|
by Pat Centner
| Journal Staff Writer
In the late 1960s, when the sexual revolution was in full swing,
Wales Goebel of Birmingham, Alabama, devoted his life to sharing
the love of Christ with high school, college and university students.
An evangelist with a heart for the young, Wales’ ministry included
crusades aimed at helping young people who struggled with their
own identity in a world where sexual promiscuity and substance abuse
were running rampant.
As Wales counseled the students, he was often approached by young
girls seeking help after they’d suffered the anguish of an
abortion. Deeply burdened by the guilt and shame he saw these young
women experiencing, Wales began to wonder what he could do to help
prevent others from taking such a drastic step.
“One of the hardest things for girls and young women to do
was to forgive themselves after they had an abortion,” remarks
Wales. “They were carrying a great deal of pain and trauma.”
As a result of those encounters, the Lord blessed Wales with the
vision for a center where unwed girls and women who were struggling
with pregnancy issues could receive non-judgmental love and care,
biblical counsel, and education regarding abortion and its devastating
consequences.
In 1980, the Goebels opened the first Sav-A-Life center in Birmingham,
which was followed two years later by the Lifeline Adoption Agency.
Since Lifeline’s inception, more than 750 babies have been
placed in Christian homes.
Today, a mind-boggling 50,000 women a year are given tangible help
and God’s redemptive love at more than 65 Sav-A-Life centers
in six Southern states and several countries. The centers provide
free client services that include pregnancy tests, ultrasounds,
medical assistance, post-abortion counseling, abstinence training,
parenting classes and clothing and supplies for needy mothers.
Twenty
years of ministry
One such center is Sav-A-Life in Tupelo, Mississippi, which is celebrating
its 20th anniversary this year. The center’s founding director
was Kathy Coats, who is now with American Family Radio. Nancy Pruett,
director since 1991, speaks of the ministry’s primary mission.
“The thing that is key about Sav-A-Life ... is that evangelism
is first,” says Nancy. “We believe that sharing Christ
with these girls is the key to not only encouraging them to choose
life for their babies, but to changing their lives forever. ...
If we talk a girl into choosing life for her child and not aborting,
but she dies and goes to hell, we’ve done her no favor. So
we try to keep Christ as the main focus, while giving the truth
about abortion.”
Tupelo Sav-A-Life provides all services, ranging from meeting physical
and emotional needs of unwed mothers and their babies, to providing
12-week classes for post-abortive women. Nancy firmly believes the
chief way to stop abortion in this country is to heal those who
have been silenced by shame so they can say to the world, “I
know what abortion is, and it’s not good for you.”
To help with the healing, funding is needed. It’s an ongoing
challenge. Donations from individuals and churches are Sav-A-Life’s
only source of income. Nancy says churches can be of significant
help by putting their local Sav-A-Life center in their missions
budget to receive regular contributions. “And it doesn’t
matter if it’s only $25 a month,” Nancy emphasizes. “Every
dollar helps.”
Nancy and Judy Sewell, the Tupelo office manager, comprise the entire
paid staff for the center. Thus, volunteers are vital. Counselors
are badly needed, and training is provided. The only qualification
is a compassionate heart. Volunteers can also fill other needs,
such as cleaning the offices and sorting donated baby clothes.
Nancy’s
journey
Nancy’s own experience with Sav-A-Life began with her serving
as a volunteer, because she, herself, had undergone an abortion
at age 16. “After it was over,” Nancy remarks, “I
went home and tried to put my life back together and tried to forget
it had ever happened.”
But she couldn’t forget. And, as with most who get an abortion,
Nancy’s self-worth died with her child. As she sought help,
she was lovingly told, “God forgives you, and since you’re
forgiven, you should just get on with your life.”
“But what they were not taking into account,” explains
Nancy, “is that a woman who has aborted a child has suffered
the death of that child, and she has to grieve that loss. But we’re
not given permission to grieve aborted children in this society.
So that grieving process is thwarted, and all that pain is buried
inside until you’re willing to let God go in and open up that
wound and clean it out and begin to pour in the balm of Gilead and
heal you from the inside out.”
When she was 23 and at the end of her own mental and emotional rope,
Nancy cried out to God. “And over a period of time He revealed
Himself to me, and I became aware that He loved me no matter what
I had done. The Scripture ‘If any man is in Christ, he is a
new creation; old things have passed away, and all things have become
new’ came alive to me, and I was finally able to release my
pent-up suffering. I realized it didn’t matter what other people
thought about me. God loved me, and it was His love that healed
my shame, His love that healed my grief, His love that made me whole
again.”
The
family of God
Through God’s loving grace, that lesson is one that every woman
who’s had an abortion must experience before she can begin
to truly heal, says Nancy. “And something that we hammer home
to the post-abortive women in our Bible studies every week is, ‘You
are not your sin. Your sin does not define you. You are a holy,
chosen and dearly loved child of God.’ And when that knowledge
finally goes from their head to their heart, it sets them free.”
The close relationship between the Sav-A-Life centers is a blessing
to them all, says Nancy. “We’re like a big family.”
Other loving relationships include those between the staff, volunteers
and clients. They share a special bond because many staff and volunteers
have walked the same path as the clients they serve. A few examples
in Tupelo’s post-abortion ministry include: three former clients
who now work in centers in other towns; one who helped start a center
in another state; five who volunteer in Tupelo; and three who are
now directors of other Sav-A-Life centers.
The young woman who directs the new Batesville, Mississippi, Sav-A-Life
is one of the latter.
From
agony to exaltation
Teresa Towles is a chatterbox with a quick laugh and a bubbly personality.
Her honesty and transparency are refreshing gifts from the merciful
God who so dramatically changed her life. Her story emulates that
of so many women whose lives are shattered by unspeakable pain at
a young age, and who, later in life, turn to substance abuse, sexual
promiscuity and, often, abortion as they attempt to hide their own
self-loathing while searching desperately for love and acceptance.
Teresa was raped continually when she was seven years old by a family
member outside the home. In addition, she suffered physical abuse,
and by the time she was in her teens, had already developed a reputation
as a “bad girl.”
“I believed that the only way I could be loved was by being
sexual or having sex,” she explains. Teresa began to sleep
around with older men, but found no satisfaction or fulfillment.
When her family moved to Mississippi, she says she did well for
a while. “I went to church and got baptized, but then the cycle
started all over again – the drinking and the guys.”
Teresa married her old high school sweetheart, but the marriage
failed when he became physically abusive. A subsequent partner was
pleased when she became pregnant, but suddenly changed his mind,
urging Teresa to get an abortion.
“I tried to convince him otherwise,” she laments, “but
I eventually gave in to his wishes.” That first abortion was
a nightmare that never ended. Even today, Teresa is haunted by the
suctioning sound that meant the death of her child.
After that, Teresa’s life became a blur of alcoholism and promiscuity.
There was a second abortion, then a third pregnancy. But she told
that baby’s father, “I’m taking responsibility for
my actions and no one can talk me out of it.” He said, “Fine,”
and left. Teresa completed the pregancy, and today Grayson is a
bright, rambunctious five-year-old.
“God started to really work in my life,” exults Teresa,
“and I thank Him every day for being such a forgiving, loving
and merciful God. He brought a wonderful man into my life, and after
we were married, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.” And
this time Teresa knew it was real.
Finding
His will
That marked the beginning of a loving relationship with the Lord
that led Teresa on a burning search for a way to express her thankfulness
for God’s forgiving grace. Ultimately, she felt Him leading
her toward “something to do with abortions.” She began
to investigate and was told about Sav-A-Life.
Teresa became convinced that God wanted her to open a Sav-A-Life
in Batesville, so she set out to learn about the ministry and was
welcomed into the Sav-A-Life fold. Although there were obstacles
to overcome, God provided a building and all the necessities for
the Batesville center. It opened in November 2002.
Perhaps the most incredible gift that God gave Teresa was her second
son. Initially diagnosed as Down Syndrome, the spot on his brain
was later declared Trisomy 18, a severe retardation often resulting
in death. The physician suggested Teresa get an abortion. But she
trusted God.
“I took a stand and told him no matter what was wrong with
this baby, God was going to use it to His glory.” And He did.
A later ultrasound revealed that the spot had disappeared, and,
miraculously, little Gabriel was born completely healthy.
“I am still amazed at what God has done in my life,” concludes
Teresa. “He has shown me how to use my life for His honor,
praise and glory, and to be bold in telling my story so others like
me can find healing. The world needs to know that abortion is not
over in a few minutes.”
|
|
