Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Speak Lord...I'm Listening





As I drove to the abortion center yesterday morning, to speak on behalf of the babies, I was praying about a difficult personal situation. I said, "Speak Lord. I'm listening." 

I turned on the Christian radio channel, to hear an interview with a family that was going through a very similar situation to my own. Well, my oh my! God was speaking, just as I'd asked.

And then, get this...the woman's name in the broadcast was Vicky! My name! I laughed out loud. Sometimes, God blows me away with His presence. In case I'd missed it, He wanted me to know unequivocally He was speaking to me.

Bolstered by the great advice God had personally delivered, I traveled on to the abortion center. It was another God-bathed day with many conflicted hearts. By the time we were ready to leave, seven women had chosen life for their little babies! As always, there were a few heart-breakers; women we gave our literature to who seemed soft-hearted, but went in the center anyway.

Every member of our team in some way impacted the women who chose life -- with their signs, their words over the sound system, their calling out to the women as they drove by or walked from their car, and with their prayers and encouragement. Our team is a cohesive force for God and I am so blessed to be a part of it.

I spoke at length with one woman who voiced a reason to abort that I had never yet heard: since she might have a boy, how could I insure that police would not shoot her boy? She was furious with the injustice of our country where innocent human life is taken by force.

Get the irony here?

I could not help but jump on that perfect opening she gave me, and asked if she saw the parallel between the injustice she voiced...and the one she was about to perpetrate on the innocent being within her. She paused, and nodded. As far as we know, she did go through with the abortion anyway.

I had given my name and number to another woman, who I will call Leila. I almost had to force it on Leila's mother, who felt bad, but said her daughter was determined to abort. She insisted she would not change her mind, but grudgingly took my contact info.

Our time there came to an end, the RV with the mobile ultrasound unit drove away, and I began the drive home. I was praising God for seven babies saved from death when my phone rang. It was Leila, the one who had insisted she would not change her mind. She had come out of the center and was now following the RV. She wanted our free ultrasound. She might yet abort, but she wanted answers and didn't trust what she had seen in the abortion center.

She followed the RV while I made a few frantic calls to try and get a nurse and schedule an appointment at the HELP Crisis Pregnancy Center. They managed to call in a nurse and get everything set for Leila's ultrasound when she arrived. Sadly, Leila called me again, and said she decided to just head home. She still had a two hour drive.

After what turned into hours of back and forth with pregnancy centers in her hometown, I helped Leila find a center close enough that we hope will do the ultrasound  today. If not, we will try to bring her back to Charlotte.

God's timing was perfect, however. Over the course of all that effort, Leila decided to trust me and spoke at length with me about her situation, her fears, her faith, and her despair in considering abortion. I was able to counsel her for quite some time, sharing the hope and promise of trusting God, and her own conscience. With her list of needs in hand, I passed her on to our nurse, Sherry, who then counseled her regarding medical concerns.

My Monday Cities4Life team worked behind the scenes to set up some of the other pieces Leila will need to help overcome the obstacles she voiced. I spent the afternoon putting together a list of maternity homes she could call for emergency housing. Today, she and I will follow those leads.

As night fell, I sent her some encouraging Bible verses.
She texted back, "Thank you so much. I need all the help I can get at the moment. I'm broken and lost and don't know what direction to go in. I haven't read my bible in months...maybe a year, but I will do so tonight before I go to bed."

Score another one for God. Speak Lord, she's listening.

Finally, to cap the day, I received a text from a mama who chose life a couple of weeks ago. She had just gotten a new ultrasound of her little baby. She sent me the photo.



What a glorious day, filled with blessing after blessing. It began with my cry to God, "Speak Lord. I'm Listening." It ended with my quiet joy that He did...loud and clear...and not only to me.
********************

Romans 10:17 

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it.

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