{"id":289566,"date":"2023-04-24T12:43:37","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T17:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=289566"},"modified":"2023-04-24T10:26:12","modified_gmt":"2023-04-24T15:26:12","slug":"date-rape-abortion-forgiven-accept-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/date-rape-abortion-forgiven-accept-god\/","title":{"rendered":"After date rape and abortion, she learned how to forgive and to accept God’s forgiveness"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

She was a bit of a rock and roll groupie, so when 15-year-old Elizabeth Bristol scored a date with an older guy in the local band, she and her friends were thrilled. She never expected to be pressured into having sex while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bristol told Live Action News, \u201cI went to a party at a hotel with him and willingly took the drugs and alcohol, but I didn\u2019t know it was a setup to take advantage of me while I was in a vulnerable state. Essentially, I lost my virginity to date rape.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While Bristol\u2019s friends thought her experience was \u201ccool,\u201d she didn\u2019t think so. Still, she continued to have sexual relations with him, to keep his interest alive.\u00a0<\/span>A few months later, Bristol and her musician beau parted ways and she began engaging in more promiscuous behavior. It was typical in the town where Bristol lived to engage in casual sex, use recreational drugs, and use abortion as a method of birth control. <\/span><\/p>\n

While Bristol had attended church to prevent sinking into moral turpitude, she didn\u2019t have an authentic relationship with Christ.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was just 17 when I discovered I was pregnant,\u201d Bristol said. \u201cI had been \u2018tripping\u2019 on LSD at the time but knew the exact moment I conceived. My boyfriend and I were fighting a lot, but I asked him to stand with me, yet he left town to go to Texas. Once his mother found out about the pregnancy, she got him out of dodge fast.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Unplanned Pregnancy Results in Abortion<\/b><\/p>\n

While her boyfriend escaped responsibility, Bristol was left with the fallout. She was afraid to tell her parents and cringed at the thought of being the subject of town gossip, but then, the girlfriend of her boyfriend\u2019s brother stepped up and asked how she could help.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bristol said, \u201cI had decided to get an abortion. My parents had high expectations and telling them would add so much stress to the situation. I felt I had no other option.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She booked the appointment immediately with an abortion business she found in the yellow pages. To Bristol, it seemed like the only way out. Soon she was riding on the train to Boston along with her friend. Once there, she was required to participate in a counseling session for the facility to receive its grant money.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI sat with other women in a group, and nobody looked at one another,\u201d Bristol said. \u201cThe counseling was just basic and not helpful at all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Once inside the procedure room, Bristol was given medication that made her feel euphoric. Ironically, she was doing the worst thing she could ever do, and terminating the only<\/em> pregnancy she would ever have.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bristol said, \u201cI remember hearing the horrific sound of the vacuum. Afterward, I went home, wanting to quickly escape the shame and guilt. My friend suggested we go out and snort some cocaine and I agreed. I wanted to numb the emotions swirling inside of me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Later, she battled intense pain that was both physical and spiritual, and began passing large blood clots. She told herself she\u2019d rather die before she reached out to someone for help.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI just wanted it to pass so I could get on with my life, go to college and put the whole experience behind me,\u201d Bristol said. \u201cI was fighting with my parents and couldn\u2019t wait to leave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A Period of Uncertainty and Turmoil\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t long before her former boyfriend and father of her aborted child contacted her, hoping to rekindle the relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bristol said, \u201cHe demanded to know why I got an abortion. My first thought was I\u2019d get back together with him, then leave him like he left me. But I ended up living with him for four years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When Bristol thought she was pregnant again, her boyfriend left but came back the next day. Tired of the relationship, she moved to Boston and when her boyfriend followed her there, Bristol\u2019s father sent her out of the country so she could start anew.<\/span><\/p>\n

By then in her mid-twenties, Bristol was working at a church in Alaska when she finally entered a more intimate relationship with Christ. But all was not well there. The church\u2019s pastor was engaging in extramarital affairs with a few of Bristol\u2019s friends. Bristol knew this wasn\u2019t right and struggled with resentment. One day she decided to take a long ride to clear her head.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

A Life Transformed Through Forgiveness and Faith<\/b><\/p>\n

As she poured out her heart to God, she heard His voice tell her she hadn\u2019t forgiven herself for the abortion she had years ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI pulled off the road and talked to God for four hours,\u201d Bristol said. \u201cI wanted to know the gender of the baby. I felt God had told me I had a daughter and when I asked what her name was, He told me to name her. I experienced such grace and mercy at that moment that was breathtaking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She finally understood that once she had forgiven herself, she could forgive others their indiscretions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI realized that forgiveness is tied into everything,\u201d Bristol said. \u201cIt was like an epiphany, a defining moment in my quest for understanding and healing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When a friend brought her an ad for a Forgiven and Set Free abortion healing class for the church bulletin, Bristol took it as a sign she needed deeper healing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bristol said, \u201cI was hesitant at first because I was worried about being judged, but I learned the leader was also post-abortive. Also, I convinced a friend to take the class with me. Going through the class with her helped me to see my own dead zones; issues that I had buried for so long.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

God continued to work in Bristol\u2019s life, leading her into more profound inner healing, compelling her to fulfill her desire to write and share her message of faith.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA friend set up a writing room for me,\u201d Bristol said. \u201cEventually, God showed me how to write about all the hard stuff in my life. I wanted others to find healing through my stories and to see how all our experiences intersect at some point.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In her book, “<\/span>Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God<\/span>,” Bristol chronicled her date rape, abortion, and healing with God.\u00a0She partnered with CareNet to speak at events, hoping her message of forgiveness and reconciliation would resonate with those whose experiences mirror her own.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bristol said, \u201cI can\u2019t bring my baby back and will miss her first steps and attending her dance recitals, but I can help spread life affirming messages wherever God leads me. For that, I am grateful.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Did you know that as little as $10 a month is enough to reach more than 3,000 people with the truth about abortion that no one else is telling them? Click here to start saving lives 365 days a year.<\/strong><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

She was a bit of a rock and roll groupie, so when 15-year-old Elizabeth Bristol scored a date with an older guy in the local band, she and her friends were thrilled. She never expected to be pressured into having sex while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.\u00a0 Bristol told Live Action News, \u201cI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":798,"featured_media":289568,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nAfter date rape and abortion, she learned how to forgive and to accept God's forgiveness<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When 15-year-old Elizabeth scored a date with an older guy in the local band, she was excited. 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