How was your week?

Let me share an insider’s look into the happenings of a recent week here at Care Net.  It started off on a high!  Sunday, every mom living in our maternity home attended church. One of those women is a practicing Muslim. But she was moved to tears while sitting in a Christian church and danced during the worship service.  A bonus surprise for the staff that drove our residents to church, was seeing two past residents attending the same church service!  When they came back to share on Monday, we rejoiced together that our past residents were attending…fruit from the seeds that were planted.

We also prayed for the women we would see this week who were considering abortion. We prayed especially for the ones who had return visits scheduled.  We prayed they would come to those appointments and during the time that had elapsed, we prayed their hearts had changed regarding abortion.  We prayed for God’s Holy Spirit to do His work… we did ours; it was His turn now.

During the week we saw many patients who felt abortion was their only option. Circumstances, hopes, and dreams for their future, financial and social pressures had them feeling that abortion was the best choice.  We performed several ultrasounds and showed many mothers a beating heart. And one such woman who had stated abortion was the only option looked at the beating heart and then turned to the sonographer and said, “How can I go through with this?”  We presented the truth: God softened her heart.   

We moved two new moms into our maternity home. Both had been waiting for a room to open in The Elizabeth House for several months.  One had been sleeping in a borrowed car for over six months.  I am not quite sure who was happier to know she and her tiny newborn baby were now sleeping in a house… her or the staff.  We rejoiced as a team at the great privilege of being the hands and feet of Christ to these two women and their babies. 

The next day, we met a very young woman in her third trimester. After experiencing physical abuse from her father, she was abandoned on the side of the road. You hear about this happening with dogs sometimes, and the crowds start go-fund-me pages to rescue and care for the poor pups. Who was starting her go-fund-me page?  She had met a good Samaritan who had seen her crying on the sidewalk and took her in for a few days.  But they were leaving for vacation, and she had to leave that safe place. So here she was, hoping The Elizabeth House had a place for her. We didn’t have a room right then. We couldn’t bear to see her sleep on the street; the shelter was closed.  So it didn’t take much thought to know we needed to pay for her to stay in a hotel for the night. We went home with heavy hearts full of prayer.  Lord, use us to reach them. Make a way for them.   

At the end of the day, when all but a few of the staff had left, the clinic director came looking for whoever might be in the building. “Come back here – I need someone to hear this!”  And she rang a bell.  Not just any bell.  A very special bell for the staff – one that signifies a woman in our clinic has made a choice for life!  When we hear it, we set our troubles and worries aside and rejoice.  Because a life has been saved and God has graciously answered our prayers!

This work happens because of your generosity. We are not government-funded. We’re people-funded, and more specifically, Christian people–funded! I hope you know how grateful we are to partner with you day in and day out. We can’t move women in, pay for a hotel, or experience the joy of a woman choosing life without your financial help.