First Fruits Friday - Mysterious Ways
It was a typical Friday morning as our team prepared for the day, when out of the blue we received a text message from one of our Sidewalk Advocates… “abortion day”. Immediately, our team felt our hearts drop. Trying as hard as we could to scramble our personal obligations and rush off to Seneca so mothers would have real choices and real hope. Without skipping a beat, we quickly assembled a team and went into action on the sidewalk.
As God would have it, two of our amazing volunteers were scheduled to be at Seneca that day to volunteer as Client Advocates. Client Advocates work inside Seneca with mothers offering them a listening ear and work to find solutions to the challenges of their situation. Client Advocates are similar but uniquely different from Sidewalk Advocates who minister to women entering the abortion facility. On this unexpected abortion day, we had very few Sidewalk Advocates. In God’s perfect timing, these two Client Advocates were at Seneca on the day He brought two mothers through our front door.
One of our staff was talking to a mother from the sidewalk, the other Sidewalk Advocates were praying and offering hope as women entered the abortion facility. With all the hustle, it would have been easy to miss Alicia*, a quiet mother who sat in silence in our lobby for several minutes. When the two Client Advocates greeted the mother and asked if she’d like to chat, she agreed and she followed them back to a cozy advocate room.
During this time, a beautiful conversation was had about this mother’s struggles and challenges. The Advocates listened, and what one of the Advocates heard as Alicia shared her story, was uncharacteristically similar to her own story. When someone takes the risk to leave their comfort zone to show up at Seneca, God uses it in a big way! He is the author of each of our stories, and He knows the value they have in His greater plan.
In those moments of simple listening, Alicia found hope, she found help, and she found people who understood. No longer did this mother feel ashamed or embarrassed. She identified with someone who had been in her shoes. At the end of the conversation, Alicia left with the father of her baby. Smiles galore! Mother and father hugged as they left the abortion facility and went to enjoy lunch together. On this day, three lives were spared from abortion; mother, father, and baby!
God works in mysterious ways. God shows us that He has all things planned for our good. Because of God’s miraculous way of matching the clients to the ideal team of Advocates who showed up to be His hands and feet, this unexpected abortion day for us was the day that God set aside for this mother to find hope, help and understanding at Seneca.
When you wonder if you can make a difference in this overwhelming problem our nation is facing regarding the abortion crisis, know that in your own backyard Christ is working in and through your time, treasure, and talent. Know your prayers matter. Your support means the world to us, but more importantly to the mothers, fathers, and unborn babies we serve!
Name changed for confidentiality