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"Children are a gift from God, a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward..." |
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A
Letter to Small Victories Ministry No one had greater character than Jesus Christ.
His perfect character was not developed in easy times. He became a leader
because of the problems he had to endure. Hebrews
2:10. God allows us to go through adversities, trials, and
tribulations so that we develop that same strength and character.
Character cannot be developed without pain. “After you have
suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who imparts all blessing
and favor, who has called you, will complete and make you what you ought
to be.” 1 Peter 5:10. This letter was
sent to me this past week and it has confirmed what we’ve been dealing
with outside the Hope Clinic. In all of my fourteen years of being on that
sidewalk daily, I have never experienced the reproach that has been
showing up for the past few months. These professing Christians will not
come under authority, they will not listen to the established leaders, and
they will not take correction. Many, many babies have been unfortunately
killed by those who profess to love Jesus. Their insults and screams have
made these mothers more determined to get inside away from all the noise.
It has turned more unsaved souls away from Jesus than these egomaniacs
would care to know. We don’t have to
worry about the Hope abortion Clinic destroying babies or this vital
ministry; the holy hypocrites are doing a pretty good job. Dear Angela: After visiting the Hope Clinic with a friend on
Saturday, May 12, I got curious about your organization and ministry so I
looked you up on the internet. Actually, I was looking to see if a photo
of me or my car would appear on your site after noticing several
pro-lifers walking around with digital cameras and video recorders. I
would like to call your attention to the following entry from the
"street report" segment of your website: After being degraded and screamed at by the
troublemakers, a man and his wife who had gotten the abortion, got into
their car and were leaving when Rick gave the man literature and a Bible.
The man shook Rick’s hand and told him, “God bless you! Things may of
turned out differently had they not screamed her in there.” “A
kind word turns away wrath.” Proverbs 15:1. ________________________________________________________________ I am the man who shook Rick's hand and said "God
Bless You" to him as he offered me literature that day, and I wanted
to share some insights and observations about my visit to Hope Clinic with
you because after reading your website, and learning what you and your
ministry do; I would like to say that I whole heartedly
agree with your work, and I am impressed by the fact that you are actually
reaching out to the women who enter Hope Clinic in an effort to help them
and offer them a better choice; rather than spewing hatred and
condemnation like some of the other pro-life activists I witnessed that
morning. (namely the black guy wearing a collar, and a couple of others
with him) So for what it's worth, I'd like to share with you my
experience of that day. Firstly, I would like to clear something up: Although you referred to me and my friend as
"man and his wife" in your entry; this is not the case. In fact,
she is not even my girlfriend... Nor was I the father of
her aborted child. That said, I will tell you why I was at the
clinic that day. The woman I went to Hope Clinic with is a long time
friend of mine who turned to me for help when she learned that she had to
have an escort for her appointment at Hope. She had no one else she could
trust with the fact that she was going to have an abortion, and no one
else was available to make the 3 hour drive to Granite City that day. When
she told me she was pregnant, and approached me about escorting her, I was
hesitant. I asked her why wasn't the father (her ex boyfriend) going to
handle that duty. She informed me that they were no longer on speaking
terms and that he wanted to nothing to do with having the baby, nor did he
want to pay for an abortion, yet alone be the one to take her to it.
Basically, she was on her own. She has few close friends, and getting
assistance from her family was out of the question. She is 40 years old,
has two children from a previous marriage, and she's not in the best of
emotional health. Her and her family are devout Catholics as well. She
told me I was one of only two people she could turn to for this, and the
other one had no drivers license; so she wasn't an option. So she turned
to me and I agreed to make the trip to Granite City with her. Prior to this event, I hadn't really given the issue
of abortion much thought. This is the first time I've had any direct
experience with it. I've known women who have had them, but never someone
this close to me. Despite being a Christian, and politically very
conservative; I never really have taken any kind of "firm stand"
on the issue. I've always been kind of floating in the middle between
"pro-life" and "pro-choice". I guess that being a man
and knowing that I would never be pregnant made it easy to be ambivalent
about it. However, I have never been comfortable with it and have always
seen it as something less than clean....yet something that had never
affected me personally until my visit to Hope Clinic a week ago. Since
that day, and after reading your website (and numerous others); I have
given the topic of abortion alot of thought, and I can definately say I
now believe that abortion is dirty and evil....and most importantly, I
believe that abortion is certainly not part of God's plan which he has for
people. Yes, I asked her if she was sure she wanted to abort
when she told me of the pregnancy. She told me her reasons she wanted to
abort, and also told me she had prayed very much about it. Maybe I should
have tried to convince her to keep the baby, but it was quite obvious that
nothing I was going to say was going to change her mind. She had made up
her mind, and she was very adamant about it. She's pretty "hard
boiled" and stubborn, so I knew there was no way she would change her
mind. Despite not being wholly comfortable about assisting her with her
dilemma; I agreed to go to Granite City with her because we are friends
and she has been there for me in the past when I needed some support or a
favor. Anyway, we were the first car to arrive at the Clinic
that morning. We made the mistake of parking right next to the alley and
were immediately verbally accosted by the black man wearing what appeared
to be the collar of a priest; and a couple others. These people were
openly hostile and judgmental. As we tried our best to ignore them, we
watched them as they harassed clinic employees as they reported for work.
In my opinion, this is not a very good approach towards trying to dissuade
women from abortion - hence my comment about "things might have
turned out differently" without being screamed at and condemned.
Unfortunately, when I made the comment I wasn't referring to my friend. As
I mentioned above, nothing was going to change her mind. I was referring
to other women (or couples) who come to Hope Clinic. I can't quote the
specific scriptures, but after experiencing the tirades of a few of those
people that morning, the "...don't judge, lest ye be judged",
thing comes to mind. Also coming to mind was the ability of some people to
spot twigs in other people's eyes, despite having a log in theirs! That's
one of the reasons that motivated me to write to you. After visiting your
website, reading about your work, and reading about your success stories
and your "saves"...it is obvious that you are attempting to
minister and help people...not just empty proselyltizing. I have no idea what goes through a woman's mind when
she is considering an abortion. I do know of a friend who once told me
that her abortion was the biggest regret of her life, so I do know that it
is an extremely emotionally and traumatic experience. I also know that
women probably carry a lot of psychological scars with them after having
an abortion. The pain on a lot of people's faces inside that waiting room
at the clinic was apparent, I will tell you that. I saw people from all
walks of life in there. I'm glad I wasn't there as a mother, or as
a father...and I feel guilty enough now about just being there in the
first place, even though I was just helping out a friend. I have been thankful in the past that I have never
been in a situation where I had impregnated a woman and would be faced
with having to be a part of that kind of decision. Like I said before, I
have always been kind of ambivalent about it. After this
experience, I can definitely be counted among the ranks of the pro-life. Should abortion be illegal? It's easy to say
"yes". However, there will always be women willing to have them,
and doctors willing to perform them; regardless of it being illegal. This
is sad, but true. I don't see how anyone who actually researches
the issue of abortion and knows its true effects could do anything other
than condemn its practice. Sorry this is so long. I just wanted to share my
experience and let you know that your organization has made me re-think
the way I view abortion. Although I couldn't have changed my friends mind,
I do feel kind of ashamed that I was a participant in her abortion - even
though all I did was basically give her a ride. I am a Christian. I
believe in Christ, and I believe in God. I'm far from a "model"
Christian and could be a better practicing one. I have prayed for my
friend who had the abortion, and I've also prayed that I am forgiven for
the role I played. I believe that I am forgiven, but it still feels wrong
to me to profess myself as a Christian, yet at the same time enter an
abortion clinic. In hindsight, I shouldn't have been at the Hope
Clinic...simple as that. In closing, I would like to ask you to pray
for my friend who had the abortion, and throw in a prayer for me, her
friend who escorted her. Your ministry, and your methods, do touch people.
If not for the subtle and sincere way your friend Rick approached my car
when I was leaving the lot that morning. I would have probably left
thinking that all people who are pro-life are bitter and hateful zealots
based on the actions of others that morning. Thanks and God Bless, "J" |
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