Receiving Hope, Choosing Life

All client names have been changed to protect confidentiality.

This story is told by Priscilla Chapman, a client advocate in our Irving center.

Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come. He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35:3-6)

 It’s a Thursday afternoon, and I’ve just arrived at MCPC in Irving. As we prepare for the afternoon, I grab the hands of the precious ladies that I’m privileged to work with. We approach the throne of grace to ask our Sovereign Lord to give us His favor, anointing, and wisdom for the hours that lay ahead of us. As we beckon Him to love through us, we recognize that our wise Creator is already at work in our midst by drawing and pursuing the hearts of the individuals that will walk through our doors. The Author of life is for us. While the young ladies who come to MCPC may see the baby inside them as an unwelcome surprise, it is by no means a surprise or a mistake to the Creator of life.

 “Jane, are you ready?” I ask with a smile. As Jane finds a seat in a counseling room, we begin. I ask questions to get to know her, and we discuss the series of events that have led her to this possible pregnancy. She’s nervous and a bit closed off at first. She seems to be apprehensive about her parent’s reaction to telling them of her pregnancy. “They’ll be so disappointed” she says again and again. As questions are asked and grace is communicated, she begins to seem more at peace and continues to open up. I’m grateful as I begin to see God already softening her heart.

 While Jane watches a video about making an informed decision about her pregnancy, I run the test. Positive. I pray fervently for God to give her a love for her baby as I gather information and references that apply to her situation. The video has ended and I make my way back into the counseling room. “Jane, your test came back positive”. I search her eyes and ask her how she is. Tears come streaming down her cheeks. Through her tears, she tells me that she has no idea what she’s going to do. “Jane, do you believe that God creates life?” She nods. “Then you believe that God created your baby. He loves that little life growing inside of you. And even if you don’t, He has a plan for your baby’s life.” Jane smiles for the first time during our session.

 We begin to discuss her options. I give her information about abortion, adoption and parenting. I share with her about the negatives of abortion and encourage her to think about the life that awaits her baby. I define adoption as at times the hardest and yet best way to love a baby by offering a life that is not within the capability of some Moms to give. Adoption does take a sacrificial love. We also discuss parenting and what that would look like in her situation. We talk realistically about the difficulties, while I continue to remind her that no situation is too big for God.

 As we talk, God continues to move in our midst, stirring Jane’s heart and giving me His words. We talked in depth about abstinence and the joys of waiting, about how God gives mercy and second chances. She talks about the things she regrets and the changes that she longs to make, changes that she’s just beginning to realize need to be made. We discuss what a walk with Jesus looks like and how the decisions that we make either draw us closer to Him or distance us from Him. We keep coming back to a beautiful gift called grace.

 Before she leaves, I ask her if I can pray for her. “Please do,” she responds gratefully. “Can I hug you?” she sweetly asks. My heart is overjoyed and stands amazed at how God so mightily worked in our midst. Jane decided to carry her baby to term and parent her child. When I talked to her several days later, she said her parents had responded more graciously than she had expected and they told her they were going to support her in this season. “Look what God can do,” I said with excitement and a smile. I asked Jane if we could keep in touch during her pregnancy and she said she would like that.

 Jane is one of many girls that come through our doors at MCPC. Sometimes, like with Jane, the growth and change of heart are evident – even in the short hour you have together. Other times, you see little to no softening of a girl’s heart but you faithfully plant seeds and trust a faithful God to bring the growth. Volunteering at MCPC is an adventure, a privilege, a joy, a challenge and a fulfillment of Jesus’ words in Luke 6:38: “..give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over..”.

 I believe MCPC brings joy to the heart of the Father. God, as the Author of life, loves the precious lives that are being formed in the womb. They are precious and valuable in His sight. MCPC joins hands with the unborn in the fight for life, with confidence that the Maker of heaven and earth is on our side.

We hope you enjoy this story spotlighting Diane Staats, a counselor at our North Richland Hills location since 2009, told in her own words.

Glancing over Macy’s chart, I noticed that this 24-year-old young woman already had three children and two previous abortions. As we began talking, Macy quickly shared that though she had been married for seven years, every pregnancy had brought tremendous marital conflict – her husband predictably moves out and goes to live with his mother for that season. She was very concerned about the state of their marriage as her husband had already left this time. She said she would do whatever was necessary to keep her marriage intact, noting that a fourth child would be devastating to their finances.

As we went deeper into her feelings about abortion, Macy began to tell me the details of her experiences. For the first abortion, her mother went with her and paid for it, and it was “nothing like the second abortion.” She remembered the second abortion as if it were yesterday. She recalled how she walked into a room where all of the instruments were hanging above her, as if for her to contemplate. She removed the necessary clothing, covered up with a sheet and sat on a table, gripping its sides. As she looked down at her trembling hands she saw the words “GOD I HOPE YOU CAN FORGIVE ME” that another girl had scratched into the table. She began to shake all over. As she looked down she noticed that her shoes were still on her feet. She didn’t want to take them off and kept hearing a voice in her head saying “The only thing keeping my baby alive are these shoes. Once I remove them, it’s over!”

Macy then began to sob before me. After a moment, she regained her composure and began to withdraw into a let’s-get-this-over-with manner; I knew she had shut off her emotions, and was no longer sharing what she was thinking. At one point, I asked her why she was hesitating to answer – was it because she was thinking about her marriage or because she was still contemplating abortion? She admitted that she was still strongly considering the option of abortion.

We then talked about the fact that another abortion would only complicate her already troubled marriage. Using her own words, I reminded her that she was still grieving the last abortion and still emotionally devastated. How much worse would a third abortion damage her emotionally? We talked about how aborting her baby would not save her marriage or her finances. In fact, the only hope in turning her life around was in getting right with God. Even though Macy had prayed a prayer as a child, she had never known Jesus intimately. So, that day, Macy welcomed Jesus into her heart after receiving His complete forgiveness for all of her sin, including the two abortions.

We then proceeded to the sonogram room. Because Macy had always had ovarian disease, she was not supposed to ever get pregnant and had no way to calculate how far along she was. Wanda, the sonography tech, and I had prayed that she would see the baby clearly. God answered with the clearest picture of an unbelievably developed baby who was extremely active. Macy would not take her eyes off the screen. Wanda took several “Hi, Mom” pictures and Macy specifically asked for a “Hi, Dad” picture. She was shocked that the baby measured to be eleven weeks. As Macy got up from the table, she asked if she could look around the Hope closet, our room filled with donated baby items. After a long look around the room, I met her at the door and challenged her to ask God what to do; she promised me she would. As she left, I placed my hand on her belly and said “Macy, you know this is your precious baby, and you already love him or her, don’t you?!” She nodded affirmatively.

Since that day, we have talked a few times. Macy’s husband has moved back home and they are committed to carrying their baby. The Giver of Life has given life to this child and abundant life to his mom.

Darla

Darla came to our center during a very difficult season in her life.  Although a married Christian, she found herself considering abortion when her test came back positive.  When our nurse gave her an ultrasound, she saw her baby and heard his heartbeat.  She left that day with much to think about. Even though we tried to follow up with her, she did not answer, and we did not hear from her for a time.  With prayer, we committed her to God.  A few weeks later, she finally called us back and told us she had decided to choose life for her baby. She enrolled in our HOPE program and earned coupons for clothes and diapers by watching our videos.  Four months later she delivered a beautiful baby boy. 

When her baby was 8 months old, she came back to the center with a bag of clothes she wanted to donate.  With a smile on her face she said, “These are for you.  Thank you for being here for me when I had no one else.”  Darla’s heartfelt thankfulness is meant for our supporters as well, because we could not have been here for her without them and their generous gifts. 

Chelsea

Eight years ago, Chelsea came to us as a scared 16-year-old girl, pregnant and looking for hope.  At that time, she chose not to answer any questions regarding her faith, nor was she receptive to hearing about salvation.  Chelsea’s phone number changed soon after that appointment, and the counselor lost touch with her, choosing to pray and trust God would continue working in Chelsea’s young life.  This month, Chelsea, now a believer in Christ, walked back through our doors with her eight-year-old son.

Years ago, Chelsea’s counselor planted seeds of hope and truth; from that, not only did Chelsea choose life for her son, but eternal life for herself as well.  While we may not see every outcome from the seeds we plant here, we know God loves each life He impacts through the Mid Cities Pregnancy Center – and that impact reaches farther than we can ever imagine.

Anna

Anna was in the middle of planning the biggest day of her life.  A large deposit had been placed on her beautiful wedding gown.  Everything was going according to plan, except for a suspicion she might be pregnant.   She had already made her decision – if the pregnancy center confirmed her pregnancy, she was going to have an abortion. 

That day, God connected Anna with a post-abortion client advocate who not only confirmed Anna’s pregnancy but also told Anna about her own abortion.  That day, Anna agreed to a free sonogram and saw her baby for the first time. 

It was not an easy day for Anna.  She had to choose between the life in her womb and her desire for a perfect wedding dress. That day, God scheduled a divine appointment, and it changed Anna’s life as she traded her wedding dress for the life of her baby. Anna still chose to marry the baby’s father but decided on a simpler gown, and she spent the money on her child’s needs.

Bianca

This month, Bianca came into our Irving center with two children in tow, suspicious she could be pregnant again.  At 38, this was truly a crisis moment for her, and she came to us looking for answers. 

Soft spoken, nervous, and speaking only Spanish, Bianca was matched up with one of our compassionate, bilingual counselors.  Our counselor walked her through our Spanish written resources, including the Spanish prayer of salvation.  Bianca readily received Christ and even asked for a Spanish Church recommendation. 

Our counselor was able to give her the information and resources Bianca needed to make two decisions for life that day – one for Christ, and the other to carry her 8-week pregnancy to term.