I have a personal history with abortion- in many ways. Although I grew up believing that abortion was wrong, and hoped to see an end to abortion, I wasn't personally involved in working for an end to abortion. Both my husband and I prayed in our home for an end to abortion...but we never physically DID anything about it. As far as our children knowing that abortion was wrong- we never told them what it was so how could they know it was wrong?
All that changed in 2003 when friends asked us to go on a pro life march in Bryan, TX. It was a simple invitation, and one we didn't think twice about saying "yes" to. Soon after that march we were invited, by these same friends, to attend a banquet for the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life where we eagerly listened as, an amazing, Alan Keyes spoke to us about abortion. After that, you could say, we were "hooked". We became stand and pray volunteers and signed up to peacefully pray each Monday morning at 10am. Our stand and pray hour led to becoming a trained sidewalk counselor.
I will never forget my first time as a sidewalk counselor when I spoke to a young woman leaving the Planned Parenthood clinic. Nervously I asked if I could offer her some free information. She replied that she had already gotten the birth control and information she needed from the PP. I, somewhat timidly, replied "did you know that birth control can cause an abortion?". I will never forget the look on her face as her jaw dropped and she slowly walked over to me on the other side of the fence. By the grace of God I found the words to speak to her and gave her a brochure about how birth control truly works. She took it and left the clinic. I'll never know if she took what I said to heart- but I do know that she had the opportunity to be more fully informed about her birth control choice that day.
When the first 40 Days for Life campaign occurred in Bryan in 2004 my husband and I were volunteers. By the end of the campaign our children we begging us to go to "pray for the babies" and my husband, to this day, made some of his best friends in the middle of the night on a sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood. In 2007, as we prepared to move to San Antonio, news arrived of the first National 40 Days for Life Campaign and I, somewhat crazily, said "Oh, I'll run the San Antonio location!". By the grace of God once again- the first ever San Antonio 40 Days for Life Campaign was a HUGE success. From the first 40 Days for Life the San Antonio Coalition for Life was born- dedicated to being present for every abortion day in front of the Babcock Planned Parenthood- working to end abortion peacefully and prayerfully.
Today we have grown to almost 1400 volunteers, over 100 trained sidewalk counselors, 5 successful 40 Days for Life Campaigns and, now, 81 children saved from abortion- that we know of!
And all this was because two friends, willing to stand out and speak out about the horrors of abortion, invited my husband and I to a pro life march. Even with my own abortion history I had never thought to physically be active in ending abortion. Today we know that most of our volunteers found our organization because a friend told them about our work on the sidewalk.
Maybe you are involved because a friend invited to a banquet, or to a peaceful prayer vigil- or maybe you have a friend who will be involved next week because you stand up and speak out for the unborn in danger of losing their life to abortion. Maybe you get to be my hero for bringing a friend with you to the next abortion day prayer vigil.
Thank you Dennis and Darby Macha- because of your invitation 81 children in San Antonio are alive. You are just two of my heroes in this world!
