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Beads,
Babies, and Bank Robbers
February 21, 2012
Written by Angela Michael
FAT
TUESDAY, at least in
Granite City
, was off with a BANG! While our vital pregnancy
outreach was embedded outside the local baby slaughterhouse enticing the
abortion-minded women to come inside our ultrasound van with colorful
Mardi Gras beads, a local bank within earshot was being robbed. A
faithful seminarian and a local pastor with a few prayer warriors joined
us and stood praying as we softly offered the clients our
free services, “And we have beads!” What can I say?
Props help :), and it caught their attention.
Danielle
and her cousin came over as I was setting up and BAM,
GAME
ON
! Her cousin came inside ahead of her and whispered,
“I really don't want to be here. I had an auntie die from an
abortion.” “Oh
my!” Danielle stopped and picked up one of our rubber fetal
models as she came inside the van. She said, “Oh, I don't know if
I can do this.” “Do you have an appointment for an abortion?”
I
asked.
“Yes,” she
replied. “I don't
know if I can do it." “You don't have to do it; that's why we are
here.” Her cousin spoke up and asked, “You
know what happened to auntie?” I
asked her, “Why did
you bring her knowing your favorite aunt died from an abortion?” She
replied, “Cause she had no one to drive her.” I
went over the risks and complications as I began to scan as well as how
many lawsuits we have personally helped butchered women file against
this mill. She had tears in her eyes and we could hear a commotion
outside the ultrasound van.
Then, there it was: an approx
15 week old baby auditioning for its life on the screen.
"Oh look, there's a hand!" Danielle exclaimed.
"Oh Lord, I don't think I can do it!" I asked if she
had other children. "Yes, five,” she replied. I
then shared how many we have. “For
real?” both women questioned. “Yes ma'am.” I
pointed to their pictures inside the van. "Oh my, they're
beautiful." There
was more noise outside the van.
"Danielle, the circumstances are not the baby’s fault.
What is your biggest problem now?" She shared, and we
jumped on it. We listened to heartbeats, and she asked if we could tell
the sex. We peeked, and the baby appeared to be a boy.
"Oh, call my husband.” Her cousin dialed, but there was
no answer. She asked how we manage with our large brood. I responded,
"I couldn’t do anything without the Lord. He provides and answers
prayers.” Although
she kept murmuring, "I'm not going to do it,”
there was doubt in her voice. Her cousin said, "You
better be sure, cause I'm not coming back here." "Please,
encourage her to keep the baby."
I went over resources, and then Daniel came
inside to warn us the area was swarming with police, FBI, and dogs as a
bank nearby was just robbed. This is the devil’s playground; we see
everything out here. Danielle hugged me, took our literature, and
announced that she was still going inside to see what they had to say.
With sweat on my brow, I sternly told her, "Don’t let
them talk you into something you will regret." "No, I just
want to hear what they have to say." "The only thing they can
help you with is scissors or suction." Her cousin then
shared her auntie’s name and the facility that killed her. I told her
to remind Danielle, and disheartened, we watched them walk across the
parking lot.
We no sooner cleaned up when I stepped out
onto the sidewalk to see the action. Another abortion client pulled in
front of us, and we stepped up and began softly asking her, "Can
we help you?" She looked at the signs and had tears
in her eyes. She took my hand and said, "I
don’t think I can do it." Wow! I calmly answered,
"You don’t have to do it, and we can help." We
brought her inside the van as her husband sat in the car. She asked if
he could come in, and my assistant went to get him. I asked
preliminaries as she sat back. She said, "Those signs,
they're horrible, but that’s what it will look like?" "Yes,
those signs are horrible, but they are the truth."
 As
her husband came inside, I quickly scanned. There on the screen was an
approx 11 week old baby begging for her life. She was jumping and
struggling inside the ocean that surrounded her. "Emily"
explained her situation. "Why do you feel like you have to
go in there and kill this baby?”
She shared that she was having problems with her husband, but they
were reconcilable. In addition, living with her grandmother was not
the greatest. I told her, "Everything you just mentioned
does not validate taking another human being's life. All these things
are fixable." She was gently crying; both were looking in
awe of their precious baby. Then Emily exclaimed, "Look,
the baby is jumping!" I asked her, "Are you
feeling that?" She replied, "Yes, but
I thought it was gas all this time.” "No, that’s
your baby telling you she is in here." Emily then said, "That
is what I have been feeling.” We
listened to the heartbeats, 160 per minute; sounded like a girl.
 Suddenly,
what looked like despair turned into hope. I even brought up the option
of adoption and shared our personal experience of rescuing and
adopting babies into our family. They concentrated on the picture boards
of the many babies we have saved and mothers we have helped. They asked
about the photo of the post abortive woman who collapsed behind the
mill, hemorrhaging after her abortion. No one knew she was lying there
in a pool of blood until we found her. We called
EMS
and literally saved her. Wow! We went over with Emily and her
husband resources that we could help with and physician follow-up. They
promised to keep in contact. We blessed them with some food money
and received hugs from both. Thank you Lord!
 The swarm
of law enforcement had diminished, but the abortion mill lot was full. We
were catching our breaths when there was another knock on our ultrasound
van door. "Angela, this young lady needs your help.”
"Hello, I'm Angela,” and I introduced our
assistant this day as she came in and shared, "Torry told us
she didn't really want to go in the clinic." “Well,
praise God! That is why we are here.” We set her up for an
ultrasound. There on the screen appeared an early pregnancy, approx
4 weeks. "You don’t have to go in there.”
We went over our resources for her and her child and suggested another
follow-up scan and physician visit. She accepted our literature and was
so grateful we were there.
I can't tell you how gratifying it feels to be a "Window
to the Womb.” Our assistant this day was “privileged”
to see and experience lives scheduled to die be saved from the jaws of
death through the use of ultrasound and real people who care.
Deeeep breath…the best part as we were dragging our van wheels
leaving this evening, was Danielle and her cousin coming back out and
yelling over to us in the van, “She ain't going through
with it. She's keeping the baby!”
“Never
believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For
indeed, that's all who ever have.” -M. Mead
~Angela
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