human being is a work of art, how does that inform your position on when human rights begin?

• Do these questions affect your position on abortion?

• Is it helpful to use / allude to artwork in order to create dialogue about abortion, or does it seem manipulative to you?

About the T-Shirt that Inspired this Post:

The picture above is a t-shirt design made available through Abort73, and created by artist Tori Higa.  The drawing of a little girl alludes to Frida Kahlo, an unexpected source of inspiration for a pro-life message like the one written directly underneath it.  Michael Spielman, the founder and director of Abort73.com explains: 

In referencing Kahlo's likeness on behalf of a politically incorrect cause, my hope is to continue her legacy of challenging perceptions and turning stereotypes on their head. You may look at our new design and see nothing but a cute little girl; I see an opportunity for dialogue and introspection—with a cautiously optimistic nod to the future. 

To read more about the purpose and origin of the design, see Michael Spielman's article, "Frida Kahlo and the Art of Abortion."

Justice For All was inspired by a similar concept when creating "The Art of Life", an open air exhibit which made its first appearances at Colorado State University (CSU) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2016. (See images below, or read about all the panels by clicking here.)  Responses to JFA's new exhibit have spanned a wide range, from support and excitement to disgust and anger.

What do you think (Part 2)?  

• Is it helpful to use / allude to famous artwork in order to create dialogue about abortion, or does it seem manipulative to you?

• What other works of art have influenced you when thinking about the meaning and value of life?

• If human beings are a work of art, do you think that means there is an “artist”?