{"id":165957,"date":"2017-05-11T12:28:41","date_gmt":"2017-05-11T16:28:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=165957"},"modified":"2017-05-11T12:30:25","modified_gmt":"2017-05-11T16:30:25","slug":"i-know-without-you-my-baby-wouldnt-be-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/i-know-without-you-my-baby-wouldnt-be-here\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I know that without you, my baby wouldn’t be here’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Save the Storks) — This piece was written by Jenny A. Farrell<\/a>, a nurse on one of our mobile medical units and the author of the book \u201cRibbon of Redemption<\/a>.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

One afternoon, I picked up the phone at Pregnancy Resources, hearing the words that never fail to make my heart race:<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you do abortions?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Those words still have the ability to stop me in my tracks.<\/b><\/p>\n

You might think having worked for the past eleven years as a nurse for a life-affirming pregnancy center, and now on a Save the Storks mobile unit, this type of call would have become almost \u201croutine.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the truth is, those raw conversations reveal what we face on a daily basis\u2014literally life and death.<\/b><\/p>\n

The young woman\u2019s voice was barely above a whisper and I strained to listen.<\/p>\n

I told her we don\u2019t perform or refer for abortions, then quickly moved on to what we do<\/i><\/b> offer\u2014free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, as well as medically documented information to help make an informed decision. I asked her that with well over 25% of pregnancies ending in miscarriage, didn\u2019t it make sense to discover if this was even a viable pregnancy?<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, she not only didn\u2019t set an appointment, she wouldn\u2019t even tell me her name. Yet she remained on the line and I cried out to the Lord even while the conversation continued.<\/p>\n

When asked what made her feel abortion was her best option, the words came pouring out.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u00a0can\u2019t<\/i>\u00a0tell my mom. She\u2019d be so disappointed in me. And Dad? He would freak out even worse. I\u2019m supposed to go to college. To make them proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides, I\u2019m supposed to be picking out a prom dress, not baby clothes.\u00a0There\u2019s no way I\u2019m ready to be a mom.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

By that point, it was obvious she was crying and my heart went out to her. What was worse, I could sense she was on the edge of hanging up.<\/p>\n

I told her I could only imagine how overwhelmed she must be feeling. That she wasn\u2019t alone and help was available. I also told her the truth\u2014if this was indeed a viable pregnancy then she was\u00a0already<\/i>\u00a0a mom. This wasn\u2019t just a \u201cpregnancy\u201d\u2026it was a boy or a girl, a son or a daughter.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s when the connection died.<\/p>\n

Calls like that are so hard. Sometimes I replay the conversation over and over, wondering if there was something I could have said differently to convince her to come in. Seeing a heart beating on the ultrasound screen can make all the difference in the world.<\/p>\n

In the end, I surrendered her to the Lord, praying that He would put roadblocks between her and an abortion clinic. That He would wrap her in His arms and prompt her to call us again.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Several months later, I received a card from one of my former patients. Immediately, I recalled the lovely blonde with the beautiful smile. I was delighted when I saw the picture of the precious baby girl she\u2019d tucked inside.<\/p>\n

But after reading her message, I was puzzled. She\u2019d written,<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/b>Jenny, thank you so much for all you did for me. I know that without you, my baby wouldn\u2019t be here<\/i><\/b>.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

What? That didn\u2019t make sense. Pulling her file, I quickly confirmed that the young woman\u2019s appointment had been relatively routine. She and her boyfriend been excited about the pregnancy. They\u2019d also been very responsive to seeing their little one on the big screen.<\/p>\n

So why did she think her child \u201cwouldn\u2019t be here\u201d without me?<\/p>\n

Finally, deciding to give the young mother a call, I was shocked to learn\u00a0she<\/i>\u00a0had been the young woman on the phone that day. The one asking about an abortion. She told me that even while she was talking to me, she and her boyfriend had been driving around in search of an abortion clinic.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After hanging up on me she\u2019d started sobbing. Her boyfriend had quickly pulled over to the side of the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t believe what? What did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said I\u2019m already a mother\u2026this is already a son or a daughter. What are we going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

After that, the two of them sat in the car for a long time, alternately crying and talking. The truth that they were, in a very real sense,\u00a0<\/strong>already parents,<\/i> had changed everything.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Soon, they\u2019d gained the courage to tell their parents, surprised to discover their reaction wasn\u2019t nearly as bad as they had anticipated. A week later, they\u2019d come in for an ultrasound and I\u2019d had the privilege of introducing the young couple to their baby.<\/p>\n

The same baby they\u2019d planned to abort prior to calling Pregnancy Resources.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

I love happy endings, don\u2019t you?\u00a0It\u2019s a beautiful thing when God chooses to pull back the curtain. To give us a glimpse of His love and power at work\u2014even when a situation looks bleak. What an encouragement to continue fighting the good fight!<\/p>\n

I would like to extend a huge thank you to those of you who are providing a way to minister to men and women facing an unplanned pregnancy. Each life saved is absolutely priceless.<\/b><\/p>\n

For just $30 a month, you can partner with us in empowering women and saving lives of innocent children. Our mission is to make abortion unimaginable and we can\u2019t do it alone.<\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: This\u00a0article was first published at Save the Storks<\/a> on May 3, 2017<\/a>, and is reprinted here with permission.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n