First Fruits Friday - Any of Us
At Seneca we are often reminded that the women making appointments for abortions could be any of us, or anyone we know: a daughter, friend, sister, cousin, neice, or even fellow church-goer. Our Founder, Kelly Toman knew this well. She was raised in a Christian, pro-life family, however when her circumstances became unfamiliar and fear set in, she found herself looking at abortion as the solution to her problem pregnancy. That was not the end of her story...as many of you know God showed up in a big way for Kelly. After three abortion appointments, Kelly said YES to God and finally chose life for her baby. 13 years later Kelly took her story of a problem pregnancy, found solutions to her circumstances and went all-in for Christ. Her complete devotion to Our Lord led her to the innovative idea of meeting women where they are at….the abortion facility. Seneca’s Pregnancy Clinic was strategically placed next door to the abortion facility because Kelly saw herself in every woman walking into the abortion facility. She knew the power of peaceful, prayerful, law-abiding, humble witness to mothers in need.
On abortion days, occasionally mothers accidentally walk into Seneca mistaking it for the abortion facility. It happened again recently. The mother walked in our door and was greeted with warmth and love by a Seneca staff member. She looked frantic and terrified. She stated she was 30 minutes late for her appointment and asked if she would still be able to be seen. Our staff asked what type of appointment she had, and she stated - abortion pill. Our staff member welcomed her to Seneca and explained that we do not preform abortions here, but we would love to talk to her about her options and what we can offer her. She said she had already made up her mind. She has 3 children already and could not have another baby.
She repeated over and over she had made up her mind, yet her behavior showed otherwise. This mother continued to stand in our lobby talking to our staff member. We were reminded of our Founder Kelly, her desperation to change her circumstances, but not be forced into making the decision to choose her life over her baby’s life.
The mother started to open up more and mentioned her husband’s job would require a move in two months...then shortly after that he would be gone for a long period of time due to his work obligations. She said she did not want to have this baby alone.
Our staff member paused and told her she is not alone, we are here for her. The mother continued to say she couldn't do it. Our staff member then told her “I can relate to you. My husband is in the military and I also have 4 children. My husband was deployed a majority of the first 4 years of my youngest daughter's life.”
Being able to relate to the mother and meeting her where she was at saved a baby on that Saturday. This mother needed to hear the words “You are not alone. We are here for you.”
By the end of the conversation, she was smiling. By listening to this mother as Christ listens to us, the mother felt validated and heard. Christ worked through this staff member and this mother was empowered! She chose life, and as she walked out of Seneca she said, “Thank you for being here for me.”
Please continue to pray for all mothers. Every week in our community our friends, daughters, sister, cousin, nieces, and even our fellow church-goers are having abortions. Humble, quiet, Christian witnesses by trained sidewalk advocates can make the difference between life and death. This mother could have been any of us.