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Intertwined

A personal poem written by someone that has been adopted herself and speaks to the love and beauty of adoption for others. “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” (Matt 25:40)

Reality, too hard to embrace, stares her cruelly in the face.
The room seems to spin, so many decisions, unsure where to begin.

First love, stolen kisses, innocent fun, fast forwarded feels like life is coming undone.
Amid a whirlwind of emotion, she clings to the security of his devotion.

He holds her close and guides the way. The fragile new life begun is here to stay.
Uncertainty doesn’t end here, past the point of going back, panic is near.

Affirmation of truth on this dismal day, revealing their state of disarray.
Armed with the beautiful choice of life, this decision still comes with undeniable strife.

Too young to care for this child in the womb, yet unwilling to extinguish its life so soon.
Fears are faced, decisions begin.  They can’t fathom this dream that they’re trapped in.

At the hospital, the time is near. Nervous anticipation is tainted with fear.
Resolving together to get through this despair, remembering their choice was made with great care.

Baby is here. A little girl with no name.  Joy is laced with feelings of shame.
Papers to sign, goodbyes to be said, at long last, alone, lying empty in bed.

A waiting family receives an answer to prayer, they thank the Lord and begin to prepare.
Two hearts breaking, two swelling with joy.  Gods plans are for good and not to destroy.

His hand reigns over all, this is where she belongs. Although it was hard, it never felt wrong.
Prayers answered, a family completed. Two teens helped from feeling defeated.

Life continues at a more bearable place, everything’s as it should be, by Gods grace.
The child grows up from her youth, nurtured in the ways of biblical truth.

Good for them” is heard in a dismissive way, “Its not for me” so they say.
Precious children estranged from their parents, caring for these is a work of great merit.

So many lives by our Maker created, “Care for the Fatherless” He has stated.
Unwilling, we stand as the children cry, refusing to help them as they sigh.

Don’t point to others to carry the load. Everyone should prayerfully look down this road.
“The fruit of the womb is His reward. Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord.”

All children are included don’t forget one. When a child is hurting all objections should be done.
Everyone deserves to be loved and belong. The Bible shows examples of adoption’s sweet song.

The merciful shall obtain mercy, so we hear. Follow the command and do not fear.
Adoption is a gift, often misunderstood.  A beautiful opportunity to show good.

Answer the call, take the lead.  If not us, who will satisfy the need?
Become a refuge for the fleeing. Show the hopeless grace, their fears relieving.

We are commanded to “love one another.” Give a child a gift of a father and mother.
Let the love of God shine.  Change a life, like adoption changed mine.


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Pre-School: No Pencils Allowed—Just Bloody Scissors

My morning starts off pretty normal—scrambling around for missing library books, trying to find matching mittens and attempting to have the oldest of my crew ready for the bus by 7:50. After a wipeout on the ice-covered driveway, my 5- and 8-year old are on the bus, ready to take on the day. Next, it’s pre-school for my 4-year old and off to a friend for a quick coffee for my 2-year old and me.

Today also happens to be the day affectionately called “Halloween” by most, but in our house we do not celebrate the culture of death.  We strive to fight abortion, the death of the smallest and most vulnerable. My daughter’s preschool is having a pajama party instead of dressing up for Halloween, for which I am very thankful.

I buckle our youngest two into the van and unsuccessfully search for the ice scraper so I find the nearest toy, scrape the windshield and hop in.  Then I remember that the pre-schoolers were encouraged to bring a non-edible treat for their classmates so back into the house I go.  I spot the box of sparkly pro-life pencils. Perfect!  I grab them and we are finally on our way.  At school, after a kiss and a smile, my daughter excitedly joins her class, pencils in hand.

A couple of hours later we are back to pick her up. I hold my two-year old as we make our way past an adult with a scissor stuck in her head and kids decked out in costumes of all sorts and sizes.  When we arrive at the preschool class, the teacher is in the hall with one of the kids handing out candy bags to the parents.  I notice her holding the box of pencils and ask if they got handed out.  “No,” she replies, “we need to talk about this.”  Confused, I step aside with her.  “I wouldn’t allow your daughter to hand these out,” she states. “They are too sensitive and controversial.” I am so shocked that I just look at her, then turn around speechless and leave with my kids to dodge the costumed elementary students in the hall.

This is the world we live in—a world where the scarier, the darker, and the more devilish things are, the better. A world where the culture of death is fully embraced, whether by making light of death or by championing a woman’s right to abortion. A world that completely rejects the sanctity of life. Where will this end? Isaiah 5:20 warns, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.”

How should we respond? Romans 12 vs. 21 gives guidance: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Ephesians 5 vs. 8 tells us why. “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.”  In our walk, each of us should display the truth we profess, though my morning showed that isn’t always easy. People reject the truth, however gently or nicely we offer it to them. Should we just give up or should we find other ways to reach them? The Beatitudes speak of blessings for the peacemaker and those that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

While my experience at pre-school can’t be considered persecution, I can only imagine to which lengths people would go to suppress the truth. And we shouldn’t be surprised. In fighting for peace—true peace—we can expect opposition, even persecution, especially when we bring a message that speaks to the conscience and confirms Biblical truths. But we can’t give up. This fight is not for us: it should be for God’s honour and the youngest of His creatures. And the Beatitudes end with great hope for those fighting for righteousness: “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

My morning reinforces why I do “Choice” Chain, why I stand on our streets with prenatal and abortion imagery. The pro-life message will continue to be censored, even when it simply says to “Respect Life!” That is why we must bring our message to those who otherwise would not get or ask for it. That is why, as “Choice” Chain volunteers, we work together to expose and oppose abortion.  Because in a world that obviously embraces visual learning and has shown it isn’t opposed to graphic displays, people are being touched by the ultimate display of truth—the beauty of life and the horror of abortion—which is being used to change our culture. And as the Lord blesses our work, I pray our culture of death will truly change into a culture of life, where “the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35).

I hope and pray that we will continue to be used to change hearts and minds and save lives. What will you do? After all, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.””

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Odessa’s Story

I would like to share this story with you because it shows that miracles do happen and that God does hear and answer prayer.

In late June, Lethbridge and District Pro-life received a call from a young, single mom of two who was very upset. She had just found out she was pregnant again. Although she loved both her children very much she didn’t see how it was possible to care for another child alone. She was already working two jobs to support her and her children. She felt stuck, alone, and scared. She felt that abortion was her only option. She agreed to talk with our social worker, my friend Maaike. Several phone calls followed throughout that week; she was very emotional, unsure of what to do, and not open to meeting. Maaike asked if she would talk to me since I had been in a somewhat similar situation and was adopted myself but she declined this as well. All of us were very concerned, hoping and praying for a positive turnout.

After about a week of contact the young woman, whom I will call Odessa, called Maaike and said her mind was made up. “I know I will regret it,” she said, “but I have decided to have an abortion.” We were hurting for Odessa and her pre-born child and felt so helpless. What to do now? We kept praying for guidance, though it was hard to not be discouraged.

A few days later, on my way into Lethbridge, I felt the overwhelming need go to a store that was completely out of the way. I had prayed for direction but it made no sense. I knew that Odessa worked at one of these stores in town but I had no idea which one—there are about seven of them in town. I walked in with my kids, feeling foolish and doubting my former thoughts. I looked closely at every girl working, wondering “Is this her?” Then I heard, “Odessa to cash” ring over the loudspeaker. From the corner of my eye I saw the girl I had just passed walk to the front of the store! Shaking, I headed to the front counter but when we got there, the girl was gone. Purchases in hand, we headed out to the van. I sat there for about 10 minutes feeling helpless. This was clearly an answer to prayer… but now what? Confused, I finished my errands and went home with a racing mind. I guess I was being taught to stop thinking that I could solve this on my own, and being shown that I was merely being used as a tool. And so I prayed for more direction.

Shortly after arriving home my mom stopped by unexpectedly with a grocery gift card. She knew nothing about what was going on but now I not only had a reason to go back to the store, but also a gift to show our support.

The next afternoon we had a wedding to attend but left early to first stop by the store.  Once again doubt filled my heart. Would she even be there? And what was I going to say? As we drove up I immediately saw her on till with another woman. There was a large number of customers in line. Despite my shaking legs I walked in and headed to the card department to try think of what to say. My heart pounded in my ears and all I could think was “What time I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee” (Psalm 56:3).  As I walked to the counter, everyone was gone except Odessa.  I put down the gift card and tried not to panic. “Just the card?” she asked. My hands were also shaking now. “Actually no,” I replied and asked her if her name was Odessa. I went on to tell her I was friends with Maaike and that we had been praying for her and how I had heard her name called the day before. Tears came to her eyes and she stared at me like I wasn’t real. I handed her the gift card and said we would do anything we could to help her. “I believe everything happens for a reason,” I concluded. She was nearly speechless. “So do I,” she managed to say and thanked me. I turned and left. I got in the van and cried with amazement. Once again, God answered prayer and now there was nothing to do but wait and pray more.

For almost a month I heard nothing and it felt as though I was carrying around a large weight, until I received a voice message on my phone: “This is Odessa. I am just calling to say thank you. Please call me.”  I immediately called her back… to hear the best news imaginable. She was keeping her baby! Odessa explained that she had an abortion booked and then I had come into the store. Also, a couple days later her sister had a miscarriage. “How could I possibly do this to my baby?” she said. I was overjoyed and thankful, and reassured her that we were going to be there for her every step of the way. Soon afterwards we met again and have many times since. We quickly became friends and I was thrilled when I got to attend the ultrasound appointments. How amazing to see an ultrasound of a living baby who was scheduled to be killed!

At the time of writing Odessa’s baby boy is due in a week… Nothing short of a miracle!”